This document discusses a study that aims to measure the academic performance of fifth year civil engineering students at the University of Southeastern Philippines in terms of their proficiency in four English skills - reading, writing, speaking and listening. Specifically, it examines the students' level of reading comprehension and writing proficiency. The study is grounded in theories of language proficiency and reviews related literature and previous studies on language skills and academic performance. It provides background information and defines key terms used in the study.

1. ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN TERMS OF THE FOUR MACRO SKILLS OF THE
FIFTH YEAR BS CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTHEASTERN PHILIPPINES
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements in English 2
Writing Across Discipline
by
Cuizon, Hazel
Catacutan, Tiffany Jane
De Guzman, Hannah Jo
Pareja, John Jacob
Sinday, Louise Jay
January, 2013

2. Chapter I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, theoretical
framework, conceptual framework, significance of the study, scope and limitation, and the
definition of terms.
Background of the Study
For many years, language proficiency was equated with the ability to communicate
effectively. Reading and writing are meaningful ways in using language. These are not just basic
skills people are taught in school. They are essential on individuals’ life in all areas: home,
workplace, etc. These skills are necessary to carry out the thoughts and visions on people. As
useful vehicles, one should be efficient in order to convey messages clearly. Being good at only
one of these communicative skills will not help us smooth away difficulties in communicating.
With these skills, it can make a big difference in the workplace in social situations.
However, the ability of engineering students in the field of speech and words has been a
source of concern. It has been overlooked and underestimated. According to a report by the State
Comptroller's office (1985), many of the engineers the Transit Authority has hired over the last
four years did not go to accredited colleges and have difficulty in English.
Given the importance of the English language as a subject in the University of
Southeastern Philippines, the problem of being weak in this discipline is still highly present
among students. This, therefore, is the purpose of presenting this paper. This study aims to
measure the ability and potential including the readiness of the fifth year BS Civil Engineering
students in English skills.
Statement of the Problem

3. This study aims to measure the proficiency level of Fifth Year Civil Engineering students
in College of Engineering in terms of the four macro skills. Specifically the study sought to
answer the following questions.
1. What is the level of Reading Comprehension of respondents?
2. What is the level of Writing Proficiency of respondents?
3. Is there a significant relationship in the level of Reading Comprehension and thee
level of Writing Proficiency of respondents?
Theoretical Framework
Theory Base
Theory that will be anchored in the study of Reading Comprehension and Writing
Proficiency is Barret’s Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension by Thomas Barrett (1980).
Reading
Reading is a complex skill that is taught as it's essential for learning and development and
vocabulary. It is also an act or activity of rendering aloud written or printed material. Reading is
also an ability to understand reading material in a form of a paragraph or a sentence. This skill is
also used for scanning information and understanding what the writers want to tell and evaluate
what reading material and incorporate information from multiple sources.
Writing
Writing is defined as the act or the art of forming letters and characters on paper,
wood, stone or to other material, for the purpose of recording the ideas and information in which

4. characters and words express of communicating to others by visible signs. It is also a way of
expressing their ideas and though in textual form. Writing is the last thing you could learn in the
four-macro skill but it is the most complex skill in communication.
Conceptual Framework
Written Communicative Skills
• Reading Fifth year Civil Engineering
• Writing students
Fig. 1 Schematic Diagram Showing the Variables of the Study
Significance of the Study
The goal of the study is to establish an intellectual and learning pattern in the College of
Engineering to enhance their Four Macro Skills and would be beneficial to the following:
Subject Coordinator. The results of the study provide an idea to them on how to provide
an idea to the curriculum in strengthening reading and writing skills.
Students. The study will can provide them information about their strengths and
weaknesses in written communicative skills. As a student discovers his competence in English,
he becomes more aware about the areas in which he needs to improve.

5. Teachers. This will be a way to address the need of developing the efficient strategies
they use in teaching. Teachers would be able to get in touched with helpful instruments to
achieve good standard.
Future Researchers. The idea presented will be a reference data in conducting
researches and can provide information for some related topics.
Scope and Limitation
The researchers conduct this study in the University of Southeastern Philippines Obrero
Campus. The respondents are the Fifth Year Civil Engineering students Day Program, while the
research can tell us the students’ potential and ability in reading and writing. This is limited in
identifying the methods of teaching in developing and improving the said skills.
Definitions of Terms
The following terms are defined in this study.
Academic Performance - Academic performance refers to how well the respondents
deal with their studies in English in terms of the four macro skills.
Fifth Year Civil Engineering students - These refer to the respondents of the study who
are fifth year students of the College of Engineering Department and are particularly taking up
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering during School Year 2012-2013.
Reading Comprehension. In this study, this will be measured to assess the students’
level of understanding of the story. This will be measured based on Barret’s Taxonomy of
Reading Comprehension (1980).
Writing Proficiency. In this study, this will be measured to assess the students’ level of
Writing Proficiency of the story. This will be measured based on Lumley’s Writing Proficiency
Indicators”

6. but rather complementing each other in allowing the speaker to cope with different
communicative situations (pp. 120-1).
Tabacug (1990) in her review of language proficiency opined that current views of
communicative competence are not complete without tracing its roots to Chomsky’s (1965)
Linguistic theory, Dell Hymes’s (1972) et. al. Communicative Competence, Canale and Swain’s
(1985) Theory of Communicative Competence and others. In agreement with this opinion, this
study briefly outlined the concerned linguists ’views on language proficiency. First, Chomsky
(1965) in his linguistic theory claims that language competence is like an ideal speaker-hearer in
a completely homogenous speech community who knows his language perfectly without
experiencing any performance variables, such as: memory limitation, distractions, shifts of
interest, attention and so on. Second, Dell Hymes (1983) Theory of Communicative Competence
has four dimensions which are: 1.) grammatical competence – the mastery of formal features of
language 2.) Socio- linguistic competence – knowledge of the socio - cultural rules of language
use, 3.) Discourse competence or the knowledge/skill in making connection of a series
of utterances to form a unified whole both in spoken and written language forms, and 4.)
Strategic competence or skill in the use of appropriate strategy to compensate for whatever
breakdown in communication due to deficiency in other aspects of communicative competence
(Tabacug, 1990).
Reading
Reading skills enable readers to turn writing into meaning and achieve the goals of
independence, comprehension, and fluency.
According to Goodman (1988), reading is a receptive psycholinguistic process wherein
the actor uses strategies to create meaning from text. He added that his view on reading is widely

7. Chapter II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This chapter consists of information culled from studies and literature, both local and
foreign, from which this particular study is premised.
Related Literature
Language Proficiency
Language proficiency is a measurement of how well an individual has mastered a
language. Proficiency is measured in terms of receptive and expressive language skills, syntax,
vocabulary, semantics, and other areas that demonstrate language abilities. There are four
domains to language proficiency: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Language proficiency
is measured for an individual by each language, such that the individual may be proficient in
English and not proficient in another language.
Cummins (1983) viewed language proficiency as a concept that extends along two
continua: context-embedded versus context-reduced, where context embedded communication
relies on a code of implicit knowledge, shared by the speakers, and context-reduced
communication is based on a lack of common knowledge, which forces speakers to elaborate
messages and use very explicit language in order to avoid misinterpretation. Cummuns also
emphasized that the two concepts on a continuum, never opposing each other as in dichotomy

8. Teachers. This will be a way to address the need of developing the efficient strategies
they use in teaching. Teachers would be able to get in touched with helpful instruments to
achieve good standard.
Future Researchers. The idea presented will be a reference data in conducting
researches and can provide information for some related topics.
Scope and Limitation
The researchers conduct this study in the University of Southeastern Philippines Obrero
Campus. The respondents are the Fifth Year Civil Engineering students Day Program, while the
research can tell us the students’ potential and ability in reading and writing. This is limited in
identifying the methods of teaching in developing and improving the said skills.
Definitions of Terms
The following terms are defined in this study.
Academic Performance - Academic performance refers to how well the respondents
deal with their studies in English in terms of the four macro skills.
Fifth Year Civil Engineering students - These refer to the respondents of the study who
are fifth year students of the College of Engineering Department and are particularly taking up
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering during School Year 2012-2013.
Reading Comprehension. In this study, this will be measured to assess the students’
level of understanding of the story. This will be measured based on Barret’s Taxonomy of
Reading Comprehension (1980).
Writing Proficiency. In this study, this will be measured to assess the students’ level of
Writing Proficiency of the story. This will be measured based on Lumley’s Writing Proficiency
Indicators”