Learners’ Engagement and Competence in English

This research was intended to evaluate the learner engagement levels and levels of English proficiency among 255 Grade 10 pupils in the District of Caluya, School Division of Antique. Adopting a cross-sectional research approach, the research gathered quantifiable information using a self-developed survey questionnaire that quantified the students' engagement levels in English classes and their reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary proficiency levels. The findings indicated that students had a moderate level of engagement, with the most common being behavioral engagement, followed by lower emotional and cognitive engagement. Furthermore, students had average English language proficiency, with the highest marks in reading comprehension and the lowest in grammar and vocabulary. A moderate level of positive relationship was established between students' participation and their level of English competency, which supports the fact that more participatory students had increased English proficiency. On this premise, the research suggested the embrace of interactive, student-centered educational approaches to help improve all types of engagement in addition to deploying more teaching facilities to aid vocabulary and grammar advancement. Professional development opportunities should also be offered for teachers to enhance their pedagogical skills, and parents should establish an English-rich home environment to reinforce learning further. Finally, the research recommended that more factors related to learner participation and language ability be investigated, like teacher proficiency and socio-economic status. In general, the research emphasized the need to develop greater engagement to enhance students' English language proficiency.