English Speaking Skills of Senior High School Teachers: Basis for Teachers' English Language Enhancement Program

This study aimed to assess the English-speaking skills of senior high school teachers in Isabel, Leyte, focusing on pronunciation, fluency, and communication abilities. Using a descriptive research design, data were collected through the EnglishScore app assessment tool, which aligns with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)—an international standard for describing language ability across listening, speaking, reading, and writing on a scale from A1 (beginner) to C2 (proficient). A complete enumeration technique was utilized to include all 30 senior high school teachers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results, specifically the mean and percentage distribution. Findings revealed that the majority of participants demonstrated high levels of English proficiency, predominantly falling within the B2 (Upper Intermediate) and C1 (Advanced) levels. For pronunciation, 63.33% of teachers achieved B2, and 23.33% attained C1, indicating clear and intelligible speech. In terms of fluency, 50% were at B2, 36.66% at B1 (Intermediate), and 3.33% at C1, suggesting generally smooth but sometimes hesitant speech. Communication skills showed more variation, with 33.33% at B1, 26.66% at B2, and 23.33% at C1; however, 16.66% remained at A2 (Elementary), indicating a need for support in spontaneous conversation and complex interaction. The study is grounded in the principles of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), a language teaching approach that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the goal of learning a language. Overall, the teachers exhibited functional English-speaking skills suitable for academic instruction, but improvement is necessary, particularly in interactive communication. Based on the findings, the study recommends developing a comprehensive professional language enhancement program focusing on speaking fluency, communicative competence, and advanced oral language training. Such initiatives are crucial to ensuring that all teachers achieve higher proficiency levels conducive to effective English-medium instruction and global communication standards.