ABSTRACT
This study examined the effect of comprehension skills on the language proficiency of Grade 7 students at San Nicolas Integrated High School during the school year 2025-2026. It was conducted in response to persistent challenges in English comprehension and overall language performance, despite English being a primary medium of instruction in the Philippines. The study focused on three key comprehension skills-making connections, retaining knowledge, and word recognition and investigated how these skills were related to language proficiency across four modalities: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
A descriptive research design was employed, and data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire administered to Grade 7 learners. The instruments measured students' levels of comprehension skills and the extent of their language proficiency. Statistical tools such as frequency counts, weighted means, and Pearson correlation were used to analyze the data and determine relationships between variables. Findings revealed that the respondents demonstrated a satisfactory level of comprehension skills overall, with retaining knowledge ranking highest, followed by making connections and word recognition.
In terms of language proficiency, students showed a great extent of proficiency across all four modalities, with listening emerging as the strongest skill and writing as the least developed. The analysis further indicated that there was a significant relationship between comprehension skills and language proficiency, suggesting that stronger comprehension abilities contributed to better performance in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Based on the results, the study proposed an intervention plan aimed at strengthening weaker comprehension skills to further enhance students' language proficiency. The findings underscored the importance of comprehension-focused instruction in improving overall English language performance among junior high school learners.
Keywords: Intervention Plan, Language Proficiency, Comprehension Skills Grade 7 learners