Writing Proficiency Program of Freshmen Students in Bohol Island State University Clarin, Bohol

Abstract

Learning to write well is keeping a balanced diet. Toward this end, we sampled 250 freshmen students in Bohol Island State University, Clarin, Bohol, to determine their writing proficiency in identifying and revising sentences with structural slips, basis for a proposed Writing Proficiency Program. Descriptive correlational survey method, with interview and observation techniques, was used. As instrument, questionnaire with 1-hour item test revealed their profile and writing drawbacks. Manifested much difficulty was in identifying wordy sentences (91.52%) and stringy (97.40%) in transformation. Although they were proficient (2.68) in identification, but poor (3.28) in transformation. Chi-square contingency test showed significant result where the computed t-value (2.892) was greater than the tabular value (1.98). This implies that the hardest the sentence errors to identify, the hardest for them also to transform. Consequently, a designed 11-session Writing Proficiency Program is in order. This will address not only to this institution but throughout the other 5 campuses of BISU System. When approved by the Board of Regents, this becomes a graduation requirement for all students. Passers will receive Certificate of Merits. For its sustainability, such program shall be managed by competent language professorsand competent heads of offices who would be de-loaded and afforded honoraria. Keywords - Education, sentence structural slips, survey and test, Bohol, Philippines