SDCA Asia-Pacific Multidisciplinary Research Journal

Abstract

Language proficiency is important to achieving academic success because it enables students to comprehend or understand, communicate with others, and to effectively engage with the learning materials they accept every day as a student. However, many Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) students find it hard to understand complex texts, which affects their academic performance. The purpose of this study is to find out the main barriers and challenges in improving language skills and find better ways to help students overcome these problems. This study employed a qualitative research design, using a phenomenological approach to address the issue to gain rich and detailed insights into students’ everyday lived experiences. Data was collected from the five (5) randomly chosen Grade 11 HUMSS students at Landy National High School through a process or methods such as interviews and observations with the use of unstructured questionnaires. Thematic analysis was utilized to effectively analyze and interpret the details and identify recurring themes related to language proficiency challenges and learning strategies. The findings revealed that HUMSS students struggle with understanding very technical vocabulary, the sentence structures, and the complexity of the academic materials given to them. The lack of instructional support from the teachers and effective learning resources further slows their progress, leading to decreased self-confidence, frustration, and academic anxieties. Even though some students use their own learning methods, such as taking notes, watching educational videos, and discussing with classmates, these approaches are not enough to fully solve their difficulties. The study highlights the need for better teaching materials from teachers, diversified learning strategies, and more engaging and interactive teaching methods to help students improve their language abilities. Developing personalized learning methods, peer mentoring programs, and extra language resources can assist students in dealing with these challenges and help them succeed academically.

Keywords: Academic success; HUMSS students; Instructional support; Language proficiency; Learning strategies.

To cite this article:

Linga, J. L., Perilla, K. E. V., & Gregorio, J. M. V. (2025). Challenges to achieve language proficiency towards academic success of humanities and social sciences students studying in Landy National High School. SDCA Asia-Pacific Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 7(1), 15-21. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.16810925