Abstract
Senior High School students struggle with writing proficiency, which affects their academic performance and future career opportunities. This study examined the writing proficiency of Technical Vocational Livelihood (TVL) Senior High School students, focusing on content, organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics. It also explored students' experiences in enhancing writing skills and identified effective instructional materials to support writing improvement. Using a Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods design, the study involved 240 students for quantitative assessment, 16 for in-depth interviews, and two focus group discussions (FGDs). Writing proficiency was assessed through an essay task evaluated with rubrics, while structured interviews and FGDs provided qualitative insights. Descriptive statistics analyzed the quantitative data, and thematic analysis was used for the qualitative findings. Results indicated that students scored below the passing threshold in all areas, averaging a "Failed" status across content, organization, vocabulary, grammar and mechanics, highlighting significant challenges in idea development and grammatical accuracy. Qualitative analysis revealed themes such as writing challenges, support and feedback, grammar and language struggles, writing practice, obstacles and distractions, strategies, and collaboration. Both data sets underscored the need for targeted pedagogical strategies. Scaffolded instruction and redesigned curricula, including workshops and structured activities, were recommended to address these foundational areas and improve students' writing skills effectively.
