Honors Without Literacy: A Narrative Review of the Reading and English Proficiency Gap Across the Senior High School–Tertiary Transition in the Philippines

Abstract

This narrative critical-integrative review examines the paradox in Philippine education wherein learners graduate from senior high school (SHS) with academic honors yet enter tertiary education with substantial difficulties in independent reading and academic English. It synthesizes published and policy literature to determine the extent, causes, and consequences of this literacy gap. Guided by the SANRA quality criteria for narrative reviews, the review examined peer-reviewed studies indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and Google Scholar; PISA 2018 and 2022 results; World Bank learning-poverty estimates; national assessment data, including ELLNA, NAT, and Phil-IRI; and EDCOM 2 reports published from 2015 to 2026. Evidence was synthesized thematically and interpreted through Stanovich’s Matthew effect, Cummins’s BICS–CALP distinction, Spence’s signalling theory, and Campbell’s law. Four interrelated themes emerged: reading deficits begin early and accumulate across grade levels; grading, promotion, and score-transmutation practices can weaken the relationship between academic credentials and demonstrated competence; inconsistent language-of-instruction policies and insufficient exposure to academic English may limit the development of academic language proficiency; and the SHS–tertiary transition lacks a shared literacy standard capable of identifying and addressing accumulated deficits. Consequently, literacy difficulties may persist into higher education despite favorable report-card grades and academic distinctions. The review reframes the issue as a systemic credential–competence gap rather than solely an individual learner deficiency and proposes a conceptual framework and research agenda for strengthening literacy assessment, transition mechanisms, grading practices, and language policy across the basic-to-higher education continuum.