Abstract

This study determined the relationship between the level of manifestation of learning abilities and the level of communicative competence in English among Senior High School students. Specifically, it examined how students’ abilities in listening, verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and written communication relate to their grammatical, sociolinguistic, and discourse competence. The study employed a quantitative descriptive–correlational research design. Data were collected using a validated and reliable 27-item survey questionnaire administered to 150 systematically selected Senior High School students from public and private schools in Kitcharao District, Agusan del Norte. The instrument measured learning abilities and communicative competence using a five-point Likert scale. Statistical treatments included weighted mean, standard deviation, and Spearman correlation analysis to determine the strength and significance of the relationships between variables. Findings revealed a significant positive relationship between learning abilities and communicative competence in English, with all correlations significant at the .01 level, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. Verbal communication showed the strongest relationship with grammatical competence (ρ = .758, p = .000), while written communication was strongly correlated with both grammatical (ρ = .772, p = .000) and discourse competence (ρ = .770, p = .000). Listening and nonverbal communication also demonstrated significant associations with communicative competence. The results indicated that communicative competence in English is enhanced through the integrated development of listening, speaking, writing, and nonverbal skills. The study underscores the importance of holistic and learner-centered instructional approaches in strengthening English communication among Senior High School students.