Universal Journal of Educational Research 8(3B): 83-88, 2020 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2020.081510 An Analysis of the Effect of English Proficiency towards Students' Academic Performance in University of Malaysia Sabah Qhatrunnada Suyansah * , Darmesah Gabda Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, University Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia Received July 21, 2019; Revised October 5, 2019; Accepted February 20, 2020 Copyright©2020 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract Students are the main assets of universities. Students’ academic performance has been the top priority for themselves, educators, researchers, government, and parents. There have been many studies that sought to investigate factors that influence students’ academic performance and they discover that hard work, discipline, class attendance, self-motivation, previous schooling and family’s income affect students’ academic performance, and these seem to have significant effects on the students’ final Cumulative Grade Point Average, CGPA. This study aims to investigate whether students’ English language results and their entry results during admission are also factors that influence their final Cumulative Grade Point Average, CGPA. Multiple linear regression was the analysis used to determine the effect of English proficiency towards students’ academic performance. Thus, the results will show the factors that significantly contribute to the students’ academic performance. Keywords Academic Performance, English Results, Multiple Linear Regression 1. Introduction The higher learning institutions in Malaysia are growing in number which indicates a positive improvement towards the opportunities for individuals to pursue their higher education and as a result increasing the growth of human capital of the country [5]. Student’s performance has always been a concern to many parties especially in education and government sector. Education institutions are on the go to consistently improve the quality of students that they produce. Moreover, fresh graduate employment is the main concern for students as they complete their studies. Malaysia is one of the Asian countries that adopt bilingual education system. English is used as the second language in the country [11]. It is through the vehicle of English language that student accesses knowledge in other subject areas. Some universities in Malaysia today are also teaching fully in English. To this effect, proficiency in the English language is essentially not only for academic success alone but performing in life as various individuals. Thus, it is crucial for us to study whether students’ English language proficiency influences their academic performance or not. Another variable to be considered in this study is the entry results during admission; the students’ cumulative grade point average (CGPA). Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education’s website shows that the qualifications’ requirement to pursue to the degree level by Unit Pengambilan Universiti (UPU) is Foundation, Matriculation, Diploma, Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM). The results (CGPA) from the different background of certification will be used in this study as the entry results during admission. This is to determine whether students’ entry results and their background of certification have any influence on students’ academic performance. Previous studies discover that class attendance reflects significantly towards students’ academic performance [7]. On the other hand, student’s studying effort, age, and a healthy match between student’s learning style and instructor’s teaching style also have positive effect on student's performance [7]. Several studies also indicate that students’ previous GPA is another factor that has a positive effect on the students’ performance. Hence, this study will determine whether the students’ English language results, entry results during admission as well as demographic factor affect their academic performance. CITE THIS PAPER [1] Qhatrunnada Suyansah , Darmesah Gabda , "An Analysis of the Effect of English Proficiency towards Students' Academic Performance in University of Malaysia Sabah," Universal Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 8, No. 3B, pp. 83 - 88, 2020. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2020.081510.