Codeswitching as an Effective Teaching Medium

Today's educators have been experiencing difficulties meeting the needs of an

increasing number of students whose primary language is not English. However, they used a
variety of languages to enable them to transfer knowledge effectively during classroom
instruction. In the Philippines, Tagalog-English or Taglish is a widely used Codeswitching
because it is accepted among bilingual speakers in different communities around the world.
When the students experience some learning difficulties, and they don't understand what the
teacher is saying if the language use is second or language, they use a local language instead
enable to solve pupils' learning issues. Filipino teachers employ a communication strategy
known as code-switching, which involves the use of two languages. According to Olivera
(2019), the use of code-switching positively increases and boosts their confidence and
engagement during English classes. It was supported by the findings of Gartines and Alvares
(2019), which show that codeswitching is preferred over utilizing English alone as a medium of
instruction. The majority of students firmly feel that speaking only one language is helpful to
them and that codeswitching is more effective in learning and teaching English. Students say it
makes the course easier to understand, and they are at ease with it because they are accustomed
to it.

In the Philippines, bilingual education started in 1974, when the Department of Education
and Culture mandated the use of the English and Filipino languages as the media of instruction in
both primary and secondary schools. Decades have passed since bilingual education was
mandated in both public and private schools. Codeswitching, as described by Zainil and Arsyad
(2021), is the act of switching between two or more languages in discourse and is considered an
inevitable language phenomenon in a multilingual society. Thus, it is evident that codeswitching
—the employment of two languages in a discourse, conversation, or utterance—is a typical trait
of multilingual communication.

Morever, Liwanag and Labor (2016) investigated the code-switching patterns of a group
of Tagalog-English speakers in content-based classrooms and analyzed the discursive and
pragmatic repercussions of this practice. In terms of language learning, the use of the student's
first language in the classroom essentially increases active participation between the teacher and
the learner, according to the same authors. In this regard, Berowa and Agbayani (2019) stated
that "the use of mother tongue enables children to become more expressive, active, and
participative in the learning process" (p. 124). Presenting students' concepts and lessons in their
home language can greatly increase their involvement. Similarly, Bravo-Sotelo (2020) did a
study on the use of Tagalog-English code-switching since it is thought to be beneficial for
learners to gain a comprehensive understanding of the lessons rather than utilizing only English
or Tagalog throughout the classroom discourse.

Finally, codeswitching is really relevant today. This article could be used as a basis for
further studies that could help the teacher and student to have appropriate language access to
education and know its effect on student learning. Especially, this may help deepen the
understanding of the importance of codeswitching as a linguistic tool to learn new vocabulary,
make us aware of teachers' code-switching patterns, and facilitate better understanding.

Prepared by:

NINA NERIE D. DE VELA

Teacher 1
F.buencamino Sr. Integrated School
Gabaldon District
ninanerie.devela@deped.gov.ph