Translanguaging in Teaching and Learning Science in Selected Multilingual Elementary Classrooms in the Philippines

ABSTRACT

To address the challenges of teaching and learning among multilingual elementary students, the Philippines, a multilingual country with over 180 languages, implemented the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE). Studies on the use of mother tongue have reported positive results among students who share a common language. However, in highly multilingual places, mother tongue use poses a challenge to students whose mother tongues differ from the one used in the classrooms. Using non-participatory observations, this study gathered data from a highly multilingual city in the Philippines to determine how teachers and students use languages during the teaching and learning of science. It reveals that the participants used translanguaging in accomplishing communicative functions needed in teaching and learning science. Subsequently, the study proffers the legitimization of translanguaging as it is pedagogically beneficial to both the teachers and the students in multilingual elementary classrooms.

KEYWORDS:

• Language use
• language use and identity
• multilingual
• multilingualism

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the teachers and the students who took part in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robin Atilano De Los Reyes

Robin Atilano De Los Reyes is an Associate Professor and current School of Liberal Arts Dean at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Zamboanga City, Philippines. He holds a doctorate degree in English language and literature from Ateneo de Manila University. His research interests include multilingualism, translanguaging, and linguistic landscape.

Evelyn Romaguera Bagona

Evelyn Romaguera Bagona is the College Librarian and a faculty of Ebenezer Bible College and Seminary, Zamboanga City, Philippines. She holds a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Ateneo de Zamboanga University. Her research interests include science education and translanguaging.