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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Language has always been the principal means of communication. It is

something that every human being acquires and enriches. It’s a progeny of

learning. A young individual acquires his first language at the environment he’s

indigenous to – native language. As he grows older, his knowledge of language

increases and most likely get acquainted with different languages through external

influences present in his society (UNESCO, 2007).

When a child enters formal education, he gets more and more involved to

foreign languages. In the Philippines, the language considered superior and is

known foreign is the English language. Learning the English language is always

linked in the country’s core curriculum, it’s a fundamental component. However,

many learners are undeniably having difficulty in learning it (Gonzales, 2007).

To face the challenge in learning the English language, different

approaches to teaching it are modeled and are now being practiced around

different parts of the country. Among these approaches is the use of dual language

as a teaching aid, or what we call bilingual education (Lessow-Hurley, 2000).

Bilingual Education is the application of specialized educational

techniques to enhance the learning opportunities of learners whose native

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language differs from the predominant language of instruction. It involves

teaching academic content in two languages, in a native and secondary language

with varying amounts of each language used (Cloud, Genesse, and Hamayan,

2000).

Although bilingualism is relatively rare among native speakers of English,

in many parts of the world it is the standard rather than the exception.

“Bilingualism is more the norm than the exception.” Different government

institutions are now developing bilingual educational policies, not only as a

response to the country’s innate linguistic diversity, but also as a means of coping

with the needs and changes in the country (Lessow-Hurley, 2000).

The researcher had Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School (SNDIS) as

the setting of the study. The school had usual classes of the English subject and

has children with difficulty in learning it. In this study, the researcher aimed to

investigate about the use and the contribution of bilingualism in teaching the

English subject.

1.1 Statement of the Problem

For different reasons, learning the English language has become

imperative for every Filipino. English, being a global language, is widely use in

different situations and occasions all around the archipelago. Its wide range of

usage is becoming mainstream.

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However, many learners who are foreign to English language find learning

it difficult. Different approaches to teaching have been emerging apparently to

cope up to the needs and challenges of learning the global language, English. One

of these approaches, as aforementioned, is the use of bilingualism as a teaching

aid.

This research was intended to investigate the use and the contribution of

bilingualism in teaching the English subject to the Grade III-A pupils of Sultan

Naga Dimaporo Integrated School (SNDIS).

Specifically, this research study sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 age,

1.2 gender,

1.3 ethnicity,

1.4 parents’ highest educational attainment,

1.5 parents’ occupation, and

1.6 parents’ combined monthly income?

2. How do home and school contribute to the language acquisition of the

learners?

3. What are the pretest and posttest scores of the respondents?

4. Is there a significant relationship between the learners’ profile and their

performance in the English subject?

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5. Is there a significant relationship between the learners’ language acquisition

and their performance in the English subject?

6. Is there a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores?

1.2 Hypotheses

The null hypotheses below were tested at 0.05 level of significance.

1. There is no significant relationship between the profile and the performance of

the learners in their English subject.

2. There is no significant relationship between the learners’ language acquisition

and their performance in the English subject.

3. There is no significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores of

the respondents.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The study was planned to assess the effects of using bilingualism as a

teaching aid in the English subject of Grade III Section A pupils in Sultan Naga

Dimaporo Integrated School (SNDIS).

Specifically, this study sought to:

1. identify the respondents’ profile;

2. ascertain the contribution of both the learners’ home and the school in their

acquisition of the English language;

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3. determine if the respondents’ profiles have significant effects to their

performance in their English subject;

4. relate the respondents’ manner of English language acquisition to their

performance in the English subject; and

5. verify if bilingualism is really an effective teaching aid.

1.4 Theoretical Framework

For a better analysis of the study, pertinent theories substantial to

cognitive functioning and bilingualism were incorporated.

The first theory revolves around Basic Interpersonal Communicative

Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). The

distinction of BICS/CALP was proposed by Jim Cummins (2000) in consideration

of what constitutes sufficient linguistic skills to do well in the classroom. BICS

may be demonstrated by language minority learners in the majority language

when talking with peers on the playground and other social/non-academic

settings. CALP tends to be the language of the school and of specific content

areas. Cummins introduces the distinction to note that language minority learners

are expected to learn two languages while in the classroom (secondary and

academic), and thus it will take time for the learners to learn at the same level as

monolingual learners, though they will get there (Baker, 2001). This distinction is

supportive of strong bilingual education programs, where the secondary and

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academic languages are learned in “context embedded" programs instead of in

abstraction. This is also supportive of bilingual education because it still holds

the learners to the same cognitively demanding education that is standard for

monolingual students, which Cummins believes bilingual learners can handle.

The second supporting theory of the study is the Linguistic

Interdependence Hypothesis. The linguistic or developmental interdependence

hypothesis says that learners are able to develop a second language when their

primary language is developed (Baker, 2001). Cummins asserts that language

minority students who have strong foundations in their first language would have

an easier time learning the same content in the second language. This is definitely

supportive of bilingual education because it requires support and valorization of

the minority language in order to obtain the goal of majority language proficiency

faster. If the schools want to motivate learners to learn, they have to acknowledge

and develop the minority languages as valid tools and stepping stones for

mainstream learning.

These two theories reinforce the Threshold Theory, which discusses the

levels of language competence needed to avoid negative cognitive effects and/or

to attain cognitive advantages. Below the first threshold, a learner’s language

competence in both of their developing languages is low. Passing the first

threshold means that the learner has age-appropriate competence in one of the two

languages, and is no longer at such a risk of negative cognitive consequences.

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Passing the second threshold means that age-appropriate competence in both

languages is obtained, and cognitive advantages occur (Baker, 2001).

Students acquiring a second language need to have a solid foundation in

one language in order to cognitively develop well. Requiring students to dive into

a second language before developing the first would harm cognitive development,

which affects their learning in various content areas (Baker, 2001).

1.5 Conceptual Framework

For this study to be seemly done, certain variables were considered. The

independent variables include the personal profile of the respondents in terms of

their age, gender, ethnicity, and their parents’ occupation, highest educational

attainment, and family monthly income. In addition to these were the factors that

constitute the respondents’ language acquisition at home and at school and the

results of assessments. Variables that were known independent for this definite

study served as vital constituents in determining the effects of using bilingualism

as a teaching aid. Thus, arriving to a substantial result, whether the independent

variables can contribute to the performance of the respondents in their English

subject or not.

Figure 1, at page 9, shows the schematic diagram of the conceptual

framework of the study

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Independent Variables Dependent Variable

A. Respondents’ Profile
1. Age
2. Gender
3. Ethnicity
4. Parents’ Highest Educational
Attainment
5. Parents’ Occupation
ENGLISH SUBJECT
6. Parents’ Combined Monthly
PERFORMANCE
Income
B. Language Acquisition
o At Home
o At School
C. Bilingualism
o Pretest
o Posttest

Fig. 1. The schematic diagram of the conceptual framework of the study.

1.6 Delimitations of the Study

This study was limited on the contribution and effects of using

bilingualism as a teaching aid in the English subject of Grade III-A pupils in

Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School (SNDIS). It was compelled on the

effects of the said approach to the respondents’ understanding and learning. It

was bound to study only two weeks of the respondents’ performance in their
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English subject during their second grading period, school year 2015-2016. The

pupils’ profile in terms of their age, gender, ethnicity, and their parents’

occupation, highest educational attainment, and monthly income were determined

as well for this research.

1.7 Significance of the Study

Most people in the world speak two or more languages, simply because

multiple languages are used in their environment. However, learning a foreign

language might not be easy for every individual (Baker, 2001).

As the society responds to the changes and challenges in the world of

teaching and learning language, many approaches have been developed. Different

programs have been emerging and one of these is the core of this study,

bilingualism.

The results of this study were intended to make a contribution to the use of

bilingualism as a teaching aid in a language class. This study would provide

insights and will serve as a guide to school administrators, teachers, and parents.

It will also provide insights to learners and future researchers in general.

Specifically, the results of this study benefit the following:

Learners. The findings of this study will help the learners understand

their need of learning language. They will also gain additional inputs to improve

their learning skills.

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Teachers. The study will provide teachers with more information about

teaching the English subject wherein they could gain more insights in developing

creative, appropriate, and efficient teaching approaches.

Parents. This study will enable parents to generate ideas and make ways

that will allow their children to learn more about their native and secondary

languages.

School Administrators. The findings of this study may lead to avenues

for improvement especially on school administration aspects affecting student

teaching where they have great influence and control.

Future Researchers. The study may guide other researchers in

conducting similar or parallel study on a broader scope and settings.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Every word has a specific meaning. When we encounter words like

educated, feedback, competence, and etc., its meaning which may be manifold

and the concept which may carry a lot of related associated ideas, which is related

to this word, comes into our mind. This requires clarification by the researcher,

that in what manner and with what kind of association he uses it.

In this part of the study, some important definitions for the present

research are given which will be helpful in the clarification of various concepts.
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Bilingual Education. It involves teaching academic content in two

languages, in a native and secondary language with varying amounts of each

language used in accordance with the program model (Baker, 2001).

Bilingualism. It refers to the use of two languages. It is being able to

communicate effectively in two or more languages, with more or less the same

degree of proficiency (Harris, 2003).

Communicative Competence. It is the ability to use the language

effectively for communication. Gaining such competence involves acquiring both

sociolinguistic and linguistic knowledge or, in other words, developing the ability

to use the language accurately, appropriately, and effectively (Ricciardelli, 1992).

English Subject Performance. This refers to the performance of the

respondents in their English subject. It includes the work and the attitude of the

respondents that they manifest in both oral and written activities. It is greatly

determined from the results of every assessment to be conducted.

Feedback. The response learners get when they attempt to communicate.

This can involve correction, acknowledgement, requests for clarification,

backchannel cues (e.g. “Mmm”). Feedback plays an important role in helping

learners to test their ideas about the target language (Bialystok, 2004).

Language Practice. These are activities which involve repetition of the

same language point or skill in an environment which is controlled by the

framework of the activity. The intention is not to use the language for
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communication but to strengthen, through successful repetition, the ability to

manipulate a particular language form or function (Cummins, 2000).

Language Proficiency. This is the level of competence in which an

individual is able to use language for both basic communicative tasks and

academic purposes (Cummins, 2000).

Linguistic Competence. A broad term used to describe the totality of a

given individual’s language ability; the underlying language system believed to

exist as inferred from an individual’s language performance (Corson, 2000).

Mother Tongue. The first language somebody learns as a child at home

(UNESCO, 2007).

Second Language. The term is used to refer to a language which is not a

mother tongue but which is used for certain communicative functions in a society

(Ricciardelli, 1992).