CODE-SWITCHING AND MOTHER-TONGUE-BASED

INSTRUCTION IN GRADE-ONE MATHEMATICS:

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL

Volume: 15
Pages: 366-374
Document ID: 2023PEMJ1369
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10216042
Manuscript Accepted: 2023-1-11
Psych Educ, 2023, 15(4): 366-74, Document ID:2023 PEMJ1369, doi:10.5281/zenodo.10216042, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Code-Switching and Mother-Tongue-Based Instruction in

Grade-One Mathematics: A Comparative Analysis
Mylin O. Iñigo*, Arlene B. Loquias
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.
Abstract
This research delves into the intricate relationship between language and mathematics education, particularly
within the context of mother-tongue-based instruction. It addresses the challenge of reconciling the language of
instruction, the learners' mother tongue, and the language of mathematical concepts, emphasizing the need for
synchronization to enhance the teaching and learning process. Drawing from international experiences and the
Philippine educational landscape, which transitioned to the K-12 curriculum, this study investigates the role of
code-switching in Grade-One mathematics education. By conducting a pretest-posttest group design at an
Elementary School in Bohol, Philippines, the study evaluates the effects of code-switching within a mother-
tongue-based instruction framework. Findings demonstrate that code-switching improves mathematics
performance, with the experimental group excelling in advanced and proficient levels post-implementation.
Notably, the control and experimental groups exhibited similar pretest scores, indicating their comparability.
This research concludes that code-switching is an effective strategy for bridging the linguistic gaps between the
mother tongue and mathematical concepts, thereby enhancing the meaningfulness and comprehensibility of
mathematics. In light of these findings, the study recommends the adoption of code-switching in teaching
mathematics, especially for students with lower academic achievement. Additionally, it encourages future
research to explore the applicability of code-switching in other subjects and higher grade levels. This study
advocates for an inclusive and adaptive approach to mathematics instruction that recognizes the complex
interplay of languages and aims to empower students to understand, participate actively, and develop a profound
love for the subject. Based on the empirical findings of this study, it is strongly recommended that the
integration of code-switching as a pedagogical strategy in mathematics instruction be formally endorsed within
the school setting. This endorsement serves the paramount goal of enhancing the mathematical proficiency and
overall academic performance of the students.

Keywords: mother-tongue-based instruction, code-switching, teaching mathematics, mathematics

performance

Introduction In 2012, the Philippines implemented a change in the

educational system in the basic education through the
Language describes the ability of the person to implementation of the K-12 curriculum. The ten years
organize their experiences and thoughts. It plays a vital of schooling from elementary to high school was
role in expressing one’s feelings and understanding changed to 12 years, and kindergarten was made part
what has been said. In teaching and learning, the of the ladder. Along the way, the use of the mother
comprehension of a language is very fundamental. tongue as the medium of instruction from kindergarten
to grade 3 was also implemented to help the pupils
Mathematical terms have their language, which differ express their ideas quickly and to encourage active
in meaning. In the classroom there exists the language participation in the learning process.
of the subject and the language of the pupils. There is
also the language of the teacher and the language of The mother tongue was applied in the classroom, but
instruction, and if these do not agree with each other, most books and other sources of knowledge in
confusion happens. If all these languages synchronize, Mathematics are written in the English language
it will simplify the teaching and learning process (Hillman,2015). Furthermore, many concepts and
(Mbekwa, 2008). neither terms in English used in Mathematics do not
have direct translations nor equivalents in the mother
Many countries implemented the mother tongue as the tongue, so teachers have to resort to English (Medilo,
language in Mathematics used in the classroom. As it 2016).
is said, the first language that the child learns
facilitates learning, and once this foundation is built As observed, pupils find it easy to understand
correctly, they are ready to learn the next language mathematical concepts in English, such as counting,
(Walker & Akstein, 2017). One of the many countries addition, subtraction, and shapes. However, official
implementing this mother tongue-based instruction is guidelines from the Department of Education (DepEd)
our own country. emphasize the significance of utilizing local

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Research Article

terminologies (D.O. 16 s.2012). In the efforts to 2.1. The mean scores of the pretest and posttest
contextualize Mathematics contents, textbooks in Math between the experimental and control groups?
were translated from English to Sinugbuanong 2.2. The mean scores of the pretest and posttest
Binisaya by the DepEd-Bureau of Learning Resources, within the experimental and control groups?
which the schools in Bohol utilized. Words in mother
tongue like "mga gumonhap" (problems), "pundok sa
wigo" (group of sets), "pinalapad" (expanded), "lado" Literature Review
(square), "gipat" (rectangle), "guha" (cube) and a lot
more were used which are very difficult for the pupils This study is anchored on different theories, legal
to understand making the English term more bases, and related studies that, in one way or another,
convenient or easy for them to comprehend. If using a have a bearing on this endeavor.
second language is impeded then children cannot face
the real world nor apply their knowledge and they Second Language Acquisition Theory
become globally incompetent. The curriculum needs
some provisions that would enable the pupils to Code-switching is supported by the Second Language
comprehend the lessons quickly and that the teachers Acquisition Theory of James Cummins (2008) to help
need to use innovative ways of teaching (Margot et al., pupils perform better in mathematics. He firmly
2019). believed that there are differences between social
relationships and academic teaching as a strategy for
The mother tongue used inside the classroom is not the gaining and understanding a second language. His
same language used at home so teachers must be theory can be separated into two unique viewpoints
multilingual and knowledgeable of the learners’ that are both important for students to have a sure
language (Casalan et al., 2016). In this connection, the grasp of the dialect they are attempting to learn; these
researcher finds ways and means to enrich pupils’ are Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills and
understanding of Mathematics to improve their Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency. Cummins
performance. In this research code-switching in felt that the cognitive, not the social, approach is the
teaching Mathematics in grade 1 is used in the hope of more successful approach to take in another dialect
finding an alternative way of helping pupils develop or and being bilingual can enable pupils to improve or
enhance their performance in Mathematics. Teachers perform better in their studies. This contention is
adopt a pedagogical approach that involves code- especially valid with second language students, who as
switching between English and local terms used in of now, have a firm hold of their local dialect, as he
local textbooks, prioritizing the language that ensures trusted it furnishes them with a critical place for taking
optimal understanding for the pupils. This fluid in the second language (Cummins, 2008).
transition from one language to another is contingent
upon the specific terms and the extent to which they Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) is
are readily comprehensible to the pupils, facilitating polished outside of the classroom, be it inside or
effective instruction and promoting a supportive outside of school. It can happen during the break, in
learning environment. Moreover, through code- the lounge, amid games and other additional curricular
switching in teaching Grade 1 Mathematics, the exercises, and some other get-togethers in the
researcher hopes that pupils understand deeply, individual existences of students. The informative
participate actively, enjoy wholeheartedly and love association is directed in a social setting, and it is
Mathematics subject profoundly. frequently more natural and less nuanced than
scholastic correspondence. These aptitudes are in full
Research Questions sprout between a half year and two years in the wake
of going to another nation (Cummins, 2008). The
This study examined the effect of code-switching for greatest worry with BICS is the misrepresentation that
mother-tongue-based instruction for teaching a student has turned out to be capable in the dialect
Mathematics in Grade One at public school in when they can show a decent handle of social dialect
Tagbilaran City, Bohol. Specifically, this aimed to (Lectura, 2018).
answer the following questions:
The languages learned at home and in school were not
1. What is the mathematics performance of the control only the languages learned by the child. The Basic
and experimental groups before and after exposure to Interpersonal Communication Skills explains that
pure Mother Tongue Based Instruction and Code pupils are bilingual in nature. The acquisition of a
Switching, respectively? child’s second language is acquired through his/her
2. Is there a significant difference in:

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environment, and this is applied in code-switching. communicate and learn from others. The verbal
The mother tongue-based instruction in the classroom scaffolding of a child can be used in early literacy
was code-switched to English, which they learned instruction (Ankrum et al., 2013).
from their environment.
As children gain confidence and competence in
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) particular areas, teachers might place them in groups
puts a more prominent spotlight on the student's to extend each other’s learning further. It is also
capacity to show capability in the scholastic sense. essential that teachers recognize when a child is at the
CALP indicates the student's capacity to read, point where they begin to learn independently, and
compose, and convey on a level sufficiently viable to decisions can be made accessible from the scaffolding
surpass their scholastic interests. In any case, the (Wheeler, 2014)
critical thing to remember is that it goes past those
fundamental characteristics of the dialect, stretching Six scaffolding strategies were about code-switching
out to how they utilize it to decide, appreciate learning, (Alber, 2014). They are show and tell – where the
think about, differentiate, assess, and group their teacher shows the pupils what the word is and explains
exercises in the classroom. Social collaboration the meaning; tap into prior knowledge – where pupils
abilities are deficient in demonstrating that a student is share their own experiences on the knowledge they
scholastically capable in the dialect (Lectura, 2018). learned and apply it to their lives; give time to talk –
where learners talked and processed their ideas and
The combination of the BILC and CALP was relevant information; pre-teach vocabulary – where some
and helpful in applying code-switching in the words were introduced to the kids which were related
classroom. The knowledge learned in school and from to the lesson and they were interested in; use visual
the environment was applicable in acquiring the aids – used pictures, graphic organizers to explain the
second and third languages, Filipino and English, words; pause, ask questions, pause, review – they had
respectively. to read and pause to process their ideas on what is the
meaning of the word, asked questions to test their
Scaffolding comprehension paused again and review. These six
strategies were applied in the classroom as the
The code switching also had an implication to the researcher code-switched the lessons in Mathematics.
Scaffolding Theory of Jerome Bruner. Scaffolding
refers to the process in which teachers model or The Implementation of Mother-Tongue-Based
demonstrate how to solve problems and then step Instruction
back, offering support as needed. Psychologist and
instructional designer Jerome Bruner first used the The MTB- MLE aims to improve cognitive
term scaffolding. This theory offered support to the development as well as the socio-cultural awareness of
pupils while learning. This result suggests that teachers the learners. The different teachers’ guides and
start where the learner is and provide assistance as learners’ guides should be made ready so that teachers
he/she goes along with the lesson. The teacher assists will become prepared for the implementation. The
the pupils in achieving their learning goals (Wheeler, mother tongue is used first in teaching, and then
2014). gradually, they will be introduced in their second and
third language.
Scaffolding is the term used to describe the kind of
assistance given to a child when working to The inclusion of MTB-MLE in the K to 12 curriculum
accomplish a task (Spreeuwenberg, 2016). It is is mandated by Republic Act 10533, which clearly
changing the level of support to suit the cognitive states that “the curriculum shall adhere to the
development of the child. This is the kind of support principles and framework of MTB-MLE, which starts
done in code- switching. Support was given to the from where the learners are and from what they
pupils at first by translating the terms in their mother already knew proceeding from the known to the
tongue to the English language right away or vice- unknown; instructional materials and capable teachers
versa. There were some terms in their mother tongue to implement the MTB-MLE curriculum shall be
that were difficult for them to understand, so, the available” (R.A. 10533, 2013).
English language was used right away since they had
learned them from their parents or the environment. Gurganvi (2015), as cited by Sakhi (2017), said that
More support is needed if there is difficulty in doing a children who were taught on their mother tongue
task. Through the use of speech, children were able to during their early eight years develop better language

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Research Article

abilities and even in other areas of their studies. language confusion. Teachers are mostly acquainted
However, prolonged use of the mother tongue also has with using English in teaching Mathematics since most
an adverse effect, he added. The students will have a of them were taught how to count numbers in English.
painful shift at high school or college when they are
used to speaking their mother tongue. If the school Different studies have shown that code-switching has
doesn't expose them to English, they will find it very different functions in classroom settings It served as a
hard in mastering the language. In the highly fluent guide for the learners to comprehend mathematics
world we are in, people need to be conversant with lessons more profoundly, and it helped the teachers to
English. apply this as their strategy to make the lessons easy
and interesting. (Nassir, 2018)
Related Studies
The discussions above clearly stated the importance of
According to Mulwa (2014), language is a powerful language in conveying to the pupils. They will become
instrument in the formation of concepts, the more engaged and interested in the lessons the teacher
acquisition of particular perspective abilities, and the gives if these are totally grasped. Poor comprehension
transfer of communication with each other. The leads to low performance in Mathematics and also in
language used in teaching Mathematics should be other subjects as well.
suitable for the cognitive development of the learners.
It shows that English instruction must also be used in
Methodology
the classroom since there are mathematical terms in
MTB that have no direct translation into English.
Since students find it challenging to understand This quasi-experimental study utilized a pretest-
Mathematics, the role of the teacher is to provide posttest group design, a widely employed approach in
various learning experiences so pupils can generate educational research. It consisted of two groups: the
their meaning and understanding. experimental group, exposed to code-switching, and
the control group, receiving purely mother-tongue-
Another concern in the implementation of MTB-MLE based instruction for Grade 1 Mathematics during the
in the Philippines is the attitude of people. The use of third quarter. Both sections were under the instruction
English language has made their status quo, especially of a single teacher. Pretests and posttests were
for the parents (Medilo, 2016). They feel proud of administered to both groups to evaluate pupils'
hearing their children speak English fluently. People academic performance, with the medium of instruction
regard English as the premium language of Filipino as the independent variable.
and other languages. In his study, he added that more
than half of his respondents considered themselves Participants
highly proficient in English and they preferred English
as the medium of instruction to be used primarily in The study included two randomly selected Grade 1
Mathematics. sections out of four in a Tagbilaran City elementary
school in Bohol, Philippines. These sections had
Code-switching in the classroom was very significant students grouped heterogeneously. Before the
since this improved pupils’ learning and this is mostly experiment, the researcher ensured that both sections
the lan guag e pr acticed in the commu nity had similar mean performance scores in the second
(Moschkovich, 2015). People wanted to learn the grading periodical test. In the experimental group,
English language, especially in mathematics, since it Code Switching was employed as the method for
can improve their comprehension, especially in teaching Mathematics, while the control group
dealing with solving problems. Code-switching was received pure Mother-Tongue-based instruction. Each
known as the most important educational resource and group consisted of 30 pupils.
a way to improve the mathematical understanding of
the pupils (Zazkis, 2000). Instruments of the Study

Another study stated that there are symbols and Data collection involved a researcher-made pretest and
mathematics terms that do not have exact equivalents posttest administered to both experimental and control
in mother tongue, so pupils cannot develop critical groups. The tests, consisting of 24 items, assessed
thinking and reasoning using the said language since competencies in the third quarter. Before use, they
they are more familiar with math terms using English were piloted with grade two students who had already
(Casalan et al.,2016). They may lose interest due to covered the relevant topics.

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The test comprised mother-tongue and code-switching the experimental group received instruction employing
sets, aligning with the third-quarter grade 1 a code-switching approach.
Mathematics competencies. It included 60% easy, 30%
average, and 10% difficult questions based on In the initial week, on the first day of the experiment,
Department of Education standards. Multiple-choice the pupils were apprised of their participation in the
questions had three options. Correct answers earned study. The instructional technique adopted involved
one point, and incorrect answers received no points, the translation of content from their mother tongue into
determining the students' scores. English. As part of their daily routine, flashcards
bearing words in the mother tongue, code-switched to
The test preparation and validation followed specific English, were presented to the students for daily
steps: practice and mastery. In addition, the students were
encouraged to employ the English language when
Planning: Competencies and skills were listed, and a performing numerical counting. Furthermore, the
table of specifications was created to guide question researcher consistently employed code-switching,
development. translating entire sentences from the mother tongue
Construct Validity: The initial test draft was into English as a daily practice throughout the study.
reviewed by the Math Supervisor, the researcher's
adviser, and a statistician for feedback and revisions. Students were strongly encouraged to actively engage
First Trial Run: The test was administered to grade in classroom discussions and maintain regular
two sections who had previously studied the topics attendance, as any absences could potentially impact
without guidance, and results were analyzed to identify their academic performance. To maintain consistency,
good and poor items. both classes were scheduled in the morning to
Item Analysis: Upper and lower groups were eliminate time-related variations. Crucially, the
identified, and difficulty and discrimination indices researcher personally conducted instruction for both
were calculated. Items were accepted, revised, or classes to ensure uniform coverage of the subject
rejected based on these analyses, resulting in 24 items matter.
for the final test.
Final Run Trial: The revised test was administered to Following the experimental phase, a posttest was
a third section of grade two, and item analysis was administered to both the experimental and control
groups. This posttest mirrored the format and content
conducted to refine the items further.
of the pretest, assessing the same set of skills.
Procedure Additionally, both groups completed identical
questionnaires as part of their posttest assessment,
The experiment covered various topics over eight aimed at discerning any discernible changes in their
weeks: counting with objects, visualizing and academic performance subsequent to the experiment.
separating objects, understanding fractions, dividing
sets, shapes, comparing objects, patterns, and number Ethical Considerations
operations. A single teacher managed both Grade One
sections during the third quarter. The experimental Conducting research involving young and vulnerable
group used code-switching to translate mother-tongue participants, such as Grade 1 students, necessitates
instruction into English immediately. In contrast, the careful attention to ethical considerations. In this
control group received pure mother-tongue-based study, various measures were implemented to ensure
instruction without translation. the ethical conduct of research: (a) Informed Consent:
Prior to the commencement of the study, explicit
The researcher employed a method that involved parental consent was obtained. Parents or legal
dividing Grade One students into two heterogeneous guardians were informed about the research's purpose,
groups, a measure taken to enhance the study's procedures, and potential impact on their children.
reliability and obtain authentic outcomes. A pretest They were given the opportunity to ask questions and
was administered to both groups to ascertain the were provided with written consent forms. Only
baseline of the students' mathematical proficiency children whose parents or guardians provided written
prior to intervention. Subsequently, the experimental consent were included in the study; (2) Assent of Child
phase, spanning eight weeks and coinciding with the Participants: In addition to parental consent, the assent
entirety of the third academic quarter, commenced. of the child participants was also obtained. The
During this phase, the control group received research team communicated with the children in a
instruction exclusively in their mother tongue, whereas manner appropriate to their age and maturity, ensuring

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they understood the research's purpose and procedures. interpretation of data gathered from the pretest and
Children were made aware that their participation was posttest results in Mathematics Grade 1 before and
voluntary, and they could choose not to participate or after the experimentation.
withdraw at any time without consequences; (3)
Privacy and Confidentiality: The researchers
prioritized the privacy and confidentiality of all
participants. Pupil identities and personal information
were kept confidential, and data were anonymized. No
personal identifiers were associated with the collected
data; (4) Non-Grading of Scores: Throughout the
research, it was ensured that none of the pupils' scores
obtained during the study were used as part of their
academic assessment. This practice aimed to eliminate
any potential pressure or bias that could affect the
pupils' performance and to ensure that their education
remained unaffected; (5) Voluntary Participation:
Pupil participation in the research was entirely
voluntary. Although they were required to attend
regular classes for their educational benefit,
participation in the research activities was not Figure 1. Illustrates the pretest Mathematics
compulsory. Pupils were free to choose not to
participate or to withdraw from the study without any Performance of Grade 1 pupils, categorized by their
adverse consequences; (6) Minimizing Disruption: To proficiency levels.
minimize any disruption to the regular educational
activities of the pupils, the research was conducted The study encompassed 30 respondents in each group.
during the course of their daily lessons. No additional Within the control group, 20 pupils, constituting 67%
time or resources were taken from the participants; (7) of the total, and within the experimental group, 24
Beneficence and Non-Maleficence: The research
pupils, equivalent to 80%, were categorized as
aimed to benefit the educational community by
investigating teaching strategies. All measures were "beginning" proficiency level, denoting scores below
taken to ensure the safety and well-being of the 75. Furthermore, the control group exhibited nine
participants. The researchers adhered to principles of pupils, while the experimental group comprised two,
non-maleficence, ensuring that the research did not situated in the "developing" level of proficiency,
harm the pupils in any way; (8) Transparency and reflecting scores ranging from 75 to 79. In contrast,
Honesty: Throughout the study, transparency and only one pupil in the control group and two in the
honesty were maintained. The research team provided
experimental group achieved scores ranging from 80
clear and truthful information to participants, parents,
and school authorities regarding the study's purpose, to 84, classifying them as "Approaching Proficiency"
methods, and outcomes. levels.

This research was conducted with a strong Notably, one pupil in the experimental group obtained
commitment to ethical principles, placing the welfare a score within the range of 85 to 89, while another
and rights of the child participants at the forefront. By
pupil achieved a score between 90 and 100, denoting
obtaining informed consent from parents, securing the
assent of the children, ensuring privacy and
"proficient" and "advanced" proficiency levels,
confidentiality, and promoting voluntary participation, respectively. It is noteworthy that, despite these
the research maintained the highest ethical standards exceptional cases in the experimental group, a
while investigating the effectiveness of code-switching significant majority of their pupils remained within the
as an instructional method in Grade 1 mathematics "beginning" proficiency level. In summary, the data
education. underscores that the majority of pupils in both groups
initially demonstrated a "beginning" proficiency level,
Results and Discussion emphasizing that any subsequent enhancement in their
mathematics performance can be attributed to the
instructional approach employed during the
This section includes the presentation, analysis, and
experiment.

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variety of learning experiences so that students can

generate their own meaning and understanding, hence
the use of code-switching.

Table 1. The Difference in the Pretest and the Posttest

Scores between Experimental and Control Group

Figure 2. Illustrates the posttest Mathematics

Performance of Grade 1 pupils, categorized by their
proficiency levels.

Figure 2 shows that more than 70 percent of the pupils This study employed a t-test to compare pretest and
in the experimental group have significantly improved posttest scores between the control and experimental
their performance, where 33 percent are at the groups. In the pretest, both groups had an identical
advanced proficiency level, and 40 percent are at the mean score of 13, suggesting they started with equal
proficient level. The control group, on the other hand, knowledge. The data showed equivalent prior
had also shown slight improvement, with only 33 knowledge. The computed t-value of 0.26 was less
percent of the pupils categorized in the advanced and than the critical value of 2.06, and the p-value of 0.79
proficient levels. Of this 33 percent, only 13 percent was greater than the 0.05 significance level. Thus, the
are in the advanced proficiency level, while 20 percent null hypothesis was accepted, indicating no significant
are in the proficient level. It can also be noticed that difference in academic performance before the
more than 50 percent of the pupils in the control group experiment.
are categorized under beginning and developing
In contrast, the posttest scores showed a distinct
proficiency levels whereas, in the experimental group,
difference. The experimental group had a mean score
only seven percent got a rating that can be categorized
of 19.233, significantly higher than the control group's
under developing proficiency level. The posttest result
mean of 16.37. Their computed t-value of 3.55
indicated that the experimental group performed better
exceeded the critical value of 2.002, leading to the
than the control group since more pupils were in the
rejection of the null hypothesis. Furthermore, the p-
advanced and proficient levels.
value of 0.00076 was lower than the 0.05 significance
The use of code-switching in Mathematics instruction level, reinforcing the rejection of the null hypothesis.
improved the academic performance of the pupils These results indicate a significant difference in
since a more significant percentage have improved posttest scores.
performance. Only 27% are in the developing and
The findings demonstrate that pupils excel when code-
approaching proficiency levels and a plurality of them,
switching is used as an instructional medium. This
comprising 73% have achieved proficient and
outcome aligns with Zazkis's (2000) study,
advanced proficiency levels after instruction with
emphasizing the importance of code-switching as an
code-switching as the medium. This finding aligns
educational resource for enhancing mathematical
with Mulwa’s (2014) findings. Language, according to
understanding. Nassir (2018) explains the valuable
Mulwa (2014), is a powerful tool in the construction of
role of code-switching in the classroom, serving as a
concepts, the acquisition of particular perspective
guide for learners to deeply comprehend math lessons
abilities, and the transfer of communication with one
and assisting teachers in making their lessons engaging
another. The language used in Mathematics instruction
and effective. Code-switching in the classroom was
should be appropriate for the cognitive development of
very significant since this improved pupils’ learning
the students. It demonstrates the importance of English and this is mostly the language practiced in the
instruction in the school, as there are mathematical community (Moschkovich, 2015).
phrases in MTB that have no direct translation into
English. Because kids struggle to understand
Mathematics, the teacher's responsibility is to give a

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Table 2. The Difference Between the Mean Scores of

Conclusion
the Pre-test and Posttest of the Control Group
and Experimental Group
The study's key conclusion is that code-switching as a
medium of instruction significantly improves Grade 1
students' mathematics performance. The control group,
which used mother tongue-based instruction, showed
improved performance, but the experimental group,
employing code-switching, demonstrated even greater
enhancement. The rejection of the null hypothesis in
both groups underscores the effectiveness of code-
Table 2 displays a notable distinction in mean scores switching. This approach proves valuable in bridging
between the pretest and posttest for both the control linguistic gaps in mathematics education and
group and the experimental group. In the control enhancing critical thinking skills, particularly in cases
group, the mean score increased from 13 in the pretest where direct translations are challenging. In essence,
to 16.37 in the posttest, signifying a clear improvement code-switching is a valuable resource for fostering
in performance. A computed t-value of 4.76 surpassed mathematical understanding among pupils, carrying
the critical value of 2.04, leading to the rejection of the substantial implications for educational practice and
policy.
null hypothesis. The p-value of 0.0000049 further
confirmed this rejection, as it was below the 0.05 In light of the empirical findings derived from this
significance level. This outcome underscores that the research, it is recommended that code-switching be
control group's performance improved following formally adopted as an instructional method in
instruction conducted solely in the mother tongue. teaching mathematics within the school environment.
This recommendation aligns with the primary
Similarly, Table 2 reveals the contrast in mean scores objective of elevating students' mathematical
between the pretest and posttest for the experimental competence and their overall academic achievements.
group, where code-switching was employed as the
medium of instruction. Here, the mean score rose from References
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code-switching was utilized. A computed t-value of tegies-rebecca-alber
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