ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
In the Philippines, English is an official language. It is used as a medium of instruction. Yet, most Filipinos learn English as an additional language because they have various mother tongues. The diverse linguistic backgrounds of Filipinos create a challenge for both English teachers and learners of English as an additional language. As all linguists continue to think of innovative ways to teach English to speakers of Filipino languages, the Philippine context presents some particular factors that must be taken into consideration today. This study explored the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) to the teaching of English as an additional language in the Philippines. Results show that English teaching and learning in the Philippines has been successful in general but has areas for improvement. Results are based on data collected from eight individual written interviews conducted with English educators, linguistic leaders and experts of Teaching English to speakers of Other Languages in the Philippines. The study also presents some practical recommendations for English language education policies in the multi-lingual societies of the Philippines.
Abadzi, H., & Prouty, R. (2012). Discerning shapes, reading words like faces: The current science of literacy and its implications for low-income countries. International Forum, 15(1), 5-28. http://internationalforum.aiias.edu/images/vol15no01/infojournalvol15no1_abadzi_and_prouty.pdf
Alfari, D. (2009). Success in early grade reading project in Mali and Niger. In W. G. Brozo & E. Sturtevart (Eds.), Beyond access: Effective reading for all (pp. 8-10). Washington, DC: International Reading Association.
Birdsong, D. (Ed.). (1999). Second language acquisition and the critical period hypothesis. Mahwah, NJ: Taylor & Francis.
Changizi, M. A., & Shimojo, S. (2005). Character complexity and redundancy in writing systems over human history. Proceedings of the Royal Society, B272, 267-275.
Chureson, O. (2013). The impact of English as a global language on Filipino language practices. International Forum, 16(2), 22-36.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Fine, L. G. (2010). SWOT analysis: Using strengths to overcome weaknesses, using opportunities to overcome threats. Charlseston, WV: Kick It, LLC.
Finegan, E. (2011). Language and its structure and use (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Foote, R. (2010). Age of acquisition and proficiency as factors in language production: Agreement in bilinguals. Bilingualism, 13(2), 99-118.
Global English Corporation. (2012). Global English Business English Index reveals skills shortage and unequal odds for international business success in 2012. The Economist. http://www.globalenglish.com/whoweare/newsroom/press_releases/757
Kachru, B. B. (1985). Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: The English language in outer circle. . In R. Quirk & H. G. Widdowson (Eds.), English in the world: Teaching and learning the language and literatures. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press and The British Council.
Kachru, B. B. (1990). World Englishes and applied linguistics. World Englishes, 9(1), 3-20.
Kachru, B. B., Kachru, Y., & Nelson, C. L. (Eds.). (2009). The handbook of world Englishes. Wichester, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.
Kirkpatrick, A. (2010). Asian Englishes today: English as a lingua franca in ASEAN: A multilingual model. Aberdeen, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Krashen, S. (1981). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Oxford, England: Pergamon.
Krashen, S. (1985). The Input hypothesis: Issues and implications. New York, NY: Longman.
Ledesma, H. M. L., & Morris, R. (2005). Language factors influencing early reading development in biligual (Filipino-English) boys. The International Journal of Bilignual Education and Bilingualism, 8, 1-19.
Lichtman, M. (2012). Qualitative research in education: A user's guide (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Nunan, D. (2009). Second language teaching & learning (Philippine Edition ed.). Woodbridge, CT: Cengage Learning.
Pinar, W. F., Reynolds, W. M., Slattery, P., & Taubman, P. M. (2006). Understanding curriculum: An introduction to the study of historical and contemporary curriculum discourses. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Thomas, W. P., & Collier, V. (1997). School effectivenessfor language minority students. Resource Collection Series No. 9: Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.
Tupas, T. R. F. (2000). Language studies in English in the Philippines: Challenges and prospects. Journal of English Studies and Comparative Literature, 6(1), 1-17. http://journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/jescl/article/viewFile/2485/2351
Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods (7th ed.). Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.
In-Text Citation: (Wa-Mbaleka, 2014)
To Cite this Article: Wa-Mbaleka, S. (2014). Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages: The Case of the Philippines. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 3(3), 57–71.
Copyright: © 2014 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode