Philippine Policies in Native Language Learning and Literacy among High School Students

Abstract

The official languages recognized in the Philippines are Filipino and English, taught in educational institutions nationwide. However, the English language is more often used as a medium in teaching the curriculum, which poses a challenge for learners to develop their literacy skills, which include the ability to read, write, and speak in the Filipino language in formal learning, especially in high school (grades 7–12). Thus, this study was conducted to assess the level of practice of the Filipino-only policy and the level of literacy in the Filipino language among high school students. This quantitative study utilized descriptive, comparative, and correlational research approaches. The data were gathered from 324 high school students at a Catholic university in Western Visayas, who were chosen using a stratified random sampling. Using the mean and the standard deviation, the result showed that the levels of students' practice of the Filipino-only policy in academic-related activities and literacy in the Filipino language are high. Further, by utilizing analysis of variance for comparative analysis, the results showed no significant differences in the level of practice of Filipino-only practice and the level of literacy in the Filipino language when grouped according to grade level. Finally, using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, the result showed a correlation between the practice of the Filipino-only policy and literacy in the Filipino language. Based on the findings of the study, supplementary instructional materials on proposal research writing using the Filipino medium were then proposed for possible implementation.