English as a Medium of Instruction in Science: Determinant for Failure and Success of Multilingual Students

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Filipinos are known to be good in English, making Filipinos in-demand in the global market. As a result of such impressive potentials, a fluctuating number of Filipinos is eager to pursue the usage of English language on a daily basis, especially in the medium of learning. Hence, many researchers believe and proved that the ability to use two or more languages may actually serve as an important resource in the learning process. The Philippines alone has many emergent multilingual students who have the ability to speak multiple languages and as mentioned earlier, multilingualism opens a lot of doors to opportunities and developments especially in the field of education. Corollary to this, the researchers looked into the effects of English as a medium of instruction in Science to the multilingual students of Quirino General High School.

METHODS

This qualitative research is a case study. Purposive Sampling was used to identify the potential participants from Grade 11 multilingual students for the study. A semi-structured interview was performed to gather data from respondents. Finally, with the use of the responses of the participants, data analysis was conducted through value coding and thematic analysis.

RESULTS

When the respondents are asked how mastery of English language determines failure and success of multilingual students, two themes where formed: (1) determinant for failure (inability to understand and being left behind) and success (better understanding and mastery of subject).

DISCUSSIONS

The study found out that English language plays a big role in learning Science as a subject. Participants comprehend the lesson better in Science when the English language is used. The researchers also determined the problems encountered by the participants which include the use of jargons and lack of knowledge on what words to use.