LANGUAGE LEARNING DIFFICULTIES IN FILIPINO-BASED SUBJECTS AMONG ENGLISH-DOMINANT PUPILS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Fernando D. Hofileña, Ruth A. Ortega-Dela Cruz and Maria Ana T. Quimbo
Additional contact information
Fernando D. Hofileña: School Principal, Casa Del Niño Montessori & Science High School, Philippines, Professor, Institute for Governance and Rural Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines
Ruth A. Ortega-Dela Cruz: School Principal, Casa Del Niño Montessori & Science High School, Philippines, Professor, Institute for Governance and Rural Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines
Maria Ana T. Quimbo: School Principal, Casa Del Niño Montessori & Science High School, Philippines, Professor, Institute for Governance and Rural Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines

Social Sciences and Education Research Review, 2026, vol. 13, issue 1, 60-73

Abstract: Despite the growing body of research on bilingual education in the Philippines, limited attention has been given to the reverse bilingual context, specifically, English-dominant learners navigating Filipino as a subject in the early grades. Much of the existing literature focuses on Filipino-dominant pupils acquiring English, leaving a gap in understanding the challenges experienced by young learners whose primary language exposure is English but who are required to develop academic proficiency in Filipino. This study explored the language learning difficulties faced by English-dominant pupils in Grades 1 to 3 enrolled in Filipino-based subjects. Employing a survey research design and validated questionnaires, the research involved a stratified random sample of pupils and a complete enumeration of their Filipino subject teachers in an English-dominant school setting in the Philippines. Findings revealed that students experienced varying degrees of difficulty across listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with speaking being the most problematic. These difficulties, particularly in productive language skills, were shown to hinder active participation and decrease motivation, even within supportive classroom environments. The study emphasizes the importance of instructional designs that not only bridge comprehension gaps but also foster confidence and engagement through expressive language development. It supports the broader call for inclusive language policies and classroom practices that empower young learners in linguistically diverse contexts.

Keywords: language learning difficulties; Filipino-based subjects; bilingual learners; multilingual learners; early grade education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Z0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://sserr.ro/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/sserr-13-1-60-73.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:edt:jsserr:v:13:y:2026:i:1:p:60-73

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21036171

Access Statistics for this article

Social Sciences and Education Research Review is currently edited by Stefan Vladutescu

More articles in Social Sciences and Education Research Review from Department of Communication, Journalism and Education Sciences, University of Craiova
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Dan Valeriu Voinea ().