Language Use in the University: A Clash of Policies

In 2010, the Mother Tongue Based Language Education (MTB-MLE) was implemented in the Philippines basic education as a result of the positive effect of multilingualism among learners. In the study conducted by Besa (2010) among the Laboratory High School (LHS) students of Rizal Technological University (RTU), code-switching (CS) positively affects the academic performance of the learners. However, if the LHS were to fully implement the MTB-MLE policy, what would be the status of the English Only Policy (EOP) in the University? This study tries to further examine the issue of the existing language practices and policies on classroom instruction and interactions at tertiary level that create conflicting language polices. Hence, this study surveys the awareness of language policy, dominant language of instruction and interaction, the problems often encountered by the teachers and students in using the prescribed language and the preferred language of the professors and students during class interaction. Using the triangulation method, the results of the study reveal that in terms of policy awareness, both the faculty and students are predominantly aware of the language policy. However, the survey also reveals that, despite language policy awareness, the faculty and students frequently use code-switching which creates a mismatch in the implementation of the EOP. Thus, the use of the prescribed language generates several problems to both faculty and students. In sum, despite the difficulties experienced, there is actually no rejection of the use of English as the medium of communication among the respondents.