Riccia Balcita is a writer from the Philippines. She is a graduate of BA Language and Literature Studies with skills in creative writing, technical writing, copywriting, editing, and content writing.Riccia enjoys writing creative fiction, creative non-fiction, as well as poetry writing.She is fluent in Filipino and English.
WRITTEN WORKSTo Give Back Without Losing YourselfThe Learner as Social ActorLanguage Ideology in the Philippine Education SystemEmbracing Linguistic Diversity and Learners as Social Actors in Multilingual and Multicultural Classrooms
To Give Back Without Losing YourselfThe world is a witness to the extraordinary lengths Filipinos take to help their families—staying late at work, sacrificing sleep, and even leaving home to seek better opportunities in other countries. Many observe these acts, yet only Filipinos truly understand the depth of this dedication.So why do we do it? Why do we strive so hard to help our families? The primary reason is to give back, to repay the sacrifices they made so that we can have a better life. In our native tongue, that’s "Utang na loob." Our family worked hard to support us—out of gratitude, we’re also working hard to help them back. Ideally, this isn't out of obligation; we do it because we love our family.Many Filipinos are committed to the act of giving back, a tradition that has been prevalent since then and remains so today. However, such acts can go overboard. As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions; a noble motive doesn’t promise a positive outcome. We all want to help our families and repay the love they have given us, but if our acts of love lead to us sacrificing our financial, mental, and physical stability, and even our way of life, then what may seem beneficial could ultimately harm the entire family.Rojea Stratten’s book, “Redefining Giving Back: An OFW’s Journey to Work-Life Balance,” discusses the sacrifices Filipinos make to help their families, while also challenging this notion. She suggests, instead, a modernized version of the concept, in which giving back means giving what you genuinely can, and not everything you have. You simply cannot pour from an empty cup—you must first nurture yourself before you give to others. And what you give to others should empower them to become self-reliant, rather than spoon-feeding their needs. Essentially, helping them learn to help themselves, echoing, as the book says, the timeless message, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”Sadly, this type of balanced giving back is rare among many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are supporting their families.Let’s take the author’s experiences, for example. Rojea was a registered nurse in the Philippines. As the eldest, she took on the responsibility of helping her parents raise her siblings. She paid for school fees, covered medical bills, and occasional meals. Eventually, she realized her salary wasn’t enough—many times she put off buying things for herself to prioritize her siblings’ needs, and when she considered pursuing a master’s degree to advance her career, she found it impossible due to insufficient funds. Also, she felt left out by her coworkers because her responsibilities prevented her from joining their group outings. Her upsetting circumstances ultimately led her to go overseas.Rojea’s story highlights the consequences of what giving back currently entails, where we provide so much for others that there's nothing left for ourselves.There’s no removing the idea of giving back in our country—it's ingrained in our culture, a role every generation dutifully commits itself to for the past and the future, but we can modify it. Instead of sacrificing everything for our families, Rojea’s book teaches that we can help our families by teaching them how to sustain themselves by and within their means. So, instead of us being the sole source of stability, we can help them help themselves—to teach them to fish instead of feeding them fish.Furthermore, Rojea also shares how she found a way to give back without sacrificing everything. Leaving home, she became a registered nurse in New Zealand. Although she earned more abroad, her budget remained tight, as she had to repay the money she borrowed to go overseas in the first place. She also still sends money back home for her family. She was burdened with financial struggles and guilt for not providing enough. Thankfully, from her journey in New Zealand, and more so from the friends she made along the way, she reflected and learned ways to give back to her family without sacrificing her stability.Through responsible budgeting, investments that guarantee a return, and having extra sources of income, Rojea managed to transition from full-time to part-time work, become a mother, and ultimately founded a recruitment company first aimed at assisting nurses find work, then expanding into providing opportunities for professionals in various fields. Despite all of this, her financial security remains intact. Rojea was able to give back without having to give everything.We do not have to drain ourselves for our loved ones; we can lead them to the river so we may all fill our cups.How about you? Can you support your loved ones while also taking care of your well-being?Published in Bookshelf PH Blogs
The Learner as Social ActorThe concept of a learner as a speaker/social actor conveys that the learner not only learns the language but actively uses it to communicate and become part of the target community. For multicultural and multilingual language learners, the process of translanguaging is a method that can be used for language learning. According to Li (2021), translanguaging is the act of actively using multiple different languages and other interpretation tools within a teaching and learning environment. In the practice of translanguaging, language learners should use all the languages they know and integrate it into their process of learning another language. Additionally, in another study by Li and Lin (2019), it states that translanguaging is a process involving the dynamic and functional integrated use of languages and their varieties. It encourages fluid multilingual practices and challenges and transforms the limits and boundaries set up in the classroom. While this practice alone may not solve classicism, racism, and colonialism issues, it has the chance to shatter established language hierarchies.The practice of translanguaging as a teaching and learning method has been applied in several classrooms. In an Indonesian EFL classroom, a research study is conducted to learn the effectiveness and challenges of translanguaging to promote learning. The students used English, Javanese, and Indonesian in discussion of meaning in learner-to-learner interactions. The analyzed data shows that translanguaging can help learners develop their competencies in multilingualism. Although, the constructed socio-political status of Indonesian, English, and Javanese remains prevalent among students (Rasman, 2018).In U.S. based K-12 STEM classrooms with multilinguals, a systematic review by Kim et al. (2026) is conducted to examine the conceptualization and enactment of translanguaging as a pedagogical framework, and the findings reveal that the implementation of translanguaging in STEM classrooms is not only used as scaffolding for acquisition of language, but as a blended, cognitive practice that allows students to fluidly move across languages, knowledge systems, and modes. Through translanguaging, the multilingual students were recognized as legitimate contributors to building knowledge, and teachers promoted collaborative and meaning-centered learning and discouraged linguistic hierarchies (Kim et al., 2026).As a final example, in another study of the application of translanguaging in foreign language learning for multilinguals, the fieldwork is a middle school in East China and includes students from five ethnic groups namely Kazakh, Tajik, Mongolian, Uyghur, and Kirgiz. The students utilized three languages with Chinese as L2 and English as L3. Results show that the students fully utilized their language repertoire in learning and immediately and efficiently fulfilled their need to communicate their understanding and misunderstanding of the concepts. The teachers were also fluid in code-switching back and forth between Chinese and English while explaining and repeating their instructions to help the students. Further observations show that translanguaging is effective as a pedagogy in that it initializes and develops the students' ability to fluidly use their entire linguistic knowledge in learning (Wang, 2022).The concept of a learner as a speaker/social actor can be applied in a multilingual and multicultural classroom through the method of translanguaging which is the process of using a learner’s entire linguistic knowledge to communicate and learn another language.To prove that a language learner has successfully acquired the target language, there needs to be an assessment of their communicative and grammatical competence, and for such, the definition and the difference between grammatical and communicative competence must be ascertained. Noam Chomsky (1965) states that grammatical (linguistic) competence is determined by the language learner's mastery of a language's system of rules and the application of such in tangible situations. It is the acquisition of a sufficient set of grammatical knowledge (rules) and the ability to formulate numerous correct sentences (Chomsky, 1965). Meanwhile, Kiessling and Fabry (2021) explore the definition of communicative competence (skills) and its relation to social skills and ultimately conclude that communicative competence is the ability to accomplish communicative objects in a manner that is socially appropriate. Furthermore, it involves the aptitude to choose and execute skills that are proper and productive in a certain context (Kiessling & Fabry, 2021).In terms of which competence truly defines language teaching and learning, the answer is the combination of both competences. Using a linguistic view, Connors (1980) criticizes the separation of grammatical and communicative competence in language teaching on the foundation that grammatical competence is required to gain communicative competence. The study also questions the learner’s attainment of only one competence without the other (Connors, 1980). A study by Yan (2022) states that a language learner with grammatical competence does not necessarily have pragmatic competence, and this is because grammatical competence is part of communicative competence. But while the study further states that the key to attaining communicative competence is in the development of pragmatic competence which demands linguistic accuracy, in a study focused on the use of communicative language teaching approach (Berezenko et al., 2022), the research finds that the communicative approach to learning grammar is an effective way to earn linguistic competence. This is further backed by another study by Holovko (2023), in which the role of communicative methods in developing grammatical competence in students' foreign language is explored. The paper finds that the use of methods such as oral communication as the chief teaching approach and free communication between students and the teacher guarantees the development and improvement of grammatical competence. Under communicative methods, involuntary learning takes place as well as an increase in interest and motivation from the students to interact with the teacher and their group members. Furthermore, anxiety and fear of speaking is reduced which contributes to the increase of rate of speech and fluency (Holovko, 2023). Thus, it can be concluded that both communicative competence and grammatical competence define language teaching and learning in that each is needed in the development of the other.With the ever-increasing multilingual spaces in the world through language learning, there comes the need to understand the significance of language learning in specific areas such as sociolinguistics, culture and politics, and stylistics and literature.Language learning and sociolinguistics are significantly intertwined. According to the findings of a study by Nur Fariha et al. (2023), sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency are strongly correlated in that sociolinguistic competence has a crucial role in the elevation of a language learner’s speaking proficiency and puts emphasis on the need to follow sociolinguistic norms (Nur Fariha et al., 2023).Next, in terms of culture and politics, the teaching and learning of another language requires the learning of another culture and politics. Also, through language learning, students can be immersed in the communities of others and encourage understanding and empathy across political and social divides (Kim, 2020).Lastly, in the significance of language learning in stylistics and literature, in a research investigating the importance of literature in language learning using select poems, the study reveals the numerous ways that students can learn language through literature by examining sentence structure, word choice, voice, and imagery which provides students the opportunity to deepen their proficiency in the target language. Additionally, the improvement of language proficiency through literature then allows students to gain valuable insights into culturally diverse perspectives found within literature. (Hani et al., 2024).Conclusively, language learning is significant in the areas of sociolinguistics, culture and politics, and stylistics and literature in that access and insights to said areas can be achieved through language learning.ReferencesBerezenko, V., Cherkhava, O., & Musiienko, Y. (2022). Communicative language teaching approach in promoting the linguistic competence of EFL learners. Advanced Education, 88–96. https://doi.org/10.20535/2410-8286.224016Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of the theory of syntax. MIT Press.Connors, K. (1980). Grammatical versus communicative competence in second-language learning: A view from linguistics. Canadian Journal of Psychology/Revue Canadienne de Psychologie, 34(4), 328–336. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0081103
Hani, H. A., Ajmal, M. U., & Haider, A. (2024). Examining the significance of literature in language learning: A linguistics analysis of selected poems for educational purposes. Journal of Classroom Action Research, 3(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.52622/jcar.v3i1.188Holovko, О. (2023). The role of some communicative methods in developing students’ foreign language grammatical competence. Humanities Science Current Issues, 1(66), 226–229. https://doi.org/10.24919/2308-4863/66-1-36Kiessling, C., & Fabry, G. (2021). What is communicative competence and how can it be acquired? GMS Journal for Medical Education, 38(3). https://doi.org/10.3205/zma001445Kim, D. (2020). Learning language, learning culture: Teaching language to the whole student. ECNU Review of Education, 3(3), 209653112093669. https://doi.org/10.1177/2096531120936693Kim, S., Zhao, M., Kim, W., Ayik, B., Gu, D., Chen, X., Zan, Y., & Ramos, K. A. (2026). Supporting multilingual learners through translanguaging pedagogy in U.S. K–12 STEM classrooms: A systematic meta-synthesis. Education Sciences, 16(3), 376. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16030376Li, W. (2021). Translanguaging as a political stance: Implications for English language education. ELT Journal, 76(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccab083Li, W., & Lin, A. M. Y. (2019). Translanguaging classroom discourse: Pushing limits, breaking boundaries. Classroom Discourse, 10(3-4), 209–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463014.2019.1635032Nur Fariha, Anwar, K., & Nirwanto Maruf. (2023). Exploring the correlation of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, and how learners perceived them. English Review Journal of English Education, 11(3), 1001–1012. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.9083Rasman, R. (2018). To translanguage or not to translanguage? The multilingual practice in an Indonesian EFL classroom. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7(3), 687. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v7i3.9819Wang, P. (2022). Relooking at the roles of translanguaging in English as a foreign language classes for multilingual learners: Practices and implications. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.850649Yan, Y. (2022). The effect of pragmatic competence on the communicative competence of second language learners. Proceedings of the 2022 3rd International Conference on Language, Art and Cultural Exchange（ICLACE 2022), 673. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220706.074
Language Ideology in the Philippine Education SystemLanguages have power, and a language’s power relies not only on how many people use it, but whoever uses it. According to Redhead and Power (2022) as a social species, humans form social hierarchies which determine an individual’s social influence and access to certain groups. A person’s standing within a hierarchy is founded upon a combination of their personal diversity of assets as well as how the group members perceive their attributes and behavior. Other than that, in some cases human hierarchies are made explicit. Furthermore, according to another study, languages also have a role in the social world. Through language ideology, it is revealed that the linguistic practices of a certain social group are associated with politics, morals, aesthetics, and other sociocultural phenomena such as cultural value hierarchies and identities (Gal, 2023). Language ideology also exists within the space of academics, in which one language is chosen as the main mode of instruction instead of another language. Through this, it is learned that some languages are superior to other languages. This paper will explore the language ideology in the education system within the Philippines and its role in student-teacher interactions, teaching practices, and the curriculum.In the academic setting of the Philippines, the main mode of instruction that teachers use in all institutions, private or public, secondary or tertiary, used to be English only (Supreme Court E-Library, 2019), up until the initial mandatory use of Filipino and English as the primary mode of instruction followed by the implementation of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) program in which the mother tongue is required to be used for the mode of instruction, assessments, and learning modules in kindergarten up until third grade (Department of Education, 2025). Even then, in most cases the mode of instruction many Filipinos grew accustomed to at school is primarily English.Filipino is the national language of the Philippines, but the country has two official languages: Filipino and English. Nevertheless, in most academic institutions, English is primarily used, especially in subjects such as Science, Mathematics, and English. The prioritization of the English language over Filipino and the other languages of the country puts forth the idea that English is more powerful over our native languages. To provide an example, policies like the English Only Policy are implemented to require students to only use the English language within a class subject or at school as a whole. A study by Pradia and Bawa (2023) examined the challenges that learners from grade 10 to 11 and teachers face in the pursuance of the English Only Policy for English language learning. And another study was conducted to find out how the implementation of the English Only Policy affects BSE English students (Liwanag et al., 2022). These two studies show that the English Only Policy is implemented in more than one education level.The application of this policy in student-teacher interactions reinforces the language ideology that English is the superior language due to teachers enforcing the English language as the only way of communication.Returning to the enforcement of the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) program, a study found that several teachers faced challenges in the use of their mother tongue when teaching subjects like Math and Science due to a few academic terminologies existing only in the English language. Because of this, teachers struggle whether to use English or their mother tongue when teaching. Furthermore, the same study reveals that teachers are also lacking abundant knowledge regarding their mother tongue and the skills to teach it, even lacking training to implement the language policy. The study then goes to encourage the reevaluation of MTB-MLE and to consider English as the mode of instruction and to have their mother tongue as a supplementary language (Velasco, 2024).Despite the requirement of using mother tongue in classroom settings, teachers themselves prefer using English due to several academic terminologies not present in their mother tongue and because of insufficient knowledge and skills to use it in their teaching practices. Thus, in teaching practices, the English language is favored over other languages.The Philippines also has a new English language curriculum under the K-12 program, and a study explores the struggles senior high school students face in the English curriculum such as peer attitudes, low self-confidence, and teaching instruction. The aim of the study is to help teachers with their methodologies and teaching approaches and to recommend school administrators to improve their application of the English curriculum (Aranda, 2022).The curriculum of Philippine education further endorses the English language in the academic setting despite challenges faced by both teachers and students, and furthermore, they are instructed to find ways of improving their use of the English language in their teaching and learning.Languages have power, and in the Philippine Education system, with the encouragement and in some cases prioritization of the English language as the mode of instruction in private and public and secondary and tertiary level education, in the curriculum such, and in student-teacher interaction with policies like English Only Policy, English becomes the superior language over the other native languages in the Philippines.ReferencesAranda, Ma. R. R. (2022). Learning challenges in the new senior high school English curriculum in the Philippines. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 21(11), 315–333. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.11.18Department of Education. (2025). July 3, 2025 DO 020, s. 2025 – policy on the medium of instruction for kindergarten to grade 3 effective school year 2025-2026 | department of education. Deped.gov.ph. https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/07/03/july-3-2025-do-020-s-2025-policy-on-the-medium-of-instruction-for-kindergarten-to-grade-3-effective-school-year-2025-2026/Gál, S. (2023). Language ideologies. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.013.996Liwanag, F., Jr, R. F., Fernandez, E., Sagun, E., Vinuya, J., & Cabutotan, V. M. (2022). The effects of the implementation of English only policy in the classroom to the BSE English students’ language learning. Southeast Asian Journal of Science and Technology, 7(1), 31–38. https://www.sajst.org/online/index.php/sajst/article/view/272Pradia, A., & Bawa, L. (2023). Implementation of English only policy in teaching and learning English. Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 13(2), 85–118. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8316637Redhead, D., & Power, E. A. (2022). Social hierarchies and social networks in humans. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 377(1845). https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0440Supreme Court E-Library. (2019). Executive order no. 210 - establishing the policy to strengthen the use of the English language as a medium of instruction in the educational system - supreme court e-library. Judiciary.gov.ph. https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/5/5198Velasco, Y. P. (2024). The interplay between language ideologies and mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTBMLE) policy implementation in the Philippines. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 34, 765–775. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-024-00894-7
Embracing Linguistic Diversity and Learners as Social Actors in Multilingual and Multicultural ClassroomsLinguistic diversity is a part of my identity as a Filipino language and literature student. Growing up I was exposed to more than one language (Tagalog, Pangasinan, Ilocano, English, and Spanish) and thus I am aware and part of multiple cultures all at once. Although I am fluent only in two languages, part of embracing linguistic diversity is not rejecting the truth that these languages shaped me into the person I am today. A language and literature student also recognizes that the art of words spoken, written, or otherwise comes in many languages with their varied speakers of varying backgrounds.One way that I embrace linguistic diversity and its nuances is by decolonizing my linguistic tongue. A study by Leonard (2017) states that language is the basket that holds culture. The values of one’s belief lie in the ability of one to share and explain their belief and its importance through their language. In one section a participant shared that although colonizers taught their people to feel shame for their cultural activities, their traditional stories told through their own language tells them otherwise. The paper further shares of people being engaged in their own mother tongue through actively participating in their groups and communities to keep their culture alive (Leonard, 2017).The decolonization of our linguistic tongue can begin with our education. A study by Flores et al. (2025) examined the incorporation of the historical narrative of the Philippines and indigenous knowledge systems in higher education curriculums. The study found that while there is solid support for including culturally based materials, participants identified challenges in lack of frameworks, resources, and training. Pedagogical strategies are then proposed which include storytelling, interdisciplinary designs, community immersion, and engaging with cultural elders to encourage an inclusive education grounded in history and affirms identity. The study thus concludes the need to decolonize higher education through a systemic reinstructuring of the curriculum and teaching methods. Straying from Eurocentric models and practicing localized and cultural frameworks (Flores et al., 2025).The Philippines is a multilingual and multicultural country, and its citizens stand as linguistically diverse learners as speakers/social actors. A study by Bruce William et al. (2025) on multilingual classrooms in the Philippines contextualizes the multilingual landscape of the Philippines. The country has over 180 regional languages, with Filipino as the national language and English as an official language, and thus the paper discusses the country’s challenges and opportunities in education, particularly in the development of literacy. As a response, the government implemented the Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) policy in which the students primarily use their mother tongue to learn then transitioning to Filipino and English in higher grades. The study then concludes that the use of mother tongue in education enhances the reading, writing, and comprehension skills of the student. It also enriches the student's cultural identity and pride for their region and will likely become an influential factor in shaping the dynamics of a classroom. However, the study also found that there are challenges in the implementation of the policy due to insufficient training, limited resources, and disparity in the educational practices of regions (Bruce William et al., 2025).In another study, a systematic literature review was conducted by Baliwas and Estremera (2025) on the multilingual education in the Philippines. The review discussed the effectiveness of the enactment of the MTB-MLE policy and how it promotes cultural preservation and inclusive development. A student’s mother tongue is used to develop their cultural and linguistic identity along with their national language to forge a bicultural identity (Baliwas & Estremera, 2025).Learners as speakers/social actors in multilingual and multicultural classrooms can and do exist, there are challenges present not only in its practice, but also the implementation, because according to another study, while classrooms that encourage multilingualism creative positive identities link to the student's home cultures and serves as a boost to their academic performance, challenges appear such as the emergence of a perceived hierarchy of languages from the students and teachers which results to the lack of motivation to learn another language, insufficient teachers proficient in English or teaching skills, low resources, poorly provided service training, and discriminatory teaching practices (Parveen et al., 2022).With the presence of challenges in learners as speakers/social actors in multilingual and multicultural classrooms, strategies are needed to resolve and navigate such classrooms to ensure their effectiveness Murphy (2026) states that multilingualism in classrooms is not a problem but an asset, backed with evidence that it can support success in linguistics and education. Teachers must be properly trained and well-equipped to handle a multilingual classroom, and through support and active collaboration with researchers, the educators and learners can point to what must be researched, identify what is meaningful in outcome measures, and what can be done with the findings of the research (Murphy, 2026).Linguistic diversity exists and is embraced by nations with a multilingual and multicultural landscape, and the concept of learners as speakers/social actors within them can be established with evidence that they are implemented. However, there are existing challenges within learners in a multilingual and multicultural classroom such as the lack of resources, inadequate training for educators, and poor teaching strategies. Nevertheless, studies are being conducted to resolve such obstacles so that the learner as a speaker/social actor can be holistically developed in multicultural and multilingual classrooms.ReferencesBaliwas, R. A., & Estremera, M. (2025). Language, identity, and SLA inclusivity: A systematic literature review of multilingual education. Bulletin of Language and Literature Studies, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.59652/blls.v2i2.577Bruce William, Afeez, T., & Lara, D. (2025). Language of instruction: Examining its influence on literacy outcomes in multilingual Philippine classrooms. International Journal of Bilingual Education, 18(2), 145–160. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/388217978Flores, K., Gadaza, A., Galdonez, D., Pihnuton, J., Soriano, R., & Killip, A. J. (2025). Decolonizing pedagogy: Integrating indigenous knowledge and Philippine historical narratives in higher education curricula. International Journal on Culture, History, and Religion, 7(1), 333–356. https://doi.org/10.63931/ijchr.v7i1.130Leonard, W. (2017). Producing language reclamation by decolonising “language.” Language Documentation and Description, 14(0). https://doi.org/10.25894/ldd146Murphy, V. A. (2026). Navigating multilingual education. Global Challenges Facing Early Language Teaching, 9–21. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003643333-3Parveen, A., Dar, M. A., Rasool, I., & Jan, S. (2022). Challenges in the multilingual classroom across the curriculum. Handbook of Research on Teaching in Multicultural and Multilingual Contexts, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-5034-5.ch001
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