Philippine E-Journals

English Teachers' Awareness of and Attitudes Towards Philippine English: A Basis for a Learning Program Proposal

Dyanna Mariae Dangilan | Zayda Asuncion

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

The English language proves its dynamicity with the creation of different varieties brought about by the contact of the language with different indigenous languages and dialects. One variety of this is Philippine English which is described as becoming gradually accepted as a local norm or model in the Philippines. Using descriptive design, this study determined both the awareness and attitude of English teachers from public secondary schools of Nueva Vizcaya towards the use of Philippine English. The findings revealed that English teachers had a high level of awareness of Philippine English and a positive attitude towards it. They, however, did not see incorporating the variety in the English language curricula as an issue in the same way that they did not regard it as a standard variety to be taught in schools. Further, younger teachers had a higher awareness compared to those who are 30 years old and above. Likewise, female teachers were more aware of the variety than the male teachers. Integrating Philippine English in language lessons can help promote the English variety. In the same way, the conduct of in-service trainings and learning program, specifically a Learning Action Cell, can help strengthen the awareness level of all English public secondary school teachers. Hence, this study proposes a series of Learning Action Cells named Philippine English: Promoting and Learning its Use in Schools (PhE: PLUS).