Proficiency, Language of Instruction, and Chinese Reading Comprehension

among Filipino-English Bilinguals Joannah Rosewanny B. Riego and Dr. Lourdes R. Baetiong

University of the Philippines Diliman

Background

An individual can gain benefits from foreign language (FL)

learning (Fox, Corretjer, & Webb (2019).

Department of Education recognizes the advantages of

foreign language learning; thus, it launched Special Program

in Foreign Language (SPFL) that intends to develop foreign

language competence among students.

However, implementing guidelines limit the student

admission to English (L2) proficient learners.

Cummins’ (1979 as cited in Lasagabaster, 2001) Linguistic

Interdependence Hypothesis states that when learners have

reached L1 threshold level, they can transfer their language

skills when learning another language.

Students who were taught in L1 gained better scores in FL

(Garate & Iragui, 1993).

Purpose of the Study

This study aimed to examine the relationship between

Filipino (L1) or English (L2) learners’ proficiency and FL

performance and to determine if the use of L1 and L2 as

languages of instruction (LoI) would make a difference in

Chinese Mandarin reading comprehension of the students.

Participants

Incoming Grade 8 students

30 L1 proficient, 30 L2 proficient

Filipino (L1), English (L2), Chinese Mandarin (L3)

Study’s FL program

FL Basic Level 1

30-hour foreign language training

Measures

Teacher-made Chinese Mandarin Reading Comprehension

Test (words, sentences, dialogues, and short texts)

L1 proficient group: L1 proficiency and Chinese

Mandarin reading comprehension performance –

no significant relationship (r =0.33, p=0.075)

L2 proficient group: L2 proficiency and the Chinese

Mandarin reading comprehension performance-

no significant relationship (r=0.083, p=0.662)

No significant difference between the L1 proficient

learners (Mdn=59) and the L2 proficient learners

(Mdn=57) in terms of their Chinese Mandarin reading

comprehension performance (U= 425, p=0.698)

Factors that may have influenced third language (L3) acquisition

Simplicity of the lesson: Basic Level 1

Typologies of languages: Filipino and English– alphabetic, Chinese Mandarin– morphosyllabic (Rothman, 2011)

Language properties: The target language property will be learned like how an L1 was acquired (Flynn et al, 2004).

Use of L3 proficiency in L3 performance: Learners rely on L3 knowledge at the initial phase (Slabakova, 2016).

Learners’ foreign language learning motivation: a determinant of learners’ performance in FL (Dornyei, 2004)

Length of time in FL learning: more language gains in an intensive language learning (Serrano, 2011)

Less to no anxiety in foreign language learning: free from other school activities and stress (Huang & Wang, 2013)

L1 proficient students can perform well in reading

comprehension at the beginning level of a foreign

language class.

L1 and L2 proficiency of the students are not transferred

to their third language proficiency at the initial stage of

learning.

Students use their acquired L3 proficiency to learn and

perform well in L3 acquisition.

Students can perform well in a beginner’s foreign

language class if they are proficient in the language of

instruction which can either be their L1 or L2.

Dornyei, Z. (1994). Motivation and Motivating in Foreign Language Classroom. The Modern Language Journal. 78(3) 273-284. Retrieved from http://seas3.elte.hu/coursematerial/RyanChristopher/Dornyei(1994)_Foreign_Language _Classroom.pdf

Fox, R., Corretjer, O., & Webb, K. (2019). Benefits of Foreign Language Learning and Bilingualism: An analysis of published empirical research 2012-2019. Foreign Language Annals. 52. 699-726.

Flynn, S., Foley, C. & Vinnitskaya, I. (2004) The Cumulative Enhancement Model for Language Acquisition: Comparing Adults' and Children's Patterns of Development in First, Second and Third Language Acquisition of Relative Clauses, International Journal of Multilingualism, 1:1, 3-16, DOI: 10.1080/14790710408668175 Fraenkel, J., Wallen, N., & Hyun, H. (2012). How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education. (8th ed.) New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Huang, F. & Wang, Y. (2013). Analysis of Learning Motivation in Foreign Language Acquisition: How Do Non-English Majors’ Motivation Impacts Learning Outcome? International Conference on the Modern Development of Humanities and Social Science.159-162.

Lasagabaster, D. (2001). The Effect of Knowledge about the L1 on Foreign Language Skills and Grammar. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 4(5), 310- 331.

Garate, J. V., & Iragui, J. C. (1993). Bilingualism and Third Language Acquisition. Rothman, J. (2011). L3 syntactic transfer selectivity and typological determinacy: The typological primacy

model. Second Language Research. 27(1) 107-127. Slabakova, R. (2016). The Scalpel Model of third language acquisition. International Journal of Bilingualism.

1-37. DOI: 10.1177/1367006916655413 Serrano, R. (2011). The Time Factor in EFL Classroom Practice. Language Learning, 61(1).117–145

80%

10%

3.33%6.66%

0

80%

6.66%

10%

3.33% 00%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Advanced Proficient Approaching Proficient Developing Beginning

Level of Proficiency in Chinese Mandarin Reading Comprehension

L1 Proficient Group L2 Proficient Group