Another look at the Acceptability of Philippine English through the Lens of Basic Education Teachers

Abstract

While there have been studies and awareness seminars conducted in the promotion of Philippine English (PE), still PE has not fully-penetrated in most public schools. Hence, the study sought to identify the acceptability of PE among English teachers from a secondary high school in Pampanga. PE’s levels of acceptability were determined using Torres and Alieto’s (2019) Grammatical and Lexical Acceptability Questionnaire. Pre -test result revealed that teachers have low acceptability level of the PE grammatical and lexical items   and that they are not aware of the PE. A webinar was conducted to introduce the PE among teachers and the post-test showed a significant difference to their acceptability level. Furthermore, teachers’ answers to the follow up questions imply that they are willing to introduce PE in the classroom, which they believe will help the students to be more conversant and become more confident in speaking the English language. It is concluded that teachers are open to incorporating the PE in their classes to further improve their students’ confidence in learning the language. The following recommendations were given: (1) Teachers should be provided with more seminars that will update them with the current status of Philippine English; (2) Teachers should be encouraged to consider the Philippine English in motivating students to be confident speakers in the English classes; and (3) School administrators and English teachers should promote the acceptance of Philippine English in the academic context.