English language education and educational policy in the Philippines

Abstract

Abstract This chapter presents different perspectives on, or approaches to, English language teaching (ELT) in the Philippines. It begins with a description of the monolingual bias that is evident in government policies which include the use of English as the language of assessment, especially in national and international tests of English proficiency and literacy. The chapter proceeds with a discussion of three pluralist approaches to English, namely, ‘world Englishes’, ‘multilingualism’, and ‘translanguaging’, that claim to reject this monolingual bias. Language education policies or classroom practices that are informed by each perspective are described. A number of issues about these perspectives in relation to the monolingual bias are likewise raised. The chapter ends by underscoring the agency of Filipino teachers of English who are caught between monolingual and pluralist perspectives on ELT. Three propositions in relation to teacher agency are also put forward.