The Use of Taglish as a Language Strategy in Teaching Filipino in the Elementary Grades: A Narrative Literature Review

As a cornerstone of education, language significantly shapes how learners access, process, and understand academic content, making it a crucial element in effective teaching and learning. In multilingual classrooms, language use becomes particularly important in facilitating learners’ comprehension and participation. Despite the growing body of literature supporting the effectiveness of pedagogical code-switching in multilingual settings, limited studies have specifically examined its role in supporting elementary learners who demonstrate greater proficiency in English and experience difficulty understanding Filipino as a medium of instruction. This literature review aimed to explore the effect of the pedagogical use of Taglish in classroom instruction at the elementary level. A narrative literature review was employed to synthesize and analyze relevant studies on code-switching and language practices in multilingual educational contexts. Findings revealed that Taglish serves as an instructional bridge, enhancing learners’ comprehension by clarifying complex concepts, reducing language barriers, and facilitating understanding of academic content. It also promotes learner participation, confidence, and engagement in classroom interaction. However, excessive reliance on Taglish may raise concerns about learners’ formal proficiency in both Filipino and English, underscoring the need for intentional, balanced language use. The review suggests that strategic code-switching may serve as an effective pedagogical scaffold in multilingual classrooms, supporting meaningful learning while gradually strengthening learners’ language competence.

Code-Switching, Elementary, Filipino, Taglish

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