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Description
Responding to educational inequities in multilingual settings, this study examines translation as a site of intercultural learning in higher education. Using ethnographic and reflexive methods, it explores how translating environmental concepts into Philippine languages shapes classroom interaction, identity, and knowledge construction. Findings show gains in conceptual understanding and intercultural competence. The study introduces e-Lagak, a community-centered, digital framework that strengthens multilingual meaning-making while promoting public access, circulation, and use of scientific knowledge beyond the classroom.
Abstract section 1: Relevance
The Philippines faces an urgent educational crisis, as reflected in the 2022 PISA, where the country ranked sixth from the bottom in reading and mathematics and third from the bottom in science among 81 countries (Lauengco, 2026). Compounding this challenge, Senate Bill No. 2457—reported by EDCOM 2 Communications (2024)—proposes removing the mother tongue as the medium of instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3, a backward measure that undermines multilingual learning. These developments underscore the critical need to rethink language policy and pedagogical strategies to ensure meaningful access to knowledge in multilingual classrooms.
Abstract section 3: Content/method
Conducted in Language 1 and Science, Technology, and Society 1 courses, the study used participant observation, reflective teaching journals, documentation of classroom discourse, and analysis of student outputs. Climate-related terminologies were compiled from selected regional languages, compared with English and Filipino equivalents, and validated through consultations with regional experts and key informants. These translations were integrated into classroom activities, allowing close examination of meaning-making processes and student engagement across languages.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
Framed through classroom-based ethnography with autoethnographic reflexivity, this study examines translation as a lived pedagogical practice in multilingual higher education. It investigates: (1) How do students experience and interpret the translation of climate and environmental concepts into major Philippine languages? (2) How does translation-based pedagogy shape classroom interactions, identity positioning, and intercultural communicative practices? (3) How do community-informed translation processes influence the relationship between language, knowledge production, and science education in multilingual contexts?
Abstract section 5: References
EDCOM 2 Communications. (2024, July 24). Senate OKs discontinuation of mother tongue as medium of instruction from kinder to Grade 3. EDCOM 2. https://edcom2.gov.ph/senate-oks-discontinuation-of-mother-tongue-as-medium-of-instruction-from-kinder-to-grade-3/
Lauengco, G. J. (2024, January 31). Crisis in education. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/opinion/pieces/1153-crisis-in-education
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
Findings reveal that translation-based pedagogy enhances conceptual understanding, intercultural communicative competence, and cultural sensitivity. Students negotiated meaning across languages, linking global environmental issues to local realities while repositioning themselves as co-constructors of knowledge. The study underscores the interdependence of language, education, and environmental literacy, proposing a community-centered framework supported by digital platforms that make multilingual scientific knowledge publicly accessible, shareable, and usable beyond the classroom.
| Title | e-Lagak: Mother Tongue Translation in Intercultural Pedagogy |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | College and university education |