Problem statement
Although code‑switching (the alternation between languages within utterances or discourse) is widely reported among Filipino speakers—particularly the Tagalog/Filipino–English variety often called "Taglish"—there is a lack of systematic, empirical description of the specific strategies students employ when they code‑switch during formal oral presentations, and of the effects those strategies have on audience comprehension, speaker credibility, and assessment outcomes. Existing sociolinguistic theory identifies many motivations and patterns for code‑switching in interaction (e.g., signaling identity, managing register, filling lexical gaps), but few studies have focused on the micro‑strategies (e.g., lexical insertion, tag switching, intra‑sentential switching, quotation, translation, use of filler items) as they occur in student oral presentations in classroom or academic settings in the Philippines. This gap matters because instructors, assessors, and curriculum designers need evidence about whether and when particular code‑switching strategies facilitate clarity and engagement or, conversely, reduce comprehension or unfairly influence evaluation practices.
Specifically, the problem can be stated as: "There is insufficient empirical knowledge about which code‑switching strategies Filipino students use during oral presentations, how frequently and in what functional contexts they occur, and how these strategies affect listener comprehension and assessment judgments — despite widespread, locally documented bilingual practices in spoken interaction (see e.g., Gumperz, 1982; Myers‑Scotton, 1993; Bautista, 2004)."
Why this is a researchable problem
- Scope: Code‑switching in the Philippines is common, but oral presentation contexts (more formal, pedagogically consequential) are under‑examined.
- Measurable variables: type and frequency of strategies, discourse functions, listener comprehension scores, rater/teacher perceptions.
- Practical significance: results can inform classroom policy, assessment rubrics, and teaching of oral academic communication.
Selected supporting literature
- Gumperz, J. J. (1982). Discourse Strategies. Cambridge University Press. (Foundational work on conversational code‑switching and interactional functions.)
- Myers‑Scotton, C. (1993). Social Motivations for Codeswitching: Evidence from Africa. Oxford University Press. (Frameworks for social and pragmatic motivations behind switching.)
- Bautista, M. L. S. (2004). Studies of Tagalog–English code‑switching/Taglish in the Philippines (see surveys and classroom studies documenting widespread bilingual practices). (For local context and evidence of Taglish prevalence.)
If you would like, I can convert this problem statement into specific research questions and testable hypotheses, propose a mixed‑methods design (discourse analysis + comprehension tests + rater judgments), or draft an IRB‑ready ethics paragraph for classroom recording consent.