Sustaining Learning for Higher-Order Thinking Skills through Code-Switching

Abstract

 Despite English being widely used as the language of instruction in many educational settings, some learners still find the lessons difficult to understand. It means that enhancing their critical thinking skills is now challenged. Thus, this paper argues that students' higher order thinking skills will improve if Code-Switching is used as a language of instruction. Anchored on Code-Switching Theory, Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory, and Zone of Proximal Development, the study uses an explanatory-sequential design with fifty grade 8 students as respondents from Toledo National Vocational School. Through descriptive and inferential statistical treatment, students’ pre- and post-test performances were determined, and significant differences were observed in these performances. Braun and Clarke's analytical framework revealed themes like enabling learning and developing confidence, which help explain the quantitative results. It concludes that code-switching is a potential solution to improve critical thinking. Hence, it recommends that code-switching may be allowed as part of the language of instruction to facilitate learning and develop higher-order competencies continuously.