LANGUAGE PRACTICES AND IDENTITY FORMATION AMONG FILIPINO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN MULTILINGUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
Keywords:
Multilingualism, Translanguaging, Identity Formation, Higher Education in the Philippines, Ethnolinguistic Identity, Language Policy, Academic Self-EfficacyAbstract
This study investigates the dynamic language practices—specifically translanguaging and code-meshing—employed by Filipino university students and examines their structural relationships with psycho-social identity formation, ethnolinguistic agency, and academic self-efficacy in multilingual higher education settings. Utilizing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, quantitative data were gathered from a stratified sample of 1,250 undergraduate students across public State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao, followed by semi-structured focus group discussions (n = 36). Quantitative metrics were evaluated using structural equation modeling (SEM) and multiple linear regression, while qualitative narratives were analyzed using thematic discourse analysis. Results indicate that intra-sentential translanguaging (M = 4.32, SD = 0.54) is the most prevalent practice, functioning not as a linguistic compromise, but as a deliberate socio-cognitive strategy. Multiple regression analysis revealed that dynamic language practices significantly predicted composite identity integration (R-squared = .482, F(4, 1245) = 289.41, p < .001), with intra-sentential translanguaging (beta = .384, p < .001) and multimodal code-meshing (beta = .291, p < .001) exhibiting the strongest positive contributions. SEM fit indices validated a direct path from fluid language practices to reduced second-language (L2) performance anxiety (beta = -.412, p < .001), which in turn fully mediated the relationship between translanguaging and academic self-efficacy (beta = .526, p < .001). Qualitative findings revealed that strategic language shifting enables students to negotiate ethnolinguistic hybridity, deconstruct historical "English Only" anxieties, and express nuanced academic positions without relinquishing local cultural roots. These empirical insights demonstrate that rigid monolingual instructional mandates hinder holistic identity construction and cognitive engagement. The study offers concrete frameworks for higher education institutions to institutionalize
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