Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Meaningful learning will only take place if

the language of instruction brings meaningful and

authentic communication between teachers and

learners (Deyi,Simon, and Thole, 2007).

Despite the continuous prevalence of

monolingualism as a global norm in official or

dominant languages (Tupas, R., 2015), UNESCO

(2012) has remained firm in its advocacy to

promote the use of the mother tongue-based

instruction in the primary years which led to the

birth of the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual

Education Policy (MTB MLE) (Rumenapp, 2014).

The global findings of contemporary

research of Dea, Basha, and Abera, 2014) are

demonstrating that despite over 50 years of

initiatives from UNESCO (2012), mother tongue-

based multilingual and indigenous language

education programs remain challenged by a

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number of variables. Studies report a lack of

educational resources (Burton, 2013) and

teachers training, translation of academic

language (Burton, 2013); utilization of

multilingual teaching, utilization of literary piece

(Burton, 2013), inadequacy of vocabulary and

writing system (Dea, Basha and Abra , 2014),)

new terminology for modern discourse and few

speakers of the language, low status of the

minority language which points to the unwritten

L1 (Ball, 2010) or what Gacheche (2010) would

describe as the local languages’ limited

geographical significance and the last being the

participants’ self-denial or a feeling of shame

when using the mother tongue and lack of

political commitment (Seyoum, 2013).

However, the language as a medium of

instruction in promoting an effective teaching and

learning is an issue that has occupied many

scholars all over the world for many years

according to Deyi,Simon, and Thole (2007).

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Hence, the official language policy of the

1987 Educational Act revised in 2004, children in

primary levels were to be instructed in their first

language (L1), while those in Grade 4 onwards are

set to be instructed using a second language (L2),

which is English (Espada, 2012).

One of the latest developments in the

Philippine educational system is the Mother

Tongue – Based Multilingual Education (MTB-

MLE) which refers to the use of students’ mother

tongue and two or more additional languages as

Languages of Instruction (LoI) in school (DepEd

order No. 16, series of 2012). The introduction of

the new K-12 program ushered in the

implementation of the use of the Mother Tongue

or the learners’ first language in the classroom

(Burton, 2013) through DepEd order No. 16,

series of 2012.

According to Alberto, Gabinete, and

Rañola (2010) that the implementation brought

issues and challenges among teachers who are

not properly trained. Training programs were

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conducted for those who were already in the

service but for those who were newly appointed,

many felt inadequate to teach the subject due

to the lack of instructional materials and

fluency in speaking the mother tongue. This is

because they were used to teach either in

English or Filipino in almost all of the subjects

assigned to them.

This study further attempted to

determine the mother tongue based multi-

lingual education as predictors to teaching

strategies, instructional materials and teachers’

training. Further, the teachers are facing the

challenges as to how they can teach their

students with an appropriate teaching

strategies, instructional materials to be used

especially in addressing the demands of the

new educational system the K-12. And the

primary implementers are the teachers who

need the assistance in terms of support in

instructional matter and trainings. And so, this

study would address the gap of information on

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school teachers specifically on the primary

teachers handling MTB-MLE subject in Mati

North District.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the mother

tongue based multi-lingual education as predictors

to teaching strategies, instructional materials and

teachers’ training in Mati North District.

Specifically, this study aims to answer the

following questions:

1. What are the socio-demographic profile of the

respondents in terms

of:

1.1 Age;

1.2 Gender;

1.3 Position; and

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1.4 Ethnicity?

2. What is the level of MTB-MLE

utilization as medium of instruction in

terms of :

2.1 Translation of Target Language to Mother

Tongue

2.2 Utilization of Multi-Lingual teaching

2.3 Instructional Materials Written in Mother

Tongue

Strategies in terms of:

2.4 Remediation of Instruction

2.5 Utilization of Literary Piece

Written in Mother Tongue as

Motivation.

3. What are the levels of teaching materials

and teacher training?

4. What is direct and indirect effect of

mother tongue based multi-lingual

education on teaching strategies,

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instructional materials and teacher

training?
5. What is the best fit model for mother

tongue based multi-lingual education

teacher strategies, instructional

materials, and training?

Objectives of the study

This study aims to determine the mother

tongue based multi-lingual education as

predictors to teaching strategies, instructional

materials and teachers’ training in Mati North

District.

Specifically, this study aims to answer the following

questions:

1. To determine the socio-demographic profile of the

respondents

in terms of:

1.1 Age;

1.2 Gender;

1.3 Position; and

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1.4 Ethnicity

2. To determine the level of MTB-MLE

utilization as medium of instruction in

terms of :

2.1 Translation of Target Language to Mother

Tongue

2.2 Utilization of Multi-Lingual teaching

2.3 Instructional Materials Written in Mother

Tongue

Strategies in terms of:

2.4 Remediation of Instruction

2.5 Utilization of Literary Piece

Written in Mother Tongue as

Motivation.

3. To determine are the levels of teaching

materials and teacher training?

4. To determine the direct and indirect effect of

mother tongue based multi-lingual

education on teaching strategies,

instructional materials and teacher training?

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5. To find the best fit model for mother

tongue based multi-lingual education

teacher strategies, instructional materials,

and training?

Hypothesis

There is no direct and indirect

relationships of the mother tongue based

multi-lingual education as predictors to

teaching strategies, instructional

materials and teachers’ training in Mati

North District.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study focused on finding the mother

tongue based multi-lingual education as

predictors to teaching strategies, instructional

materials and teachers’ training in Mati North

District.

The respondents on this study are 154

primary teachers teaching in all schools in

Mati North district for the school year 2018-

2019.
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Significance of the Study

As a result of this study, the researchers

seeks to assess the mother tongue based

multi-lingual education as predictors to

teaching strategies, instructional materials and

teachers’ training in Mati North District.

Specifically this benefits the following:

DepEd. Since the schools’

curriculum is first planned before being

implemented, its planners, through the result

of the study, will have to consider the

effectiveness of the MTB-MLE as the medium of

instruction being used in teaching all the

subjects like Math, Makabayan and etc.

Administrators. This study would

help promote the school in terms of academic

achievements of the pupils. This study would

also help to design a proposal projects that will

enhance and develop the strategies needed by

the teachers who are lacked of trainings in

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using MTB-MLE as the medium of their

instruction.

Pupils. The findings of this study will

enable the pupils to learn easy with the lessons

with the help of the MTB-MLE as the medium of

instruction.

Teachers. The findings of this study will

help teachers to teach the pupils with the used

of the MTB-MLE as the medium of instruction.

Future researchers. The result of this

study would serve as data in studying the same
or similar topic of which the present researcher
had undertaken.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are operationally defined

for clarity of the

study.

Instructional Materials. It refers to the

basic channel of communication in the

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classroom for the purpose of bringing about

effective teaching and learning.

Teaching-training. It refers to the policies,

procedures, and provision designed to

equip teachers with the knowledge, attitudes,

behaviors, and skills they require to perform

their tasks effectively in the classroom, school,

and wider community.

MTB-MLE. It stands for Mother Tongue

Based Multi-Lingual Education. This refers to

first-language education that is, schooling which

begins in the mother tongue and transitions to

additional languages particularly Filipino and

English.

Teaching Strategies. It refers to a

decision-making in which teachers take account

of a constantly changing external environment.