Issues and Challenges in Teaching Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in Grades II

and III: The Philippine Experience

Rosario P. Alberto Sunny G. Gabinete Vanessa S. Rañola

St. Theresa International College Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College St. Paul University, Iloilo City
Thailand Philippines Philippines

Abstract

With the introduction of the new K-12 program, in 2012 the Department of Education of the
Philippines implemented the teaching of the Mother Tongue- based Multi-lingual Education among the
kindergarten, Grades 1, 2 and 3 learners.

This paper determined the issues and challenges faced by teachers in the four skill areas namely;
reading, writing, speaking and listening, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of teaching mother
tongue.

The study utilized the qualitative approach and the data collection consisted mainly of focus
group discussions, intensive interviews and participant observation.

The findings showed that the issues raised by the respondents for listening focused on the
unavailability of audio materials that can strengthen the listening skills of the students while the
challenge is the limited Hiligaynon (local dialect) vocabulary of the teachers and the unfamiliarity of the
words. As to speaking, the respondents find it hard to speak fluently in Hiligaynon. The challenge is that
teachers previously taught the different subjects using the second language which is English.

As to reading, the respondents have problems on the limited reading materials available for
teaching. The issue of understanding profound Hiligaynon terminologies is challenges to them. And, as
to writing, the respondents lack resources which could enhance their writing skills. The challenge in
spelling of the Hiligaynon lies in the fact that some words are long and difficult to spell.

On the other hand, the teaching of Mother tongue revealed advantages in teaching such as:
learners were able to express their thoughts and ideas resulting to high participation in class discussions;
learners become independent in their choice of expression, and the use of mother tongue facilitates in
explaining the meaning of some English words.

The disadvantages are all linked to the scarcity of instructional materials which hinder the
enhancement of the reading, listening, speaking and writing skills of the learners. Added to these is the
lack of training to prospective teachers to teach mother tongue.

Keywords: Mother tongue, multi-lingual education

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Introduction

Meaningful learning will only take place if the language of instruction brings meaningful and
authentic communication between teachers and learners. The language used matters most especially in
dealing with situations which detail learners’ familiarity with the medium of instruction that is being
used.

In the Philippines, 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.

The implementation brought issues and challenges among teachers who are not properly trained
to teach the discipline. Training programs were conducted, however, 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.

With the shift in the medium of instruction used, the government hopes through the Department
of Education to facilitate lively classroom interaction as well as facilitate self-expression of every
learner since they will speak in their native language. On the part of the teacher, several issues and
problems cropped up due to the preparation they need in order to cope with the demands of the subjects
they are teaching.

Objectives

The main objective of this study was to determine the issues and challenges in teaching mother
tongue as a subject in Grades II and III.

Specifically, the study aimed to determine the following: First, identify the issues in teaching
Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in terms of the following skills, namely; listening,
speaking, reading, and writing ; Second, determine the challenges in teaching Mother Tongue-Based
Multilingual Education when classified according to the following skills; listening, speaking, reading,
and writing ; and Third; determine the advantages and disadvantages in teaching Mother Tongue-Based
Multilingual Education.

Methodology

The study utilized qualitative approach and the data collection consisted mainly of focus group
discussions, intensive interviews and participant observation. There were six key informants. They were
interviewed based on the validated interview schedule prepared by the researchers. The researchers were
also participant observers who helped identify the issues and challenges met by teachers in teaching
mother tongue as a subject. A focus group discussion (FGD) was done to validate the responses of the
key informants.

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Findings

1. Issues in Teaching Mother Tongue Based-Education in Terms of Listening

All of the key informants’ answers regarding issues in listening boiled down to inadequate
learning materials and resources such as audio recordings. Key Informant 1 stated, “We don’t have
audio recording for Hiligaynon unlike in the English and Filipino subjects. We are still hoping that the
Department of Education will provide us audio recordings so that it will add more interest to the
students to listen. Most of the time, they cannot comprehend when they listen to profound Hiligaynon
words. They tend not to listen because they find it boring.” Furthermore, Key Informant 6 explained
specifically, “We just focus on the books provided by the Department of Education which is limited.
Thus, the vocabulary that the students learned is also limited.”

Listening is one of the key strategies for assimilating knowledge. According to Mendelsohn
(1998), it is imperative to listen. This shifts the emphasis of listening practice from product to process
and the responsibility of learning from the teacher to the students, thereby helping students become self-
regulated. This widens more their understanding and maximizes their learning about the subject.
Listening skills in the classroom need to be developed and shaped intentionally in order for them to be
improved. Utilization of materials and tools is very important to motivate students to listen.

Three out of six key informants used flash cards as additional learning materials in teaching
listening skills. In relation to this, Ervin (1998) stated that, “Using flash cards in the classroom setting
teaches students to practice their vocabulary development and completion drills in learning.”

There are different strategies in teaching specifically in listening. Three essential strategies were
mentioned by the key informants. These were repetition, dictation and reading aloud. Key Informant 6
claimed, “Most of us always do the repetition or oral drills in order for the students to be familiar with
the correct pronunciation and for them to identify the different stresses of the word so that they will
know the meaning of it.” In line with this, the great philosopher, Aristotle commented on the role of
repetition in learning by saying “it is frequent repetition that produces a natural tendency” and “the more
frequently two things are experienced together, the more likely it will be that the experience or recall of
one will stimulate the recall of the other”.

Reading aloud was the other strategy the key informants regularly used in teaching listening.
According to Barrentine (2000) and Sipe (2000), reading aloud to children builds and supports their
listening abilities and enhances their overall language development. The respondents primarily used
reading aloud in class, repetition and dictation, for they believed that through these methods, the
students will be able to understand and develop their listening skills as they clearly hear the different
terminologies they encounter.

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2. Issues in Teaching Mother Tongue Based-Education in Terms of Speaking

The key informants clearly identified the issues they encountered in teaching speaking skills in
the mother tongue. The fact that their resources were limited and most of them were teaching
Hiligaynon subject for the first time, they were really having a hard time in effectively teach their
students. Key Informant 1 identified the challenges that the students encountered. “First is acquiring
resources; some learners are not exposed to several words and because Hiligaynon is very wordy, most
of the students forget certain words. They often interchange the letters “L” and “R”. For example, the
word “laragway” is misread to “ralagway”.

According to Dutcher (2004), pronunciation has always been perceived as a difficult area by
teachers and learners alike. Two of the key informants also stated that most of the time students
mispronounce words or terminologies in Hiligaynon. Informant 2 said. “Most of the students also
mispronounce words in Hiligaynon”. Without adequate pronunciation skills, the learner's ability to
communicate is severely limited. Morley (1991:489) states that not attending to a student's
pronunciation needs “is an abrogation of professional responsibility”. As the key informants’ strategy in
teaching speaking, they let students read aloud in class while teaching them correct pronunciation.

3. Issues in Teaching Mother Tongue based-Education in Terms of Reading

In education, learning to read is very crucial because through reading, students can develop their
knowledge and become confident learners. The key informants identified issues in teaching reading
skills. They stated that the books for teaching reading from the Department of Education were limited.
This is why the students’ capacity to learn is hampered. The responses paralleled the statement of Hall
(2010) as cited by Dekker, et al., (2008), that is, “no teacher can teach effectively without appropriate
materials.” Thus, teaching can only be effective when adequate and relevant instructional materials are
used, Afolabi, et al., (2006) as cited by Sunday & Joshua (2010).

The key informants’ reading resources are primarily textbooks provided by the Department of
Education. All but one of the key informants relied only on what the government has provided them.
Key Informant 6 stated that “My reading resources are books provided by the government and some are
from English books which I just personally translate”. Unfortunately, there were insufficient resources
where teachers can get relevant materials for teaching and learning. All of the key informants said that
they only use one book for the Hiligaynon subject.

An educator’s main goal is to teach students to be life-long learners, Corcoran & Mamalakis,
(2009). Part of being a life-long learner is the ability to read; which is the foundation for success in
school and in modern society, Corcoran, et al., (2010). Since there are insufficient materials for teaching
reading, the Key Informants develop their own strategies in teaching. The majority of the Key
Informants stated that they let their students read aloud in class in order for them to be familiar with the
different terminologies and their meanings in Hiligaynon. “For me, reading aloud in class can help my
students to develop their reading skills, pronunciation, diction and they can easily understand different
words with different stresses and meanings”. One of the key informants explained.

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 Research has shown that reading aloud with children is a vitally important activity. Along with
this, teacher read-aloud as characterized by Corcoran & Mamalakis (2009) is a practice that can be used
to motivate students to read. Also, the teacher provides the support in order for the student to extend his
or her current skills and knowledge, Hausfather (1996).

The key informants cited some particular literary pieces that they have used as reading materials
in teaching Hiligaynon subject. For instance, “Si Kuting”, “Pinaka Una nga Pinya”, “Ang Tsinelas”,
“Halinan Sang Iloilo”, “Ang Relihiyon”, “Modelo ng Kabataan”, “Ang Kabuhi ni Graciano Lopez
Jaena”, “Lagaw sa Mambukal”, “Pamasyar sa Esplanade”, “Ang Komunidad”, and “ Ang Hinuptanan
ni Nene”. Key Informants 1 and 2 added that they translate English literary pieces to have more learning
materials in teaching reading.

4. Issues in Teaching Mother Tongue Based-Education in Terms of Writing

As the key informants responded to the issues in teaching Mother tongue-based education in
terms of writing, the majority of them stated that the main problem was that there were insufficient
resources where they can source out the teaching-learning materials for teaching writing in Mother
Tongue. “Since this is newly implemented, there are limited writing materials in Hiligaynon”. Key
Informant 2 explained. In order to secure resource materials they need, all of them stated that they
demonstrate the correct way of writing and let their students follow them. Key Informant 5 stated, “I
demonstrate the correct way of writing and let my students follow me. I also teach them correct spelling
of a word by writing it on the board”. While Key Informant 3 said, “I usually let them write short stories
and poems. For example, I let them write short stories about their own experiences such as their
experience during the “Dinagyang 2015”.

Writing is one of the important ways of expressing thoughts and communicating ideas and views
to others. In Bandura’s (1977 ) Social Learning theory, it is proposed that learners acquire a certain type
of behavior from the modeling of others. Specific to this study, social learning theory supports that
students will learn from the teachers, Bandura; Kim, Jain, Westhoff, & Rezabek, (2008). Following
Bandura’s theory, the Key Informants teach writing Hiligaynon through modeling and return
demonstration. They also stated that through modeling the proper way of writing and spelling, students
were able to develop their writing skills. To support the Key Informants’ answers, another theory states
that, children learn through social events as the child “interacts with people, objects, and events in the
environment”, Vygotsky (1978).

5. The Challenges in Teaching Mother Tongue-Based Education in Terms of Listening

The key informants stressed that the students’ major challenge was their unfamiliarity with
profound Hiligaynon words. The students’ had difficulty in understanding some Hiligaynon terms due to
their limited vocabulary. The respondents cited some examples of Hiligaynon words which were
difficult for the students to understand such as “durungawan” which means window, “edipisyo” which
means building, “ganhaan” which means door, and “salmon” which is the color orange and “dalag”
which is the color yellow, respectively.

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 There is no wide range of the words or phrases used in discussing lessons using mother tongue;
therefore, it was considered as one of the problems being encountered by the teachers and the students as
well. The key informants stated that the students encountered difficulties while listening to Hiligaynon
due to their limited vocabulary. According to Adams (1990), learning, as a language-based activity, is
fundamentally and profoundly dependent on vocabulary knowledge. Furthermore, one significant theory
related to effective vocabulary growth is the schema theory. Students with limited schemas or prior
knowledge have more difficulty learning new words, Jenkins & Dixon, (1983).

Identifying different stresses is vital in understanding words with multiple meanings. Most of the
key informants claimed that the students can distinguish the different stresses of words only if the words
were already familiar to them. Intelligibility refers to the listener’s ability to correctly identify or
recognize words or utterances, Field, (2005). According to DeRidder (2002), saliency is also an
important component of word learning. DeRidder’s research indicated that students attend to and learn
words they deem important or that were somewhat familiar to them already.

Some of the key informants gave examples; for instance the word “basa” which means to read
and “basa” which means wet, the word “baga” which means lungs and “baga” which means ember and
“puno” which means tree and “puno” which means full.

6. The Challenges in Teaching Mother Tongue-Based Education in Terms of Speaking

In teaching speaking in Hiligaynon language, the key informants inevitably encountered different
challenges. Key Informant 1 explained. “Because I am an English teacher who also teaches English, it
is difficult for me to teach Hiligaynon or to speak it fluently. I really need to study and do research to
learn more terminologies for me to be able to teach my students effectively. We also do not have enough
training or seminars before teaching this subject. We were only provided two weeks of workshop, that is
why it is very hard for me to teach my students”.

Due to the fact that their resources were limited and the subject is newly implemented; the key
informants were having difficulty in teaching speaking in Hiligaynon. The key informants admitted that
they find it hard to speak fluently in Hiligaynon since they lack adequate trainings and seminars for
them to be equipped in teaching the subject. To add to that, most of the key informants were teaching
other subjects which were mainly taught in the second language which is English. Along with this,
Mahoney (2003) suggested that it is vital to ensure that students understand the purpose of the activity
before participating in it. The teacher is well advised to use L1 when giving the explanation.

7. The Challenges in Teaching Mother Tongue-Based Education in Terms of Reading

All of the key informants stated that the main problem they encountered in teaching reading in
Hiligaynon subject was that the students have difficulty in understanding some terminologies in
Hiligaynon especially words they were not familiar with. “Students had difficulty in understanding
some words they cannot comprehend or which they were not familiar with”. Key Informant 1 explained.
This was supported by Lynch (1996) who emphasized that in many cases, “It is our unfamiliarity with

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the appropriate background knowledge that prevents us from understanding something, rather than the
inadequate knowledge of the language.” The key informants also stated that the students usually
interchange the letter “L” with letter “R”. Three of the key informants also stated that the students have
difficulty in determining the stress and proper pronunciation of the words in Hiligaynon.

8. The Challenges in Teaching Mother Tongue-Based Education in Terms of Writing

Writing is very essential to be taught since ignoring the skills to write means not only ignoring
writing skills themselves but also ignoring the contribution of writing skills toward the development of
other skills. Compared to the other three skills, writing is considered to be the most difficult skill to
master. Teaching writing is not an easy job because teachers might face several problems in the process
of teaching writing in the classroom. This was very evident given that majority of the respondents said
that they encountered problems in teaching writing in Hiligaynon such as the correct spelling of words
or terminologies and the laziness of the students to write especially longer words or sentences in
Hiligaynon.“Some students are lazy to write and they do not know how to spell words in Hiligaynon and
if I let them write sentences or short stories, they just used words which they are familiar with. I have
noticed that they are afraid to use other deep words”. Key Informant 4 explained.

Since the Hiligaynon subject is newly implemented, students did not have enough resources to
look for the correct spelling of the Hiligaynon terminologies. Their learning capacity in spelling is
therefore, also limited. Benson (2000) stated that according to the cognitive theory’ the spelling of
words can be produced depending on the amount and kind of information stored in the memory about
particular words.

9. Advantages in Teaching Mother Tongue Based-Education

The main advantage of this newly implemented instruction according to all of the key informants
is that the students are able to express their thoughts and ideas resulting to high participation in class
discussions. This is sustained by Benson (2005) who stated that the affective domain, involving
confidence, self-esteem and identity, is strengthened by use of the L1, increasing motivation and
initiative as well as creativity. Moreover, Key Informant 3 pointed out that through mother tongue, the
students feel independent in their choice of expression. L1 classrooms allow children to be themselves
and develop their personalities as well as their intellect. In contrast’ Carless (2008) stated that the
negative impact of mother tongue use is that too much reliance on the L1 may undermine the interaction
in English.

Three out of six key informants believed that mother tongue can facilitate in explaining the
meaning of some English words through translation thus help the students learn English easily.
Translation is sometimes referred to as the fifth language skill alongside the other four basic skills of
listening, speaking, reading, and writing, Kavaliauskienė (2009). According to some of the respondents,
translation from Hiligaynon to English and vice-versa aided the students to distinguish some abstract
words. According to Ross (2000) there has been a revival of interest to translation due to the shift of
emphasis - in using a mother tongue as a resource for the promotion of language learning. Translation

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develops three qualities essential to all language learning: accuracy, clarity, and flexibility. However,
Harmer (2001) contradicted this by stating that in the past, the prevalence of grammar-translation
method led to extraordinary phenomenon; students were unable to speak fluently after having studied
the language for a long time. This led to the idea that exclusive use of the mother tongue in the language
classroom should be avoided. Translation has been thought as uncommunicative, boring, pointless,
difficult, and irrelevant.

10. Disadvantages in Teaching Mother Tongue Based-Education

Four out of six key informants believed that the disadvantage of teaching Mother Tongue-Based
Multilingual Education is that some students rely on their mother tongue. They may have the tendency
to forget and may decrease their capacity to learn other languages, more importantly the English
language. One of the respondents believed that teaching mother tongue may be unnecessary in the future
since the English language is considered to be the universal language. This is the language used mostly
in secondary education, tertiary education and in formal workplaces. Two of the key informants
considered that limited resources or learning materials was the major disadvantage in teaching mother
tongue. Key Informant 2 stated, “Because of limited resources or learning materials, the students’
knowledge in Hiligaynon is also limited. The capacity of the student to learn is not enhanced.

The main concern of the respondents regarding the utilization of mother tongue, as a newly
implemented program is the lack of sufficient resources such as vocabulary words in Hiligaynon and
inadequate teacher training. Skutnabb-Kangas (2000) explain that instruction through a language that
learners do not speak has been called “submersion” because it is analogous to holding learners under
water without teaching them how to swim. Compounded by chronic difficulties such as low levels of
teacher education, poorly designed, inappropriate curricula and lack of adequate school facilities,
submersion makes both learning and teaching extremely difficult, particularly when the language of
instruction is also foreign to the teacher.

Conclusions

Based on the results of the study the following conclusions have been drawn;

1. In teaching mother tongue-based multilingual education the issue in terms of listening is on

the scarcity of audio instructional materials used for listening. The challenges are; the students
unfamiliarity with profound Hiligaynon words and limited vocabulary.

2. In teaching mother tongue-based multilingual education the issues in terms of speaking are;
students are not exposed to several words or terminologies in Hiligaynon and most of them
mispronounce some Hiligaynon terminologies. The challenge consists of teachers finding it hard to
speak fluently in Hiligaynon since they lack adequate training and seminars for them to be equipped in
teaching the subject. Additional to that, the fact that most teachers are teaching other subjects which are
mainly taught in the second language which is English.

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 3. The main issue in teaching mother tongue-based education in terms of reading is the lack of
instructional materials. There are limited reading materials for students to develop their reading skills.
The challenge is that students have difficulty in understanding some words they are not familiar with.

4. In terms of writing the main issue is the limited resources for teaching writing Hiligaynon,
while the challenge is that most of the learners are lazy to write especially longer words in Hiligaynon
and they are poor in spelling as well.

5. The advantages in teaching mother tongue-based education are: students are able to express
their thoughts and ideas resulting to high participation in class discussions; the learners feel independent
in their choice of expression; mother tongue can facilitate in explaining the meaning of some English
words through translation thus help the students learn English easily. The disadvantage is that because of
limited resources or learning materials, the students’ knowledge of vocabulary words in Hiligaynon is
also limited. The capacity of the student to learn is not utilized maximally and the inadequate teachers’
training negatively affects the performance of both the teachers and students.

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