The Implementation of Mother Tongue – Based

Multilingual Education At Bernardo Ondo Memorial

Elementary School Viewing it from the Primary
Teachers’ Perspective
 
  
 

Anjenette A. Banaag
Researcher

 
Rationale
It had already been six years, when MTB-MLE was implemented nationwide along with the seemingly coercive
and half-baked implementation of K to 12 curriculum. In fact, its implementation from the start had been flooded with
several criticisms from all walks of life. The descriptive-evaluative method of research had been aptly utilized in this
quest for solution. It delineated the effects of MTB-MLE to Grade III pupils’ performance in Math and Science as
perceived by their teachers, problems encountered in using LM’s, TG’s and Instructional Materials, and suggested
measures to address the prevailing problems after evaluating through researcher-made questionnaire. An observation
and unstructured interview were deemed invaluable to enrich the study.
Mother tongue-based bilingual programs use the learner’s first language, known as the L1, to teach beginning
reading and writing skills along with academic content. The second or foreign language, known as the L2, should be
taught systematically so that learners can gradually transfer skills form the familiar language to the unfamiliar one.
Bilingual models and practices vary as do their results, but what they have in common is their use of the mother
tongue at least in early years so that students can acquire and develop literacy skills in addition to understanding and
participating in the classroom. Bilingual as opposed to monolingual schooling offers significant pedagogical
advantages which have been reported consistently in the academic literature (Cummins).
The Researcher Was Motivated To Conduct The Study In Order To Develop Instructional Material In Mother
Tongue.
Statement of the Problem
This study sought to develop instructional material in Mother Tongue for Grade III pupils at Bernardo Ondo
Memorial Elementary School ,Agoncillo District, Division of Batangas, School Year 2020-2021.
1. What is the profile of the Grade I pupils in terms of :
a. Age
b. Sex
c. Language spoken at home (L1/First Language)
2. What is the level of performance of the Grade III pupils at Bernardo Ondo Memorial Elementary
School ,Agoncillo District, Division of Batangas in the First Quarter Examination in Mother Tongue?
3.W hat are the mastered skills and not mastered skills of the Grade III pupils based from the First Quarter
Examination in Mother Tongue?
4. What instructional material may be proposed to improve the performance of the Grade III pupils in Mother
 RELATED LITERATURE
Foreign
For several decades, education and language policies in the Philippines have been a popular subject of debate especially among
policy makers and school administrators. The 1974 Bilingual EducationPolicy (BEP) and the 1987 constitutional mandate on the status of
Filipino, in particular, were significant issues contributing to the course of the Philippine education system (Rubrico, 1998;Acuña &
Miranda, 1994).More recently, the implementation of DepEd Order No. 60, s. 2008 and DepEd Order No. 74, s.2009 caused a significant
change in the current educational landscape. The former recognizes that the mother tongue, when used as the language of instruction
(LOI), is the most effective way to improve student learning. Correspondingly, the latter mandate aptly institutionalized Mother Tongue-
Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) as a fundamental educational policy program, founded on the basic premise of starting “where
the learners are, and from what they already know”(Nolasco, 2009). MTB-MLE advances education beginning with the child’s first
language (L1) and the subsequent gradual introduction of other languages along with the buildup of the child’s L1skills
Language is not everything in education, but without language, everything is nothing in education (Wolf, 2006). In our constitution,
education policies and laws are favorable toward using children's home language as a medium of instruction in basic education.
Multilingual Education typically refers to "first-language-first" in education, that is, a child’s schooling begins in his or her mother tongue
and later transitions to additional languages. Typically MTB-MLE programs are conducted in developing countries where speakers of
minority languages tend to be disadvantaged in mainstream education. "Multilingual education helps linguistically marginalized
communities bridge to the broader society, allowing them to acquire the national language without losing their own identity." (Kosonen,
2009) .
MTB education is instruction in a child‘s first language (L1), usually with a planned gradual transition to a second language (L2) or
foreign language at a specified time in primary school. MTB instruction usually takes place exclusively in the language most familiar to
children. In some cases, it may be provided as part of a bilingual or multilingual education program. In MTB programs, students have the
opportunity to learn core concepts primarily in a familiar language, and, later, they learn the labels or vocabulary for those concepts in a
new language. MTB education is especially beneficial in early childhood programs, preschool, and the early grades (up to grade 6), when
children are learning to read and gaining new concepts.
Related Studies
Foreign
MTB-MLE will help to create positive thinking between the individual and society. In a study on integration of local
contents in school curricula, Kadel (2011) believed that MTB-MLE at the beginning of basic education will be effective in
providing quality education in a learner-friendly environment. His study indicated that the development of indigenous
people and ethnic minorities is linked with the students’ freedoms of choices and freedoms of using alternative
combinations in order to address their linguistic and cultural needs in harmony with their material conditions and value
system.
Local
Studies indicate that MTB-MLE contributes to student success. In the Lubuagan community, researchers
found that children in a mother tongue education program out-performed students in Filipino and English medium
schools by a difference of 40 percentage points.
(Walter, Dekker, and Duguiang) undertook the Lubuagan MLE Project in 2007-2008 wherein three
experimental class schools implementing the Mother Tongue based MLE approach are compared with three
control class schools implementing the traditional method of immersion in two new languages. Schools are of the
same SES (Social Economic Status). One school has two sections where students are randomly placed in
experimental or control classes.
Ilao, Santos and Guevara (2011) made an objective analysis of the levels of agreement, in terms of grammar
and orthographic rules, between reference books and actual usage as evidenced from web-mined text corpora for
three major Philippine languages, namely Filipino, Cebuano-Visayan and Ilokano.. Their findings concurred that
the implementation of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTBMLE) will require definitive rules for
orthography and grammar.
Using descriptive method of research, Corpuz (2012) looked into the status of the implementation of MTB-
MLE in Malsiqui District II. It zeroed in on the teacher’s proficiency in the language, adequacy of instructional
materials as well as the teachers’ preparedness for the said curricular reform. Results of the study show that
majority of the teachers handling Grades I- III are proficient in the language but lacked the instructional materials
as well as the training that would make them better equipped to handle the challenges or requirements there are
to the use of the mother tongue in the said grade levels.
Research Design
This study utilized the descriptive-developmental method of research. It described the profile of the Grade III pupils in terms of age,
sex and language spoken at home (first language) as well as their level of performance in mother tongue in the First Quarter Examination in
Mother Tongue. It also determined the mastered and not mastered skills from the First Quarter Examination in Mother Tongue .It also utilized
developmental method as it proposed to develop instructional material to improve the performance of the Grade III pupils.

Research Instrument
Part I of the questionnaire was composed of the profile of the respondents.
Part II was focused on the results of the teacher-made test in Mother Tongue in the First Quarter Exam as the primary tool in gathering
the necessary data for the study.
Preparation of the Instrument Permission to conduct this study was requested by the researcher . After permission was granted, the
researcher then, coursed through the Grade III of Bernardo Ondo Memorial Elementary School the questionnaire and explained the
mechanics of the questionnaire as well as the importance of the study.
The researcher personally coordinated with the said school heads to ensure that data gathered from the respondents will be true.

Statistical Treatment of the Data

Data gathered from the respondents were treated with appropriate statistical measures.
 1. To answer problem number 1, the profile of the respondents in terms of age, gender, age, and first language spoken at home shall be
determined through the use of frequency counts and percentage. The formula is :
P = fx/n x l00
Where:
P = is the percentage
fx = is the percentage
n = is the number of cases
2. To answer problem number 2, the level of performance of the Grade III Pupils in Bernardo Ondo Memorial Elementary School Agoncillo
District in the First Quarter Examination shall be determined by using the Mean Percentage Score. The formula is :
MPS = M/HPS x l00
Where:
MPS = is the mean percentage score
M = is the mean
HPS = is the highest possible score
3. To answer problem number 3, the mastered and not mastered skills of the Grade III pupils based on the First Quarter Examination in
Mother Tongue. shall be determined by using frequencies that were converted into percentages. In the interpretation, a skill/competence
whereangasinense the pupils obtain percentages of 75 or higher indicate a mastery of the skills. In the same manner, percentages of
students who got below 75% and lower indicate a non-mastery of the skills/competencies.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. BOOKS
Nolasco, R. (2009). 21 Reasons why Filipino children learn better while using their Mother Tongue: A
primer on Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education (MLE) and other issues on language and
learning in the Philippines. GuroFormation Forum.
Walter, S. and Dekker, D. (2011) Mother tongue instruction in Lubuagan. In publication. Malone, S. E.
(2009). Planning mother tongue-based education programs in minority language communities.SIL
International.

B. UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS
Corpuz, M. (2012). Status and Prospects of Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education in Malasiqui II
District. Pangasinan State University, Urdaneta.
Wolf, S. (2006). The Kom experimental mother tongue education project report for 2010. Unpublished
research report.
Ilao, E., Santos, R. & Guevara, M. (2011). Analysis of the Levels between Reference books and Actual
Usage in the Mother Tongue. West Visayas State University

C. JOURNALS AND PERIODICALS

Cummins, J. (2004). The Astounding Effectiveness of Dual Language Education for All. NABE Journal of
Research and Practice, 2(1) , 1-20.
Kosonen, K. 2005. Education in local languages: Policy and practice in South East Asia. In UNESCO,
First Language First: Community-based Literacy Programmes for Minority Language Contexts in Asia, pp.
96-134. Unesco Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, Bangkok, Thailand
Thankyou And Godbless..