The Benefits Of Mother Tongue-based Education

The following foreign and local studies are valuable resources that also disclose sources of information relevant and helpful to the present study.

The study made by Berbardo, Aggabao and Tarun (2015) entitled “The Implementation of the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) Program in Northern Isabela, Philippines: Reactions, Attitudes and Perceptions of Teachers,” in their responses thru the survey-questionnaires, the researchers conclude that the problems/factors brought by MTB-MLE were perceived/assessed by the teacher-respondents as moderately serious while majority chose the need to cope with the national test which is written in English or in Filipino like Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines (MTAP) exam, National Achievement Test (NAT) and the like as the most major problem experienced by the teachers since the implementation of the said policy.

On the other hand, Burton (2013) studied Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in the Philippines: Studying Top-Down Policy Implementation from the Bottom Up. Her study indicated that teachers‘ and parents‘ views of MTB-MLE focused on the short-term benefits of the policy and the long-term disadvantages.

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While both groups were overwhelmingly satisfied with the increase in student understanding, they expressed concern about the future implications for learning in Bikol rather than in English. They overtly supported the policy in terms of complying with the requirements, yet covert resistance was observed in their words and actions.

However, Cruz (2015) made a study about “ The Implementation of the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in Grade 1 in the Public Elementary Schools in Pangasinan I,” The findings of this study reveal how the Grade I pupils in the public elementary schools in Pangasinan I have been “average” in their level of performance in the mother tongue as a subject, particularly in areas that target the vocabulary and concept development, grammar analysis, and reading comprehension.

Moreover, the Grade I teachers make use of other languages or dialects such as Filipino or Ilocano in aid of the mother tongue as instructional base. Consequently, attendance to relevant trainings as well as the provision of evaluation instruments are perceived as serious problems encountered by the Grade I teachers with the implementation of the mother tongue as instructional base and learning subject

Another studies by Fillmore (2014) Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Policy and Implementation in Mindanao, Philippines, She said that the findings suggest that the policy environment present in the Philippines is indeed supportive, and existing policies are approved by key stakeholders involved in MTB MLE implementation. A number of challenges were identified, which risk the successful implementation of MTB MLE in Mindanao. The most common challenges cited by informants and supported by the literature were the lack of teacher training provided and the difficulties in producing appropriate learning materials. Conversely, a number of aids to implementation were found; the most important of these being support from groups outside of the government such as NGOs, HEIs, community members, teachers and principals. Four key recommendations were drawn from these findings, and include developing a supportive political environment for MTB MLE, focusing on training at the local level, extending partnerships and ensuring sufficient start-up funding is available.

According to Medilo Jr. (2018) The Experiences of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Teachers in Southern Leyte, Philippines. The data gathered generated five themes, which included more than one vernacular as a medium of instruction in communication development, commitment to being globally competitive, limited applicability due to the superiority of English and insufficient materials, burdened by the complexity of the vernacular, and optimistic to accept the responsibility. This study concluded that the MTB-MLE curriculum is a welcomed addition to the ever challenging tasks of the teachers. Also, the teachers understood their roles and had seen the challenge given by the addition of MTB-MLE in the curriculum but accepted the challenge by realizing their importance to the success of the MTB-MLE

The study of Valerio, Ph.D (2015) Current Perspectives on Mother-Tongue Based Instruction in the Newly Implementaed K to 12 Curriculum of the Philippines, The study also reveals that the respondents were not yet confidently certain whether the instructional materials they presently have can assure that they can really appreciate the MTBE due to the unavailability on localized translation along the instructional materials. As the chi-square value shows, using the mother tongue based instruction cannot really elevate the learners’ academic performances. Several other factors can be considered in dealing with MTB instruction. Teaching materials and assessment have not been transcribed into the regional or native languages of the learners. Results also showed that the respondents believed that MTB-MLE policy must consider the development of graded transcribed reading materials in the learners’ home language. Significant differences existed when the respondents were grouped according to their ethnicity and according to the number of years of teaching experience. This British Journal of Education implies that linguistic background or their ethnicity have caused variations or differences on the way they perceived the mother tongue based education. There were also significant differences on their perceptions when they were grouped according to the number of years they have been teaching. This implies that the way they perceive the mother tongue based instruction differs based on their teaching experiences. The use of the mother tongue in its pedagogic aspect reflects the desire of learners to promote national identity, however the teachers seemed to be unprepared yet with the mandate of the new curriculum on the use of mother tongue based instruction. Indeed, the use of local dialects along instruction is clearly a complex process that is continually being redefined by the bilingual and multilingual system of education.