Assessment of the Implementation of Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education in the Province of Benguet

Abstract

The Mother Tongue Based- Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) Program has been in operation for over ten years. While the program has had positive effects, perceived negative impacts have also been noted. The study focused on predicting the implementation of MTB-MLE in the Province of Benguet. It aimed to determine the positive and the negative effects of the program and the challenges currently encountered by teachers providing base data on the areas of the program needing improvement. The qualitative approach to research has been employed engaging the elementary school teacher participants in interviews. The responses eventually went through the three coding levels. Results revealed that the use of the mother tongue as medium of instruction helps the learners understand the lesson easily, encourages active participation in class, and assists learners better in reading. Contrastingly, the perceived negative effects include hindering the learning and use of two languages, impeding the grasp of the concepts in the next grade level, and reduction of learners’ confidence in using the second/target language. Meanwhile, the challenges teachers encounter cover lack of teaching materials and heterogeneity of their and the learners’ first language (L1). With the program’s implementation through time, while implementers wish to invest on the program strengths, challenges still post limits and pressures. It is therefore suggested that attention is paid to addressing the weaknesses striking a balance with the strengths by providing teacher trainings towards addressing the linguistic considerations and developing instructional materials that suit the teaching-learning needs.