Abstract
<p>Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) has carved its niche as a practical and effective approach in the educational landscape. It offers a plausible framework for preparing coming generations to become better adaptive and even rich contributors in the globalized and intercultural world. The gate to the new millennium has brought great zeal in and at the same time contestations around this educational alternative.</p><p>This study examined the stakeholders’ perspective on the implementation of MTB-MLE as a pedagogical approach. The stakeholders’ perspective were explored and analyzed through the results of the different focus group discussions among teachers, pupils, parents, local school board, parents-teachers and community association, non-government organization and local government unit.</p><p>Results from this study indicate four main benefits of MTB-MLE, namely: expressing better ideas, building self-confidence, better retention, and promoting friendly environment.</p><p>Meanwhile, the challenges which hinder the implementation of MTB-MLE are grouped into four significant themes: multilingual environment, difficulty in translation, inadequacy of instructional materials, and mandatory compliance to the Department of Education (DepEd) order.</p><p>The significance of the results of this study points out important actions the program can benefit Filipino pupils. Notably, a system that emanated from the higher authorities in which grassroots sector were not consulted, the Department of Education (DepEd) order should be executed by an interface between the higher level management and the local stakeholders. Involving them can undoubtedly contribute in the success of MTB-MLE.</p>
Highlights
Philippines have recently adopted the utilization of the first language of learners as a medium of instruction
Qualitative research design was utilized in this study because it focused on the experiences which are related to professional practices of stakeholders in implementing Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)
The conduct of a focus group discussion among teachers, parents, pupils, local school board, local government officials, parents-teachers and community association and non-government organizations is in consonance with the perception of various authorities on the subject who emphasized the active engagement of grassroots sector in making critical decision as regards policies affecting the country (Darling-Hammond, 1990; Elmore, 1983; Fullan, 2003)
Summary
Philippines have recently adopted the utilization of the first language of learners as a medium of instruction. The result of a long term observational research conducted among first grade to third grade pupils in Lubuagan, an outskirt village of Cordillera Administrative Region in the Philippines on mother tongue based multi-lingual education bolstered its inception and usage in its educational system. This maiden study commenced in one school in 1999 and it was successfully started in 2005 with three schools in the experimental group and three in the control group. They performed better than the learners in the control schools in English, Filipino, Reading, and Math (Walter & Dekker, 2011)
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