The role of language as a medium of instruction in promoting an effective teaching and learning is an issue that has occupied many scholars all over the world for many years (Orr 1987a, 1997 as cited by Deyi, et al., 2007). This role of language as a medium of instruction has been a concern mostly in countries where immigrant children are in the minority such as United States and Canada (Krashen, 1981 as cited by Deyi, et al., 2007). It is in these countries where research has been widely conducted and a number of legislations have been passed and amended throughout the years. Despite such developments, debates on the use of language persist.
One of the latest developments in the Philippine educational system is the Mother Tongue – Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE). MTB-MLE refers to the use of students’ mother tongue and two or more additional languages as Languages of Instruction (LoI) in school. In other contexts, the term is used to describe bilingual education across multiple language communities—each community using its own mother tongue aside from the official school language of instruction. language, the national language and an international language (Malone, 2007).
According to the official language policy of the 1987 Educational Act (revised in 2004), children in Grades 1 – 3 were to be instructed in their first language, while those in Grade 4 onwards are set to be instructed using a second language (L2), which is English. This language policy can be identified as a possible model for bilingual education (Borch&Tombari, 1997 as cited by Ndamba, 2008).
Many studies have already revealed that teaching using the mother tongue in the early grades enhances children’s ability to learn better compared to the use of a second or foreign language (UNESCO, 2003; Skutnabb-Kangas, 2003 as cited by Rai, et al., 2011). It has also been reported that if children are taught in languages which are different from their home language or mother tongue, they drop out from school, have low academic performance, and repeat classes due to a high failure rate.
Research that has been conducted on language education has also shown that children are quicker to learn, to read, and to acquire other academic skills when instructed in the language that they speak at home rather than taught in an unfamiliar language (Langer, et al., 1990; Unicef, 1999).
Recently, in the educational reforms in the country, the mother tongue in the regions plays an important role especially in the educational system. To strengthen this, the Department of Education (DepEd) has implemented the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction (DepEd order No. 74, series of 2009).
A local study revealed that in implementing the MTB-MLE, strategies employed by the teachers were improvising instructional materials written in mother tongue, remediating instruction and utilizing literary piece written in mother tongue. It also revealed the problems that teachers encountered like absence of books written in the mother tongue, lack of vocabulary, and lack of teacher training. Through these strategies employed by the teachers, they are able to effectively implement the use of MTB-MLE in helping their pupils acquire the necessary information and learning in the classroom. These innovative strategies help the students attain the maximum learning and helps build firm foundations, valuing and developing the oral and written skills that young children bring to school without rushing literacy. The problems indicated the major attention and effort necessary to be considered so that it will not hinder the meaningful learning and will not affect the way the teachers deliver their lessons. (Lartec et.al, 2014)
With these contexts, it is firmly believed that throughinnovative instructional materialswhich focus on addressing the need to improve pupils least mastered skills should be implemented, thus improving pupils’ performance in MTB-MLE.
By: Ms. Danah Mae L. De Belen | Teacher III | San Pablo Elementary School | Dinalupihan, Bataan
