Assessing the mother tongue-based multilingual education policy in the Philippine mathematics education

Katherine Therese Salonga Tungul, De La Salle University, Philippines; South Carolina Department of Education Abbeville District, United States
Minie Rose Lapinid, De La Salle University, Philippines

Abstract


The Philippine Department of Education developed and has been implementing the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) policy in response to encouraging findings from earlier research studies on using the mother tongue in early education. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how the MTB-MLE Policy is being implemented in terms of classroom instruction, teacher and school readiness, and student proficiency in their mother tongue, Kapampangan, and mathematics in the first five years of implementation in the Sasmuan District of Pampanga, Philippines, using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design. Teachers rated the implementation of the MTB-MLE policy positively but experienced some difficulties. Data analysis from interviews with teachers, school heads, district supervisors, and class observations revealed some issues, concerns, coping strategies, and best practices. The results of the two achievement exams students took were satisfactory, providing evidence of the value of using their native tongues in the classroom amidst challenges. Implications of the results were drawn for further improvement in the practice of the MTB-MLE policy in Mathematics Education.


Keywords


Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education; Language and Mathematics; Language Policy; Medium of Instruction

Full Text:

PDF

References


Adriano, M. N. I., Franco, N. T., & Estrella, E. A. (2021). Language in education policies and stakeholders’ perception of the current MTB-MLE policy in an ASEAN country. Asian Journal of Language and Literacy, 44(1), 84-99.

Ahmad, B. H., & Kamaruzaman, J. (2009). Teachers' code-switching in classroom instructions for low English proficient learners. English Language Teaching, 2(2), 49-55. https://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/elt/article/view/2363

Barruga, B.M. (2024). Classroom implementation by Masbatenyo public elementary teachers of the mother tongue-based multilingual education policy: A case study. Language Policy, 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-024-09691-w

Barton, B., Chan, R., King, C., Barton, P. N., & Sneddon, J. (2005). EAL undergraduates learning mathematics. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 36(7), 721-729. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207390500270950

Barwell, R., Clarkson, P., Halai, A., Kazima, M., Moschkovich, J., Planas, N., Setati-Phakeng, M., Valero, P., Ubillús, M. V. (2021). Mathematics Education and Language Diversity: The 21st ICMI Study. Switzerland: Springer.

Burton, L. A. (2013). Mother tongue-based multilingual education in the Philippines: Studying top-down policy implementation from the bottom (Doctoral dissertation). https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/152603

Craig, T., & Morgan, C. (2015). Language and communication in mathematics education. The proceedings of the 12th Congress on Mathematical Education, 529-533. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-12688-3_53

Dela Cruz, J. K., & Lapinid, M. R. C. (2014). Student's difficulties in translating worded problems into mathematical symbols. De La Salle University Research: Learners and Learning Innovations Proceedings 2014. https://www.dlsu.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/pdf/conferences/research-congress-proceedings/2014/LLI/LLI-I-009-FT.pdf

De Los Reyes, R. A., & Bagona, E. R. (2022). Translanguaging in teaching and learning science in selected multilingual elementary classrooms in the Philippines. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2022.2070848

Department of Education of the Philippines. (1987). DO 52, s. 1987 - The 1987 policy on bilingual education. https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/1987/05/DO_s1987_52.pdf

Department of Education of the Philippines. (2009). DO 74, s. 2009 - Institutionalizing mother tongue-based multilingual education (MLE). https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DO_s2009_74.pdf

Department of Education of the Philippines. (2015). DO 8, s. 2015 – Policy guidelines on classroom assessment for the K to 12 basic education program. https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DO_s2015_08.pdf

Edmonds-Wathen, C., Trinick, T., Durand-Guerrier, V. (2021). Impact of different grammatical structures in mathematics teaching and learning. In R. Barwell, P. Clarkson, A. Halai, M. Kazima, J. Moschkovich, N. Planas, M. S. Phakeng, P. Valero, & M. V. Ubillús (Eds.), Mathematics Education and Language Diversity: The 21st ICMI Study. Switzerland: Springer.

Frialde, M. (2007). Order prescribing English as a second language opposed. Philstar Global. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2007/04/28/396440/order-prescribing-english-second-language-opposed

Gempeso, H. D. P., & Mendez, J. D. S. (2021). Constructive alignment of mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) language policy implementation to the practices of a multilingual classroom. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 4(2), 125-137. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1311541

Gunigundo, M. (2010). The right to learn in one's language. In R. M. D. Nolasco, F. A. Datar, & A. M. Azurin (Eds.), Starting where the children are: A collection of essays on mother-tongue based multilingual education and language issues in the Philippines (pp. 78-80). 170+ Talaytayan MLE Inc.

Henning, E. (2013). South African research in mathematical cognition and language in childhood: Towards an expanded theoretical framework. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 3(2), 56-76. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0081246314545199

Heugh, K., Benson, C., Bogale, B., & Yohannes, M. A. G. (2012). Implications for multilingual education: Student achievement in different education models in Ethiopia. In T. Skutnabb-Kangas & Kathleen Heugh (Eds.), Multilingual education and sustainable diversity: Work from the periphery to the center, 239–262. London: Routledge.

Jourdain, L., & Sharma, S. (2016). Language challenges in mathematics education: A literature review. Waikato Journal of Education, 21(2), 43-56. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1233433.pdf

Kaphesi, E. (2003). The influence of language policy in education on mathematics classroom discourse in Malawi: The teachers' perspective. Teacher Development, 7(2), 265-285. DOI: 10.1080/13664530300200190

Launio, R. M. (2015). Instructional medium and its effect on students' mathematics achievement. International Journal of Multidisciplinary and Current Research, 3, 462-465.

Malone, S. (2016). MTB MLE resource kit: Including the excluded: Promoting multilingual education. UNESCO Bangkok. https://en.unesco.org/inclusivepolicylab/sites/default/files/learning/document/2017/1/246278E.pdf

Meyer, M., Prediger, S., César, M., & Norén, E. (2021). Making use of multiple (non-shared) first languages: State of and need for research and development in the European language context. In R. Barwell, P. Clarkson, A. Halai, M. Kazima, J. Moschkovich, N. Planas, M. S. Phakeng, P. Valero, & M. V. Ubillús (Eds.), Mathematics Education and Language Diversity: The 21st ICMI Study. Switzerland: Springer.

Monje, J. D., Orbeta, A. C., Jr., Francisco-Abrigo, K. A., & Capones, E. M. (2019). Starting where the children are': A process evaluation of the mother tongue-based multilingual education implementation. Philippine Institute for Development Studies. https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/15-T9Ej0wEgGigHnM0u9DjGZvya1B3Om8

Mulwa, E.C. (2014). The role of the language of mathematics in students' understanding of number concepts in Eldoret municipality, Kenya. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(3), 264-274.

Navarro, T. M. M., Abao, E. L., Bacus, R. C., Alda, R. C., & Espera, C. C. (2016). Mother tongue-based instruction: Policy to practice. International Journal of Research and Education, 4(3), 157-172. https://www.ijern.com/journal/2016/March-2016/12.pdf

OECD. (2009). Teaching practices, teachers' beliefs, and attitudes. In Creating effective teaching and learning environments: First results from TALIS. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264068780-6-en.

Parba, J. (2018). Teachers' shifting language ideologies and Teaching practices in Philippine mother tongue classrooms. Linguistics and Education, 47, 27-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2018.07.005

Ponce, A. R. C., & Lucas, R. I. G. (2021). Language attitudes in linguistically diverse contexts: Implications for mother tongue education programme in Central Mindanao, Philippines. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.2002341

Prendergast, M., Faulkner, F., & O'Hara, C. (2016). The effect of high literacy demands in mathematics on international students. International Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics, 3(2), 1-8. https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1087&context=tfschhmtart

Ricablanca, J. (2014). Effectiveness of mother tongue-based instruction on pupil's achievement in Mathematics (master's thesis). https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/cotabato-state-university/bs-secondary-education/effectiveness-of-mother-tongue-based-ins/26532412

Robertson, S. A., & Graven, M. (2020). Language as an including or excluding factor in mathematics teaching and learning. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 32, 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-019-00302-0

Saavedra, A. D. (2020). Teachers' preference on the local policy implementation of the mother tongue based-multilingual education: An assessment. Asian EFL Journal, 27(22), 217-238.

Salkind, N. J. (2007). Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics (1st ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Pinlications, Inc.

Sario, M. L. P., Gulab, M. R., & Palting, J. D. (2014). Behavior manifestations of pupils using their mother tongue in the classroom. Researchers World, 5(3), 90-97. https://www.proquest.com/openview/9a3e03a02a1b04cd0c8a07293ea6fed5/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=556342

Stone, R. P. (2012). A professional development program for the mother tongue-based teacher: Addressing teacher knowledge and attitudes about MTB-MLE (Doctoral dissertation). https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1593&context=open_access_dissertations

Tenorio, A. D. (2022). When language gets into the equation: Mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) policy appropriation in elementary mathematics instruction. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2022.2039673

UNESCO. (2003). Education in a multilingual world: UNESCO education position paper. Paris, UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000129728?posInSet=1&queryId=58514551-0d00-4ce3-b763-acb71e001c73

Verdida, T. N., Penera, L. K. B. (2021). Pre-service teachers’ language preference in MTB-MLE classrooms of North Cebu, Philippines: A pre-deployment training module. Asia EFL Journal, 28(12), 241-262.

Walter, S. L., & Dekker, D. E. (2011). Mother tongue instruction in Lubuagan: A case study from the Philippines. International Review of Education, 57(5/6), 667-683. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11159-011-9246-4

Wa-Mbaleka, S. (2014). English teachers' perceptions of the mother tongue-based education policy in the Philippines. European Journal of Research, 2(4), 17-32. https://www.idpublications.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ENGLISH-TEACHERS%E2%80%99-PERCEPTIONS-OF-THE-MOTHER-TONGUE-BASED-EDUCATION-POLICY-IN-THE-PHILIPPINES-Full-Paper.pdf

Wisbey, M. (2013). Mother tongue-based multilingual education lessons learned from a decade of research and practice. https://gcedclearinghouse.org/sites/default/files/resources/231865e.pdf




DOI: https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v43i3.66558

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.




 

Social Media:

     


 

 Creative Commons License
Jurnal Cakrawala Pendidikan by Lembaga Pengembangan dan Penjaminan Mutu Pendidikan UNY is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://journal.uny.ac.id/index.php/cp/index.

Translator
 
 web
    analytics
View Our Stats