THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MOTHER TONGUE-BASED
MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION IN GRADE I IN THE PUBLIC
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN PANGASINAN I

Nora T. Cruz, Ed.D

Domalandan Center Integrated School

namaste_db@yahoo.com

Abstract

The purpose of a multilingual education program is to develop appropriate cognitive and reasoning skills enabling children to operate equally in their community language, the national language and English. Driving both preservice and inservice teacher training are sets of standards for setting the qualifications and competencies of teachers. Within MTB-MLE these standards should reflect the fact that teachers are prepared to successfully educate students who speak a mother tongue different from the target language of instruction. This requires that teachers understand and can implement strategies for using the mother tongue as the primary road for children to build their initial literacy skills as well as using it to bridge to oral and written literacy in the targeted second language.

Utilizing a survey questionnaire as well as documentary analysis, the study looked into the status of the implementation of the mother tongue as a learning subject in Grade I in the public elementary schools in Pangasinan I.

Results show that the. It has also been found out that majority of the instructional objectives in the mother tongue as a subject are not being met as indicated by the areas where they are found weak. It is thereby recommended that the primary teachers handling the mother tongue as a subject should reinforce the instructional materials they are provided with and that teacher training on MTBMLE should be furthered.

Keywords: K to 12; learning areas; mother tongue; MTBMLE; strategies

INTRODUCTION

The shift in language policy is part of a growing trend around the world to support mother tongue instruction in