Module 1

Lesson 4

The benefits of Mother Tongue

Learning Outcomes
Identify the benefits of mother tongue in teaching and learning process

Introduction

Mother tongue is the language that we are used to; it is commonly used at home. Mother
tongue usually depends on the location. Language differs from one place to another. Under the
new DepEd law, mother tongue has become part of the curriculum that is to be taught in the
elementary or primary years of the children. Learning the lessons in mother tongue will help the
students to appreciate their native language including the proper use of it. Not only learning of
English Filipino subjects. Mother tongue is new field of teaching. Even the teacher learns because
this new curriculum is not often used. It is added to the subject to faster the learning skills of the
students teaching the mother tongue the better understanding of the English and Filipino subjects.
Because these subjects have the same contents as to English and Filipino. "tis simply a translation.
But there are children who have a difficulty understanding. English but when it is translated or
explained to the dialect used they understand easily. Mother tongue is useful in communication
especially with the children. Example of mother tongue is Cebuano, Ilonggo, Muslim and Manobo
language. "t depends on the morality of the population in the school and in the location of the
school. Promotion of mother tongue is an aid developing the K to 12 program due do speedy
teaching to the children (Rowete,2020).
 Benefits of Mother Tongue Education

There are many benefits associated with an

education that takes into account children’s mother
tongues:

1. Children learn better and faster in a language they

can understand (preventing delays in learning).
2. They enjoy school more; they feel more at home.
3. Pupils tend to show increased self-esteem.
4. Parents participation is increased. Parents can help with homework and can participate in
school activities.
5. Studies have reported that when children take advantage of their multilingualism they also
enjoy higher socioeconomic status, including higher earnings.
6. On average, the schools perform better, reporting less repetition.
7. Children stay in school longer.
Benefits of Mother Tongue Based- Multilingual Education in Four aspects of
development

1. Language
a) Education begins with the use of first language (L1), a language that they can
understand.
b) Macro skills in communication are developed for effective-making and accuracy.
c) School children will have a good language bridge to the next language.
d) The first language (L1) that children master will provide a strong educational
foundation.
2. Cognitive
a) First language (L1) becomes the language of thinking, doing, applying and
creating.
b) School children in the early years learn beyond the who, what, when and where
and progress to HOTS because they use the first language (L1).

3. Academic
a) Beginning school learners express themselves easily and freely.
b) School learners participate actively in class activities.
c) Learners are able to process instruction easily without doing mental translation.
d) Beginning school learners academically perform better than those using the
second or third language.
e) Parents are more likely to participate in the children’s learning.
f) Teachers can easily scaffold the learning of children.
 4. Socio-Cultural
a) School learners bring to the class prior knowledge, lived, experiences, language
and culture.
b) Lessons incorporate the best of cultural values in arts, music, literature, tradition
and others.
c) The daily experiences of the learners are included and developed in the various
concepts in the curriculum.
d) Learners preserve their heritage and culture.
Studies about the benefits of Mother Tongue as a medium of instruction.

Beka, (2016). Mother Tongue as a Medium of Instruction: Benefits and Challenges.

In the study of Beka ( 2016), it was found out that learning in mother tongue boosts
their self-confidence, psychological stamina, self-expressive skills, clarity of classroom
communication and instruction (concepts, abstracts, meanings, and other instructional
elements are easily understood), academic achievement and overall quality education.
Their worries were limited access to job opportunities in specific zones and limited scope
in national and international arena for further career advancement. Some students reported that use
of mother tongue as a medium of instruction at earlier grades contributed to low
competencies in other languages and greatly contributed to writing, spelling, reading, and
pronunciation errors in English and other languages usage. Among the predictor variables
included in the study, mothers’ level of education, fathers’ and mothers’ occupation were found
to be important predictors of students’ attitude towards mother tongue as a medium of
instruction.

According to Alison( 2013) the following are the Benefits of MTB Education.

1. Improves access to education. Children who understand the language of instruction are
more likely to enter school at age-appropriate times and attend school regularly.
2. Facilitates learning a second or foreign language. Mastering a first language and core
learning concepts promotes general cognitive development that is needed to more easily
and rapidly learn a second language.
3. Improves reading and learning outcomes. A recent review of research reports on
language and literacy concludes that becoming literate and fluent in one’s first language is
important for overall language and cognitive development, as well as academic
achievement (Ball,2010).
4. Improves internal educational efficiency. With the increased efficiency resulting from
fewer students repeating, dropping out, or failing to learn.
5. Improves children’s self-concept and identity. By learning in the mother tongue,
children’s home culture and traditional knowledge are validated and reinforced. Children gain
a better self-concept and have a strong sense of their own identity. Such children usually
 achieve better in school and life than children who are forced to learn in an unknown,
strange language (Ball, 2010).
6. Supports local culture and parental involvement. Finally, use of a familiar language for
instruction validates local culture and knowledge, creating a bridge between the formal school
system and children’s home and community environment. This, in turn, facilitates parental
involvement and strengthens community support for education, since language is not a barrier
to participating in children’s schooling.

References:

https://www.rutufoundation.org/what-is-mother-tongue-education/

https://www.languageone.org/about-languageone/mother-tongue-education/. Retrieve: September

4, 2020

Beka, Mebratu Belete, (2016). Mother Tongue as a Medium of Instruction: Benefits and
Challenges. https://seahipaj.org/journals-ci/mar-2016/IJILLAS/full/IJILLAS-M-2-
2016.pdf

Ball, J. (2010).Enhancing learning of children from diverse language backgrounds: Mother

tongue-based bilingual or multilingual education in the early years,
UNESCO.http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001869/186961e.pdf

Pflepsen, Alison( 2013). (Improving Learning Outcomes through Mother Tongue-Based

Education). https://ierc-publicfiles.s3.amazonaws.com/public/resources/Mother_tongue-
based_instruction_and_learning_outcomes_FINAL_updated_Jan_2013.pdf

Rowete, Yhang (2020). The benefits of Mother Tongue in Teaching-Learning Process.

https://www.academia.edu/26826256/

Prepared by:

BABY S. ABAGON, Ed.D.

Asso.Prof. 3

ASSESSMENT TASK
Part 1.

Direction: Put a check ( )mark on the scale that represent your answer on the benefits of
mother tongue in teaching and learning process. Be guided by the scale below.

4 Strongly Agree (SA)

3 Agree (A)
2 Disagree (D)
1 Strongly Disagree (AD)

No. Benefits of students in mother tongue in learning 4 3 2 1

process
1 Improved child’s self esteem
2 Promotes a smooth transition between home and school,
fostering an emotional stability that translates to
cognitive stability
3 Reduces repetition and dropout rates
4 Makes education more engaging for marginalized groups.
5 Bridges the gap between the culture at home and the one at
school and in mainstream society.
6 Broaden outlooks, increase tolerance and foster a respect
for cultural diversity.
7 Performs better in their second language
8 Leads to improved learning outcomes
9 Leads to lower education costs due to greater efficiency
10 Increases access to school, as well as promotes e3uity in
learning
11 Encourages active participation by children in the learning
process because they understand what is being discussed
and what is being asked of them
12 Can immediately use their mother tongue to construct and
explain their world, articulate their thoughts and add new
concepts to what they already #now

No. Benefits of Teacher in Mother Tongue Teaching 4 3 2 1

process
 1 Help teachers feel confident about the benefits of
MTBMLE so that they can share this with parents.
2 Teachers feel comfortable teaching in Mother tongue
3 Share the evidence on MTBMLE with parents so they can
see how it will benefit their children.
4 Provide feedback to teachers on what they’re doing well
and where they can improve. Also to provide support when
teachers have questions.
5 Mother tongue support post professional development
6 Teachers build the capacity to examine student’s early
learning and literacy experiences.
7 Teacher build the capacity to design and use local materials
and graded stories in the classroom.
8 Teachers’ build capacity to adopt a facilitative approach
to teaching and learning
9 Help teachers in understanding the intricacies of student’s
mother tongue and how it can best be taught.
10 Allowing teachers to see and experience the daily routine
of an MTBMLE classroom and combat teachers’
perception of MTBMLE as an added challenge
11 Help teachers learn methods other than translation or
immersion for teaching a foreign language.
12 Help teachers feel confident about the benefits of
MTBMLE so that they can share this with parents.

Part 2. Cite some Research Studies about the Benefits of Using mother tongue as medium
of instructions. Follow the format below.

I. Title of the study

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II. Researcher/s
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III. Year Conducted
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IV. Abstract of the study

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V. Bibliography
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Part 3. Reflection about the topic

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Grading Rubric for Reflection

Performance 5 3 1 Total
Element

Cohesiveness of The essay is linear in The essay attempts to tie The reflection provides the
Essay presentation. All artifacts artifacts together. The ‘big picture’ of the
are listed and described student provides some student’s experiences. The
separately and at length. personal insight into how student interweaves
Personal insight into how artifacts were beneficial. information regarding
these artifacts benefited the The student has created a specific artifacts and how
student is not provided. general picture of their these artifacts were
The ‘big picture’ of the experiences. The beneficial. The reviewer is
student’s experiences is not reviewer understands that left with several details
evident. The reviewer the student gained clinical which make the student’s
understands what each and academic knowledge experience unique
artifact is but not how they and skills.
tie together.
Experiences & Insight into the reflection The reflection leaves a The reflection leaves an
Accomplishments process is not evident as weak impression on the impression on the reader
the writer did not articulate reader about what the about what the student
what was learned and what writer learned. Insight learned. Insight into the
needs to be developed in into the reflection process reflection process is
the future. is not evident as the writer somewhat evident as the
did not clearly articulate writer articulated what
what needs to be needs to be developed in
developed in the future. the future.

Reflection & Does not reflect on own Reflects on own work and Demonstrates an ability to
Examples work at all and no improvement on occasion reflect on own work and
examples are provided but does not provide adequate number of
many examples at al examples are provided.

Effort and No effort was made to Little effort was made to Reflection demonstrates
Personal write essay. No evidence of write essay. Little that some effort was made
Reponses a personal perspective evidence of a personal to write essay. Evidence of
within reflection perspective within a personal perspective
reflection. within reflection.

Goals and Levels Reflection does not reveal Reflection reveals some Reflection reveals insight
of Learning insight into personal goals insight into personal into personal goals and
and levels of learning. goals and levels of levels of learning.
learning.

Writing Many spelling and Some spelling, No spelling and

Mechanics grammatical errors. grammatical errors and/or grammatical errors.
Serious organizational organizational problems Organized paper.
problems.

Reflection is the key to student learning