English Teachers’ perceptions of the mother tongue-based education policy in the Philippines
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Date
2014
Authors
Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
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Abstract
The instruction of English in the Philippines causes quite some challenges to scholars due to
its rich linguistic diversity. With more than 180 languages currently recorded in the country,
linguistic power struggle is unavoidable, although it may be silent. To make the situation
even more complex, the Philippine Government recently launched a new educational policy
that promotes learning in mother tongues in earlier years of primary education. While this
policy is based on sound research, it poses quite some challenges to linguists due to the
various linguistic backgrounds found in almost every classroom around the nation. This
survey research investigated 467 English teachers’ perceptions about the importance of this
policy. Findings were inconclusive on teachers’ perception about the policy’s importance on
general learning and the nation’s preparedness. Findings were positive, however, about
teachers’ perceptions about the role this policy plays on first language learning, students’
culture, and the Philippines as a nation.
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Keywords
Mother tongue-based education, Multilnigual education, MTB-MLE, Language policy, Philippines, Survey research, English teachers, Multilingualism.