Tuwali in Mathematics Instruction: Its Impact on Junior High School Student Learning and Performance

Aim:The main goal of this study is to investigate the role of Tuwali as a medium of instruction in Mathematics and its impact on student's academic performance at Bangbang National High School, Hungduan, Ifugao.Methodology: A descriptive-correlational analysis was conducted on 106 junior high school students, examining their perceptions, gender differences, and the instructional effects of Tuwali on academic performance.Results: Students generally perceive Tuwali as beneficial for learning Mathematics (M = 3.863), with female students showing a significantly higher level of agreement (p = 0.004).Additionally, students' perceived benefits of Tuwali moderately correlate with their achievement scores ( = 0.317, p < 0.01). Conclusion:The findings highlight the importance of mother-tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) in enhancing student comprehension, engagement, and academic performance.The study suggests that educational institutions should implement policies promoting language-inclusive teaching strategies.