Challenges in the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction

The study evaluated the mother tongue as a medium of instruction: an evaluation for the school year 2019 – 2020. Teaching mother tongue focused on language used in instructional materials, appropriate training, seminars, and cultural diversity. It also included the problems encountered in teaching using the mother tongue and the intervention program. The study used an evaluative research design. There were 126 respondents distributed across East 1 and 2 Butuan Districts. It employed a research instrument to examine teaching practices, focusing on language used in instructional materials, appropriate training, seminars, and cultural diversity. It also used a research questionnaire on problems encountered in teaching using the mother tongue. It used the frequency count, percent, rank, and weighted mean statistical treatments in analyzing the data. On teaching using mother tongue, the respondents agreed that they have difficulties in teaching using mother tongue due to language used in instructional materials, appropriate training and seminars, and cultural diversity. The respondents encountered significant problems in teaching the mother tongue. These problems are the following: lack of examples and activities in the mother tongue, textbooks on the mother tongue do not fit into the culture of the native people, books and teachers’ guides are not related, lack of resources in the vocabulary of the dialect spoken, and the learners find it hard to read English words. Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn: The language used in instructional materials, appropriate training and seminars, and cultural diversity are contributory factors to the difficulties in teaching using the mother tongue. The major problems encountered by the teacher respondents in teaching are obstacles in the attainment of effective teaching using the mother tongue. They hindered the teaching strategies of teachers that promote quality education. Based on the conclusions drawn, the following recommendations are made: School heads should provide funds to teachers to create instructional materials. They should expose teachers to regional trainings and seminars on the mother tongue. They should establish linkages with community leaders that would promote the mother tongue among people with cultural diversity. The school heads should find solutions to the significant problems encountered by the teachers in the mother tongue. The teachers in the mother tongue should coordinate with the efforts and plans of the school head on how to solve the major problems they encountered in teaching using the mother tongue. The intervention program should be given prior consideration to address the issues encountered by the teachers in the use of the mother tongue.