







































English Language Teaching Educational Journal   ISSN 2621-6485 

Vol. 4, No. 2, 2021, pp. 125-137  

        10.12928/eltej.v4i2.4234                             http://journal2.uad.ac.id/index.php/eltej/index            eltej@pbi.uad.ac.id 

 

Constructive alignment of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual 

Education (MTB MLE) language policy implementation to the 

practices of a multilingual classroom 

Hyra Dave P. Gempeso a,1,*, Jubelle Dianne S. Mendez b,2 

a, b Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, Andres Bonifacio Ave., Iligan City, 9200 Lanao del Norte, Philippines 
1 hyradave.gempeso@g.msuiit.edu.ph*, 2 jubelledianne.mendez@g.msuiit.edu.ph 

* corresponding author 

 

A R T I C L E  I N F O 

 

ABST RACT   

 

 

Article history 

Received 15 June 2021 

Revised 12 August 2021 

Accepted 20 August 2021 

 This descriptive observational study examined the implementation of 
Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) language 
policy to the classroom practices of a grade three multilingual classroom 
in the Philippines. The constructive alignment of the said language 
policy implementation was evaluated in terms of: (1) Mother Tongue 
(MT) as a subject area, examining specifically the coherence of the 
teaching and learning activities and assessment criteria used; and (2) 
MT as a medium of instruction. Findings revealed that there were 
discrepancies, incongruences, and insufficiencies in the administration 
of assessments in the alignment of MT as a subject area. These issues 
resulted in the underdevelopment of the four macro skills of the learners 
and caused misalignment of the classroom implementation to the 
language policy. The same is true with the implementation of MT as a 
medium of instruction in the classroom; however, the use of translation 
and code-switching of L1, L2, and L3 helped in the comprehension and 
participation of the students. These findings call for the attention of the 
policymakers and teachers for a rigorous review of the policy and its 
actual implementation as it significantly affects the holistic development 
of the students. This study further contributes to the continuous 
improvement of the educational system in the country particularly in the 
K-12 and MTB MLE implementation.  

 

This is an open access article under the CC–BY-SA license. 

    

 

 
Keywords 

Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual 

Education 

constructive alignment 

classroom practices 

teaching and learning activities 

assessments 

 

 

 

How to Cite: Gempeso, H.D.P. & Mendez, J.D.S., (2021). Constructive alignment of Mother Tongue-Based 
Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) language policy implementation to the practices of a multilingual 
classroom, English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 4(2), 125-136 

1. Introduction  

The Department of Education (DepEd) has enacted many policies in recent years that are 
pertinent to the current language-in-education policy. The DepEd Order No. 74 issued in 2009 
institutionalized Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) nationwide and 
mandated the use of the learners’ mother tongue (MT) in improving learning outcomes from 
Kindergarten to Grade Three (DepEd, 2012). The DepEd Order No. 16 issued in 2012 indicated the 
starting school year of the implementation (i.e., 2012-2013) and ordered all public schools to adopt 
it as part of the K-12 Basic Education Program. This order also included objectives emphasizing the 
four developments that MTB MLE would greatly influence specifically: (1) language development, 
(2) cognitive development, (3) academic development, and (4) sociocultural awareness. With the 
MTB MLE’s implementation, two modes stipulated in the guidelines were expected to be carried 

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out: (1) mother tongue as a subject area, and (2) mother tongue as a medium of instruction in all 
learning areas excluding Filipino and English, in kindergarten to grade three levels (DepEd, 2013).  

However, since its implementation, it has been facing several issues and criticisms. For instance, 
the challenges on how to implement it such that it is aligned with the desired mother-tongue 
approach (Eslit, 2014) and the challenge implied by Lartec (2014) to the Department of Education to 
initiate a mechanism wherein the teachers’ innovative strategies and problems are assessed, 
monitored, and evaluated. The interpretation and implementation in the classroom define the success 
of the enactment of the policy; what happens on the ground level will contribute either directly or 
indirectly to the successful implementation of the language policy. It is in this premise that this study 
was anchored on. Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions: 

How is MTB MLE policy implemented in a grade three level classroom specifically as (1) a 
subject area, examining the coherence of: (a) teaching and learning activities, (b) assessment criteria; 
(2) a medium of instruction? What alignment issues are observed in the classroom policy 
implementation?  

 

1.1 MTB MLE Language Policy 

The inauguration of the language-in-education policy in the Philippines was prompted by several 
studies such as the Lingua Franca Project (1999 to 2001) and Lubuagan Project (1999 to present), as 
mentioned by Walter & Dekker (2011), which provided inputs that motivated the government to 
develop a policy that would bridge the learners from their first language to other languages of 
instruction (Filipino and English).  According to Fillmore (2014), several studies proved that the use 
of second language in basic education programs may be linked to “under-achievement, poor literacy 
development, and high dropout rates”.  

Thus, DepEd integrated MTB MLE in the new K-12 Basic Education Program and explicated 
one of the language policy’s wider purposes; the four forms of child development that MTB MLE 
should influence to the students. These are language development, cognitive development, academic 
development, and sociocultural awareness. Language development means “a higher-level cognitive 
skill involving auditory and oral abilities in humans to communicate verbally individuals’ wants and 
needs” (Goldstein & Naglieri, 2011). It establishes a strong education for success in school and for 
lifelong learning. Cognitive development focuses on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) based 
on various taxonomies of learning, such as Bloom’s taxonomy. Critical thinking skills are 
distinguished from low-order learning outcomes (e.g., rote memorization) because HOTS involve 
synthesizing, analyzing, reasoning, comprehending, applying, and evaluating (Watson, 2017). 
Academic development prepares students to acquire mastery of competencies in each of the 
learning areas. Students shall be given the opportunity to master essential skills and knowledge 
before they move on to the next level. Lastly, sociocultural awareness means the “awareness of the 
societies and cultures of the target language, and therefore of the contexts the language is used in. 
Teachers themselves transmit information subconsciously about culture and society through their 
behavior and interaction with students” (British Council 2019; Vitalaru, 2020). It enhances the pride 
of the student’s heritage, language, and culture. 

DepEd also provided specifications in the guidelines on how to implement Mother Tongue (L1), 
which in the case of this study is Sebuano, as the medium of instruction, and the integration of 
Filipino (L2), and English (L3). L1 is mandated to be continuously used as MOI in a transition or 
bridging process through grade three; L2 shall be introduced in the first semester of grade one and 
have the four macro skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) continuously developed from 
grades two to six; and, L3 shall be introduced during the second semester of grade one and the four 
macro skills shall be integrated and developed starting from grade two until grade six. It is also 
suggested that the story track (meaning) and primary track (accuracy), a method that sets the 
standard in teaching for meaning and accuracy affecting the four macro-skills, be employed to 
ensure that students gain proficiency in both comprehension and critical thinking skills (See D.O. 
No. 28, s. 2013, DepEd, 2013). 

 

 



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1.2 Constructive Alignment and Classroom Practices 

Squires (2012) stated that “in aligning the curriculum to the standards, it must first be 
acknowledged that standards are general while curriculum is specific”. Thus, in a classroom setting, 
the intended learning outcome can be carried out through different assessment practices whether 
informal or formal, or it could be manifested in the content of the literature found in the materials 
used. Assessment, as defined by Brown (2003), is an ongoing process that encompasses a much 
wider domain. Assessment is administered depending on the context and the outcomes required to 
be achieved. However, the problem of what and how the particular outcome can be practiced and 
assessed in a classroom arises. 

Moreover, factors like how the teachers carry out the lesson in which it is aligned to the 
outcomes of the policy or how the assessment practices are related to what has been taught, up to the 
curriculum and how it is being administered at the classroom level, highly affect the successful 
implementation of MTB MLE. For instance, in Burton’s (2013) study on the implementation of the 
MTB MLE top-down policy implementation, she asserted that language policy is not simply defined 
by the national level statements; rather it is also important to understand the role teachers play in the 
enactment of the policy. 

With this, a constructive alignment which was introduced by Biggs (2003), was used as an 
approach to determine the quality of learning employed in the classroom. This approach consists of 
two aspects, the constructive and alignment aspects. Constructive aspect banks on the meaning of 
the learning activities that the students do while alignment aspect focuses on what the teacher does 
to achieve the desired learning outcomes (Ajjawi, 2020).  

This approach examines the interconnectedness of the relationship of the intended outcomes of 
the guidelines of the language policy, classroom practices (i.e., teaching and learning experiences 
and assessment), and medium of instruction which are essential in the success of the language-in-
education policy. Aside from the fact that it is important in the development of the educational 
system in the country, this language-in-education policy must be properly exercised on the ground 
level because according to Watermeyer (2012), if the core elements of the educational structure are 
inappropriately or inadequately aligned then the coherent message of what is valued in the 
educational process is blurred which will directly contradict to the goals of the policy.  

2. Method 

This study utilized a descriptive, observational method in examining how MTB-MLE 

curriculum is put into practice, particularly in a grade three level multilingual classroom. This type 

of research design was used in order to record the classroom situations in a natural, uncontrolled, 

and non-manipulative manner. Hence, field observation was done to yield qualitative data. 
. 

2.1. Locale of the Study 

The study was conducted in Iligan City, located in Northern Mindanao (Region 10), 

Philippines. It is an urbanized and diverse place which is inhabited by people with different cultural 

backgrounds and languages such as Cebuano, Maranaos, Higaonons, Tagalogs and some minorities 

such as Waray, Ilocano, and Chavacano. The primary language spoken in the city is Sebuano, 

followed by Meranao. English, on the other hand, is used as a third language (L3). This study 

employed one of the best and biggest schools in the area.   

2.2. Research Participants 

Purposive sampling method was used in choosing the participants of the research. A class of 

grade three students in the tenth section served as the participants. Grade three students were 

relevant for the study because this level is the last grade where MTB MLE is implemented, making 

the academic level a transitional stage for the students as they will no longer have the local 

language either as MT subject or as the medium of instruction in the succeeding years of their 

elementary level. Further, the tenth section was chosen because based on the teachers’ assessment, 



128 English Language Teaching Educational Journal   ISSN 2621-6485 

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 Gempeso, H. & Mendez, J. (Constructive alignment of MTB MLE language policy) 

this section demonstrated a low level of comprehension and academic competence, which is 

significant to the implementation of MTB MLE. Lastly, this class was composed of fifty-six (56) 

students with thirty-five (35) males and twenty-one (21) females, ranging from 7 to 9 years old.  

Four teachers were also involved in the study. All of these teachers gained degrees in 

Elementary Education in their different respective fields. They were appointed to teach and handle 

classes based on their seniority, evaluation of the school principal, and recommendation from 

senior Master Teachers. However, one of the teachers taught several subjects in the chosen class 

participant and another one of the teachers filed a leave of absence during the duration of the class 

observation; thus, a substitute teacher was designated.  

 

2.3. Data Gathering Procedures 

Before the conduct of the study, the researchers sought the permission of the division 
superintendent, school principals, school heads, and teachers through a letter and a closed-door 
discussion regarding the goals and intent of the study.  

For the visibility of the study, the researchers conducted a direct classroom observation where 
narrative descriptions of the situations were recorded through field notes. Field notes were recorded 
accurately that even the side details were included as they might contribute during the analyses of 
the research data. The researchers only watched and observed, rather than participated, to maintain 
objectivity and avoid biases. The direct classroom observation lasted for one month, and the 
researchers were able to record thirty-one (31) class sessions. Since the study focused on two aspects 
of MTB MLE language policy implementation: MT as subject and as the medium of instruction; the 
researchers stayed in the school for the entire day within a month to observe all six subject areas that 
used MT as the medium of instruction. These subjects were: Science, Mathematics, Araling 
Panlipunan (AP), Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (ESP), Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health 
(MAPEH), and Mother Tongue (MT). Also, it should be noted that English and Filipino were 
excluded since English and Tagalog, respectively, were the languages used as the medium of 
instruction in these subject areas.  

The researchers also procured the Curriculum Guides (CG) or better known as K-12 Mother 
Tongue Subject Curriculum Guide (DepEd, 2016) and Daily Lesson Log (DLL) of the teachers. The 
Department of Education provided these CGs and DLLs to serve as reference and guidance of the 
teachers for the lessons, content standards, performance standards, and learning competencies that 
are supposed to be achieved through the teaching and learning experience in the classroom. This 
initiative was intended to produce a top-down approach of delivering the standard competencies and 
outcomes of K-12 Basic Education Program (D.O. No. 21, s. 2019). However, as mentioned by 
Marinas and Ditapat (2000), in Genon and Torres (2015), the curriculum is designed to be 
interpreted by the teachers and implemented with variations for as long as they meet the 
requirements of the said curriculum. However, Peterson and Cruz (2014) exclaimed that 
instructional alignment may seem to be a simple idea but, it is more challenging to implement than 
understand. This is why the researchers obtained the CGs and DLLs of each subject area because 
these were subjected to constructive alignment to determine if the classroom practices, MTB MLE 
language policy implementation, and outcomes or competencies from the DLLs and CGs were 
achieved. The data were subjected to descriptive and thematic analysis during the process of data 
presentation.  

3. Findings and Discussion 

3.1. Implementation of MTB MLE Language Policy in a Grade Three Multilingual 

Classroom 

3.1.1. Examining coherence of teaching and learning activities and assessment criteria of 
Mother Tongue as a subject area 

In examining Mother Tongue as a subject, the researchers observed that in aligning MT subject 
to the outcomes found in the daily lesson logs (DLL) provided by DepEd, most of the teaching and 
learning activities were not aligned to it. For instance, the learning competency intended to be 



ISSN 2621-6485 English Language Teaching Educational Journal 129 
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 Gempeso, H. & Mendez, J. (Constructive alignment of MTB MLE language policy) 

achieved in one of the DLLs of this subject area required students to initiate and participate in an 
extended social conversation about unfamiliar topics by asking questions and soliciting information, 
however, the actual observed teaching and learning activity administered was that the students were 
only asked to draw a picture of a pineapple from the folktale read by the teacher. From this, the 
researchers inferred as the misalignment of tasks since the given assessment was insufficient in 
order to assess and achieve the required learning competency. This is what argued by Genon and 
Torres (2015) that misalignment also occurs when assessments are inadequate in operationalizing 
the intended learning objectives, or there are tasks that may target the intended objectives yet still 
considered misaligned because performance-based learning objectives are reduced into knowledge-
based assessments. In this case, the drawing activity administered was insufficient in achieving the 
intended competency and was therefore misaligned (see attached Appendix A for more examples of 
alignment of TLAs and competencies in the DLL of MT as a subject area).  

Conversely, in aligning it to the guidelines on the implementation of MTB MLE language policy, 
language and cognitive development and sociocultural awareness were developed because of some 
teaching and learning activities and assessment administered in the succeeding class sessions such as 
oral recitation that required the students to share their opinions using the MT. In terms of the skills 
that the students needed to develop, only reading and speaking skills were emphasized because some 
activities and assessment enabled the students to express their thoughts, and ideas through speaking. 
Meanwhile a quiz was used to assess the students’ reading skill. Unfortunately, there were no 
empirical findings that led to the development of the other two skills: listening and writing. Based on 
the observation, MT became one of the subjects, however, the teachers only asked the students to 
write down definitions of the concepts. They did neither discussion nor assessment with the 
students’ reading comprehension. This was problematic because assessment, as explained by Young 
(2011) must contain clear instructions and the purpose of the activity must also be established 
clearly. Additionally, Brown (2001) explained that assessment must be a “method of measuring a 
person’s ability or knowledge in a given domain”. Schofield (2020) added that a test is said to be 
valid if it tests what is taught and how it is taught. Considering these arguments, therefore, it can be 
said that the alignment of the expected outcomes to the assessment and learning outputs of the 
students were not achieved. 

 
3.1.2. Examining the use of medium of instruction in all subject areas 

In terms of the implementation of mother tongue as a medium of instruction, which is mainly 

used during the discussion sessions in all subject areas, it greatly helps students improve their 

comprehension and active participation in the classroom. Abao, et al (2016) argues that the level of 

development of children’s mother tongue is a strong predictor of their second language 

development. The use of L2 and L3 as an aid also proves to help them comprehend the lessons and 

enrich their lexicon. In contrast to the argument, according to DepEd Order No. 28 s. 2013, stating 

that the macro-skills in L2 and L3 shall continuously be developed from grade 2 to 6, L2 and L3 

use is only limited to the translation of specific terms and not entirely used in activities that assess 

the macro skills in these languages. The development of language, cognitive, academic, and 

sociocultural awareness promotes and enhances students’ achievement and life-long learning, 

which became a few of the main goals of the MTB MLE in the Philippines, besides being one of 

the language policy’s broader purposes as well. Based on the observation, however, it is evident 

that the students somehow acquired the four forms of development, except that it was limited and 

not entirely developed. In the Araling Panlipunan class alone, none of these four forms were 

developed. The failure to assess the macro skills, especially in L2 and L3, and the four forms of 

development was mainly because there was a lack of appropriate activities that were fundamentally 

needed to achieve the goals of MTB MLE. 

 

3.2. Alignment Issues Observed in the Classroom Policy Implementation 

3.2.1. Discrepancy or incongruence between the assessment and the policy guidelines 

This is the first alignment issue that the researchers observed in examining the alignment of the 
policy to its implementation in the classroom. Assessment is a broad term. This is corroborated by 



130 English Language Teaching Educational Journal   ISSN 2621-6485 

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Genon and Torres (2015), who said that assessment encompasses any forms like tests or quizzes, 
assignments, performance tasks, etc. The researchers have observed that teachers lacked assessment, 
whether informal or formal, to test whether the students were listening or comprehending what the 
lesson was all about. This was very prominent in Mother Tongue as a subject such that there were 
some assessments conducted which were not enough to cater and facilitate learning for the students. 
As such, it did not satisfy some of the areas of development mandated in the implementation of the 
policy. When the teacher introduced a lesson, assessment was concluded by letting the students 
wrote passages from a book. For instance, in teaching grammatical awareness in MTB subject, the 
lesson about “panagtandi” (degree of comparison, in English) was introduced only through the 
same activity (writing its definition), instead of discussing and explaining the concept to the 
students. This lesson was supposed to target the language aspect or development of the subject and 
could have also led to the academic development of the students; however, the discrepancy of the 
assessment administered hindered this achievement. Another discrepancy in the assessment was 
when the teacher tasked the students to draw a pineapple as their activity. This drawing activity 
could have been a “useful strategy to use in assessing the students’ understanding of concepts”, 
according to Young (2011), however, this activity was not contextualized and the teacher did not 
specify the importance and relevance of it. In fact, this activity did not guarantee the students’ 
comprehension of the story.  

The assessments were also insufficient in acquiring the skills required for this subject. For 
example, there were no assessments administered in determining if listening and writing skills were 
really acquired. A mere “copy and answer” (sequencing events) quiz was the only assessment given 
to the students for developing their writing skills. Although this activity tapped reading skill, it was 
not enough to assess their writing skill because the students could not write to communicate or 
express ideas that were supposedly to be the goal of this skill.  The same was true with listening 
skill, wherein there was no assessment to determine if the students comprehended what they heard 
when the teacher read the story or not. These problems have made the assessment useless because 
there was no learning developed. 

Furthermore, assessment also affects the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction. The 
assessment supposedly helps facilitate learning and development of different areas specified in the 
policy; however, the researchers observed that there were some discrepancies in the implementation 
in the classroom. One of the discrepancies was that there was a dearth of assessment that enhanced 
the L2 and L3 in the classroom sessions. This was problematic because, in this grade level, which 
was the transitional stage of MTB MLE, other languages (L2 and L3) were supposed to be enhanced 
and integrated into the discussion. The macro skills should be well developed in this level as 
preparation for the next grade level wherein there will be no more MTB subjects, and the other 
languages will be greatly used in the classroom. Unfortunately, this was not employed and achieved 
by the observed class. The problems in the alignment of pedagogical tasks were also present in a 
study conducted by Deocampo (2013) wherein it showed problems such as the mismatch between 
instruction and test, and misalignment and/or insufficiency of the tasks and assessment to fulfill the 
learning objectives.     

3.2.2. Assessment is limited to the first level/stage of Bloom’s taxonomy  

Another issue that occurred in this study was that the assessment, which greatly affected the 

coherence of the implementation of the policy, did not address or did not test what it was supposed 

to be tested. The tendency that underlies herein is that the assessments given addressed a different 

level of cognition. This also contradicts the notion of constructive alignment, which according to 

Kurz (2012) et.al, “the extent to which expectations (i.e., standards) and assessments are in 

agreement and serve in conjunction with one another to guide the system toward students learning 

what they are expected to know and do”.  Kurz (2012) added that “an aligned test must comprise 

items that sample exclusively across the constructs expressed in the intended curriculum, which 

students (presumably) have the opportunity to learn during classroom instruction”. Lawrence 

(2019) concurred that teaching and learning takes place in a whole-system, wherein all aspects of 

teaching and assessment are tuned to support high-level learning, so that all students are 

encouraged to use higher-order learning processes; otherwise, it becomes a poor system in which 

the components are not integrated, and are not tuned to support high-level learning. This explains 

that the assessment administered in the classroom should have met the intended outcomes. As for 



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the context of the research, although some assessments under specific subjects did not have this 

kind of issue, some other assessments still fell under this classification. For example, in the MTB 

(Mother Tongue) class, the assessment which was in the form of quiz (sequencing events) tapped 

only the first level of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domains, specifically of the remember or 

recall level, when the supposed desired outcome was to achieve the performance and creative level.  

Furthermore, assessments were not aligned with the expected outcome of MTB MLE, 

especially the HOTS, under the cognitive development, which explains that if a learner truly 

understands something, he/she can apply, analyze, evaluate, use, and create new ideas. These kinds 

of assessments were not structured and administered in such a way that they would qualify for the 

expected outcome of the policy. 

 

3.2.3. Lack of contextualization  

One of the main areas of development in the implementation of MTB MLE language policy is 
sociocultural awareness. For it to be achieved, one must value the ethnolinguistic and cultural 
heritage of the learners. As such, in the discussion, which includes the assessment and activities 
administered in the classroom, these factors must also be evident. Each lesson must have 
contextualization, and for this policy, sociocultural awareness must be integrated to strengthen the 
cultural heritage and identity of the learners.  

Contextualization of lessons is essential in the discussion, as well as in assessment and activities. 
In Science and Mathematics for example, although there is no language aspect in these subjects, 
other areas, such as sociocultural awareness, can be achieved by using examples that are relatable to 
the students. For instance, in the discussion about living and nonliving things, the teacher may 
encourage the students to answer using things they can see in their community and environment. In 
the context of assessment, MTB subject can also achieve contextualization of assessment by using 
folktales and relating it with the students' community and experiences, which are coherent to the 
goal of this area.  

Based on the observation, however, Araling Panlipunan class, the class which were supposedly 
expected to provide extensive discussions on socio-cultural awareness, failed to achieve this area of 
development because there was not enough evidence found. In fact, there were only three class 
sessions conducted during one month of the classroom observation. Moreover, the assessment done 
was not aligned to the expected outcomes of the policy. For example, in the assessment where the 
teacher tasked the students to write down the things they saw and got from the pictures in the book, 
the students were confused and did not understand what they were supposed to do because the 
teacher only gave them a brief and vague instruction. However, what the researchers found out in 
the guideline was that the intended activity was supposed to be: based on the pictures provided, the 
students should identify the products they could get in their locality. Furthermore, there was also 
another activity in the same subject, wherein the teacher grouped the students and tasked them to 
draw pictures which were, again, only found in the book without contextualization. Expectedly, 
through this activity, the students would have achieved the creative level of Bloom’s Taxonomy as 
well as the academic development because of the nature of the activity; however, what the 
researchers found out during the observation was that the students were asked to identify the 
calamities depicted in the picture and the effects they could bring to their community especially to 
the products that their community produce. This way, the activity failed in itself because the 
expected outcome was not achieved, and the learners did not acquire the contextualization and 
sociocultural awareness.  

 

3.2.4. Habit of code-switching   

The implementation of the MTB MLE language policy is rooted in the fact that (1) the 
Philippines is a multilingual country and; (2) the learners’ cognitive and academic competence need 
to be improved. This is also the reason why the government, primarily, DepEd pursued the idea that 
when the learners are able to achieve proficiency and fluency in the first language, the easier and 
quicker transference of knowledge from L1 to L2 to L3 will occur automatically.  

In the context of this study, it is by mandate that three languages shall be used simultaneously in 
the instruction. This technique was very evident in the classroom that the researchers observed in 



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which the teacher code-switched by translating words to other languages. For example, in the ESP 
class, the teacher translated the words “paglaom” and “sugilanon” into “hope” and “story” 
respectively during the discussion because the students no longer understood these Sebuano words. 
The same with the use of L2 (Filipino), some words do not have direct correspondence or direct 
translation in Sebuano, that was why the teacher retained the English words. For example, in 
science, words like wind vane, living things, barometer, etc. do not have a direct translation in 
Sebuano. As a result, the teacher no longer translated these words and used their English version 
during the discussion session.   Meanwhile, in the use of L2, the researchers observed that as there 
were Sebuano words that are morphologically and semantically the same as the L2 (Filipino), it was 
inevitable for the teacher and students to use them eventually. 

Regarding the use of the technique, Mondez (2013) criticized the inconsistency in the policy and 
the communicative efforts of the teachers to translate words for the students to understand as leading 
to a habit of code-switching to two languages rather than leading to fluency of one single language 
(Filipino or English).  Several studies, however, argued that code-switching helps students enhance 
their cultural and language heritage by not hindering the students from changing to any language 
they prefer in conversation with peers and teachers (Algarin-Ruiz, 2014).  

Furthermore, the researchers also observed that with this kind of technique, the students 
participated more in discussions that used Sebuano rather than English as a medium of instruction. 
The researchers observed this through comparing the Mother Tongue subject, ESP, and other 
languages, to MAPEH, wherein the assessment was written in English. The teacher had to translate 
the quiz in MAPEH into Sebuano word for word before the students answered it. Unlike subjects 
which were already written in Sebuano, so that there was no reason for the teachers to translate it 
rigorously. Consequently, only minimal words sufficed for further comprehension of the students. 
Through this technique, the researchers inferred that using these languages interchangeably as an aid 
for discussion and explanation of the lesson was helpful for the students to understand the lessons 
better. Lastly, the implementation of mother tongue as a medium of instruction also helped the 
students in comprehension and participation in the classroom which is backed up by Ricablanca 
(2014) in his study about the effectiveness of MTB instruction on pupil’s achievement wherein it 
was claimed that MT allows children to express themselves and enables them to contribute to 
discussions and further develop their intellect because of the familiar language being used.  

 

3.2.5. Focus is only on the story track in evaluating the four macro skills 

Another issue that the researchers observed is that in evaluating the four macro skills, only the 
meaning (story track) was focused on both as a subject and as the medium of instruction. For 
example, in Mother Tongue, most activities were focused only on the meaning, such as reading 
activity, the sequencing event quiz, and the informal assessment after reading the story, which only 
developed the reading and speaking skills under story track. However, the activity on grammatical 
awareness, which should have focused on accuracy, was not administered properly.  

The same is true with the use of medium of instruction wherein the learners’ skills were assessed 
more on the meaning than accuracy. For instance, in L1, the listening skill was assessed in all 
subject areas except in Araling Panlipunan as the speaking skills were assessed only in ESP, 
Science, and Mother Tongue classes, while the other skills were not. Meanwhile, there were no 
activities that assessed the use of L2 and L3 which led to its misalignment in the guidelines 
mandated by the policy. This unequal assessment of the macro skills on both medium of instruction 
and subject area is crucial in language learning and teaching because what is tested will greatly 
affect what is taught and how it is taught. This could also further affect the proficiency profile of the 
learners (Powers & Powers, 2015). 

4. Conclusion 

After examining the alignment of the outcomes and the classroom practices (teaching and 
learning activities, assessment criteria, and medium of instruction), the researchers found 
discrepancies or incongruence between the assessment and the policy guidelines. There was an 
insufficiency of assessment to test the students' comprehension, competencies, and skills. Moreover, 
even though there were some assessments rendered, they were not aligned to the policy's guidelines, 



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 Gempeso, H. & Mendez, J. (Constructive alignment of MTB MLE language policy) 

and some of them only addressed lower cognitive level which hindered the policy's goal from 
achieving HOTS. The failure to assess the macro skills, especially in L2 and L3, and the four forms 
of development was mainly because there was a lack of appropriate activities. In other words, the 
activities were insufficient to achieve the goals of MTB MLE. Lastly, the habit of code-switching 
was prominent in using the mother tongue as the medium of instruction. Fortunately, this factor 
elicited a positive effect on the teaching and learning of the students such that it allowed students’ 
comprehension of the lessons and active participation in the class. From these alignment issues, the 
researchers found that the implementation of the policy was greatly affected by the assessment 
administered in the classroom, especially with its discrepancies and insufficiencies.  

The researchers infer that because teachers play an essential role in implementing the policy, the 
conduct and manipulation of assessment and other activities that facilitate learning lie in their hands. 
The teachers must learn and realize the importance of assessment and any other teaching and 
learning activities in the classroom as they greatly affect the success of the policy. With that, more 
seminars and workshops must be done in order to educate the teachers more not just about the policy 
but also how to implement it such that it will be aligned to the intended outcomes of the policy.  

With these issues, the policymakers need to rigorously review and pay attention to it such that 
they could address the lapses that the implementation of language policy has, which will directly 
contribute to the successful realization of the desired goals of the policy. Moreover, a constructive 
alignment of the policies and its actualization on the ground level must have a broader and more 
reflective research such that a multi-directional perspective may be achieved in the implementation 
of the educational policies (Gesa, et al, 2019). After all, as argued by Herman (2014), for an 
educational system to work, the significant elements, namely, teaching and learning activities, 
assessment, and curriculum standards, should be aligned with each other. Lastly, as this study limits 
only to a month of immersion and observation of a grade three multilingual classroom, it is 
suggested for other researchers to conduct a longitudinal research or more extensive research of 
which a longer span of time shall be spent and a wider scope shall be evaluated. Future researchers 
may also consider the following suggestions for further research: (1) focusing on one of the aspects 
such as evaluating the use of L2 and L3 in language acquisition and cognitive development of 
student; (2) making a comparative analysis of a multilingual and a monolingual classroom; (3) 
examining the effects of MTB MLE on the multilingual students; and (4) examining the learning 
materials used in MTB MLE subject area and medium of instruction.  

 

Acknowledgement 

 

All great works are nothing and impossible without the tremendous help given by the people 

who became instrumental to this undertaking. Hence, we would like to thank all that have 

participated and contributed to the completion of this paper. We may not be able to mention you 

individually but know that all efforts are sincerely appreciated. To my mentors in MSU-IIT, Prof. 

Villabona, Prof. Deocampo, Prof. Echavez, and most especially Prof. Fernandez-Dalona, we thank 

you for pushing us beyond our limits and urging us to take a big leap such as venturing into 

publication. To Cayden – my son, Niño – my husband, my family, friends, you have become my 

inspiration and motivation to keep moving on. Thank you so much!  

 

Declarations 

Author contribution : HDG and JDM: started the research study, conducted the data 

gathering, and analyzed all the data; HDG: revised the research 

ideas, literature review, data presentation and analysis, and the final 

draft. 

Funding statement : The research was funded by the authors themselves. No additional 

funding from other organizations.  

Conflict of interest : The authors declare no conflict of interest. 

Additional 

information 

:  No additional information is available for this paper. 



134 English Language Teaching Educational Journal   ISSN 2621-6485 

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 Gempeso, H. & Mendez, J. (Constructive alignment of MTB MLE language policy) 

APPENDIX A 

Actual Teaching and Learning Activities (TLA) Observed by the Researchers and Competencies in 

the DLL of the Mother Tongue Subject Area 

(taken from K to 12 Mother Tongue Subject –Curriculum Guide, DepEd 2016) 

Actual Observed 

Teaching and 

Learning 

Activities 

Outcomes as based on Daily Lesson Log for Week 2 

Content 

Standard 

Performance 

Standard 
Learning Competency 

The teacher reads 

the story “Ang 

Unang Pinya”. 

 

Theme: Our 

Community 

Livelihood/Trade 

and Industry 

Listening 

Comprehension

/Reading 

Comprehension 

Participates in and initiate more extended 

social conversation or dialogue with peers, 

adults on unfamiliar topics by asking and 

answering questions, restating and 

soliciting information. 

Give one’s reaction to the event or issues 

heard. Identifies synonyms and antonyms 

of grade-level adjectives. 

 

Give one’s reaction to an event or issue 

heard. Identify synonyms and antonyms. 

Spell vocabulary words in the selection 

read. 

The teacher 

instructs the 

students to draw a 

pineapple. 

Theme: Our 

Community 

Livelihood/Trade 

and Industry 

Study Skills 

 

Participates in and initiate more extended 

social conversation or dialogue with peers, 

adults on unfamiliar topics by asking and 

answering questions, restating and 

soliciting information. 

Give one’s reaction to the event or issues 

heard. Identifies synonyms and antonyms 

of grade-level adjectives. 

 

Give one’s reaction to an event or issue 

heard. Identify synonyms and antonyms. 

Spell vocabulary words in the selection 

read. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Actual Observed Teaching 

and Learning Activities 

Outcomes as based on Daily Lesson Log for Week 3 

Content Standard 
Performance 

Standard 

Learning 

Competency 

The teacher reads the story 

“Ang Unang Pinya”, while 

the students read the story 

silently on their seats. 

 

Share information or 

ideas in giving accurate or 

consistent answers in the 

questions. 

Be consistently apprehend 

the information given in 

the situation. 

Listening 

Comprehension / 

Reading 

Comprehension 

Study Skills 

Give one’s reaction 

to the event or 

issues heard.  

Make a two-level 

outline for a 

report. 
 

The teacher explains the 

story and asks questions that 

relate to the story. Questions 

like, “Unsa inyung buhaton 

kung suguon mo sa inyung 

mama?” (What will you do 

when your mother asks you 

to do some chores?) 

Share information or 

ideas in giving accurate or 

consistent answers in the 

questions. 

 

Listening 

Comprehension / 

Reading 

Comprehension 

 

Give one’s 

reaction to the 

event or issues 

heard. 
 

 

The teacher also gives a quiz 

to the students in order to 

assess if they really 

understand the story. The 

type of test is sequencing 

events where the students 

put number to the space 

provided before the 

statement.  

Share information or 

ideas in giving accurate or 

consistent answers in the 

questions. 

Be consistently apprehend 

the information given in 

the situation. 

Listening 

Comprehension/ 

Reading 

Comprehension 

Study Skills 

Give one’s 

reaction to the 

event or issues 

heard.  

 

Make a two-level 

outline for a 

report. 

 

Actual Observed Teaching 

and Learning Activities 

Outcomes as based on Daily Lesson Log for Week 4 

Content Standard 
Performance 

Standard 

Learning 

Competency 

The students are tasked to 

write down “Hinumdumi 

Kini” from the book. It is 

about the degree of 

comparison (panagtandi) in 

mother tongue. 

 Grammar Awareness Uses correctly 

different degrees 

of comparison of 

adjectives. 
 

 

 


