FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH MOTHER TONGUE AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PROFICIENCY OF PUPILS IN SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A Thesis Proposal

Presented to the Faculty of the

Graduate Program

College of Education

Silliman University

Dumaguete City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree

Master of Arts in Education

Major in Educational Management

Caryl M. Grajo

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) was implemented to address

the stagnation of learning outcomes in the schools under the Bilingual Education Policy (Martin,

2015). The pupils will understand what they read if it is in a language that they use and in a

language that they understand (Pado, 2016). To support the goal of the Department of Education

“Every Child- A- Reader and A –Writer” by Grade 1, Mother Tongue is used as a medium of

instruction in the first 3 years of the elementary level in the Philippines (DepEd Order

#31s.2013). It makes the pupils proficient at learning another language and process better and

faster learners if the use of Mother Tongue in the classroom is earlier (Porcalla, 2013).According

to the study of SIL Philippines, the use of Mother Tongue in other lesson outcomes improved

math, science and English (Dumatog and Dekker 2003).

Studying the primary level pupils of Silliman University Elementary School where there

is a diversity of students learning (different backgrounds), becomes important for improving the

learning process of the pupils. Those pupils who are not proficient in both the Mother Tongue

and English Language are only confused of the curriculum that was implemented in the school.

One reason is that it is difficult to predict at what circumstances the pupils will better adept these

languages because every child is different. These stages are the most crucial in learning that is

why it is better to understand their situation in order to provide possible solution to some

problems in acquiring language.

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Statement of the Problem

The primary level pupils of the Elementary school are all having the Mother Tongue-

Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) but this does not mean that these levels are all best

adaptive or could easily learn both the mother tongue and the English language. In order to pick

up a second and third language more easily, the pupils should learn their first language better but

it is difficult if the pupils are not pliable of the languages. Because of this, there is a need to

assess the pupils from Grades 1, 2 and 3 in their mother tongue and English proficiency to know

at what stage is best adaptive to these two different languages.

Thus, this proposed study aims to compare the English proficiency of pupils in grades 1,

2 and 3 in Silliman University Elementary School given variable socio-demographic profile. In

this regard, this study will also examine their socio-demographic profile such as gender of the

pupils, occupation of parents and the usual language used at home. In order to answer the major

research problem, the following research question will be investigated:

1. Is there a significant relationship between the grade levels and mother tongue language

proficiency of pupils?

2. Is there a significant relationship between the grade levels and English language

proficiency of pupils?

3. Is there a significant relationship between the socio-demographics and mother tongue

language proficiency of pupils?

4.Is there a significant relationship between the socio-demographics and English

language proficiency of pupils?

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5. Is there a significant relationship between the mother tongue language and English

language proficiency of pupils?

Hypotheses

Generally, it is hypothesized that there aresignificant relationships exist among socio

demographic and language background, grade levels and English proficiency of pupils. In order

to prove this, the following hypotheses will be tested:

1. There is no significant relationship between the grade levels and mother tongue

language proficiency of pupils.

2. There is no significant relationship between the grade levels and English language

proficiency of pupils.

3. There is no significant relationship between the socio-demographics and mother

tongue language proficiency of pupils.

4. There is no significant relationship between the socio-demographics and English

language proficiency of pupils.

5. There is no significant relationship between the mother tongue language and English

language proficiency of pupils.

Significance of the Study

Pupils.The results of this proposed study will be primarily significant to the pupils of

Silliman University Elementary School particularly those having problems with mother tongue

and English language. They may be provided with remedial classes that would help them

improve in acquiring both languages.

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Teachers.The teachers will also be provided with ideas on how to improve the mother

tongue and English proficiency of the pupils.

Parents.The parents will be provided with ideas on how to help their children to improve

their Mother Tongue and English language proficiency.

School heads. Similarly, the school head can learn about the factors associated with the

mother tongue and English proficiency of the pupils. It would help the school head to create

strategy that would help in improving both languages.

Scope and Limitations

This proposed study will focus only on the Mother Tongue and English proficiency of the

pupils and not on the other language that the pupils know. Specifically, it will deal only on the

pupils of grades 1, 2 and 3 in Silliman University Elementary School and their socio-

demographic profile such as gender of the pupils and occupation of parents and the usual

language used at home. Because of that, the other factors that are not mentioned in the research

even if they are related in this proposal because of limited time and resources.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are the major variables of the study and are defined according to

how they will be gathered, processed and analyzed in order to test the hypotheses:

English language proficiency refers to the ability of the pupils to comprehend and speak the

English Language.

Mother tongue language proficiency refers to the ability of the pupils to comprehend and speak

their mother tongue.

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Grade levels refer to the primary level of elementary which are grades 1, 2 and 3 in the Silliman

University Elementary School.

Socio-demographic profile refers to the gender of the pupils and occupation of their parents.

Gender refers to the either sexes (male or female)

Occupation refers to the job or profession of the parents of the pupils.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND

THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK

Related Literature

Language proficiency.The MTBMLE in the Philippines has an effect on the English

language teaching and learning (Martin, 2015), however, there are also a lot of beliefs about the

disadvantages of MTBMLE. One of it is that it will lower the proficiency level of the pupils on

the English language. This belief is known to be not true because many international studies

prove that understanding of the own language will effectively help in understanding other

languages.

Mother tongue language proficiency.The government's implementation on MTBMLE is

not all agreed by teachers in the Luzon part of the Philippines. There are many factors that needs

to be considered in implementing the curriculum. Teachers, students and the instructional

materials were the factors associated with the MTB-MLE in Baguio and Benguet (Gorio; Galino;

Morales; Palileng, 2014).

English language proficiency.Learning foreign language should be started in the early

age because it will be more difficult to learn another language on the older age (Gencer; Sahin;

Selcuk; Onur, 2011). The student will also have a hard time in learning another language if

he/she is not proficient in their mother tongue.

Gender on language proficiency.Ten students of boys and girls were compared in a

study in Sidama Zone on their Sidamuafo and English proficiency. Results found out that males

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on average scored higher than girls in English. Compared to English, their Sidamuafo grades are

higher. Overall, both genders performed well in the two languages (Menuta; Wubshet, 2019).

Age and gender are factors that associated with the cognitive development of the pupils

(Olusola, 2011). The mixture of English and mother tongue as a mode of instruction is effective

in developing the academic performance of the pupils.

Occupation of parents.In a Secondary school in Kuala Terennganu, students whose

parents have formal occupation most likely to get high scores (Abubakar&Usaini, 2015). This is

because the parents who do not have a stable job or formal occupation fail to give the right

education for their children. This means, these children most likely to have lower grades than the

others.

Theoretical Framework

There are two common approaches about the language acquisition: Behaviorist and

Nativist. The behaviorism by Skinner (1957) explains that the environmental factor is important

in language development. It is through the caregivers' positive reinforced in which a child can

learn the properties of language. In contrast with this theory, the nativist, Chomsky (1965, 1975)

believes that there is innate language knowledge of the child. This is known the Universal

Grammar where the entire language development and processing is an inborn capacity of a child.

These two theories show that the exposure of the child to the language is important in developing

their learning.

There are many theories about the second language acquisition of a child. One of it is the

acculturation model of Schumann (1976, 1978). According to his model, a person will be less

proficient in the second language if he/she has less contact to it. His study was primarily focused

on immigrants, migrant workers and the children of such groups. Furthermore, the acquisition of

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the second language is through the acculturation process and if a learner is expose to the target

language culture, and then he/she will be successful in learning the second language.

Another theorist that believes that the first language and second language are actually

interdependent psychologically is Cummins (1984). He claims that the cognitively demanding

tasks are common to the two languages. These tasks include literacy, content learning, abstract

thinking and problem solving. According to his Threshold Hypothesis, if a person has a low

proficiency of both languages then the person performs low cognitively.

Therefore, if a child is not proficient in the first language, then the child will also not be

proficient on the second language. Based on the theories, there are many factors in language

proficiency. However, these factors contribute a lot in the language development of the child.

Conceptual Framework

There are three different groups in this study: Grade 1, 2 and 3 pupils. These 3 groups

have different kinds of family background and gender. Although these 3 groups have different

kinds of level, their proficiency in Mother Tongue and English will be compared as to which

stage performs better.

Parents or guardians have the strongest influence in the child's language development

especially in the early years. The parent's occupation will tell about their approach of the

language proficiency of the child. If the child's parents are unemployed, it means that they don’t

have enough money for education. Thus, it will limit their resources that will help in improving

language proficiency. On the other hand, if the parents are employed, it means they have stable

and consistent income to spend for their children’s education.

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Gender of the pupil is also an important part of the language acquisition. In an early

stage, the gender differences are evident. Girls usually use language in their emotional context

while boys use language in their description of things. Because of this, it is said that girls

perform better in language proficiency.

These variables are helpful in knowing the factors that would affect the Mother Tongue

and English proficiency of a child. This model is helpful in designing and implementing

remedial program for children who have low proficiency in mother tongue and English language

(see Figure 1).

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GRADE LEVELS

SOCIO DEMOGRAPHICS

MOTHER TONGUE
LANGUAGE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
PROFICIENCY PROFICIENCY

REMEDIAL PROGRAM

Figure 1. Conceptual Model

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This is a correlational study about the Mother Tongue and English Proficiency of the

grades 1, 2 and 3 pupils of Silliman University Elementary School. It will describe the existing

factors that are associated with the mother tongue and English proficiency of the pupils

especially on their socio-demographic profiles.

Research Environment

The study will be conducted in Silliman University Elementary School. The school is

composed of diverse students from different places around the province of Negros Oriental. The

school is located in the capital of the province which is the Dumaguete City.

Respondents and Sampling Procedure

The respondents of the study include grades 1, 2 and 3 pupils of Silliman University

Elementary School consists of different gender and occupation of parents. They will be identified

through sampling technique.

A list of grades 1, 2 and 3 pupils will be identified from which they will be randomly

selected. A quota of 30 pupils in every grade level will be purposively identified.

Research Instrument

The study will be conducted through self-administered survey. The survey questionnaire

contains the socio-demographic profile of the pupils as well as their quarterly grades in mother

tongue and English subject.

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Data Gathering Procedure

The data gathering will be personally administered by the researcher after it is approved

by the school principal. The researcher will give a questionnaire to the teacher of the pupils. The

questionnaire contains two different types: the pupil’s profile and grades in English and Mother

Tongue.

Data Analysis Procedure

The variables are the Socio demographics, English language and Mother tongue

proficiency. In order to examine these variables, chi-square will be used to test the null

hypotheses. To accept or reject the null hypotheses, the level of significance of 0.05 will be the

basis.

Ethical Considerations

Letter will be sent to the principal of Silliman University Elementary School if she will

allow the conduct study with the pupils. It is only approved by the principal that the

identification of the potential pupils. The parents of the identified pupils will be also requested

through letters if they will allow their children to participate in the study.

With the help of the teachers, the sampled pupils will be informed about the study and

they will be requested if they are willing to participate. Those pupils who will refuse will be

replaced accordingly. The scores of the pupils will be treated with outmost confidentiality and

their identity will be anonymous in processing and interpreting the data. After the data will be

processed and interpreted, it will be shredded and burnt.

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Timetable of the Study

OBJECTIVES ACTIVITIES MONTHS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

To identify the pupils Sampling the pupils

as respondents from grades 1-3
To test the sampled Testing the pupils
pupils in school from grades 1-3
To process and Processing and
analyze the data and analyzing the data
do initial
interpretation
To write the thesis for Writing of the thesis
presentation
To revise Revising and
subsequently and finalizing the thesis
finalize the thesis

Budgetary Requirement

Items Amount (PHP)

HONORARIA

Adviser 8,000

Panel members (4) 8,000

Statistician 5,000

English Editor 4,000

School materials (Bond paper, computer ink, pens 5,000

and pencils)

Photocopying 1,000

Binding 1,000

Total 32,000

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REFERENCES

Abubakar, N. &Usaini, M. (2015).The Impact of Parents' Occupation on Academic

Performance of Secondary School Students in Kuala Terengganu.

Chomsky, N. (1957). Syntactic structures. The Hague: Mouton.

Cummins, J. (1984). Bilingualism and Special Education: Issues in Assessment and

Pedagogy.Clevedon, Avon, UK: Multilingual Matters.

DepEd Order #31s.2013.Clarifications on the Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the

Language Learning Areas and Their Time Allotment in Grades 1 and 2 of the K to 12
Basic Education Program.

Dumatog, R., & Dekker, D. (2003).First language education in Lubuagon, Northern

Philippines.Conference on language development, language revitalization and
multilingual education in minority communities in Asia. Bangkok.

Gencer, E., Sahin, K., Selcuk, A.,&Onur, T. (2011). The Role of Mother Tongue Proficiency in
Foreign Language Proficiency.Kafkas University.

Gorio, D., Galino, A., Morales, J.,&Palileng, J. (2014, May). FACTORS AFFECTING THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MOTHER TONGUE-BASED MULTILINGUAL
EDUCATION AS PERCEIVED BY TEACHERS IN BAGUIO. Retrieved
fromhttps://sites.google.com/site/languageandmothertongue/home/research-on-mtb

Martin, I. P. (2010). Periphery ELT: The politics and practice of teaching English in the
Philippines.ÓInTheRoutledge Handbook of World Englishes, ed. A. Kirkpatrick.
UK:Routledge.

Martin, I.P. (2015). English in Mother Tongue based Multilingual Education (MTBMLE) in the
Philippines. Retrieved
from:https://www.academia.edu/13489256/English_in_Mother_tonguebased_multilingua
l_education_in_the_Philippines_2015_?fbclid=IwAR0Bw0v0ZH8fhQANz1kaGa1ddPcZ
MqZlpVKm7vIEZR3Uuf3djXPIO4L8yQ

Menuta, F.,&Wubshet, H. (2019). Gender and Linguistic Proficiency in Mother Tongue and
Foreign Language: A study on English Proficiency and Sidamuafo speakers in
SidamaZone..IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science.

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Olusola, F (2011). Evaluation of Effectiveness of Mother Tongue and combined Mother
Tongue-English Language Pedagogical strategies in enhancing academic performance
among Primary School pupils in Ibadan, Nigeria. Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/11916913/EVALUATION_OF_EFFECTIVENESS_

Pado, F. (n.d).The Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) in the K to 12

program.Retrieved from ceap.org.ph.

Porcalla, D. (2014). No more classroom shortage in Phl- Noy. Manila: Philstar.

Schuman, H., & Johnson, M. P. (1976).Attitudes and behavior. Annual Review of Sociology, 2,
161-207.

Skinner, B. F. (1957). Verbal behavior. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

APPENDICES

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Appendix A: Letter of Request

Appendix B: Research Instrument

Appendix C: Curriculum Vitae

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