Extent of Use and Acceptability of HiligaynonHiligaynon as Medium of Instruction in Philippine Schools

Abstract

There are conflicting views concerning the adoption of mother-tongue based instruction.  While there are issuances to use it in teaching preschool and primary grade subjects, many teachers are not lured to embrace it.   Grounded on this, the study purported to ascertain the extent of use and acceptability of Hiligaynon as language of instruction in selected elementary schools in Negros Occidental during the academic year 2012-2013. Descriptive quantitative type of research was used with 117 teachers, 39 parents and 39 pupils as respondents.  It utilized questionnaire and interview methods for data gathering. Mean, frequency and chi-square were the statistical tools employed. HiligaynonHiligaynon as the medium of instruction was used and acceptable on a moderate level among teachers and parents while higher level of acceptability was exhibited by the pupils.  Its extent of use HiligaynonHiligaynon was influenced by gender and assigned school; and its acceptability was affected by the assigned school.  Greater confidence in language utilization, the deployment of local learning resources and opportunity for creativity and innovativeness came out as its leading advantages. On the other hand, inadequate information, training and preparation appeared to be its major downsides. For the successful realization of the program, the Department of Education has to carry out significant steps encompassing problem-analysis, placement of appropriate content, adequate materials, clear directives as well as the fitting people to lead the implementation of Hiligaynon instruction.  This also necessitates collaboration and higher appropriation for education. Keywords - Hiligaynon instruction, Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE), descriptive-quantitative research, Philippines