LIVED EXPERIENCES OF MOTHER TONGUE-BASED TEACHERS IN IP SCHOOLS: STORIES TO TELL

This study’s general objective was successfully achieved by revealing the lived experiences of Mother Tongue-Based teachers in IP schools that implement MTB-MLE. qualitative research utilized phenomenological design and secured rich data from in-depth interview focus group discussion schools. There were eight teacher-participants for interviews seven public elementary communities. The school teachers’ experiences, both positive negative, or even if it shows ease difficulties, recorded, interpreted, analyzed through thematic analysis extracted all essential themes participants’ responses. It has been observed participants provided a negative feedback on Tongue implementation. struggles developed such as Highly tasking instructional responsibilities, Challenging use native dialects, Difficulty with unfamiliar terminologies, Negative effects English literacy, Aiming learning outcomes. On coping strategies employed MTB-MLE teachers, following observed: Self-retooling activities, Diversified teaching methods, Contextualized delivery, Individualized instructions, Acquaintance community. While insights shared to community, these themes: Need social support, Provision in-service training, Deep understanding learner’s needs, Enhancement student-teacher relationship, Enrichment languages. KEYWORDS: multilingual education, mother tongue, phenomenology, challenges, strategies, Philippines