Author: Jezette E. Palingcod, Mary Kaye C. Duterte, Irene E. Rodis, Ramil P. Manguilimotan, Gengen G. Padillo

Abstract: This study delved into the experiences of parents and teachers in the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction in mathematics for the Grade 2 learners in three identified public elementary schools during the school year 2020-2021. The findings were the basis for implication for practice. It utilized a qualitative-phenomenological method through interview to 15 teachers and 30 parents from the three schools. An interpretative phenomenological analysis with the use of interview guide was performed in finding out the experiences of both the participants the parents and teachers. The result revealed that parents were more comfortable with using the local dialect and translating Sinugbuanong Binisaya terms to English while teaching their children at home since the learners can understand English more due to their exposure of the language on the internet. The advantages include familiarization of its own dialect while the disadvantages include lacks practicality. On the other hand, participants encountered challenges like unfamiliar words and various lengths of difficulties in understanding. Furthermore, the coping mechanism was to intensify home teaching using fitting strategy effect comprehension in math. It is concluded that teaching Sinugbuanong Bisaya as a medium of instruction in math subject greatly affects the learners. It is recommended that educational stakeholders, particularly curriculum developers and school administrators, consider a more flexible and context-sensitive approach in implementing the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) policy in mathematics instruction.

Keywords: Early Childhood Education, Sinugbuanong Bisaya, Qualitative-Phenomenological Method, Cebu, Philippines

Article Info: Received: 27 Apr 2025; Received in revised form: 23 May 2025; Accepted: 28 May 2025; Available online: 31 May 2025

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.103.54