I. ABSTRACT

Teachers serve as agents of the curriculum who foster excellent skills and knowledge in meeting
the needs and demands of society. At the same time, more than ever, the need to prepare teachers
for MTB-MLE classrooms to equip them with practical pedagogies, approaches, and strategies has
become necessary. This study sought to determine the teachers' common issues and effective
practices in utilizing MTB-MLE as a medium of instruction in remote areas. This study used a
qualitative descriptive multiple case study as a research design. Through this design, the
participants' experiences using their mother tongue as a medium of instruction were not explored
through one lens but rather through various data sources such as focus group discussion, field notes
from classroom observation, and documentary analysis. Six themes emerged to answer the three
statements of the problem. 1.) Theme 1: Experiences of Teachers in Teaching MTB-MLE. 2. MTB
- MLE as a language. 3.) Challenges encountered in MTB- MLE Implementation 4.) Strategies to
Cope with Difficulties and Demands of Utilizing MTB- MLE 5.) Pillars of support in Teaching
MTB-MLE 6.) Positive Attitudes among MTB teachers towards Teaching in the Mother Tongue,
and 7.) Enhancing Policy for Better Outcomes. To sum up, this study showed the benefits and
challenges of using the mother tongue as a medium of instruction in the three remote public schools
in Tagaytay City District. Results suggested a need for strict implementation of the mother tongue
as a medium of instruction. Also, the resources must be appropriately allocated to fund the
instructional materials needed. Elementary teachers must be proficient in the Filipino language.
They must give time and effort to develop the learners' skills in the national language. Thus, an
enhanced capacity-building training program for elementary teachers was designed for
consideration.