MATATAG Curriculum in Multigrade Setting: Views of English Teachers

English Language Teaching

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the views, the challenges, coping mechanisms, and insights of five English multigrade teachers in the MATATAG curriculum implementation assigned in the five different multigrade schools in Asuncion, Davao del Norte, Philippines. An in-depth interview was conducted and thematic analysis revealed that the teachers' views about the MATATAG implementation in the multigrade classrooms were very hard, challenging, lacked time allotment, but with reduced content load. Although lesson exemplars were provided, there were still no lesson exemplars used specifically in the multigrade setting. Despite this, the teachers identified some benefits from implementing the MATATAG. These were students relate to stories, organized, and promote inclusive education. They also perceived several drawbacks including a lack of resources, difficulty delivering lessons and short time allotment for its drawbacks. Their positive experiences included finding teaching less difficult, feeling challenged yet experiencing reduced preparation time, being able to manage the class better, gaining advanced knowledge, motivating learners well, and helping students develop comprehension skills and think more critically. On the other hand, challenges included ineffective delivery of lessons, difficulty in classroom management, language barriers caused by the lack of stable internet connection, and limited resources. Additional concerns were the transition to a new curriculum, use of standardized exemplars, difficulty contextualizing lessons, and a high number of activities. Teachers observed that some lessons became uninteresting, comprehension was lacking, and time was too short. However, the curriculum also helped them develop planning skills, implement more suitable activities, and deliver lessons on time in a fast-paced environment. Their coping mechanisms included being resourceful, using ready-made worksheets, applying an inquiry-based approach, managing their time wisely, incorporating videos and pictures, using differentiated instruction, and setting clear classroom rules. Although teachers were open to changes, they felt that the implementation of MATATAG was rushed. Therefore, training on English teaching strategies, multigrade lesson planning, instructional materials development, and teacher capacity building should be provided. Hence, the study recommends that support from the government and education sectors is vital to address the emerging problems of multigrade teaching under the MATATAG curriculum and to achieve the envisioned quality education across all educational contexts.

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