Policy Enactment in MTB-MLE Big Book Making Among Teachers in Buguias, Benguet PDF

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UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Anthropology and Sociology of Education) MARIA MERCEDES ESTIGOY ARZADON Policy Enactment in MTB-MLE Big Book Making Among Teachers in Buguias, Benguet Dissertation Adviser Eufracio C. Abaya, Ph.D. Dissertation Reader Romylyn A. Metila,...

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UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Anthropology and Sociology of Education)

MARIA MERCEDES ESTIGOY ARZADON

Policy Enactment in MTB-MLE Big Book Making Among Teachers in Buguias, Benguet Dissertation Adviser Eufracio C. Abaya, Ph.D. Dissertation Reader Romylyn A. Metila, Ph.D. College of Education University of the Philippines Date of Submission January 2021 Dissertation Classification: F This dissertation is available to the public.

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APPROVAL SHEET The dissertation attached hereto, entitled “POLICY ENACTMENT IN MTB-MLE BIG BOOK MAKING AMONG TEACHERS IN BUGUIAS, BENGUET,” prepared and submitted by MARIA MERCEDES ESTIGOY ARZADON, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Anthropology and Sociology of Education) is hereby accepted.

EUFRACIO C. ABAYA, Ph.D. Adviser

ROMYLYN A. METILA, Ph.D. Critic Reader

ALELI B. BAWAGAN, Ph.D. Member

CLEMENT C. CAMPOSANO Ph.D. Member

VIRGILIO P. MANZANO Ph.D. Member Accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Anthropology and Sociology of Education).

JEROME T. BUENVIAJE, Ph.D. Dean

(Signatures on the hard copy)

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Acknowledgments This dissertation journey is the most challenging and intense experience I have ever had as a graduate student and teacher. I often wished that I was younger and had more energy. Despite the pains and difficulties, I believe that it was worth it. It was heartwarming to go back to places in Benguet where I spent my first years of schooling and be reminded of the thrill of holding and reading storybooks for the first time. It was a great privilege to meet the trailblazing and creative big book makers and teachers of Buguias. I genuinely hope that their examples will be multiplied in all villages. I would like to appreciate the following madams especially --Herminia Osting, Teresita Madinno, Nerissa Culas, Patricia Allatis, Mildred Julian, Pilita Sab-it, Rose Organo, Elizabeth Lawa, Margarette Palasi, Nila Marcelo, Ofelia Osting, Claire Balasin, Juliet Cario, Rosevelle Satur, and Fabielyn Baguista; Benguet CID Chief Dr. Rizalyn Guznian and SDS Dr. Carolyn Verano. Namwaw. Sinaay dissertation ko et para en dakayo. As I end this journey, I honestly say that I could not have completed the course without the support given by my panel members, friends, and colleagues. I am genuinely grateful to my dissertation adviser, Dr. Eufracio Abaya, for his brilliance and unconditional commitment in guiding me closely until the end despite my many shortcomings. It was an honor to have Sir Fras and my former thesis adviser, Dr. Julian Abuso, as mentors in ethnographic research. I thank my critic-reader, Dr. Romylyn Metila, for her meticulousness and thoroughness in reviewing my manuscript and for sharing my passion for MTB-MLE. My heartfelt appreciation to the other

iii members of my dissertation panel -- Dr. Clement Camposano, Dr. Virgilio Manzano, and Dr. Aleli Bawagan. Their critical insights informed by their scholarly endeavors have enriched my research practice. Special credits to authors, scholars, and experts here and abroad who personally shared their knowledge, insights, and practical suggestions regarding the contents of my research and the requirements of dissertation writing: A. Agcaoili, A. Azurin, A. Cortez, A. Igcalinos, A. Pennycook, A. Resurreccion, A. Vasquez, B. Fortuna, C. Young, D/G. Dekker, D. Lancy, D. Ocampo, E. Calinawagan, E. Lineses, E. Paderna, E. Que, F. Datar, F. Nava, F. Pado, G. Bonior, G. Koo, G. Pante, I. Martin, J. Ball, J. Buenviaje, J. Cauyan, J. Cummins, J. Guadalupe, K. Bang, K. Heugh, K. Kosonen, K. Person, L. Astete, L. Gumba, L. Liwanag, L. Magtoto, D. Maquiran, L. Olegario, M. Awid, M. Calis, M. Espedillon, M. Faelnar, M. Gunigundo, M. Ngales, M. Rosero, M. Salvador, M. Tangtengco, N. Imperial, P. Giron, P. Padilla, P. Romerosa, R. Hopson, R. Nolasco, R. Villaneza, S. Ball, S. Mendoza, S. Son, R. Suatengco, T. Bustos, T. Canuto, R. Yangco, and L. Zubiri. Maraming salamat for the warm encouragements expressed by friends and colleagues from the following groups. I wish I can identify each person, but I might miss some names: UP College of Education faculty, administration staff, students, and alumni Society of Strategic Education Studies MTB-MLE community in DepEd, 170+ Talaytayan MLE, SIL, UNESCO-AP MLEWG, and MTB-MLE Advocates FB Group ALS implementers support group Navigator Loving Communities Former classmates from UPD and PUPLHS, including orgmates from UPCCC Arzadon and Estigoy family members and other relatives Agyamanak unay iti addu nga kararag ken dakkel nga ayatyo -- my devoted parents, Mario and Irenea Estigoy, very loving and generous spouse, Soc, and our awe-inspiring children -- Cocoy, Aio, and Tembi. Finally, unending praise and thanksgiving to our great God for sustaining me and making all things possible. May the stories and knowledge produced through this dissertation help accomplish His purposes for a happier, just, and more nurturing world.

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Abstract This ethnographic research, informed by Anthropology and Sociology of Educational Policy, examines the policy enactment in the MTB-MLE big book making among teachers in Buguias, Benguet. Policy enactment is the complex way policies are perceived and interpreted alongside/against contextual factors by various actors. The research setting is the school district of Buguias, Benguet, known to have produced more than 300 big book stories. Data collection and validation were undertaken from September 2018 to April 2020. The study utilized various data elicitation strategies of ethnography like participant observation, class observation, interviews, document, and artifact analysis. The findings of the study reveal that the local policy actors translated the MTB-MLE policy into a localized book supply chain that generated the big books for the MTB-MLE program in Buguias. Secondly, the policy was enacted through contextualization practices that created stories about the place, cultural values, and environmental concerns. And thirdly, the policy was translated as a literacy instruction approach called ANIDUT. This approach utilizes a locally made Kankanaey primer, standardized and intellectualized academic register of the local language, a set of big books, and ways that made reading a positive experience. Fulfilling the roles of policy actors were the teachers, school heads, supervisors, illustrators, digital printing shop operators, language experts, and the big book (as a non-human actor). Being policy entrepreneurs and enthusiasts, the teachers developed expertise as teacherwriters, teacher-ethnographers, and teacher as MTB-MLE literacy leaders. The big book makers were motivated in various ways -- to provide a child-friendly learning experience, fulfill the expectations of an MTB-MLE pilot school, become counted in a collective effort of big book

v making, and earn merits for career advancement. The agency of the big book as a policy actant became apparent as it heightened the visibility and symbolic value of the MTB-MLE policy. The MTB-MLE policy as an actant was found to be limited in its power. The analysis of contextual factors uncovers the following enabling conditions: the spaces for creativity provided by the piloting stage; training and mentoring relationships; teacher incentives; technical resources; and the situatedness of the place. The disabling conditions include the stringent quality assurance processes, lack of funding support, limited authorship, adversarial relationships, normalization of impoverished (storybook-less) literacy instruction, and the economistic and hierarchical view of languages. As a contribution to the discourse on Anthropology and Sociology of Educational Policy as well as the field of MTB-MLE, this study has attempted to demonstrate the importance of educational ethnography in grounding the complexities of policy enactments embodied in the making and use of the MTB-MLE big books in a given locale. Accordingly, the study has formulated a conceptual model for analyzing policy enactments of MTB-MLE big book making that may be conducted in other settings.

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Table of Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ ix List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ x List of Appendices ....................................................................................................................... xii List of Acronyms ........................................................................................................................ xiii Part 1: Setting the Path .............................................................................................................. xv Chapter I Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Background of the Study ............................................................................................................ 1 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................................ 6 Significance of the Study ............................................................................................................ 7 Scope and Delimitations of the Study ......................................................................................... 8 Preview of the succeeding chapters ............................................................................................ 9 Chapter II Review of Related Literature and Conceptual Framework .............................. 12 Part 1: Historical Context.......................................................................................................... 12 Language and Education Policies ............................................................................................. 12 From English-Only to local languages. ............................................................................................................. 12 MTB-MLE policies ............................................................................................................................................. 14 Big book policies as part of the K-12. ................................................................................................................ 16

Historical Background: Big book making ................................................................................ 18 First story books for Filipino learners. .............................................................................................................. 18 Readers for the Vernacular Education Program. .............................................................................................. 20 Children's literature in recent years. ................................................................................................................. 21 Children’s literature in the Cordillera. .............................................................................................................. 23 The big book idea. .............................................................................................................................................. 24 Big books in a Maori classroom. ....................................................................................................................... 25 Small Philippine villages.................................................................................................................................... 26 MTB-MLE instruction. ....................................................................................................................................... 27

Practices in the acquisition of storybooks in public schools..................................................... 28 Part 2: Theoretical orientation: Policy Enactment .................................................................... 31 What is a policy? ................................................................................................................................................ 31 Social structures. ................................................................................................................................................ 33 Strategic interpretation and translation. ............................................................................................................ 34 Contextual factors. ............................................................................................................................................. 35 Policy actors. ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 Artifacts/objects as an actant in policy enactment. ............................................................................................ 39 Applying the Policy Enactment theory in MTB-MLE studies. ............................................................................ 41

Part 3: Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................. 45 Synthesis ................................................................................................................................... 46 Definition of Terms ................................................................................................................... 47

vii Chapter III Methodology .......................................................................................................... 50 Research Design........................................................................................................................ 50 Research Locale and Participants ............................................................................................. 52 Site Selection. ..................................................................................................................................................... 52 Locale description. ............................................................................................................................................. 54 Vegetable basket of the North. ........................................................................................................................... 55 Study participants. ............................................................................................................................................. 56 Translation services. .......................................................................................................................................... 59 Anonymity concerns. .......................................................................................................................................... 60

Research Instruments ................................................................................................................ 60 Interview guide. .................................................................................................................................................. 60 Observation guides. ........................................................................................................................................... 61

Research procedure ................................................................................................................... 61 Data Collection Strategies......................................................................................................... 68 Structured and unstructured interviews. ............................................................................................................ 68 Participant and non-participant observation. .................................................................................................... 69 Storytelling observations. ................................................................................................................................... 74 Locating the big books and other documents. .................................................................................................... 77

Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 81 Member checking. .............................................................................................................................................. 81 Analyzing the big books found in Buguias schools. ........................................................................................... 81 Organizing and analyzing my fieldnotes. ........................................................................................................... 83

My Positionality as an Ethnographer ........................................................................................ 86 Part 2 Policy Enactments and their Consequences .................................................................. 88 Chapter IV Translating the MTB-MLE Policy into a Localized Book Supply Chain ........ 89 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 89 Interpreting the MTB-MLE policies at the pilot schools .......................................................... 90 Localized Book Supply Chain .................................................................................................. 91 Curriculum lessons inform the story plots. ........................................................................................................ 93 Climbing a mountain: constructing a coherent story. ........................................................................................ 94 Writing and editing the story. ............................................................................................................................. 94 Adding the illustrations. ..................................................................................................................................... 95 Printing and binding. ......................................................................................................................................... 96 Quality assurance and sharing through the LRMDS portal............................................................................... 96

The Policy Actors in the Book Supply Chain ........................................................................... 99 The entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and the translators. .......................................................................................... 99 The transactors or policy brokers. ................................................................................................................... 114 The mis-translators and policy critics. ............................................................................................................. 115 The big book as an actant: the materiality of policy. ....................................................................................... 117

The Enabling Contextual Factors............................................................................................ 120 Spaces for creativity during the pilot stage. ................................................