Analysis of Questions on Vocabulary Instruction in Grade 2 Mother Tongue, Filipino, and English Self-Learning Modules

Abstract

Questioning can be a strategy to teach vocabulary to learners. This study identified levels of questions used when teaching vocabulary in Grade 2 Mother Tongue (MT), Filipino, and English self-learning modules (SLMs), which served as an instructional material for independent study and alternative learning delivery mode during pandemic-caused school closure. It also investigated the similarities and differences of the questions asked in the SLMs in the three languages. Using quantitative content analysis, all the vocabulary-related questions were noted, and their levels were distinguished following the Anderson and Krathwohl-revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. The prototype analysis of one module in each language was validated by an expert before applying it to the rest of the materials. Using comparative analysis, similarities and differences among the questions in the SLMs in the three languages were determined based on the specific levels of the questions, whether these were low order or high order, and the type of answers they required of the learners. Results of the analysis of the SLMs for one quarter of the school year show that questions at the remembering level (a low-order level) were asked most frequently in the SLMs in all three languages. There were no questions at the analysis, evaluation, and synthesis levels (high-order levels). The most common question based on the required answer is the equivalent Mother Tongue or Filipino word of an English word, which suggests language interdependence, cross-language transfer, and translanguaging. Further research is recommended to determine the effectiveness of this strategy in developing vocabulary among learners.