The Early Grade Teaching and Foundational Learning Development Classroom Practices in Literacy, Mathematics and MAKABANSA Education

Abstract

Foundational learning serves as the cornerstone of learners’ long-term academic success, particularly during the early grades where literacy, numeracy, and socio-civic understanding are initially developed. This qualitative case study explored the classroom practices of early grade teachers in literacy, mathematics, and Makabansa education and examined how these pedagogical practices contribute to foundational learning development. The study involved eight early grade teachers from public elementary schools. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis was employed in analyzing the data. Findings revealed three major themes: (1) contextualized and learner-centered instructional practices, (2) interactive and scaffolded foundational learning strategies, and (3) values-oriented and culturally grounded Makabansa integration. Teachers employed differentiated instruction, storytelling, manipulative-based learning, collaborative activities, localized examples, and experiential learning approaches to strengthen learners’ literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional competencies. However, challenges such as limited instructional resources, diverse learner needs, reading difficulties, and time constraints affected instructional implementation. Despite these challenges, teachers demonstrated adaptive pedagogical practices that supported learner engagement and foundational skill acquisition. The study highlights the importance of responsive early grade teaching practices and recommends strengthened instructional support, teacher professional development, and contextualized curriculum implementation to improve foundational learning outcomes in early childhood education.