1

TEACHER PREPARATION FOR THE UTILIZATION OF MULTI-FACTORED

ASSESSMENT TOOL (MFAT)

A Thesis (Proposal)
Submitted to
The Faculty of the Graduate School
Saint Columban College
Pagadian City

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts in Education’
Major in Special Education/Early Childhood Education

By
ERSON B. DAGDAG
December 2022

Acknowledgement
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Dedication

 
Table of Contents

Title Page………………………………………………………………………………………… i
Acknowledgement ii
Dedication iii
Table of Contents iv
Chapter 1 1
Introduction 1
Background of the Study 1
Theoretical Perspective 2
Statement of the Problem 4
Significance of the Study 5
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Definition of Terms 6
Chapter 2 8
Research Methods 8
Research Design 8
Research Environment 8
Research Participants8
Research Instruments9
Data Gathering Techniques 9
Data Analysis 9
References 11
Appendix A 12
Appendix B 13

Chapter 1
Introduction
Background of the Study

Background of the Study

According to Disability and Health (2021) research, an estimated billion people, or 15%
of the world's population, live with some disability. In the Philippines alone, Inquirer
(2022) reports that 15 million out of 100 million Filipino children, youth, and adults have
disabilities. The Department of Education (2021) reported that 3.3 million of this
population are in schools. These learners with disabilities experience barriers and
challenges that hinder their full access to and participation in the K to 12 Basic
Education.
According to UNICEF (2016), it is essential that every Filipino child, whatever their
circumstance, has access to learning that offers a quality, inclusive and relevant
curriculum. With the Philippines adopting Inclusive Education through RA 11650 signed
by President Duterte (Magsambol, 2022) and with the issuance of the Department of
Education of the Deped Order 72, s. 2009 (Department of Education 2009), there is a
clear need for a robust Identification Process for Children with Special Needs. One of the
items stipulated in the said memorandum order is training teachers for Inclusive
Education practices. It signifies the need for teachers to equip themselves and that their
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readiness matters in the effective implementation of Inclusive Education. The

memorandum further discloses that Special Education in the Philippines has only served
2% of the targeted 2.2 million children with disabilities in the country. It shows just how
much of a lack there is accommodating our learners with special needs.
As shown in the results of the study by Sagun et al. (2020) suggests, there is a need to
take immediate action to adequately address system bottlenecks in the early detection
and identification of children with special needs for the successful implementation of
Inclusive Education. Identifying and assessing children with needs becomes the prime
step in providing equal access to Education. According to Sagun K. et al. (2020), Early
Detection and Intervention (EDI) is a system of services that promote development in the
critical early years of childhood, and how invaluable this serves to achieve Inclusive
Education.
The Department of Education issued the Deped Order 23, series of 2022 or the Child
Find Policy which emphasizes the need to ensure a process that would identify, locate,
and evaluate learners with disabilities and eventually facilitate their inclusion in the
general basic education system. There is a clear mandate and need to identify children
who have disabilities. Assessment and identification form an essential component in the
delivery of primary Education to our LSENs.
A study by Villamero (2014) mentions that Assessment is an indispensable part of the
educational system, especially in educating Learners with Special Educational Needs.
Assessment refers to obtaining information for decisions about students, curriculum and
programs, and academic policies. According to McLeskey, J. Barringer et al. (2017),
Assessment plays a foundational role in Special Education. Assessment and
identification of children with special needs prove critical in delivering primary quality
education. It is vital in upholding the mandate of The Philippine Constitution, which
articulates the government's commitment to protect and promote the rights of all
individuals to quality education and to provide appropriate measures to make Education
accessible for all.
Moreover, DepEd Order No.44 series 2021 (Department of Education. 2021) stipulates
that Assessment is critical in clearly establishing the goals for the learning and
development areas for learners with disabilities. Furthermore, to continue monitoring
their progress in all domains of development, namely, the cognitive, socio-emotional,
physical, motor, and moral-spiritual domains.
Identifying students with disabilities is critical because it determines who is eligible for
special education rights and unique additional resources and services within the general
student body. The goal of the identification process is to ensure that students with
academic, functional, or behavioral issues are identified in school and receive vital
support services. However, this is easier said than done. Research from Narathakoon et
al.(2020) in Thailand reported some factors that affect the ineffectiveness of the
conducted Assessment, one of which is the lack of confidence and knowledge of
teachers on Assessment, which can harm their practices. A published paper by the
University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (2022)
mentions that schools and teachers where children with disabilities live the closest
lacked the training in assessing and addressing diverse needs and differentiated
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instruction of these types of learners. It takes a skill on the part of teachers to administer
Assessments. Woods & Griffin (2013) mentions that it takes judgment-based
performance measurement for teachers to direct observations to meaningful shifts and
transformations in foundational literacy skills for students with additional needs. A study
by Smeets, E., & Roeleveld, J. (2016) showed significant predictors in being identified
with Special Educations Needs. It may come from results of tests, teachers' view on
pupils' performance below expectation, less attitude to work, and being more dependent
on the teacher. In a study, Akua Mensah F.et al. (2016) mention the importance of Early
Childhood Education and how it is a crucial element for growth and development and
further disclose in the study how there is a need for improved training for practitioners
working in early year's settings.
The Department of Education (2018) issued the Policy on the Utilization of Multi-
Factored Assessment Tool (MFAT), which is the DepEd Order No. 29, s. 2018. The
Policy on implementing a multi-factored assessment tool aimed at identifying and
assessing grade 1 learners enrolled in regular schools who may exhibit developmental
advancement or delays or have manifestations of learning disability and may need
education services and other services. This Policy aims to identify Learners with Special
Educational Needs (LSENs) who may need Education and medical/allied services and
assist teachers in planning and designing instructions appropriate for LSENs.
The Multi-Factored Assessment Tool (MFAT) is a screening tool to gather information on
learners' strengths, needs, learning styles, and other educational concerns. It is an
activity-based assessment covering the five domains of learning. (a) Cognitive, (b)
Communication, (c) Socio-Emotional, (d) Psycho-Motor, and (e) Daily Living Skills.
Research from Lou M. Luisen and Deo A. Deloy (2022) reports that one of the factors in
successfully implementing a particular program is properly disseminating the information
and its nature to the implementers. In their study, one of the findings shows that many of
the teacher respondents lacked information and knowledge about Assessment and how
to handle learners with special needs. It reports the need for more training to conduct
MFAT. Furthermore, the study showed that there is a need for teachers that would be
implementing MFAT to be resourceful, patient, cooperative, and committed.
A few research studies about the study of MFAT Bernadeth An, Emelyn Batarao:
(2019) and Lou M. Luis, J., & Deo A. Deloy, E. (2022) but none have dwelled on the
preparation of teachers in conducting the Assessment Tool. So, the research would like
to explore teachers' level of preparation in utilizing the Assessment Tool.
Furthermore, the researcher believes that as the Department of Education issues the
mandate to utilize the MFAT, it is therefore essential to determine the teachers'
preparations for using the assessment tool, as these contribute significantly to the
implementation of the Policy implementation.

Theoretical Perspective
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The concept and idea of this study is derived from Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory
(1997). It referred to the confidence of a person’s ability to carry out behaviors required
to produce specific achievements in results. Self-efficacy represented confidence and
ability to control one's own motivation, actions, and social environment (Forsyth & Carey,
2009). It is believed that Self-Efficacy influence behaviors and environments and in turn
be affected by them. In this study, the Self-Efficacy Theory supported it as the
Department has mandated the schools to conduct the assessment in grade 1 pupils by
all grade 1 teachers. From this perspective, the researcher is interested to see how the
grade one teachers Self-Efficacy contributes to their ability for performing and utilizing
the MFAT. How will their level of preparation in utilizing the MFAT look like with their
level of Self-Efficacy. Will they be confident to implement well the tool for their students
and how to utilize the tool and assess the students?

Statement of the Problem

The study will probe grade I teachers preparations for utilizing the MFAT. It focuses on
Grade 1 teachers of one of the districts in Labangan as the research participants. The
study will be conducted during the school year 2022-2023.
Specifically, the study aims to answer the central question, “How do grade 1 teacher
describe their preparations for utilizing the Multi-factored Assessment Tool?” It aims to
answer the following queries:
1. What preparations have the grade 1 teachers made in the utilization of the MFAT?
2. What challenges have they encountered in their preparation and in the utilization
of the Multi-factored Assessment Tool?”
3. How did they overcome their challenges?
4. Based on the findings, what action plan can be developed from the study?

Significance of the Study

This study will benefit everyone with a great interest in assessing and identifying children
with special needs. The results of this study will be, specifically, beneficial to the
following:
Department of Education. The study will be indicative of the policy implementation
success. It would also serve as a basis for designing intervention programs for grade 1
teachers to implement the MFAT utilization.
Children with Special Educational Needs (CSENs). The CSENs will benefit much from
this study. As teachers in regular education, teachers are equipped with the skills to
identify possible early signs of developmental delays and therefore be given early
interventions and proper placement. The target beneficiaries of this effort of professional
advancement and improvement are these CSENs.
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Future researchers. This study will provide baseline data for future researchers aiming to
conduct similar or related studies on assessing and identifying children with special
needs, particularly in utilizing the Multi-Factored Assessment Tool.

Definition of Terms
Assessment. This is the continuous process of identifying the strengths and weaknesses
of the child through the use of formal and informal tools for proper program grade
placement.
Children with Special Educational Needs (CSENs). Children that are described as
“those who require special education services and modification of school practices to
access educational opportunities and the general education curriculum
Inclusive Education the philosophy of accepting all children regardless of race, size,
shape, color, ability or disability with support from school staff, students, parents and. the
community.
Multi-Factored Assessment Tool (MFAT is a screening tool intended to gather
information on learner's strengths, needs, learning styles, and other educational
concerns.
Chapter 2
Research Methods
Research Design
A case study is a qualitative approach in which the researcher collects detailed and in-
depth information through real life, a limited current situation, or multiple sources of
information over a given time and presents a situation description or situation themes
(Creswell, 2018, p. 97). A qualitative case study is a bounded system that could be a
person, a program, or an event. Once the case has been determined, research
questions are formulated as the basis for setting the boundaries of the case and in the
data analysis. An appropriate epistemological framework is utilized by using it as a lens
for understanding the phenomenon or case. Data collection can be through
observation/s recorded in field notes, interviews, or focus group discussions recorded in
transcripts, and a checklist of documents needed and their collection. Data analysis for a
case study is a complex process of moving back and forth between the collected data
and the intention of the study to construct meaning (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Coding is
a process of making notations on segments from the data that are responsive to
research questions. Open coding is the process of highlighting keywords lifted from
relevant transcripts. In contrast, axial coding is the process of grouping open codes that
seem to go together and come from interpretation and reflection on meaning (Richards,
2015, cited in Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Category construction is derived from the
classification system reflecting the recurring regularities or patterns that become the
categories or themes. The categories are conceptual elements that cover units of data
from the coding. These are abstractions derived from the data and not the data
themselves (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
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The research uses Meriam Case Study Qualitative approach design for it aims to explore
and understand the experiences of grade one teachers in their preparation regarding the
implementation of MFAT in teaching learners.
Research Environment
The research study will be conducted in the Zamboanga del Sur Division in one of the
Districts in Labangan consisting of nine elementary schools with grade one teachers that
will be the prime implementers of the MFAT policy to their children, making the
environment ideal for the research study.
Research Participants
The researcher will utilize all nine Grade- I Teachers of the nine elementary
school of Labangan II District as participants of the study. The study employed purposive
sampling in selecting the target participants. Since MFAT is a screening tool that will be
used to determine possible development lag in learners, the researcher opted to exclude
grade 1 teachers who are teaching in the Special Science Curriculum and only those
whose coming from the regular classes.
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Research Instruments
Observation, interviews, and analyses are important activities of qualitative research
(Meriam and Tisdell, 2016,). In this study, research data were collected with semi-
structured interview technique. The researcher will be the main instrument of this study
guided by an interview guide. An interview guide will be developed to explore the grade I
teachers’ preparation for the utilization of MFAT. The researcher will utilize an audio
recording device during the interview proper to focus on the participants' responses and
generate a transcript after the interview. The researcher will write the observations made
during the conduct of the interview. In the field notes, the researcher will capture the
non-verbal data and nuances about the environmental context in which the study was
conducted. The behavior and activities observed provide a holistic representation of the
research problem. Finally, the researcher will prepare a checklist of the needed
documents and materials necessary to conduct the MFAT be prepared as a guide in
finding these relevant documents and materials o substantiate the data collection even
more.

Data Gathering Procedure

The moment the interview guide will be validated, the researcher shall seek permission
from the Department of Education office in Zamboanga del Sur Schools Division Office
through the office of the Schools Division Superintendent, the District Supervisor of
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Labangan (Elementary level), and the School Principal of the undisclosed schools in
Labangan. Once permission will be granted, the researcher will be sending letter of
invitation and shall request consent from the target research participants. Once the
teachers will give their consent to participate in the study, the researcher will then be
asking for an appointment date for a formal interview proper with them. Before the actual
data-gathering process, the researcher will prepare an audio recording device, a cellular
phone preferably, to record the conduct of the in-depth interview. Before the interview
proper, the researcher will first discuss the rights of the target participants. A permission
to record the interview using an audio-recording device for later transcriptions will be
asked from each of the participant. On the day of the interview appointment, the
researcher will reiterate to the interviewees their rights as participants, especially their
right to withdraw during the interview. The researcher will start the audio recording prior
to the actual interview. Each interviewee will be allowed to express their side and answer
the questions.
Data Analysis
The data from the responses of the research participants will be analyzed using
Category Construction to make sense of the data. According to Merriam and Tisdell
(2016), the process begins with the first transcript from an interview, the first look at the
field notes, and the first take on the documents. This is followed by making notations
next to the collected data through coding (from open coding to analytical coding). And
finally, the analysis moves from the complex coding process to category construction,
which is highly inductive. In naming the categories, categories constructed must be
responsive to the research questions, exhaustive, mutually exclusive, sensitizing, and
conceptually congruent. Through this case study design, the researcher is able to
provide a holistic description, interpretation, and analysis of the preparation experiences
of the grade I teachers for utilizing the MFAT.
Ethical Considerations in Research
To ensure integrity and quality, the researchers considered ethical standards in
gathering their data, analyzing it, and disseminating the findings. The following ethical
guidelines were taken into consideration during the research period:
Confidentiality. The researchers maintained the confidentiality of the data from the
research participants. To safeguard confidentiality, the researchers focus only on shared
experiences. The researchers also did not reveal the identity of the research
participants.
Voluntary participation. The researchers ensured that the involvement of the BPED
students was voluntary. They laid out the conditions for participating in their research in
the informed consent. Once the research participants gave their support, the
researchers scheduled the virtual focus group discussion.
References
Akua Mensah, F., & Badu-Shayar, J. (2016). Identification of Special Educational Needs
for Early Childhood Inclusive Education in Ghana. Journal of Education and Practice
Vol.7, No.11. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1099548
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Assessment in Special Education: Philippines. (2016, Oct 20). Retrieved from

https://tinyurl.com/k3n3pedj
Bernadeth An,Emelyn Batarao. (2019) Results Interpretation of Multi-Factored
Assessment Tool (MFAT) of Grade one Pupils in Pinagbayanan Elementary School:
Basis for Interventions, Ascendens Asia Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Abstracts,
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Bruggink, M., Goei, S., & Koot, H. (2013). Characteristics of teacher-identified students
with special educational needs in Dutch mainstream primary education. Educational
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Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, D. J. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative,
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Cruz, K. (2022, May 26). Child Find policy used for learners with disabilities. The Manila
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Bulletin. https://tinyurl.com/5xkdsuje
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Ed Smeets & Jaap Roeleveld. (2016) The identification by teachers of special
educational needs in primary school pupils and factors associated with referral to special
education, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 31:4, 423-439,
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Inquirer, P. D. (2022, September 27). Restore Sped’s budget. INQUIRER.Net.
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Lou M. Luisen, J., & Deo A. Deloy, E. (2022). Lived Experiences of Untrained Public
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Merriam, S. & Tisdell, E. (2016). Qualitative Research: A guide to design and

implementation, 4th edition.Jossey-Bass
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Appendix A
[Permission to conduct the study]
 
Appendix B
(Instrument A)
Teacher Preparation for the Utilization of Multi-Factored Assessment Tool (MFAT)
By: ERSON B. DAGDAG
Interview Guide
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Engaging Question:
1. How are you?
2. How long have you been teaching grade I pupils?
Focus Questions:
3. What preparations have you made in utilizing the Multi-Factored Assessment Tool?
4. What are the challenges you have encountered in preparations for utilizing the Multi-
factored Assessment Tool?”
5. How do you cope up with the challenges you have encountered?

Exit Question:
6. Is there anything else you would like to say or anything you can add?