Toward Curricular Reform: Warranting the Need for an Advanced Philippine History Course in Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) Major in Social Studies Programs in the Philippines

Abstract

The research explored the integration of Philippine history content in the training of Social Studies professionals and how advanced instruction on Philippine History could be included in the Bachelor's course for Secondary Education (BSEd) majoring in Social Studies. The study used semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to capture the impression of fourteen (14) purposively selected secondary school teachers with at most two years of teaching experience concerning their preparation for history education in La Union, as well as their proposal to beef up the teacher education program. The results showed that teachers knew basic facts about Philippine history, but felt their college education left them wanting – especially in terms of explaining historical events and processes; putting developments into context; and engaging students in historical questions. While the study clearly outlines these issues, the data suggests that participants highly value strong pedagogical preparation for future teachers and advocate strongly for both an advanced Philippine History course as well as a wider range of instructional strategies to enrich content knowledge in Araling Panlipunan. Although the existing Readings in Philippine History course helps students develop historical thinking skills, teachers felt that a more thorough disciplinary grounding was necessary to prepare future educators. In conclusion, the result of the study revealed that those amendments to have an enhanced Philippine History course are an essential part in strengthening teacher preparation and improving the instruction of Philippine history at the secondary level.