School Philosophy and the UPIS Elementary Curriculum

Authors

  • Ruth A. Salazar

Keywords:

philosophy, education, curriculum, elementary, UP Integrated School, qualitative research, learner-centered

Abstract

The Philosophy of a school is an essential factor in determining the institution’s foundations and beliefs about learning. The school philosophy must be a significant consideration in any curriculum development activity in serving as the guiding principle of educational institutions. This study determined the internalization of the school’s philosophy by interviewing the administrators and faculty members of the University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) and aimed to examine whether the school’s philosophy of education is reflected in the intended elementary curriculum. It explored how the school philosophy is echoed in the UPIS elementary curriculum and determined the teachers’ perceptions and interpretations of the importance of school philosophy. This qualitative research utilized document analysis and key informant interviews (KII) among administrators and seasoned faculty members of the UPIS elementary school. Purposive sampling-6 female UPIS administrators/teachers. The available document was subjected to curriculum mapping to check the alignment of goals with the graduate attributes and indicators which were culled from the school philosophy. The KII was examined using the Concept-Construct-Theme( CCT) analysis, which allowed the researchers to classify similar concepts and constructs, as well as develop overarching the mes using the respondents’ utterances. The study showed that UP Integrated School philosophy and core values are embedded in the general goals of the school, as well as in the different curricular, co, and extra-curricular programs. The philosophy as embodied by the attributes is introduced and applied, as foundation competencies are taught at the elementary level. The school further provides their students with opportunities to achieve the desirable attributes and core values mainly through thematic content and contextualization of topics, use of learner-centered and values integration strategies, and other classroom or school activities. Accordingly, the teachers believe that the integration of the philosophy, as embodied by the core values, is essential in molding UPIS students to serve as active agents in the fulfillment of the school philosophy, which is the transformation and promotion of a just and humane society. A more in-depth document analysis of the alignment of the program and instructional goals vis-a-vis the school philosophy should be done to generate more insight and evidence on how the philosophy is translated in each subject.

Published

2019-03-18