Assessing Teachers’ Awareness of Palaw’an Indigenous Beliefs and Practices in Panitian, Sofronio Española, Palawan, Philippines

Abstract

This study examines the level of teacher’s awareness on Palaw’an beliefs and pratices at Panitian, Sofronio Espanola, Palawan, Philippines. Hence, this study analyzed the teachers’ level of awareness on Palaw’an beliefs and practices at Panitian, Sofronio Espanola, Palawan, Philippines in terms of kinship, languages, livelihood, religious beliefs, tribal system, literary arts, musical instruments, and rituals. The respondents of the study are teachers from Panitian National High School and Panitian Elementary School of Barangay Panitian, Sofronio Espanola, Palawan, Philippines. This study employed probability sampling methods using stratified sampling in determining the respondents of the study. Using Slovin’s Formula, the required sample size was determined with the preferred margin of error at 5%. The computed sample is thirty-one (31) from the population of thirty-four (34) secondary teachers of Panitian National High School, while twenty-four (24) from the population of twenty-five (25) elementary teachers of Panitian Elementary School bringing the total to 55 respondents. This study utilized quantitative method of research. To assess this awareness effectively, the study employed a combination of quantitative descriptive measures, including frequency counts, percentages, and means. A researcher-made questionnaire was employed. Moreover, this questionnaire was subjected to content validation of experts before it was administered to the respondents. The findings of this study reveal that teachers' awareness of various aspects of Palaw’an culture generally falls within the moderate range, with mean ratings for kinship (4.22), language (4.15), livelihood (5.31), religious beliefs (4.23), tribal systems (5.07), and rituals (4.29) all categorized as moderate level of awareness. However, areas such as literary arts (mean = 3.99) and musical instruments (mean = 3.92) reflect low levels of awareness. This study will serve as an eye-opener to the curriculum planner to give emphasis and monitor the implementation of curriculum indigenization and its relation to the level of cultural awareness of teachers in the field. Furthermore, the school administrators may consider this study to conceptualize a training program that will help enhance teachers’ awareness of Palaw’an beliefs and practices of their community. Moreover, this study will help indigenous students feel more valued members of the society.