Basic Education Curriculum under the Newly Implemented K to 10 (MATATAG) Curriculum in the Philippines: The Case of Science Education

ABSTRACT


INTRODUCTION
The education curriculum is dynamic and responsive to the needs of the community and states.Young (2014) states that curriculum is a social fact; its purpose is to create possibilities for the betterment of the community.Moreover, curriculum reform is crucial since society is dynamic (Campbel, 2020;Reis, 2018).Changes in the components of society can profoundly affect the members of the state (Newman, 2005;Snooks, 2002).Therefore, updating the community members' skills and competencies is crucial for sustainable development within the locality, states, and the globe (Jacobs, 2010).However, it is also crucial to understand the current and future needs of the community before implementing curriculum reform (Gouëdard et al., 2020).Thus, this study was created to uncover the purpose of the recent curriculum reform in the Philippine basic education system under the science curriculum and how this reform addresses the modern demands of the workforce.Evidence of curriculum reform in basic education shows a dynamic and rigorous process.This is conducted to ensure that the developed curriculum is responsive to the needs of society (Pate et al., 2001) without compromising future demands (Vreuls et al., 2022).Although implementing the new curriculum is challenging primarily due to adjustments by different groups (e.g., teachers, administrators, stakeholders, learners, etc.…) (Assunção Flores, 2005;Bennie & Newstead, 1999;Nuraeni et al., 2020), this can be overridden with enough training and support on the side of educators and administrators (Echols et al., 2018;LaChausse et al., 2014).In addition, informing the general public regarding the nature of the newly implemented curriculum is also crucial since this diverse group of people will directly benefit from the educational reform (Craig, 2009;Warren, 2005).The study of Campbel (2020) on curriculum reform in science education indicated how crucial change is in uplifting learners' skills.In addition, Eilks (2015) and Ekamilasari & Pursitasari (2021) acknowledge the importance of science education in transforming the community and ensuring sustainable development.This suggests the crucial role of education institutions in shaping the present and future of the community by creating a sustainable curriculum responsive to the needs of future generations, thus eliminating different forms of discrimination (Gay, 2015;Kieran & Anderson, 2019;Mayfield & Garrison-Wade, 2015).Therefore, ensuring that the curriculum in science education effectively addresses current issues is a must in curriculum reform.In the Philippines, the former K to 12 curriculum implemented in 2012 offers a major reform in basic education by adding two years in the secondary level (refers to senior high school -Grade 11 and 12).In this curriculum, it is mandated by the state that the senior high school level is also compulsory in the basic education system (Republic of the Philippines, 2013).In addition, another feature of this curriculum is the implementation of the "mother language or regional/native language" as part of the instruction in kindergarten and the first three years of elementary education (Republic of the Philippines, 2013).This feature was added to ensure that learners have the best learning using their first language.Aside from that, the curriculum also ensures the delivery of quality education that is responsive to the global market's needs, highlighting the essential learning competencies to produce globally competent individuals.Under the K to 12 curriculum, the science discipline in the enhanced basic education also offers a wider array of opportunities for learners to become globally competent.The science curriculum highlighted the embodiment of scientific, technological, and environmental competency to produce highly competent individuals necessary for sustainable development (Department of Education, 2016).Moreover, to accomplish these goals, the Department of Education released a curriculum guide containing the necessary learning competencies and other crucial information to effectively deliver the science discipline in the newly implemented curriculum (Department of Education, 2016).In the said document, various approaches are also given for educators to effectively carry out the curriculum and cater to the needs of learners.However, despite the preparation and proper implementation made by the Philippine government to uplift the standards of science education in the country, still the country has achieved a low performance in scientific literacy.This assumption is based on various assessments conducted in the country, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 results (taken by 15-year-olds) by the Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD), wherein the Philippines scored 357 in science, which scored below the average performance of all participating countries (OECD, 2019).A follow-up test result of PISA 2022 has yielded a score of 373 in science (OECD, 2023), gaining a minimal increase from the PISA 2018 result.In addition, the result of the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2019 conducted on Grade 4 learners by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) resulted in a 247 score in science (low performance) (Mullis et al., 2020).The findings of the international assessments on basic education scientific concepts among learners in the country served as baseline data on how to approach science education.Local studies have also expressed concerns regarding the status of science education and learners in the country, such as the study of Bernardo et al. (2023) and De La Cruz (2022).The findings of these studies have recommended what priority areas should be considered and needed to be integrated into science education in the country to achieve desirable outcomes (e.g., the role of Industry 4.0, personal and contextual learning, etc.).Thus, with the outgoing K to 12 Curriculum, it is very crucial to understand the critical issues that the former curriculum has and use these issues as a stepping stone in creating a new curriculum that is responsive to the needs of society.On January 30, 2023, the Vice-President (VP) of the Philippines and former Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Z. Duterte announced the new curriculum of basic education in the country (Department of Education, 2023b).Following this announcement, DepEd issued DepEd Memorandum No. 054, s 2023, which indicated the pilot implementation of the new curriculum in the country (Department of Education, 2023a).This move by the Department of Education was created to ensure the smooth transition of the new curriculum following its gradual implementation in the School Year (SY) 2024 -2025.Thus, following the discussions, this study examined the new MATATAG or K to10 curriculum in basic education in the Philippines, specifically in science education, to uncover how responsive this new curriculum in the modern demands.Specifically, this study aims to address the following questions: (1) What is/are the underlying reason/s for the curriculum reform in the Philippines (MATATAG/ K to 10 Curriculum)?; (2) What are the new features highlighted in the newly implemented MATATAG Science curriculum in the Philippines?and (3) What are the lifelong competencies highlighted in the MATATAG curriculum and its alignment to the global competencies needed in the 21st century, industry 4.0 and industry 5.0?

LITERATURE REVIEW K to 12 Curriculum in the Philippines
The Republic Act 10533, or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 was implemented in the Philippines to improve the overall basic education system in the country (Republic of the Philippines, 2013).This curriculum is called the K to12 curriculum following the major reforms in the Department of Education.The new feature of this curriculum is the additional two years in the secondary level, which is referred to as Senior High School (SHS) (Grade 11 and Grade 12), thus allowing learners to choose tracks as their field of expertise (Republic of the Philippines, 2013).Another main feature of this curriculum is the use of a spiral progression approach wherein topics are introduced at the early grade level and then relearned at higher grade levels with varying difficulty of concepts (Tirol, 2022).In the basic education science under the K to12 curriculum, the discipline of chemistry -matter (1st quarter), living things and their environment (2nd Quarter), Physics -Force, Motion, and Energy (3rd Quarter), and Earth and Space (4th Quarter) were the main components and arranged in the same order in the elementary education (Grade 3 to Grade 6).The same science disciplines were used in the secondary level Junior High School (JHS) (Grade 7 to Grade 10) but were arranged in different orders (Department of Education, 2016).The science curriculum in the SHS differs depending on the learners' chosen track.The science curriculum in elementary and JHS was framed based on the spiral progression Am.J. Educ. Technol. 3(3) 123-132, 2024 approach, aiming to have the best possible outcomes of scientific learning among learners.

Challenges in the K to 12 Curriculum
Despite the initiatives, the K-12 curriculum in general, has faced several challenges, including learners not attaining the necessary skills and knowledge at the desirable grade level, difficulty in teaching and implementing the intended curriculum by teachers (Robertson, Kheang, et al., 2021;Robertson, Rickards, et al., 2021as cited in Second Congressional Commission on Education, 2023), "teachers are not prepared to deliver the K-12 curriculum specifically in Filipino, Mathematics, and Science in Grades 6, 8, and 10" (Philippine National Research Center for Teacher Quality, 2017 as cited in Second Congressional Commission on Education, 2024), high cognitive demand in learner's side due to high volume of competencies of learned (Department of Education, 2022) to name a few.However, the above-mentioned challenges are just one of many challenges experienced by the country.The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the country, especially in the education sector.Schools are forced to close due to lockdowns implemented by the state to minimize the spread of the virus, and learners are forced to learn using different modalities (modules, online learning, etc...) (UNICEF, 2020).Educators and administrators are forced to adapt to the new learning modalities to deliver instruction despite problems encountered (e.g., ICT problems, preparedness to teach in an online setting, mental health, etc…) (Oducado et al., 2021;Samifanni & Gumanit, 2021;Tria, 2020).This new learning modality has impacted the education sector, and the issue of "learning gaps among learners" arises in the Philippines and other countries (UNESCO, 2021).These ongoing problems have become the center of attention in the education sector, and various initiatives have been drawn to alleviate these problems.
The K to 10 or MATATAG Curriculum On August 10, 2023, Former Vice President Sarah Z. Duterte officially announced the launching of a new curriculum to be implemented in the Philippines (Office of the Vice President, 2023).In the announcement, VP Sarah Z. Duterte mentioned that the new curriculum is named the MATATAG Curriculum or K to 10 curriculum, which will now be the heart of basic education under the Department of Education in the country.Under the new curriculum, the MATATAG curriculum has four critical components, these are: (1) MAke the curriculum relevant to produce competent and job-ready, active, and responsible citizens;

METHODOLOGY
This study employs qualitative research utilizing reviews from literature, documents, and reports from reliable sources.Qualitative research, as mentioned by Busetto et al. (2020), is a form of research that deals with studying the nature of phenomena and focuses on the question "why"?.In this study, the researcher aims to uncover the nature of the newly implemented curriculum in the Philippines and provide a new perspective to the global and scientific communities regarding the topic.Moreover, Busetto et al. (2020) added that in this method of inquiry, the most common data collection method is document study, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and observation.Thus, in this study, the researcher used document study as a data collection method to examine the nature of the new curriculum.This selection is based on Karppinen & Moe (2019) that documents (private or public institutions) have rich data and, therefore, are usable.In this study, the researcher used only electronic copies (either from private or public institutions) of documents since these documents are accessible on the databases or posted on the government or private entities' websites (with proper citations).To ensure the reliability of the study, the researcher followed several protocols in including documents to be included in the study.These include; (1) the document must be related to curriculum, MATATAG or K to10 curriculum, emerging competencies, 21st century, industry 4.0, and industry 5.0; and (2) the document must be either published in a peer-reviewed journal (for article), government documents, private industries reports and reports from reliable media sources (blogs, commentaries, and social media posts are not included).These criteria ensure that this study undergoes a rigorous process, thus ensuring that the textual data obtained are reliable.Moreover, the following procedures were carried out in this study: (1) the researcher developed the objectives of the study and wrote the background of the study; (2) the researcher then curated existing documents on the main topic of the study, which is the MATATAG curriculum.In this stage, the researcher carefully plans how to extract the necessary documents based on Bowen's (2009) evidence evaluation suggestion.These include listing all the necessary documents to be included based on the keywords, examining the authenticity of the documents based on the inclusion criteria, and finally, evaluating the overall relevance of the documents to the study.(3) After gathering the necessary documents, the researcher then reads the document thoroughly and takes notes on the crucial information based on the study's objectives; and (4) finally the researcher then writes the findings of the study.Further, this study uses document analysis to analyze the gathered documents.The researcher followed the suggestion of Bowen (2009) in analyzing documents.These include skimming (superficial examination), reading (through examination), and interpretation.In addition, as Bowen (2009) suggested, document analysis can further use content and thematic analysis.Thus, following this suggestion, the researcher uses content analysis as part of the analysis, especially in addressing objective three of the study.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This section discusses the major findings of the study with supporting literature to make the discussion more relevant in different settings: Table 1 shows the reasons for the curriculum reform in the country based on the analyzed documents and reports.Based on the analysis, the reasons are (1) Poor performance of learners in national and international assessments; (2) the Curriculum is congested and needs to decongest; (3) Insufficient time to teach the given competencies of the current curriculum (K-12 curriculum) by the teachers; and (4) Mismatch between prerequisite skills and knowledge assumed by the learning competencies.These reasons allow the Department of Education to revisit the K to12 curriculum and create a new curriculum that is responsive to the challenges and problems associated with the outgoing curriculum.By doing this, the country can produce competent learners in various fields who are experts, resilient, and adaptive to the current and future global market without compromising the country's development.Table 2 shows the comparison of the K to 12 Science Curriculum (Department of Education, 2016) and the K to 10 Science Curriculum (Department of Education, 2024) conceptual framework (except for theories).Based on the comparison, the new curriculum has several improvements to the K to 12 science curriculum framework.The overall goal of the new curriculum has added engineering literacy from technological literacy in the K to 12 curriculum, creating technology and engineering literacy.This new goal expands the application of engineering in modern and future society.The opportunities that this additional goal encompasses the quality of life that is crucial as the world progresses (Wilson-Lopez et al., 2017;Wilson &Lopez & Minichiello, 2017).In addition, according to Hamka et al. (2024) embedding technological and engineering literacy can improve students' critical thinking and problemsolving abilities.These findings are also aligned with the 21st-century skills that the Department of Education highlighted in the new curriculum.Moreover, the K to 10 curriculum adapted the K to 12  2.As mentioned in the MATATAG Curriculum Science Grade 4 and Grade 7, these interrelated content standards are the central features of the science curriculum.In addition, the general competencies are also drawn based on the nature of the interrelated competencies of the new science curriculum.These alignments are designed and organized to promote the overall goal of basic education science under the K to 10 curriculum (Department of Education, 2024).
In terms of the theoretical foundation of the new curriculum, the addition of Constructivism and experiential learning and Vygotsky's ZPD were emphasized.Constructivism and experiential learning highlight the promotion of building meaningful understanding or learning based on the learner's experience in the topics or classroom (Department of Education, 2024).Evidence suggests that by applying these theories in the classroom, learners develop a more positive attitude toward the topics (Matriano, 2020), enhance learning achievements, environmental attitude, efficacy, and problem-solving competence (Cheng et al., 2019).In addition, Vygotsky's ZPD was added to emphasize the role of teachers in molding learners to attain the desired competencies (Department of Education, 2024).Pertaining to this theory, Taber (2020) mentioned that, " capabilities of learners are best judged Am.J. Educ. Technol. 3(3) 123-132, 2024 in terms of support extended in the teaching context and effective teaching (with scaffolding)".
In terms of the approaches, the transdisciplinary approach (from multidisciplinary approach) and application-led approach are added to the new basic education science curriculum.A transdisciplinary approach is an approach that incorporates many school subjects or topics, allowing learners to be immersed in different situations, thus creating meaningful learning (Chowdhury et al., 2023;Jurgena et al., 2018).The application-led approach focuses on the applications of science concepts from real life, not on the logic of science concepts themselves (Department of Education, 2024).The addition of these new approaches makes basic science education responsive to the call for 21st-century education, creating authentic learning experiences.
Overall, the new basic education science curriculum offers new features that is responsive to the country's needs and global demands.It emphasizes the crucial role of hands-on experiences, experiential learning, and problem-based learning to promote authentic learning experiences.This way, concepts are not just being learned through memorization (rote learning) but rather with a deep understanding of how these concepts can be useful in learners' daily lives.Moreover, the emphasis on scaffolding is also crucial in basic science education, considering the diverse groups of learners.In addition, the new basic education science curriculum is also responsive to the call of 21st-century education and how the competencies can be useful in promoting lifelong learning among learners.The 21 st century is a century that began on January 1, 2001 and will continue on December 31, 2100, marking an additional 100 years of Earth's existence.This century is also often called the digital age, wherein many technological innovations were created to make work easier and production faster (Denning, 2022).Though there are many opportunities that this age brings in global supply and demand, but still preparedness and readiness remain a challenge.That is why it is very important to prepare community members in transcending to the 21st century by investing in the relevant skills crucial in this digital age (Trilling & Fadel, 2012).Industry 4.0 or Fourth Industrial Revolution, is a philosophical concept that highlights the use of intelligent digital technologies in industrial and manufacturing processes for sustainable production (Schwab, 2017).The rise of this concept brings different things, from the use of augmented reality, industrial internet of things, big data analytics, autonomous robots, virtual system integration, and many more, to improving the quality of production in current society (Schwab, 2017).In addition, another characteristic of Industry 4.0 is the rise of automation, making industries rely on technology in production (Ghobakhloo, 2020).Thus, it is very important for community members to develop skills essential in the age of automation.Moreover, Industry 5.0 is another philosophical concept highlighting the importance of humans working with the technologies (products of technologies) in the modern world (Nahavandi, 2019).In addition, this concept rises because of the emergence of automation brought by the Industry 4.0.With this philosophical concept, personalized results and production processes become efficient with humans and technologies working together.Developing competencies related to Industry 5.0 allows learners to become more adaptive and prepared in handling the challenges and opportunities brought by this philosophical concept.Furthermore, the new MATATAG or K to 10 curriculum in basic science education offers relevant competencies for graduates to develop attributes crucial in the 21st century, Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0.This assumption is based on the relevant literature supporting the competencies highlighted in the new curriculum (see Table 3).By investing on these, the Department of Education can produce globally competent and prepared individuals that are adaptive and resilient to change.Thus, it is worth noting that the new curriculum set by the Department of Education is responsive to the current demands in the local, national, and international arena.

Global Competencies
CONCLUSION K to 10 or MATATAG Curriculum in the Philippines is the newly implemented curriculum in the country.The aim of this reform revolved around producing competent learners that is responsive to global demands and resilient and adaptive to change.This reform is crucial for the country, especially since the world is now in the digital era and rapidly changing brought by different innovations and inventions.With this, the Department of Education carefully plans what life-long competencies should be included in the new curriculum in response to the changes in modern society.In the context of science education under the newly implemented curriculum in basic education, it is evident that the competencies are responsive to the call of the 21st -century, Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0.The general aim of this reform revolves around uplifting the scientific, environmental, technological, and engineering literacy of learners in the country.By focusing on these literacies, the Philippines aims to attain a world-class science education.Although this new basic education science curriculum is still young and may undergo a series of reforms, still this new curriculum offers a promising result that is beneficial to the country in general.
(2) TAke steps to accelerate delivery of basic education facilities and services; (3) TAke good care of learners by promoting learner well-being, inclusive education, and a positive learning environment; and (4) Give support to teachers to teach better(Bureau  of Curriculum Development, n.d.).Moreover, prior to the full implementation of the curriculum starting SY 2024-2025, the Department of Education released a statement through DepEd Memorandum No. 054, s. 2023 that the Department will conduct a pilot implementation of the said curriculum in different regions in the country (Department of Education, 2023a).Among the selected regions are Regions 1, II, VII, and XII, the CARAGA region, the National Capital Region (NCR), and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).In addition, the new curriculum will be implemented first in Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4, and 7 for the SY 2024-2025, then followed by implementation in Grades 2, 5, and 8 for SY 2025-2026, Grades 3, 6, and 9 for SY 2026-2027, and finally Grade 10 for SY 2027-2028.(Department of Education, 2023a).The Department of Education carried out plans and Preparations to make this curriculum relevant and responsive to local and global demands.
After carefully reading the announcement of the Department of Education (DepEd Memorandum No. 054, s. 2023 (Department of Education, 2023), General Shaping Paper (Bureau of Curriculum Development, 2023), VP Sara-Speech (Aug.10, 2023), and News Reports from national news outlets (Inquirer.net(Abarca, 2023), Manila Bulletin (Hernando-Malipot, 2024) and Philstar Global(Servallos, 2023) ) the findings were drawn on the reasons of curriculum reform in the Philippines.
The Department of Education prepared the new MATATAG or K to10 Curriculum to be responsive to change brought by different factors such as the 21st Century, the rise of Industry 4.0, and the needs of the country and global market.The given science education curriculum under the MATATAG or K to 10 curriculum for Grades 4 and 7 outlines the goals, theoretical, and philosophical foundations behind the new science curriculum (Department of Education, 2024).Based on the MATATAG Curriculum Science Grade 4 and 7 published by the Department of Education (2024), the new science curriculum has new features drawn on the goals of the 2016 Science K to 12 Curriculum.These include (a.) Technology and engineering literacy; Am.J. Educ.Technol.3(3) 123-132, 2024 (b.) Articulate expectations of what learners should be capable of doing at each key stage and grade level; and (c.) Developmental sequence of content in consideration of the prior learning of students and the cognitive and language demands of learning new science ideas.
Highlighted in the MATATAG or K to 10 Science Curriculum The highlighted competencies of the basic education science curriculum under the MATATAG or K to 10 curriculum were supported by different literature based on different philosophical concepts of world transitions, innovations, and current directions.The general competencies that the new curriculum offers in basic education science in the Philippines are (1) critical and creative problem solvers, (2) responsible stewards of nature, (3) innovative thinkers, (4) informed decision makers, and (5) effective communicators.These five general competencies are crucial to attaining the overall goal of the new curriculum, which is Scientific, Technological, and Environmental Literacy.In addition, the Department of Education meticulously planned these competencies, which are aligned with the current and future demands of the workforce (whether belonging to the STEM track or not) to achieve global preparedness among future graduates.

Table 1 :
Reasons for Curriculum Reform in the Philippines

Table 2 :
Comparison of K to 12 and K to 10 Science Curriculum Conceptual Framework

Table 3 :
MATATAG or K to 10 Competencies and their Alignment to 21st Century, Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0