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Home⇛International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research⇛vol. 7 no. 1 (2026)

Contextualization and Localization in Science Curriculum Implementation: A Systematic Review of Strategies, Impacts, and Challenges in the Philippine Basic Education System

Je-Ann R. Banzuelo | John Rey B. Qui帽ones

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

The K-12 Basic Education Program in the Philippines, institutional-ized through Republic Act 10533 and operationalized by DepEd Order No. 35, s. 2016, mandates the use of Contextualization and Localiza-tion (C&L) to enhance the relevance of the science curriculum. This systematic review synthesizes literature from 2010 to 2024 to ana-lyze the implementation, impacts, and challenges of C&L in Philippine science education. Findings reveal prevalent teacher-initiated prac-tices, such as leveraging local biodiversity, integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), and employing community-based prob-lem-solving. These strategies are consistently shown to improve stu-dent engagement, deepen conceptual understanding, and strengthen cultural identity. However, significant systemic barriers impede effec-tive implementation, including inadequate teacher preparation, a lack of validated localized materials, large class sizes, rigid curriculum pac-ing, and epistemological tensions between indigenous and Western scientific paradigms. The review further identifies methodological limitations in the existing research, notably a predominance of small-scale qualitative studies, an absence of longitudinal data on learning outcomes, and insufficient inclusion of student and community voices. To realize the transformative potential of C&L for democratiz-ing science education, this study calls for a multi-stakeholder ap-proach involving reformed teacher education, sustainable support systems for resource development, and a robust research agenda fo-cused on scalability, impact, and ethical knowledge integration.



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