Evolution education in the Philippines: A preliminary investigation

Abstract

Although the literature on evolutionary theory points to its central role in biology, conversations regarding its place in the curriculum remain scanty and vague in terms of content and pedagogy, particularly in the Philippines. In fact, research on evolutionary theory mainly reports on students' beliefs and concepts including their conceptual understanding. Whether evolutionary theory is getting the attention it deserves is uncertain, even to these days. It is thus relevant and timely to determine the place of evolutionary theory in the curriculum in the context of the Philippines. This paper aims to answer the following questions: 1. What specific legal provisions refer to the inclusion of evolution in the curriculum? 2. In terms of content, what concepts of the evolutionary theory are emphasized? 3. In terms of research on evolutionary theory, what has been the focus? The significance of this chapter is two-fold. First, the current literature on evolutionary theory in the Philippines is fragmentary. This chapter aims to address this gap by attempting to corroborate available data. Second, this chapter hopes to serve as a basis for a more focused and streamlined research agenda on teaching and learning evolutionary theory in the Philippines.