Cultural Heritage Literacy among Tertiary Social Studies Majors in Northern Philippines

Abstract

In culturally diverse societies like the Philippines, cultural heritage literacy is an essential part of social studies education. This study explored the knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors about physical and intangible cultural heritage and investigated variations when categorized based on specific academic and demographic factors of the Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Social Studies students. A researcher-made questionnaire based on UNESCO's cultural heritage framework was used in the study following the descriptive-comparative research design. Results showed that the respondents' cultural heritage literacy was generally low to moderate, with a greater emphasis on values and appreciation rather than critical skills and active heritage activities. When the data gathered is categorized according to year level and exposure to heritage-related courses and activities, significant differences were observed, particularly among students with greater academic progression and prior heritage exposure. The results indicated that curriculum experiences and academic levels contribute to the differences in the students’ heritage knowledge. The study underscores the need to strengthen heritage-based pedagogical integration in Social Studies teacher education programs to enhance students’ conceptual understanding of cultural heritage within localized institutional contexts.