Implementing the MATATAG Curriculum in Social Studies: Experiences, Challenges, and Pedagogical Adaptations of Teachers

Abstract

The MATATAG Curriculum—formally adopted through Department of Education Order No. 013, Series of 2023—represents the most significant revision to the Philippine basic education curriculum since the K-12 reform of 2013, introducing a substantially decongested content framework, restructured Araling Panlipunan scope and sequence, and a strengthened emphasis on foundational competencies and values formation across all grade levels. As MATATAG moved from policy into classroom practice during the 2024-2025 school year, teachers—particularly those in geographically isolated, resource-constrained, and disaster-affected regions such as Eastern Visayas—became the primary mediators of curriculum change, translating ambitious national policy intentions into the daily realities of their classrooms with limited preparation time, uneven professional development support, and instructional material shortages. This qualitative case study explored the experiences, challenges, and pedagogical adaptations of Social Studies teachers implementing the MATATAG Curriculum in Eastern Visayas public secondary schools. Informed by Fullan's (2007) theory of educational change, Ball et al.'s (2012) policy enactment framework, and Shulman's (1986) Pedagogical Content Knowledge construct, the study engaged eighteen (18) purposively selected Social Studies teachers from public secondary schools across the six provinces of Eastern Visayas through in-depth semi-structured interviews, lesson plan document analysis, and focus group discussions. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke (2006). Six core themes emerged: (1) navigating the MATATAG transition without adequate preparation; (2) decongestion experienced as liberation and loss simultaneously; (3) the Araling Panlipunan restructuring and its pedagogical implications; (4) resource misalignment between curriculum intent and classroom reality; (5) locally adaptive curriculum enactment strategies; and (6) the MATATAG curriculum and teacher professional identity reconstruction. Implications for curriculum implementation policy, teacher professional development, and Social Studies education in Eastern Visayas are discussed.