Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation
Local history as a pillar of sustainable, culturally responsive social studies: Public secondary teachers’ perspectives
Renbert S. Deloy 1, Marjie L. Salon 1, Manuel R. Solatorio Jr. 1, Arjon M. Requina 1, Christine Jane P. Amora 1, Joseph S. Seclot 2 *
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1 Institute of Teacher Education, Tangub City Global College, Philippines
2 College of Education, Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology, Philippines
* Corresponding Author
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ARTICLE INFO

Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation, 2026 - Volume 1 Issue 2, Article No: e38764
https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202638764

Article Type: Research Article

Published Online: 12 Mar 2026

Views: 69 | Downloads: 66

ABSTRACT
Integrating local history into Social Studies can strengthen culturally responsive education and support the sustainability of learning by increasing relevance, identity affirmation, and civic awareness. This qualitative study examined how public secondary school teachers in the Philippines incorporate local history into the K–12 Social Studies curriculum, the perceived benefits of this approach, barriers to implementation, and recommendations for sustainable curriculum improvement. Using a basic qualitative research design, sixteen Social Studies teachers from four public secondary schools in Tangub City, Misamis Occidental were purposively selected and interviewed using a semi-structured protocol. Interview data were transcribed verbatim and analysed through Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis. Findings revealed five major themes emphasizing; 1) teachers integrate local history in the instructional process as a motivational tool, in learning activities and assessments, and in lesson discussions; 2) local history integration enhances student engagement and participation and fosters cultural pride and heritage appreciation; 3) local history as a pedagogical resource simplify complex content; 4) structural barriers in implementation includes inadequate access to local historical resources and time constraints exacerbated by curricular demands; and 5) strengthening culturally responsive social studies through the development of innovative localized instructional materials and building institutional partnerships and teacher capacity. The study positions local history integration as a transformative, not peripheral, pedagogical strategy that can advance culturally responsive and sustainable Social Studies education in the Philippine context. It strengthens cultural identity, deepens civic awareness, and promotes meaningful learning—thereby supporting sustainable education through culturally responsive curriculum design—while also revealing systemic gaps that require institutional support and curriculum innovation, underscoring that local history should be positioned not as a supplementary add-on but as a core pillar of equitable and sustainable Social Studies education in the Philippine context.
KEYWORDS
culturally responsive pedagogy local history integration social studies curriculum sustainable education teacher perspectives
SUPPLEMENTARY FILES
In-text citation: (Deloy et al., 2026)
Reference: Deloy, R. S., Salon, M. L., Solatorio Jr., M. R., Requina, A. M., Amora, C. J. P., & Seclot, J. S. (2026). Local history as a pillar of sustainable, culturally responsive social studies: Public secondary teachers’ perspectives. Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation, 1(2), e38764. https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202638764
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Deloy RS, Salon ML, Solatorio Jr. MR, Requina AM, Amora CJP, Seclot JS. Local history as a pillar of sustainable, culturally responsive social studies: Public secondary teachers’ perspectives. Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation. 2026;1(2), e38764. https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202638764
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Deloy RS, Salon ML, Solatorio Jr. MR, Requina AM, Amora CJP, Seclot JS. Local history as a pillar of sustainable, culturally responsive social studies: Public secondary teachers’ perspectives. Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation. 2026;1(2):e38764. https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202638764
In-text citation: (Deloy et al., 2026)
Reference: Deloy, Renbert S., Marjie L. Salon, Manuel R. Solatorio Jr., Arjon M. Requina, Christine Jane P. Amora, and Joseph S. Seclot. "Local history as a pillar of sustainable, culturally responsive social studies: Public secondary teachers’ perspectives". Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation 2026 1 no. 2 (2026): e38764. https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202638764
In-text citation: (Deloy et al., 2026)
Reference: Deloy, R. S., Salon, M. L., Solatorio Jr., M. R., Requina, A. M., Amora, C. J. P., and Seclot, J. S. (2026). Local history as a pillar of sustainable, culturally responsive social studies: Public secondary teachers’ perspectives. Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation, 1(2), e38764. https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202638764
In-text citation: (Deloy et al., 2026)
Reference: Deloy, Renbert S. et al. "Local history as a pillar of sustainable, culturally responsive social studies: Public secondary teachers’ perspectives". Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation, vol. 1, no. 2, 2026, e38764. https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202638764
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