Participation, promotion, and practices of the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd)- implementing schools in localizing sustainable development goals

Abstract

This convergent parallel mixed methods study aimed to determine the participation, promotion, and practices of the elementary teachers who are serving indigenous learners in localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to empower the grassroots and nurture their potential as agents of transformative change and sustainable future in the City of Bayugan, Agusan Del Sur, Philippines towards the attainment of the development-oriented inclusive education governance. To achieve the research objective, the researchers concurrently collected and then merged the quantitative and qualitative data collected from surveys, semi-structured interviews, and focus-group discussions. Quantitative results indicated that the Indigenous People Education teachers consistently extended efforts in finding donors and sponsors to advance the learning materials to be used in the classroom. In terms of promotion, they made use of social media to disseminate information regarding the rich culture and history of the community. Also, valuing equity and equality in classroom activities and maintaining social justice and fairness have been the topmost considerations when designing instructional tools, assessing learning outcomes, managing classrooms, and applying teaching strategies. On the other hand, qualitative results revealed that establishing collaboration and partnership with private sectors is the most feasible way to fill the gap in providing quality education. Participants also highlighted the relevance of reading intervention programs to make learners functionally literate. Both quantitative and qualitative data results manifested a convergence, which means that IPEd teachers have a commendable goal orientation and high commitment to empowering the Indigenous Peoples by making them active participants and contributors to the attainment of SDGs.