Discipline

Indigenous Studies

Abstract

In the midst of fast-paced globalization and technological advancements, the importance of Baybayin preservation cannot be overstated in the context of Filipino national identity. By incorporating this ancient writing system into the Grade 11 curriculum at St. Mary's College Inc., Quezon City, teachers can promote historical consciousness and linguistic pride, in line with the 1987 Constitution's aspiration for a dynamic national language. This research aims to explore the implications of Baybayin teaching and uncover the curriculum-related obstacles in order to provide practical recommendations for students, teachers, and policymakers, ensuring that the development of the Filipino bilingual education program stays connected to its roots. This research employs a qualitative phenomenological research design in investigating the experiences of Grade 11 students of St. Mary's College Inc., Quezon City, in learning Baybayin. By employing purposive criterion sampling, eight participants are selected from the STEM, GAS, HUMSS, and ABM strands to cover a broad spectrum of experiences. The research employs semi-structured interviews in investigating the effect of the script on cultural identity and analyzes the data using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021). This approach enables a contextualized investigation of the importance of Baybayin as a symbolic cultural foundation in a modern academic setting. The results indicated that the students had little knowledge of Baybayin before the instruction and experienced difficulty with the linguistic differences and limited class time. To address this problem, the study recommended that Baybayin should be made a formal elective subject with physical textbooks, reference cards, and repetitive writing exercises. This qualitative research investigated the integration of Baybayin in the Grade 11 curriculum of St. Mary's College Inc., Quezon City, to enhance national identity. Through interviews with eight students, it was found that there was a substantial increase in engagement despite the low level of awareness. To address the limitations of time and complexity, the study recommended the formalization of Baybayin as an elective subject with standardized materials, making it a functional component of Filipino culture instead of a relic of the past.

Keywords

filipino culture, baybayin, kasaysayan ng wika, pambansang identidad, st. mary's college inc.