Social Science Pedagogy and Student Political Efficacy in Philippine Secondary Education

Abstract

This narrative literature review synthesizes empirical and policy oriented scholarship to examine how social science teaching practices shape student political efficacy in secondary education, with a particular focus on the Philippine context. Drawing on international civic education benchmarks such as the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) alongside national curricular frameworks, the review identifies consistent evidence that student centered pedagogies—especially open classroom discussion, inquiry based learning, and experiential civic activities—are associated with stronger levels of internal and external political efficacy among adolescents. Across the reviewed literature, classrooms characterized by inclusive instructional climates and participatory learning modalities foster greater student confidence in political understanding and a stronger perception of institutional responsiveness. The analysis further demonstrates that socio demographic factors, notably gender, socioeconomic status, and access to digital resources, systematically condition these outcomes, revealing persistent disparities in civic confidence and engagement. By consolidating findings from global studies and locally grounded Philippine research, this review contributes novel, regionally contextualized insights to civic education scholarship, an area that remains underrepresented in Southeast Asian research. The study advances analytically grounded implications for curriculum design, teacher professional development, and policy initiatives aimed at promoting equitable, participatory, and politically empowering civic education for Filipino youth.