Teaching Environmentalism in Philippine Schools: An Empirical Integrative Review

Maria Eliza Cruz-Ocampo

doi:10.58870/berj.v10i1.82

Authors

Maria Eliza Cruz-Ocampo San Beda University, Manila, Philippines https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2495-4648

Keywords:

environmental education, environmentalism, Philippine schools, integrative review, non-systematic review

Abstract

Schools are recognized as crucial agents in promoting awareness and driving collective action against climate change, the most urgent issue of our time. This integrative review examines how schools have adopted this role, with a focus on understanding environmental education (EE) within the context of Philippine schools. It analyzes 21 peer-reviewed online journal articles published between 2000 and 2025 by Filipino authors. The review is framed around three theoretical lenses: Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action, Republic Act 9512, known as the National Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008, and UNFCCC’s Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE). It identifies publication trends, methodological patterns, pedagogical approaches, and barriers to effectively integrating environmentalism into schools. Significant insights were found in this review, including: 1) a steady increase in published articles on environmentalism in schools between 2000 and 2025, with substantial representation from Luzon-based, Catholic, and teacher education institutions. 2) Quantitative research methods, particularly focused on self-perception of program effectiveness, dominate the publication trend, while qualitative and mixed-method studies are underutilized. 3) Further, interdisciplinary and participatory approaches to teaching and learning are increasingly integrated in higher education, whereas methods for teaching basic education students remain highly cognitive, indicating a knowledge-behavior gap. 4) The barriers to effectively integrating environmentalism in schools include limited curriculum space, inadequate teacher training, and a lack of an organized, whole-school approach toward sustainability. Despite these limitations, positive impacts on cognition and behavior are noted, although self-rater bias may be present. It is concluded that emotionally engaging, ethically grounded, and culturally rooted models of environmental education are needed. These models should involve youth, serving as avenues for consistently and collectively assessing and evaluating environmental education (EE) implementation, adoption, and integration, as anchored in Republic Act 9512, the ACE Framework of UNFCCC, and SDG 13. Approaches for integrating environmentalism in schools should also transcend classroom teaching and learning, adopting a whole-school approach (WSA) that considers resources, cultural practices, and institutional support.

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