176 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research Perceptions of Senior High School Students and Teachers on the Course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person JOMABIER N. TELAN https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8656-4522 tjomabier@gmail.com Palawan State University Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Originality: 100% • Grammar Check: 100% • Plagiarism: 0% ABSTRACT The course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person is relatively new. Unlike other courses in the fields of Humanities, Sciences, and Mathematics which were also offered in the Senior High School Program, no formal research has been made in order to fortify or assess its utility and efficacy. Truly, the implementation of the Senior High School in June 2016 brought an utter change in the Philippine educational system. It was also expected that problems and issues arose from it. Thus, this study aimed to know the perceptions of nine (9) Senior High School students and two (2) Senior High School teachers on the course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person. The participants were selected through quota sampling. Their personal experiences and point of views on the course are of great importance in this study. So, to deeply extract the data, the researcher used a qualitative-phenomenological design. Personal interview and focus group discussion were the means to get the data from the participants. The findings include: (a) Good implications of the subject; (b) Issues raised by Vol. 35 · January 2019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7719/jpair.v35i1.657 Print ISSN 2012-3981 Online ISSN 2244-0445 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. mailto:tjomabier@gmail.com 177 International Peer Reviewed Journal the teachers; (c) and problems encountered by students and teachers. Hence, the students and teachers in this study did find good implications, issues, and problems in the course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person. Keywords — Philosophy, perception, Introduction to Philosophy of the human person, qualitative, phenomenological design INTRODUCTION Philosophy has been regarded by many intellectuals as the summit of human knowledge and the compendium of all learning (Montemayor, as cited in Gualdo, Placido and Dagwasi, 2013). Its importance lies in its nature as the very foundation of other fields of studies like Social Studies, Mathematics, Linguistics and other fields in the realm of hard sciences. Without the study of Philosophy, the understanding of the said fields would be incomplete. Thus, it is indubitable that the study of Philosophy is of paramount importance in the domains of society and education. The Philippines has actualized the K-12 education program fully. This is manifested from its implementation in 2012 up to present. Moreover, this has been made possible due to the demands of global standards in education (Seco- Macarandan, 2014). Further, globalization greatly challenges the Philippine educational system to align with the current demands for global competency (Agero and Bonotan, 2016). Hence, it is rightful to conduct researches to improve its utility and effectiveness. In particular, this research focused on the subject Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person. The Department of Education here in the Philippines is deemed to offer quality and standardized education to all Filipino learners. This is indeed evident as it adheres to its vision: “We dream of Filipinos who passionately love their country and whose values and competencies enable them to realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to building the nation. As a learner-centered public institution, the Department of Education continuously improves itself to serve its stakeholders better.” Before the K to 12 education program has been implemented in 2012, the Philippines is said to be in an academic disadvantage (Crisol and Alamillo, 2014.) 178 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research One concrete evidence according to Ocampo (as cited in Crisol and Alamillo, 2014) is the low achievement test scores of the students: “If one would look at the data, achievement scores are very low. So if one would think about it, it’s really not working.” These are the reasons why a closer look at the above vision will enable the readers to understand the need to implement the new program. The government wants the Filipinos to be competent in all aspects of life. By this, it does every possible way to bring Filipinos the peak of success and self- actualization. Sergio (2012) supported this when he said that holistic human development is at the heart of the said program. Having the above vision in teaching, the DepEd copes with ever-growing necessities of students regarding their learning process. This entails to the offering of new courses for learners; thereby giving them necessary and an up-to-date kind of learning. Thus, having the Senior High School in the K-12 program is foreseen to be a necessity and of high value. Prior to the implementation of Senior High School in June 2016, Philosophy instructors at Palawan State University were anxious as to how the subject will be taught to the students. Indubitably, there are lots of issues on it during those times. But the most pervading one is the manner as to how it will be taught to the senior high school students since it is usually being taught to college students. All of this became evident when various opinions and point of views were raised during the National Implementation of Senior High School (SHS) Teacher Training conducted on the said university (personal communication, June 10-13, 2016). However, one semester has already passed and the subject has already been taught to the students. It is assumed, to a greater extent, that issues and problems did arise in its first implementation. Therefore, much attention has been given on them as this endeavor is concerned. It is the aim of this paper to know the perceptions of students and teachers as they both encounter the said subject. Lots of researches have been made on other subjects like Araling Panlipunan, Mathematics, and Science. Nevertheless, none has been conducted in Philosophy of the Human Person. This is understandable because it is a new course or subject. This research somehow contributed to the improvement and efficacy of the subject being studied here and to the K to 12 programs in general. 179 International Peer Reviewed Journal FRAMEWORK Learning, as constructivists view it, is the result of mental construction (Pritchard, 2013). By saying mental construction, it is understood as the ability to construct the previously known knowledge to the new one. Pritchard (2013) further explained this by saying that learning takes place when new information is built into and added onto an individual’s current structure of knowledge, understanding, and skills. The topics or contents in the course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person are utterly progressive. The course starts with a very basic understanding of the term Philosophy and further proceeds to gradually more intellectually demanding topics. This makes the theory of constructivism relevant and necessary in this study. It helps to know what and how must students learn in the said course. Evidently, constructivist instructors should start with the assessment of what are the knowledge previously possessed of the students regarding the specific course. They may use various activities like a diagnostic test, yes or no activity, and many others. The knowledge with regard to what students know is vital for any instructor to incorporate the topics with the learners’ mind effectively. To improve the teaching of the course being studied here, the perspective regarding the issues and problems of Grade 11 students who undergone the course is important to be known. The diagram below shows the input-process-output scheme. It barely demonstrates the connection between the boxes wherein the input box refers to the perceptions of the respondents with regard to their engagement on the course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person; process box refers to the manner on how the data have been gathered and interpreted; and the output box refers to the outcome of the study, namely, the solutions based on the perceptions of the respondents. Figure 1. Conceptual Framework 180 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY This research sought answers to two main questions. (1) What are the perceptions of Senior High School students and teachers on the course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person in terms of good implication, issues and problems encountered? (2) What are the suggested solutions based on the perceptions of the participants? These questions basically led to answers which portray the actual perceptions of students and teachers in relation to their engagement on the course. Moreover, this also serves as a baseline study since there is no formal research that has been conducted after its implementation. METHODOLOGY Research Design This study used a Phenomenological approach; thereby making this research a qualitative one. It intends to know the perceptions of participants in their encounter with the course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person. The focus here is to have an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of the participants as they encounter good implications, problems, and issues with the said subject. Research Site This study was conducted in Palawan State University main campus. It is located at Tiniguiban Heights, Brgy. Tiniguiban, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines. Participants The participants came from the senior high school students and teachers of Palawan State University main campus. In choosing the participants, this study used quota sampling. Succinctly, this type of sampling allows choosing the participants based on the set criteria prepared by the researcher. As a whole, 9 students and 2 teachers were requested to give their statements as regards to the study. 9 students who underwent the course were the selected respondents based on their performances as manifested in their final grades. For each college which offered the subject, three students were requested to share their experiences: The highest student, the average student, and the lowest student. Class records were requested by their instructors. The said 9 students and 2 teachers were requested 181 International Peer Reviewed Journal to give their perceptions through personal interview and focus group discussion. The purpose of the focus group discussion is to validate the data from personal interviews. Instrumentation Interview guide and focus group discussion were used to gather the data from the participants. Thematic analysis was also used as a tool in this study. This is to ensure that the data will be deemed accurate, reliable and trustworthy. Ethical Consideration Foremost, the researcher obtained permission from the President of the Palawan State University to conduct the study. Selected students and teachers were also informed about the nature and aim of the study. Participants also signed informed consent; thereby stating their willful act of participating in the study. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This section presents the data gathered from 9 senior high school students and 2 teachers of Palawan State University main campus. The results, therefore, do not represent the whole population of the students and teachers. Theme: Perceptions of senior high students Sub-theme 1: Use of Philosophy in Life, Data were consistent with regard to the good implication of the subject to the participants. Participant 1 paved the way for the first sub-theme: “My perception changed. And I can bring these learnings to lifetime which I get from studying Philosophy. It changed my life as a person. It taught me how to live in a world full of various spontaneous events. Just like death, we cannot predict it. We do not know when it will come us.” Participant 7 responded: “Yes, Sir. In some ways, our study of the subject Philosophy did somehow boost our eagerness to learn. The subject is really interesting.” Participant 9 noted: “I can use my knowledge in Philosophy in the future. The topics in the subject are helpful for me.” 182 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research Participant 8 recalled: “… somehow, it is interesting because the subject discusses the human person.” Participant 5 clarified: “I really did not understand Philosophy. But sometimes I liked it if I got the chance to relate myself.” Participant 2 noted: “It helped me to understand more about human personality. I can apply those ideas in my life.” Participant 3 recalled: “I thought Philosophy would be very easy to study. However, if you try to analyze every word, they appear to be deep. It is in those moments that I learned a lot.” Various responses from the participants show appreciation of the good implications of the subject to their life as students and individuals. Calano, Pasco, and Ramoya (2016) foresaw this when they said that after doing philosophy inside the classroom, students would hopefully develop an appreciation for critical reflection as a necessary human activity in pursuit of a meaningful life. Sub-theme 2: Prior Knowledge on Philosophy When they were asked if they had issues upon knowing that the course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person is included in the curriculum, most of them answered that they have none. Upon analyzing their statements, the researcher found out that the ultimate reason behind their answers was that they have no idea about the subject itself. Literally, their statements manifest no trace of prior knowledge about Philosophy which makes them clueless about the new subject. The following statements support the said conclusion: “None Sir. Actually, there is none. Perhaps, because the curriculum is new.” (Participant 3) And: “None Sir. It is new to me.” (Participant 9) 183 International Peer Reviewed Journal Hence, all their statements lead in one direction: They have no prior knowledge of Philosophy. This also led them to encounter difficulties and problems in studying the subject. Sub-theme 3: Study Skills applied to Philosophy Regardless of their academic performances, students did manifest patterns of problems. Whether they are achievers or not in their classes, they have problems which can be linked with other participants. 3. a. Problems on the students themselves Students are honest in their statements as they answer questions which pertain to their problems during their study. One of them is their own capability to learn. One participant admitted it when she experienced difficulties during her studies. Her own words will best describe it: “Perhaps the problem is my capacity to understand. Each chapter is connected to the other. I find it hard to understand the connection between the chapters. It appears chaotic for me. (Participant 1) The participant struggled to find connections in every discussion. When she was asked if what the root cause of this problem is, this was her answer: “I think it is myself. I am having wrong interpretations of my teacher’s discussions. It is as if my ideas and the ideas of my teacher are being mixed. Here, I am having trouble to whom ideas I am about to believe. (Participant 1) Her statements show that she has her principles and perspective in life. It can be argued that her perspective opposes or even contradicted the teachings of his teacher. She never mentioned, however, that she rejected the teachings. What is stated as she was confused about the perspectives she knew during that time. Nonetheless, the point here is she had pointed out the cause of her problems and that is herself. Another student who has a related yet different experience shared her case. Her problem goes like this: “I do not have any knowledge about Philosophy. At first, I am having trouble to memorize the names of the Philosophers. I struggled.” (Participant 6) 184 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research When she was asked about the reason why she had hard times in the class, she said these statements: “Perhaps I am always late in class. Further, I am not the kind of student who likes to do assignments. I am not fond of reading as well. It makes my brain ache.” (Participant 6) It can be inferred that this participant found herself in difficult times while having the course. However, she showed honesty by saying that the problem is herself. Some participants who are not mentioned here also shared the same experiences. Without creating any assumption, the statements of the participants clearly show that some problems came from themselves. Hence, sometimes, it is not an external factor which causes them not to study, but they are the reason. This is where the theory of constructivism applies. Students learn best when they actively construct their own understanding (Pritchard, 2013). After examining their selves and pointed out the problems, they might learn already and proceed to learn more about the subject. 3.b. Problems on teaching strategies of teachers On the perspective of some students, some teachers are not quite doing their job satisfactorily. This is evident in the statements given by them. In the first parts of the interviews, the students seemed hesitant to give negative comments on the teachers’ way of teaching. But as the conversation went, they were able to express their experiences. A low-grade student stated: “At first, the teacher speaks very fast. For me, he should speak a moderate speed for us to understand the lessons. It will be appreciated by senior high students like me.” (Participant 3) Another student again with low-grade in the subject expressed the same thought. But this time, the participant refers to different teacher: “For me, the teacher lacked the ability to explain what is within the subject. I did not understand the lessons.” (Participant 9) While others found problems in their teachers’ way of teaching, others also have none. They were completely satisfied with the teaching strategies of their teachers in a way that they learned from them. From this, one may conclude that it is just a matter of perspective for the participants. Nevertheless, in the classroom 185 International Peer Reviewed Journal setting, the benefit of all the students must be of paramount importance for any teacher. While there are two major points among the statements of the participants regarding their problems, it must also be noted here that the fact of being new to the subject Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person is one of their complaints. According to them, since the subject is new, they do not have any idea on what this subject is all about. This caused them fear and nervousness. While this complaint is not really a problem, it seems for it to be included in this section since many participants mentioned it. Theme: Solutions from the Senior High Students In order to fill the gaps or loopholes in the process of learning, the student- participants gave possible solutions with regard to their encountered problems during their study of the subject. Their statements were coded into two subthemes: Sub-theme 1: Motivating oneself Some participants were aware that they themselves did not exert more effort to learn. This is evident when they said that due to some unpleasant experiences of the subject to them, they resorted not to study really. Hence, having a low grade is its outcome. Acknowledging this fact, a low-grade student stated this: “Perhaps I should have the determination to study.” (Participant 9) When he was asked what the possible solutions to his problems are, he said the above statement. Indeed, being determined to learn is a potent factor to gain an understanding of the topics genuinely. Fortunately, he realized this. In connection with the first participant, another low-grade student had the same realizations. She narrated: “Probably, I think, I should have had focused on the lessons. Some students say that Philosophy is easy. But it is otherwise. The subject must be dealt with seriously because we can learn a lot from it.” (Participant 6). It is satisfying to hear these statements from this kind of students who fail to maximize their potentials for learning. She realized this when the researcher asked her about the possible solutions to her problems. Ismail, Astuti, and Mering (2018) noted that evaluation could play a role in anticipating and preventing the 186 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research failure of the learning process. It is in this study that this kind of students could be helped to learn effectively. Sub-theme 2: Improvements in teaching Some participants gave points on how to improve the teaching of the subject Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person. Some of them gave detailed suggestions for possible solutions to the problems they encountered. An example from one of the participant will make it clear. “The teacher should discuss the topics carefully and in detail. It would be better if he will try to relate the topics to current news or daily lives of us students. This is for us to really understand the topics and for us also to relate easily.” (Participant 1) Another participant has the same detailed suggestions: “The teacher should give group activities like games, and others. The reason for this is that the students will not get bored during class discussions.” (Participant 8) It is suggested that since other external factors like time and climate are unconducive for learning, the teacher should adjust and make the ambiance of learning contrary to which the participant perceived. More activities are emphasized. In relation to this, a participant supported it in this manner: “Some group works will do in order for us students to really pay attention to the discussions.” (Participant 2) It is really necessary to apply the lessons to some students’ life specifically. This will enhance the learning process and will be effective in the end — a student with a low grade in the subject mentioned about this. “The teacher should have a clear process in discussing the topics. Perhaps the teacher could relate the discussions in every student’s life. (Participant 3) Obviously, the student is giving concrete steps on how to apply the lessons to the likes of him who wants to have a direct application of the learnings they acquired. Pritchard (2013) supported this when he said that students learn best when they actively construct their own understanding. 187 International Peer Reviewed Journal Theme: Perceptions of Senior High Teachers In this study, two senior high school teachers were interviewed to give their perceptions regarding the subject being studied here. It must be noted that in their statements, though they have the same line of work, they too have different perceptions. While Participant 10 acknowledges the consistency of the curriculum on Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person, he still criticized the timeliness of its offering. Participant 11, on the other hand, appreciates the subject itself and continued to say so throughout the interview. Nevertheless, despite the differences, subthemes were still formed to present their statements systematically. Sub-theme 1: Good implications It is indubitable that the subject Philosophy itself is essentially good. From the vantage of any professors and teachers, this fact is so comprehensible that it encompasses everything that mankind knows or even do not know. Thus the knowledge of it is needed by everyone. When asked if it is fine for him the offering of Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person subject, this is his reply: “Yes. Basically, it is important in our day to day because people somehow forget what is the very essence of the Human Person and since we have this K to 12 curricula, it is important for the young ones or the young people of the generation to know the essential characteristics or the different aspects of the human person.” (Participant 11) He continues: “Ah, yes. I found good implication basically when my students appreciate my subject and most of them told me that this subject Philosophy of the Human Person opens their minds and they were able to see the world in a different view most especially the very essence of the human person. So, they have known the nature of themselves from being human with body and soul then up to the philosophical view or concept of death.” (Participant 11) These are technical topics in the subject. From his perspective, he sees the necessity of having the subject for senior high students. This is actually consistent with the statements of the students. They too appreciate the subject as it is very beneficial for their day-to-day living. Philosophy truly offers various 188 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research perspectives in life where an individual may use it for their personal convictions and principles. This purpose has been achieved by the students according to the participant above. Sub-theme 2: Issues For Participant 10, there are lots of issues brought by the offering of the subject. One of it is the preparedness of the teachers. These are his words: “The competency of the teachers who will handle the subject.” (Participant 10) He continues: “They are not Philosophy majors. So, my first issue on that is that they are not qualified to teach the subject.” (Participant 10) He is aware that many schools are not yet prepared to teach the subject because only a few instructors are capable of teaching it. Indeed, throughout the province of Palawan, only a few have a degree in Philosophy. The reason for this is that there is only one school that offers the program, and that is Seminario de San Jose. Due to the limited number of graduates, few were being produced. And since the said school is not intended to produce teachers, not all of the graduates end in universities and colleges. This fact serves as enlightenment in this issue. He further fortifies his chain of thought by saying that the offering of the subject is untimely. His words best explained it. “As I have said, the readiness of the students is one of the issues here. The offering of the subject is untimely. I suggest there must be a prior Philosophy course. Critical thinking course would do. If it would be possible, the course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person should be put in college.” (Participant 10) Participant 10 is referring to the offering of critical thinking subject in senior high school while suggesting that the offering of the subject Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person shall be transferred to the college. This suggestion basically sprouts from his teaching experiences and prior thoughts concerning the possible implications of the new subject to the students. For him, changes in the present curriculum are necessary. Millar, Leach, Osborne and Ratcliffe (2006) posited this when they said that teachers improve practice by improving specific practices. 189 International Peer Reviewed Journal Sub-theme 3: Problems Under this subtheme, there are two main problems brought by the offering of the subject: Readiness of the students and teachers and insufficient learning materials. Readiness of the students and teachers Participant 10 consistently mentions the issue that the offering of the subject is untimely. This, for him, is not just an issue but a problem. His own words say: “It is untimely. The inclusion of the subject Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person to the Senior High School curriculum is untimely.” (Participant 10) He continues: “It is because the students are not prepared enough to undergo the subject and at the same time, there are no sufficient materials for the teaching of the subject.” (Participant 10) The term “untimely” is a broad one. It connotes negative thoughts and problems which did arise from its offering to the first batch of the senior high school students. For him, both students and teachers are not yet ready to have the subject. His reason for this is that teachers in the first place do not have sufficient training to teach it. Second is that students do not have prior background on the subject? This probably surprises them which will lead to unsatisfactory results. This, based on the perceptions of the students, became a reality as it is reflected in their statements. Truly, teaching young people the central concepts and practices of the subject areas is extremely challenging work (Moje, 2010). Insufficient learning materials One of the main problems is the insufficiency of learning materials and additional rooms for senior high students. Many schools all over the country did somehow prepare for the implementation of K to 12, but facilities are insufficient. This is manifested in the offering of Palawan State University. “In the classroom, in the new building, there is no whiteboard, so I have to find ways on how to explain or deal with my topics. But on the other materials, there is no problem especially for example when I have a film watching; there are materials provided by the university.” (Participant 11) 190 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research He continues: “First is the whiteboard and then, I think the exhaust or it’s somehow hot inside the room even though there are fans? Maybe it is better to open the windows, but sometimes it is raining, and the water goes inside. But still, for me, it is kind of hot inside because they are thirty-seven and then the room is small for them.” (Participant 11) It is hard for a teacher to teach effectively if the materials need for learning are incomplete. Another one is the classroom. It must be designed conducive for learning. Unfortunately, the teachers, as well as the students of Palawan State University, needed to suffer from this situation. Theme: Solutions from the Teachers Under this main theme, two subthemes emerged based from the participants’ statements: (1) Need for reconstruction of curriculum guide and (2) Providence on learning materials and appropriate classroom. Sub-theme 1: Need for revision of curriculum guide Participant 10 sees the need to reconstruct the current subject. His words best explain this: “I think the subject should be modified. Instead of teaching Philosophy of the Human Person, it would be better if critical thinking or logic courses are first to be taught to students. In this way, students will be able to understand the more challenging topics in Philosophy by studying first the basic principles in it. Philosophy requires critical thinking. This is why they really need it. (Participant 10) Briefly, he suggests that prior to the offering of Introduction to Philosophy of the Human person, there must be a subject supporting it. By this, he means to suggest the offering of the Logic subject in senior high school. He contends that students are not in a good position to have the subject without having the first background or at least a mental framework on how to understand clearly the lessons. It may be recalled that the subject Logic was eradicated completely from the tertiary level and replaced by the subject Ethics. However, in senior high, students are not yet prepared to have the subject being studied here without prior basic Philosophy subjects like Critical thinking and Logic. 191 International Peer Reviewed Journal Sub-theme 2: Providence on learning materials and appropriate classroom Teacher-participants expressed their desire to fill the gaps in teaching. Participant 10 stated him in this way: “Philosophy is a very beautiful subject. The knowledge in it is so beautiful that it may enhance or it may help the student very well. This is because it is a foundation course. I just hope that it can be taught well by teachers. The learning materials must be provided: the learner’s module and teaching guides. (Participant 10) The statements above are understandably encompassing. He refers to the materials which must be used inside the classroom, the teaching guides, knowledge, and capabilities of the teachers to teach the subject. He appreciates the beauty of the subject explicitly stating it so. With regard to the classroom setting, Participant 11 gave his remarks: “Yes. And they should have a standard most especially in terms of the number of students per room because it is kind of... In the new building, the room for 37 students is small. So they should provide another room which is bigger, or they should divide the students in order for them to have a well comfortable environment in their study. And regarding the section, because they are separate from the new building, the room is big. It is good, but the fans are not functioning. And I think the tables for the professors are not provided both in my senior high students in the new building. It is hard for the teacher to teach if he or she is only using the armchair. So I suggest that each room must have the tables for the professors or teachers.” (Participant 11) Obviously, the rooms are lacking important materials such as tables and chairs for the teacher. This, however, is one of his point of emphasis. He is also referring to the number of students and the size of the classrooms. He mentioned the term “standard.” It can be thought that the participant is not comfortable with his teaching environment. This reflected the claim of Sergio (2012) when she said that classroom requirement alone is an enormous challenge. Thus, this problem must be addressed to the ones who are with authority. In general, the overall data shows that problems and issues did arise along with the implementation of the course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person. Upon interviewing the participants, they suggested possible solutions 192 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Researchwhich can be used as bases for changes in the teaching of the subject as well as the curriculum itself. With the evaluation, it is expected to make learning better and lack of learning can be improved (Ismail, Astuti, and Mering, 2018). Truly, in the process of learning and improvement, everything must be in process. CONCLUSIONS Based on the findings of this study, selected participants found good implications for the course as it can be very useful in life. Further, various suggestions such as the improvement on teaching, the revision of the curriculum guide and the provision of learning materials were also raised to meet the issues and problems they encountered during their engagement on the course. The above findings lead to the conclusion that the Senior high school students and teachers of Palawan State University who underwent the course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person did find good implications and encounter issues and problems with regard to the actualization of the course. With this, one can see the necessity to improve the offering of the subject studied here. Indeed, if the students and teachers are to benefit from the offering of this subject, its efficiency and effectiveness must be improved. But more than this, one should also not forget that the main purpose of education, in general, is to have a lifetime impact in every person’s life. So to be specific, the subject Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person aims to contribute to the life- time understanding of the nature of man and everything which surrounds him: family, society, nations, world, other galaxies, and even things which people do not know. Such is the field of Philosophy. Thus, it must be taught to the students with rigor but also with enjoyment. TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH The findings of this study could be forwarded to the Department of Education. In the field of learning, it is of paramount importance to always promote the welfare of the learners. Thus, this study can serve as the basis for the re-visitation of the course Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person curriculum. The subject’s efficacy and utility for the students and teachers must be studied in order to promote quality education. 193 International Peer Reviewed Journal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The researcher would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following in this study: Prof. Restie Allan A. Puno, Drs. Lerna L. Ayco, Lourdes M. Jimenez and Cyril C. Serador. Also, the researcher would like to thank the students and teachers who gave time and effort to participate in this study. For funding the publication and presentation of this work, the researcher acknowledges the help of Palawan State University administrators. And lastly, special thanks to Dr. John Christian S. Jardin, who, although resting now in the presence of God, still contributed and became part of this research. Without the said persons, this study will neither be completed nor actualized. LITERATURE CITED Agero, A. D., & Bonotan, A. M. (2016). Academe-Industry Partnership: Basis for Enhanced Learning Guide in the New Science General Education Course.  Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research,  4(4). Retrieved from https://goo.gl/FeopxZ Calano, M. J., Pasco, M. O., & Ramoya, M. C. (2016) Philosophizing and being human. Sibs Publishing House. Philippines. Crisol, L. G. D., & Alamillo, J. B. L. (2014, March). A comparative study of the attitudes between the students and teachers of two public elementary schools in Northern Mindanao toward the K to 12 curriculum shift. 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