Social Impact of Multicultural Education on Indigenous Secondary Learners of Caraga Region

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the social impact of multicultural education on Higaonon, Mamanwa, and Manobo secondary school learners of the Caraga Region. This study utilized a mixed method of research, particularly convergent parallel design, with a researcher-made questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Three hundred twelve (12) participants consisting of one hundred (100) Higaonon, one hundred sixty (160) Manobo, and fifty-two (52) Mamanwa students answered the survey questionnaires. Findings revealed that Multicultural Education has a high impact on the attitudes, beliefs, and practices of indigenous learners. By engaging in multicultural education, learners learn to accept their own culture, which helps to enhance self-knowledge and self-development. Through multicultural education, indigenous learners have learned to appreciate and respect others despite cultural differences. Moreover, findings showed multicultural education had improved the communication skills of indigenous learners; these learners were able to meet and make new friends with non-indigenous learners. However, indigenous learners experienced bullying, which made them feel unwelcome and unrespected. IP learners claimed that poverty, dealing with IP learners, and bullying are the difficulties they have encountered in school. IP learners have learned how to use cellular phones and adapt to the latest music, fashion, and social media trends. Results have shown that multicultural education promotes and has instilled the importance of education among indigenous learners. Higaonon and Manobo learners, however, asserted that IP-related cultural activities were limited only to Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health (MAPEH) lessons, whereas Mamanwa learners claimed that no culture-related activities were conducted in school. Based on such findings, a proposed plan of action was made to solve the issues involving the impact and the undesirable experiences of the Caraga Region IP learners while enrolled in a multicultural education setting.