Utilization of 21st Century Approaches in Teaching Edukasyon sa Pagpapapakatao for Junior High School Students

This paper focused on determining the extent of utilization of 21st-century approaches in teaching Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao for Junior High School students in selected public secondary schools in Tanay District during the School Year 2025-2026. It employed a descriptive correlational research design with a validated survey questionnaire as the main research instrument to gather data on instructional approach, behaviorist approach, and humanistic approach. The study revealed that the 21st-century approaches are always utilized in teaching EsP for junior high school students with respect to instructional approach, behaviorist approach, and humanist approach, with the obtained composite weighted mean of 4.55. Moreover, there was no correlation between the approaches used in teaching EsP and the work performance of the teachers, as indicated in the p-value, which was higher than the 0.05 level of significance.  Furthermore, while these modern, student-centered methods are generally applied, there are occasional difficulties that hinder their full and consistent implementation. These challenges may include limited access to technology, insufficient training or familiarity with innovative teaching strategies, large class sizes, time constraints, or a lack of teaching materials specifically suited for EsP values education. It was concluded that the use of 21st-century approaches in teaching EsP did not show a significant association with teachers’ work performance, indicating that higher implementation of 21st-century practices alone may not directly translate into measurable improvements in performance outcomes. Therefore, it is recommended that school administrators implement continuous professional development and training programs that specifically focus on 21st‑century teaching methods tailored to EsP, such as values‑based digital tools, project‑based learning, and reflective teaching strategies, to empower teachers to integrate these approaches more meaningfully and improve overall instructional performance.