PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 21

stress on teaching practical values and skills in life while balancing it with

technology. Catholic schools have the potential to offer an alternative learning

environment which can balance what we prize from the past with the imperatives of

the future. They can also provide a particular understanding of the human dimension

through value-centered activities and discussions with the pursuit of academic

excellence as a moral imperative (Boland, 2000).

Religious Education in Catholic Schools

According to Catholic Education Service in United Kingdom (n.d.), Religious

Education is the "core of the core curriculum" in a Catholic school (Pope St John

Paul II). Placing Religious Education at the core of the curriculum in Catholic schools

helps the school to fulfill its mission to educate the whole person in discerning the

meaning of their existence, since "Religious Education is concerned not only with

intellectual knowledge but also includes emotional and affective learning. Without

religious education, pupils would be deprived of an essential element of their

formation and personal development, which helps them attain a vital harmony

between faith and culture." Furthermore, religiously literate children and young

people are able to engage in a fully informed critique of all knowledge, "leading, for

example, to an understanding of the relationship between science and religion or

history, and between theology, sport and the human body" (Religious Education

Curriculum Directory). The Religious Education in Catholic Schools aims in order to:

Help parents, priests and teachers to hand on the Deposit of Faith in its
fullness to a new generation of young people so that they may come to understand
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 22

the richness of the Catholic faith, and thereby be drawn into a deeper communion
with Christ in his Church (Religious Education Curriculum Directory).

If the Religious Education is executed excellently, then it religiously literate

and engaged young people who have the knowledge, wisdom, and skills to reflect

spiritually and think ethically and theologically and who are aware of the demands of

religious commitment in everyday life. The Catholic Education Organization in UK

also stated that there is a possibility the Catholic Schools are also required to teach

about other religions as a part of Religious Education Curriculum.

Factors That Will Enable Children and Young People Do When Learning

Religious Education

As many schools and teachers recognize, the curriculum is more than

curriculum areas and subjects: it is where they will experience the things planned for

children and young people through their education – it is like a canvas in which they

will paint what they have learned. Learning through religious education in Roman

Catholic schools is no exception, contributing to the four aspects of the curriculum

from Progress and Proposals: the ethos and life of the school, interdisciplinary

studies, curriculum areas and subjects, and opportunities for personal achievement

(Curriculum for Excellence Scotland, n.d.).

According to the Curriculum for Excellence Scotland (n.d.) learning religious

education enables children and young people to (1) develop their knowledge and

deepen their understanding of the Catholic faith (2) investigate and understand the

relevance of the Catholic faith to questions about truth and the meaning of life (3)
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 23

highlight, develop and foster the values, attitudes and practices which are

compatible with a positive response to the invitation to faith (4)develop the skills of

reflection, discernment, critical thinking, and deciding how to act in accordance with

an informed conscience when making moral decisions (5) nurture the prayer life of

the individual and of the school community (6) understand and appreciate significant

aspects of other Christian traditions and major world religions (7) make a positive

difference to themselves and the world by putting their beliefs and values into action.

Teachers will remain faithful to the mission of promoting an understanding of

the Catholic faith and they will also teach respect for persons of different religious

convictions. Religious education in the Catholic school considers the significance of

faith from the perspective of the life of the person and of the faith community. It does

not study religion as a phenomenon from an external perspective.

Children will not only develop their understanding of Catholic faith, but they

will also learn how to respect and understand other Christian traditions. Young

people will also have a wide knowledge and appreciation of important aspects of

major world religions, knowing and respecting other faiths. Where appropriate they

will learn similarly about stances for living which are independent of religious belief

(Curriculum for Excellence Scotland, n.d.).

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Vatican Declaration on Christian Education

The Second Vatican Council produced a declaration on education

“Gravissimum Educationis” (Vatican II, 1965) that gives careful consideration to the

importance of education in people’s lives and its ever-growing influence on the social

progress of the age. It emphasizes the rights of children, in particular, to be given

sufficient education equipped with the latest advances in the field of the arts and

sciences in teaching as well as psychology, in order to effectively develop their

physical, moral and intellectual aspects so that they may gradually acquire a mature

sense of perspective and approach in forming their own lives and also, enabling

them to pursue genuine freedom as they overcome through the various

circumstances in life with courage and constancy (Vatican II, 1965).

The Catholic School Effect

In the article by Mai Miksic (2014) defines if the effect of Catholic school is

real when it comes to the academic performance. the National Catholic Educational

Association was quick to point to the average National Assessment of Educational

Progress (NAEP) and SAT scores showing that students of Catholic schools score

higher in tests that those studying in public schools, even though one research study

by Elder & Jepsen (2014) entitled Are Catholic Primary Schools More Effective Than

Public Schools?, reported results that showed no Catholic school advantage.

According to Mai Miksic (2014), one of the most important decisions parents

can make is where to send their children to school. Parents choose Catholic schools
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 25

for a number of personal reasons, but one of them is the belief that their children will

receive a stronger academic education than in public schools. With many reasons to

consider, the parents’ decision if their children will study in a Catholic school or not

has one of the most impact and this means bias.

It was found out that in this study, Elder and Jepsen’s research study is not

perfect but it provides an important look at outcomes and selection bias by

employing a novel, and more rigorous, methodology than other studies have used in

the past. And according to Mai Miksic (2014), this study cannot, of course, answer

the policy question of whether parents should have access to Catholic schools, or

whether any given child might benefit from enrolling in one. The study cannot speak

to a possible Catholic high school effect, either. The study does call for more

qualifications and for more research about the effects of Catholic schooling upon

academic outcomes.

The Role of Catholicism in Catholic Schools and How it Must be Seen

Every catholic school have different challenges and task to accomplish every

school year but these educational constitutions can create a space in the lives of

young people in finding Jesus as they go on in their academic life. The issue of

growing temptation in all sides of the field of education to turn ‘learners’ into

‘customers’ is not new anymore. The purpose of Catholicism is not to do well and

live well but to encounter Jesus Christ and to live in His good intentions for us

therefore, this is the agenda of the educational system in Catholic Schools. This is
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how Nicholas King SJ (2013) views the function of Catholicism in education in his

talk and article about “The values of Catholic education” delivered at downside

school, it states that:

The task of Catholic educators today, those who have been called to this
‘guidance of souls’ is different to that of their predecessors. We live now in a world
where the Spirit is inviting us to a much greater openness in our religious education.
The challenge today is not to offer the present set of learners that – in many ways
very attractive – set of coherent and confidence-inducing beliefs that their direct
ancestors received, but something different: it is to offer to them the possibility of an
encounter with Jesus Christ.

The core of Catholicism in education this is what Brumley (2013) gives

emphasis in his article ‘What makes Catholic Education Catholic?’ under the

National Catholic Register. He explains that Catholic faith formation must have the

same ground with the mission and vision of the educational system. The groundwork

of being a catholic requires the practice of being an evangelizer and apostle of God

following His path and carrying their own “cross”, and it will be practical if these

practices must affect the morality, understanding, knowledge and beliefs of the

student. Brumley (2013) states that:

There are three basic issues in Catholic education: What is education? What
is Catholic education? And how do the “education part” and the “Catholic part” fit
together? This last question is what I call the “two friends keeping each other
honest” part of Catholic education.

The education concerns intellectual and moral knowledge but also virtues —

habits of acting for the true, the good and the beautiful. Integral formation also

includes spiritual formation in fact it involves the systematic and critical assimilation

of culture. It’s not a haphazard and uncritical endeavor. Now how does Catholic

education come into the picture? Brumley (2013) said in his article,
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 27

The Church refers to the common function of Catholic education, which it

shares with all genuine education, and the proper function of Catholic education.
The proper function involves evangelization and discipleship training for life and
mission.

In addition to that, the "Declaration on Catholic Education" also in the article

of Brumley (2013) gives highlight to the purpose of being a catholic and a student as

well, which mostly showcases the weight of the responsibility they will encounter

given that they are managing the alternating circumstances between being a student

and a follower of God. As the Declaration on Catholic Education (n.d.) states:

A Christian education … has as its principal purpose this goal: that the
baptized, while they are gradually introduced to the knowledge of the mystery of
salvation, become ever more aware of the gift of faith they have received and that
they learn in addition how to worship God the Father … especially in liturgical action
and be conformed in their personal lives according to the new man created in justice
and holiness of truth; … also that they develop … to the mature measure of the
fullness of Christ … and strive for the growth of the Mystical Body; … that they are
aware of their calling, they learn not only how to bear witness to the hope that is in
them … but also how to help in the Christian formation of the world that takes place
when natural powers viewed in the full consideration of man redeemed by Christ
contribute to the good of the whole society …” (Vatican II, 1965).

Now the principal purpose of Catholic education is to form disciples — people

who know Christ, follow Christ and make him known by showing it through our

deeds. It is not measured in the excellence of education nor the standard of the

Catholic schools but rather, enabling the students to understand that materialistic

pursuits aren’t essentially significant, however considerably valuable it may be

(Brumley, 2013). To end his article Brumley states that:

Catholic education must be genuine education —formation of the whole

person according to high standards of intellectual, moral and physical excellence.
But all of that must be ordered to the formation of genuine disciples of Jesus —
people who know him, love him and serve him in mission to the world. That’s what
makes Catholic education Catholic.
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 28

Foreign Studies

Factors Affecting the Students’ Academic Achievement

According to Hansen (2013) in his study, there are various methods of

educating students in effective and efficient ways, and many teachers,

administrators, etc., seek further understanding that will help students attain their

academic goals. Many researchers had conducted different researches with regards

to the factors which influence the academic performance of students. Although,

many researches are circling the problem, there is one area which has not been the

centre of research on the factors which may influence academic achievement is that

of enrolment in released-time religious education (RTRE) RTRE is a program in

which students are send to off-campus premises during school hours in order to

receive religious instructions. The main purpose of this study was to compare the

academic achievement levels of students who were enrolled with RTRE program

and those who were not and also in consideration of the effect of the gender, age,

and non-core courses. The research method used in this study was descriptive-

correlational that helped utilize the regression analysis.

In this study, Hansen (2013) considered 350 students to be the population,

175 were males and the other half were females from the suburban school in

Northern Utah. It is the school district that provided the data set used in this study.

With the results of this study, it may possibly help the public school administrators

more precisely in determining the academic value when the RTRE is implemented in

the school. Age is one of the factors to consider if it has any impact with students’
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 29

academic achievement, but based on the results, age does not affect the students'

academic achievements. Another main target of this study was to determine if there

are possible effects of gender to the academic achievement of students.

The researchers examined that the female had slightly - if not significantly -

higher core, non-core, and total mean grade point average than males in the

sample. After examining the possible effect of enrolment in released-time religious

education (RTRE) courses on the academic achievement of students, we found that

RTRE students’ mean grade point averages were significantly higher than those of

non-RTRE students. However, the RTRE has factors that affect the higher mean

grade point of students. Also, RTRE students take fewer courses that those who are

not. Instead of the RTRE having an effect in the academic achievement of students,

it can also be stated that the lesser courses students take, there’s a higher

possibility that he or she will have a higher grade point average (Hansen, 2013).

Impact of Catholic Tradition and Environment in Social Development of a

Catholic School Student

When it comes to religious education the soul of Catholicism includes the

study of the life of Jesus and their way of worshiping Him, but not all catholic school

can give the soul or the essence of catholic education, they still lack in some points

when it comes to balancing culture, beliefs and development in implementing and

applying it in students. According to Finn (2009) in his study about the parents,

teachers and religious education that considered that the acquisition of a catholic
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 30

identity was problematic for young people given their lack of knowledge of theology

and Catholic tradition. Also, the roles of the religious education curriculum and

teachers of religious education were regarded as important for assisting young

people to access the knowledge, culture and personal example needed to resource

their reflection about their own identity as members of a catholic school community.

Furthermore, in a well-known and one of the developed but still developing

country somehow show that when it comes to educational system the advancing in

molding the academic, development and beliefs of a student depends on the

institution of the school, therefore the implementation of Catholicism affect the

differences of the students in some aspects. In connection to that, Hollis (2009) in

his study entitled Catholic Schools and Student Academic Performance; Does the

Urban Catholic School Experience Mitigate Ethnoracial Disparity?, explains that he

believe that this school’s students are quite representative of America’s high school

students, most of whom are found in public high schools. Additionally, this particular

urban Catholic school and many, many inner‐city‐Catholic schools have perhaps

more in common socially and culturally with the students in the nation’s public

“common schools” (Bryk, Lee, & Holland, 1993) than they do elite and suburban

Catholic schools. The dynamic of the Catholic urban effect is not about the students

when they arrive but about the function of the school’s environment and climate

during the students’ educational, developmental, and social tenure. It is not the

student that is the difference, but rather, the school with its philosophical and

theological foundation is the basis of the Catholic effect (Hollis, 2009).

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Perceived Catholic Education in the 21st Century

In the study of Swallow (2015) that explores the instructional practices of

eight middle level Catholic teachers during an initiative focus on shifting instructional

strategies to support twenty-first century education aided by educational technology

integration given with the needs of Catholic schools to remain sustainable and

competitive among the many different educational options in the twenty-first century,

she suggested that in the twenty-first century the teaching of Religion should be

focused on thinking, questioning, and understanding how the tenets of faith apply to

students’ lives; should encourage discussion and debate; and should accentuate

practical applications. Technology has the ability to help increase collaboration,

expose students to more information, and integrate in and out of school lives. By

bringing technology to the Religion classroom, there are opportunities for teachers

and students to approach Religion content through a holistic lens that encourages

students to reflect on the role of technology in relation to their spiritual lives. The

reluctance to rethink teaching practices and integrate technology in a cross-

disciplinary regard, especially in Religion, stemmed from the combination of

personal options of content and pressure to ensure adherence to content driven

standards.

Also, it was recommended that not only teachers focus on integrating

technology, but Catholic administrators and decision makers also find ways to teach,

learn, and support educators and students to enhance the growing digital learning

culture. Catholic schools are in a position of survival, and to remain relevant and
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 32

competitive among the many different schooling options, they must set themselves

apart from other schools by offering unique learning opportunities while enhancing

Catholic educational values. Many Catholic leaders are attempting to re-shape

Catholic school learning for the twenty-first century by integrating their vision with the

reality of a rapidly changing technological society. The advancing dynamic

landscape of the twenty first century requires educators to shift their traditional

models of content delivery toward an emphasis on challenge-based, active,

collaborative, and student-driven learning environments (Swallow, 2015).

Importance of Perception Towards the Classroom Environment

According to Kelly (2010) in his study which demonstrated the positive

perceptions of classroom environment held by students and teachers and the

influence these perceptions have on student outcomes, an implication of the findings

of the study relates to the difference between teacher and student perceptions of

classroom environment. If teachers perceive the classroom environment as

favorable and are unaware of the negating impression students have towards it

compared to them, it is likely the classroom will be in a state of being acceptable but

not much attention and effort will be given towards its possible improvements thus,

teachers need to understand the importance of classroom environment and the

likelihood that they have contrasting perceptions of it with students.

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Orientation of Spiritual and Religious Education as an Academic Subject

According to Wanden (2009) in his research which reports research into the

teachers’ beliefs about the purpose of classroom Religious Education in Catholic

secondary schools in New Zealand which examines a number of issues that could

have some bearing on the teachers’ understanding of the purposes based from the

normative Church documents and in the writings of theorists, the general normative

process of the classroom in a Catholic school is the ongoing intellectual

development of students, primarily centered on the exchange of teaching and

learning thus, student’s mental development occurs through acquisition of

knowledge and honing of skills such as critical thinking, analysis and reflection.

Because of the major emphasis on the intellectual aspect in the academic setting,

the classroom’s principal contribution to faith formation and personal development is

through the utilization of the cognitive domain. It is perceived in this given

environment that increased knowledge and understanding in the Religious

Education would provide faith formation and personal development since within the

focused domain, as the primary educational matrix, it sets the potential possibility to

commence links to other domains such as the emotional, the attitudinal and the

volitional. These more personal domains are also contextualized in the cognitive

aspect. While it is possible to identify separate aspects of the subject such as

knowledge, faith formation and personal development in distinguishing purposes,

Religious education is still inherently holistic. Making a distinction between the

‘cognitive domain’ and ‘faith formation’ is only an artificial contrast, as it seems to

 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 34

suggest it is an alternative process, whereas Catholic theology has traditionally

taught that faith and reason are inseparable. The process of faith formation and

personal development could not simply be structurally identified as different from the

knowledge and understanding factors of the classroom process. The change in a

student is mainly achieved through the process of intellectual development in the

context of Education.

The research literature in the study of Wanden (2009) also determined that

students had particular experiences wherein they indicated that it made a special

contribution to their faith formation. A major example of the mentioned circumstance

is during retreats. In particular, this refers to the emotion and healthy peronalism

they experienced in retreats. Some educators have created a conflicted usage for

both faith formation and faith development by identifying retreats as being more

intensively ‘faith forming’ and ‘faith developing’ when compared to classrooms and in

terms of interpreting the popularity of retreats. This tends to create a pejorative view

of Religious Education as if it were less ‘faith intensive’ because it was highly

considered to be “inclusively concerned only with knowledge.” Crawford and

Rossiter (2006) determined this problem, suggesting that more precision is needed

to explain the complex relationship between educational experiences and faith

formation. Even if retreats have special facility for mostly promoting personal sharing

and a tangible sense of community (Tullio, 2006, 2009) and this could make a

distinctive contribution towards personal and spiritual development, such conditions

could not be simply replicated in the classroom. However, the classroom has its own
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 35

particular channel towards personal development namely cognitive, inquiring and

student research-oriented; this disregards the necessity to design classrooms after

retreats in order for it to be successful in its Religious Education endeavors.

The classroom is constrained to a number of organizational and structural

variables specifically, the school timetable, class size and physical facilities, in

addition to its academic orientation. The personal variables of students and teacher

supply further complexity to the process regarding its potential to promote personal

or spiritual development. It would be considerably better to focus on the quality of

teaching in the classroom and avoid associating or applying personal contexts within

the academic environment such as retreats or voluntary groups given the general

presence of the constraints of the classroom and also its particular educational

potentialities for personal learning. This perspective is also correlated with the need

to provide additional, complementary religious or spiritual opportunities for students

in different forms where they are voluntary, personal and informal qualities such as

Bible study groups, prayer groups, retreats, liturgy groups, or social justice groups.

Teaching religious education as an academic subject does not mean that it would

not attend to the affective or personal domains, just as is the case for other

academic subject, especially ones that have natural emotional and aesthetic

dimensions such as literature, poetry, art and music. If those domains are being

neglected, this may indicate poor pedagogy rather than implying that as an

academic subject it would not have the potential to prompt students to engage at a

personal level (Wanden, 2009).

 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 36

Relationship between Progressive Education and Catholic Educational

Philosophy

According to Gemmell (2014) in her study which made use of archival

research to examine the influence of progressive education on the curriculum,

pedagogy, and philosophy in Vancouver’s Catholic schools, in terms of the

curriculum, Catholic educators valued and at some instances favored the traditional

academic subjects such as history and literature. Thus, enabling students to explore

the intellectual aspect of the human existence and they also understood the value of

commercial subjects which would prepare the students for engaging in their own

particular careers as well as employment. Catholic educators were interesting in

enhancing the material and spiritual potential of their students in order for them to

become responsible citizens in the environment we are situated in and also,

experience the belief of eternal existence with God after death. Numerous Catholic

educators acquired the idea of teaching that it should be attentive to the child’s

developmental stages; giving value to creativity and student activity. Administrators

considered to depart from rote memorization and sought to increase opportunities

for discussion in the classroom. Music, drama, athletics, community service and

extra-curricular organizations were promoted which are perceived to contribute to

the well-rounded education of the whole child. The idea of developing the whole

child meant that all the possible capabilities of the child would be honed through the

use of Catholic Education, especially the Spiritual aspect.

 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 37

Given with the circumstance, Catholic educators did not attempt develop the

whole child merely for the departure from late 19 th century faculty psychology, which

argued for the isolated progression of the mental and psychological characteristics in

favor of a generalized inter-curricular, self-directed discovery method of education as

progressive educators openly accepted. Rather, Catholics drew a line at the

progressive idea that society garners negative impact on the development of

children and they should be given sufficient space so they can establish themselves

according to their own impulses and natures. It was agreed that children are

primarily good however, it is not society that was to blame for the corruption of

children but rather, the human capacity for sin. Catholic educators were expected to

assist their students in encountering the world around them, strengthen their will with

the hopes of overcoming selfishness or immoral intentions, and to gain control over

their good and bad natural impulses. Thus, Catholic schools largely remained

teacher-centered in classrooms since educators were considered to possess

authority and an essential role in forming their student’s development. The Catholic

Philosophy of Education was the reason why Catholic schools existed and remained

constant throughout the several changes that schools in British Columbia underwent

between 1924 and 1960. In the end, it became the reason for Catholic educators to

scrutinize and refuse the foundations of progressive education. The matter which

Catholic educational leaders objected was the foundations alone and not the

methods nor the modern curriculum (Gemmell, 2014)

 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 38

Local Literature

Approach of Catholic Schools Towards a Multi-Religious Environment

In the article of Chia (2006) which discusses the manner of Catholic schools

in addressing the phenomenon of a diverse set of religious background amongst

their student community wherein he stated that some could consider a school as

“Catholic” if it explicitly shows physical manifestations that are directly distinguished

as “Catholic” Thus, Christian beliefs and practices pervade the school atmosphere

and are integrated within the school routine. A definite example would be the general

assemblies of the students are commenced with prayers which are peculiarly

Christian in orientation. Christian symbols such as crucifixes or statues of theological

entities observably adorn many school corridors all the same as men and women

dressed in religious attire such as the white robe of the brothers, cassock of the

priests or the habit and veil of the nuns are common sights. In terms of physical

space within the institution, there are Christian chapels often located within the

compounds in which, Christians are exclusively comfortable going for worship and

adoration purposes. Pious masses are required to be celebrated within the school

premises even during academic hours.

Christianity is the normative religion indirectly and subtly promoted and

propagated within the Catholic curriculum. The given instance implicitly suggests

that there is no respect or tolerance for other religious domains but simply to state

the case that the atmosphere of Catholic institutions seems to be peculiarly

Christian. Moreover, in most cases, students who come to Catholic schools did not
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 39

get involved in the institution for the absolute “Christian” or “Catholic” education

rather; they seek a “good” or “holistic” education. Thus, when peculiarly Christian

expressions and symbol systems are enforced into the Catholic school culture, there

is a risk of isolating or excluding the majority of the school population who do not

necessarily adhere to such practices. They may tolerate it for the sake of the quality

education they might otherwise not receive (Chia, 2006).

Chia (2006) suggested that Christianity functions to be normative in Catholic

schools given with the uncertain possibility of space and importance being given to

any religion other than Christianity. It was perceived that as owners and power

holders of the respective authorities within the Catholic institutions, they could

decide that the space and importance be allocated only to their own advocacy since,

other religious practices from various beliefs are not requested to be considered as

part of the institutional system. Catholic or Christian school authorities see

themselves in a way as not only having the right but the responsibility as well for

promoting the specific Christian religion. Regardless if the majority of the students

didn’t enrolled themselves for the general Christian ambience nor the people who

may feel uncomfortable towards the manner the institution may subtly impose and

express general Christian convictions. The central matter is that as long as the

respective authorities maintain control over the institutions, they have the right to

promote their own. Christian in general and Catholicism in particular given that it is a

responsibility with the means to advance the cause of Christianity.

 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 40

DepEd Order Under Religion and Education

The DepEd or department of education give way in encouraging and

promoting the teaching of religion to children in both public elementary and

secondary schools within the regular class hours for the State is cognizant of the

vital role that the teaching of religion assumes in citizen formation, particularly the

molding of our youth.

For the purposes, the DepEd shall provide the mechanics to facilitate the

teaching of religion in all public elementary and secondary schools over the country,

fully aware in the process that the Constitution prohibits the government from

favoring a particular establishment or religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

All public elementary and secondary schools in the Philippines are covered in the

said order to be applied. The order also gives highlights to the following:

 The Teachers/Instructors- the authorized competent religious authority in

denomination.

 Recipient of Religious Instruction- the pupil/students and the parent/guardians

 The Application- it indicates the faith or religious instruction the student/pupil

that shall received from the authorized religion teachers/instructors, and the

preferred schedule for religious instruction

 Non-recipient of Religious Instruction - Students not receiving religious with or

without request.

 Size and Scheduling of Religious Classes - The availability of time

slot/schedule, instructors/teachers, classroom materials and related matters.

 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 41

The school head taking the responsibility in fixing the schedule for the religion

class

 Duration of Religion Classes - In no case shall the class periods be allotted

less than ninety (90) minutes per week.

 Optional Religious Instruction and Values Education - The optional religious

instruction and the values education of this Department are separate,

different, and distinct subjects

 Administrative Sanctions - Any principal, school head, or teacher who violates

any provision of this Order shall, after due process, be subjected to

appropriate disciplinary sanctions.

Reinforcement of Filipino Values and Morality in the Modern Timeframe

In the Philippine setting, Rodel E. Aligan, O.P. (2007) discussed in an article

that religious values have been taught to Filipinos ever since the initial establishment

of Catholic schools and universities in the Philippines. Such values have shaped the

Filipino minds and hearts throughout the centuries. However, the advent of science

and technology in the present period, more particularly mass media technology and

the transformation of the world into a global community have brought a lot of

questions in the values we hold. This instance could even lead to the moral and

religious crises of values. Added to these are the seeming imperfection of Filipino

values that many have thought of as contributory to the culture of graft and

corruption, violence and injustice and economic poverty in Philippine society.

 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 42

As early as 1987, The Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS)

has proposed a values framework as education’s response to the call for social

transformation through moral regeneration. It is based on the assumption that to

effect the desired social change, the values, attitudes and behavior of the people

must be properly reoriented. Since education is the agency that is charged with the

development and formation of people, it must take the leadership role in this

responsibility, which other sectors of society must participate in.

In 1992, the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) produced the same

observation:

“…change in social structure is not enough without change too in cultural values. In
the soul searching on reasons why we seem to be unable to move on our besetting
social problems, there has been a tendency to look inward at the values that
motivate us and blame them as he main hindrances to movement. Possibly it is
more correct to say it is not our values so much that are at fault as the exaggeration
and the wrong uses we have put them to. For it is precisely in their excess and
abuse that our social ills arise…”

The problem to be addressed in any value communication process lies in the

rediscovery of the real worth of traditional values and attitudes within our culture.

Similarly, it calls for a modification of those customs and traits that have become

obstacles to full human development. The same is true with Filipino values within the

context of Catholic moral education.

As early as 1986, DECS has presented value clusters described in the value

maps focusing on some salient points which are considered of prime importance and

basic to the task of re-orienting and redirecting Filipino value system:

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A. Person as Self

1. Health and Harmony with Nature (physical fitness, art, beauty, cleanliness and

ecology)

2. Truth (creative and critical thinking, creative understanding and imagination,

honesty)

3. Love (personal integrity, self-worth, and personal discipline)

4. Spirituality (faith which is “maka-Diyos”)

B. Person-in-community

1. Social Responsibility (“pagkamaka-tao”)

2. Economic Self-sufficiency

3. Nationalism (esteems for national heroes collective commitment to national

reconciliation, international understanding and cooperation)

The same value clusters would involve the incorporation of such Filipino values of

pagsasarili (selfhood), pagkamaka-Diyos (God-fearing), pagkamaka-tao (love for

others), utang na loob (debt-of-gratitude), bayanihan (community sharing) and the

sakop (group) mentality.

The Problem of Filipino Values in a Catholic University Setting

Values, whether in the cultural or Christian context can be primary or

secondary values. Rodel E. Aligan, O.P. (2007) deliberated in an article that Primary
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 44

values are values which a person has chosen and becomes happy with the choice.

Secondary values, on the other hand, are values imposed by institutions like the

family, the Church, the school and the state for the well-being of man and for the

common good. It should be noted that the family, the school and other institutions

are the channels and conveyors of values and ideals in which an individual learns to

accept through cultural conditioning. Unless they become primary values, there is

danger in losing the same values. Crisis of values even results when there is

uncertainty regarding the values held.

Filipino Catholic values unless processed and imbibed as primary values at

home are bound to become secondary values in a Catholic university. Thus, many

students would see it as a necessity of precept for graduation but never an

indispensable condition for life or salvation. Upon leaving the institution, these

values are lost or forgotten; they might have been compromised and sacrificed in

exchange for materials success and worldly pursuits

Aligan (2007) further elaborated his notion by stating that if there is a

complication in Catholic moral education, it is not so much because Catholic moral

values are not being taught but, rather the same secondary value taught in an

institution has not been adopted as a primary value by the students.

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Significance of Moral Values to the Educational System

Marcela J. Leus, Ed.D. (2007) cites in her article Fr. Jaime Bulatao, S.J., and

his perception of value as the object of positive attitude. It is the vision which

motivates man to action. Hence, it can be similarly taken as a conception of what is

good, what is desirable and what is worthwhile which the wellsprings of attitudes and

behaviors are. In addition, values are effectively-laden thoughts about objects and

ideas that guide behavior. As for Fr. Joseph Roche, not all values are moral values.

Yet, all values have a certain moral dimension. Moral values are those comprised of

certain fundamental principles like fairness, honesty and freedom. Non-moral values

are those which have no rational bases like preference for a certain hobby or the

standard subjects in the curriculum.

In a general context, character refers to a particular part of personality which

is highly subjected to social approval. On the context of education, character

development is a holistic approach that connects the moral dimension of education

to the social and civic domains of students’ lives hence; “Character education” is a

classification consisting of areas accountable for teaching and learning personal

development. Contained within the aforementioned subject are the following: “moral

reasoning/cognitive development,” “social and emotional learning,” “moral

education/virtue,” “violence prevention,” “conflict resolution/peer meditation” and

“ethics/moral philosophy” (Character Education, 1999)

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Major Organizational Institutions - Catholic Schools

Further than the family and parish, the school offers the best chance

especially in Catholic schools for a sustained and systematic catechesis, because

aside from building the foundation in deeper understanding of faith of the students it

also molds the character of a Christian student as they step out to the real world. In

that case, in the Philippine Catholic schools signify a major ministry of the Church.

Catholic School in Philippines still follows the guiding principle regarding religious

education, grounded on the principle that the teaching of religion/ theology should be

the distinctive mark of a Catholic school. Thus John Paul II writes “the special

character of Catholic schools…..is precisely the quality of the religious instruction

integrated into the education of the pupils.” (T#69) Now this value of religious

instruction depends: (as in all education) first on the professional capability of the

teachers and if they are spiritually motivated from within by personal religious

commitment, second it depends on the Catholic schools actual religion programs

and course materials, lastly the collaboration of the school admin with the religion

agenda and the incorporation into the school curriculum and student activities. There

is much superior necessitate for organizing a progressive education like the faith, in

proper progression and geared directly to the particular maturity level of the

students. The religion program in Philippines must integrate its intellectual (doctorial)

behavioral (moral) and affective (sacramental-worship) dimensions. In the end

successful catechesis also depends to a great amount on human effort like on

planning, performance and evaluation on personal qualities and lastly in

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commitment. It’s not just all about the Catholic School but what makes it a Christian

community itself.

Local Studies

Factors Needed by Teachers in Implementing Techniques and Practices

Schools have different ways of implementing their motivational techniques

and disciplinary practices. Some schools regulate this way of helping and

understanding young people, and some don’t – but that’s highly impossible because

in order for the school to execute their way of teachings properly.

Barbosa-Tampalong (1996) made a study about the motivational techniques

and disciplinary practices employed by elementary school teachers in Catholic

Schools. The focus on this study was the teachers applies motivational techniques

and disciplinary practices in their way of teaching. It was concluded that the

educational attainment of teachers is of paramount importance but the years of

teaching experience has no significant difference in their motivational techniques.

Rather it is their aptitude in the profession, their attitude towards it, their interest in

one’s job and their commitment to the teaching mission which are utmost primacy.

Results showed that the teachers are adopting and employing disciplinary practices

in their own children for academic excellence. When it comes to the motivational

techniques, results showed that the teachers need to improve their motivational

techniques in their teaching-learning situation.

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This conducted study says a great amount of information about the Catholic

schools because those teachers who were experimented were teaching at Catholic

schools therefore their practices and techniques affects students studying at

Catholic schools. The overall study was conducted in a view of fact that the way of

teacher’s teachings in Catholic schools has a significant difference from different

types of schools.

Relationship of Catechesis and Other Selected Variables to the Religiosity

Doyac made a study about the relationship catechesis and other selected

variable on (1992). The researcher stated that in order to achieve and maintain the

quality of being faithful, the faith needs some forms of education, a special formation

– the Catholic Church. It has to be taught and learned (De Torres, 1980). One of the

instruments the Church utilizes is the catechesis. According to United States

Conference of Catholic Bishops (2005), catechesis is the act of resounding or

bringing the Church's teachings to the world. It is also a formal instruction of the

basic tenets, proper prayer life and worship, and right moral living of the Catholic

faith at churches, homes, and schools. It is also stated that the Church believes in

formal education as effective tool in making one’s faith mature (Doyac, 1992). Man is

so naturally inclined to evil that he needs moral and religious training to enhance his

true quality of life (Panizo, 1963).

In this study, even though a Catholic school is closer to the teachings of the

church and the Bible, and shows serious commitments to the moral and spiritual
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 49

progress of students. Yet, there are still behavioural problems among students that

eventually affect the school.

Since some students came from local residents who suffered from

behavioural problems, and it affects their achievement in school. Their values and

behaviours could not be easily discarded in the essence that it was the life they had

in the past. Another factor is what kind of parents these students have. The parents

manifested idleness, irresponsibility, lack of ambition, low self-regard, and similar

traits. These personal traits affected their children.

The researcher observed that students are not taking the religious activities

properly. Students appear to be cold and indifferent. Some of them attend religion

class just because they are graded. Most of these observable students were boys.

Teachers are dismayed to know that their students are cheating on religion

examination. A survey resulted that students were no longer polite, some were too

forward towards their teachers, and some are “happy-go-lucky” and not serious in

their study. Only half the students are attending Sunday masses.

The researcher wonders if the catechesis relates to the development of

student’s faithfulness. And if there is no difference in terms of commitment to religion

between those who are studying Religion and those who are not.

Doyac (1992) concluded that the formal catechesis has failed in its aim of

developing mature Catholics through instruction. It gives the impression that the best

it could accomplish is to develop moderate Catholics. It was also concluded that

peer group and family are the variables that showed strong indications of
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relationship to religiosity. Also, the similarity in religiosity of those without formal

catechesis and those with formal catechesis shows that religious education also

happens outside the classroom. It is also implied that longer religious education is

needed to fully developed religiosity in an individual.

Collaborative Effect of The Catholic Church and Education Towards The

Philippine Setting

The main purpose of Raffin and Cornelio’s (2009) study is to investigate the

relationship between the two types of modern institutions in the Philippines namely,

the Catholic Church and the sector of higher education in which they stated that

there is prevalent occurrence of ‘institutional panic’ regarding the mentioned

institutions within the country, in other words, they exhibit types of institutional

behavior that exemplify patterns of short –term reactions and hyper-vigilance, as

well as long-term malaise. This situation is a given result of particular features of

modernity which include functional differentiation, economic and educational

deregulation and the evolution of values towards family, sexuality and population

migration. Reinforcing this institutional panic are the accumulating factors of

corruption and clientelism among the Philippine society and its state institutions.

Contrary to the idea that modernity impairs religion, the Philippine context conveys

how religion is interwoven with modernity, substantially in the manner religion fulfills

an important role in politics. On the other hand, education is striving to attain its
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mission as the ‘modern religion’ of the masses that could offer academic

opportunities and, subsequently, professional mobility.

Alongside the mentioned features of the Philippine nation, the study also

enabled us to observe the presence of high ideals regarding the functioning of

society that were fundamentally inherited from the Spanish and American colonial

periods. On one side, the parish friars were given responsibility to manage the

primary education wherein the emphasis was mainly towards religious education.

Such example would be the legacy of ‘prayer schools’ to be capable of generating

high levels of spirituality among key sections of the population, as well as the long-

standing involvement among the Catholic Church in conditioning social policy. On

the other hand, American colonizers endeavored to promote free public elementary

and secondary education as a means to achieve mass literacy and to establish an

essential foundation for a democratic policy. The post-colonial state of falling short of

these high ideals combined with the country’s constant quest and failure to acquire

the modernist position of rapid social and economic development in the 1960s

persists to reinforce a sense of institutional panic within the country’s religious and

educational domains (Raffin and Cornelio, 2009).

The Youth and the Education

Education leads the young people to more beyond themselves and introduces

them to reality towards growth that leads to fullness. The process encounters two

freedoms from the adults and the youth. For the youth are the call for responsibility
 PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY 52

as a learner, a student, a child and at the same time, a Christian who must be open

to the realities of life, and for the part of the educators who must be ready to give up

themselves. In the study, it focuses on how the constitution like Catholic and

education connects together to the church to continue the history of mission of

Jesus. It is like a calling for the baptized Christian to continue the work of gathering

and building communion to the world through the act of love for others, through

outreach, through preaching and through sacraments. In addition to that the study

also proposed that it intends to help students value their moral lives, their time.

Young people are deemed to have potentials and the institution like school’s are the

one in charge to shape the young people to make the most out of their lives in the

light of God.

Effectivity of the Religious Programs

Calucag in his 1980 study wanted to find out about the strength and

weakness of an individual studying at a Catholic school. Calucag found out that an

individual is full of knowledge of the Bible, therefore becoming the strength, but with

the weakness of an individual is the knowledge of the sacraments. He also found out

that the students in Catholic schools scored higher in the survey of religious

knowledge than those students in non-Catholic schools. Calucag (1980) also

discovered that there is a significant difference in religious knowledge, religious

attitude, and religious practices between the students of Catholic schools and those

of the non-Catholic schools.

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Maribao and his group (1977) made a study to answer the question raised

about the effects of Catholic education and religious instruction on the religion

practices of students with a view to pinpoint some areas of improvement in the

religious program. They came up with a conclusions that there is no significant

relationship between the students’ devotion to religious practices and their religious

knowledge; likewise there is also no significant difference between their attitude

towards the adherence to religious practice and the teaching of religion (1980).

Religious Education in the Philippines

In the study conducted by the Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and

Catholic Education (ECERI) and Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines

(CBCP) in 1989, a delineation of the religious instruction program in the elementary

and secondary levels of the Catholic schools was made. It could be seen that these

schools not only at the acquisition of knowledge on the faith but also at the students’

consciousness and activeness within the context of this knowledge. Based on their

conducted survey, the most important reason of students’ choice of school is the

high quality of education. The maturity of the religious commitment is also achieved

and the frequency of students’ participation in the sacraments is very high. The

carrying out of religious education program is not an easy task to consider. It is

therefore suggested that before designing religious instruction program, people

concerned should sit back and deliberate. It is not a matter of adapting the most

authoritative stand on religious education goals and objectives. One subject of

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contention is the aura of compulsion with regards to religion subjects – in this case, it

is the majority of schools who require students to take the courses before being

allowed to graduate. If only schools find better ways of attracting children to religious

education than requiring them to do so then the program would be more effective

(1989).

Synthesis of Reviewed Related Literature and Studies

This review took into consideration the particular themes generally concerned

with the synchronization of students with a catholic influenced education which are

distinguished to be capable of adequately providing credibility in justifying the study

conducted. The incorporation of the observed effectivity and quality of Catholic

Education are important to the researchers’ work in developing the current status of

the Catholic Education curriculum and the regulation of their distinct system as well

as obtain information regarding its possible effects to the students involved within

the said setting. Without the presented notions and findings yielded from other

professionals, there will not be any further progression of ideas regarding the fields

of education and Catholic influence and no stable approaches would be established

that the sectarian educational authorities even the students would follow. The

following related literature and studies are integrated into the study based on their

relevance to the concepts being pursued by the students.