Future-Ready Social Studies Pedagogy and Civic Learning Engagement in Secondary Education

Abstract

This study explored the contribution of future-ready Social Studies pedagogy to civic learning engagement among secondary learners in Tabuk City, Kalinga. A matched classroom cross-source design involved 30 Araling Panlipunan teachers and 90 secondary learners. Two complementary instruments measured five dimensions of future-ready pedagogy and four dimensions of civic learning engagement. Descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank-order correlation with 5,000 bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrap resamples, and bootstrap multiple regression were applied to the matched teacher-classroom data. Results showed that future-ready Social Studies pedagogy was generally high, with inquiry and evidence use obtaining the strongest rating, while digital civic literacy remained moderate. Learners likewise demonstrated high overall civic learning engagement, particularly in civic attentiveness and critical civic judgment, although civic agency was only moderate. Overall future-ready pedagogy was strongly and positively associated with civic learning engagement. Learner agency support, inquiry and evidence use, and deliberative learning significantly predicted learner engagement, whereas digital civic literacy did not show a significant independent contribution. The findings suggest that civic engagement was stronger in classrooms where learners examined evidence, discussed social issues, expressed reasoned positions, and exercised meaningful participation. Strengthening digital civic literacy and creating more opportunities for authentic civic action may further improve future-ready Araling Panlipunan instruction.