Making Sense of Society: Exploring Senior High School Students’ Lived Experiences in Learning Araling Panlipunan

Abstract

Araling Panlipunan plays an important role in developing learners’ understanding of society, history, culture, governance, citizenship, and contemporary social issues. Beyond acquiring factual knowledge, students are expected to interpret social realities, examine multiple perspectives, develop critical awareness, and connect classroom learning with their everyday experiences as members of communities and society. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Senior High School students in learning Araling Panlipunan at Dimanayat Integrated School in Barangay Dimanayat, San Luis, Aurora, Philippines. Specifically, it examined how learners experienced classroom discussions, collaborative activities, inquiry-oriented tasks, contextualized lessons, and engagement with social issues, as well as the challenges and meanings they associated with learning the subject. Participants were selected through purposive criterion sampling, while data were gathered through semi-structured individual interviews and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The proposed thematic analysis generated five interconnected themes: (1) Seeing Society Beyond the Textbook, (2) Finding Relevance Through Local and Everyday Experiences, (3) Learning Through Dialogue and Multiple Perspectives, (4) Wrestling With Complex and Contested Social Issues, and (5) Becoming More Socially Aware and Responsible Citizens. The findings suggest that Araling Panlipunan becomes most meaningful when students are encouraged to connect academic concepts with lived realities, participate in dialogue, examine competing perspectives, and reflect on their responsibilities within society. The study underscores the value of contextualized, inquiry-based, dialogic, and learner-centered approaches in strengthening social understanding and civic consciousness among Senior High School learners.