Acculturation of Physical Education Teachers and their Interest in Teaching Selected Philippine Folk Dances in the Tertiary Level: Basis for a Forum on Cultural Dances

Abstract

Folk dance as an academic program has received less attention and interestdue to the rise of globalization that in turn makes culture adopt modernbehaviors. It is very evident with how people react and prefer modern, pop, andhip hop dances. This study was conducted to find out the acculturation andinterest of the Physical Education teachers towards teaching folk dances in theTertiary Schools, in Davao City. Using descriptive correlation method, adoptedsurvey questionnaire with mean, t-test and Pearson r as data analysis tools, itwas found out that there was a significant relationship between the acculturationand interest level of the P.E. teachers in teaching folk dance. The findings ofthe study confirm the theory of Leal (2011) which states that acculturationcan be considered as one significant factor affecting a person’s ability to impartculture through experiences and moreover of interest in the preservation of itsown culture to be able to recognize his national identity. To have an in depthacquisition of knowledge about folk dance, it is recommended that the teachersshould update themselves with issues and concerns about Philippine folk dances in order to Gin opportunities to develop their skill especially in imparting theirown cultural heritage - folk dances. Keywords: Physical education, acculturation, folk dances, cultural dances, correlation,Philippines