Operationalizing DepEd core values in elementary education: Teacher's experiencing and policy framework for value-driven pedagogy

Values-driven education remains central to Philippine basic education, reflecting global efforts to strengthen character formation, ethical citizenship, and holistic learning through value-oriented pedagogies and national frameworks such as the DepEd Core Values. Despite existing studies on values education and character-based instruction, limited research has examined how elementary teachers operationalize value-driven pedagogy within institutional policies and classroom realities in localized Philippine contexts. This study explored the implementation of value-driven pedagogies in elementary education and developed an evidence-based policy framework aligned with national education reforms. Using a descriptive-qualitative design, data were collected from education supervisors, district coordinators, and elementary teachers through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that values integration supports holistic learner development through real-life contextualization, daily classroom routines, and teacher modeling, while challenges such as limited monitoring systems, resource constraints, and inconsistent policy enforcement affect sustainability. The results provide insights for refining educational policy, enhancing teacher professional development, and strengthening institutional leadership practices to support values-based teaching. This study contributes by proposing a localized policy framework that bridges classroom practices with DepEd mandates, offering a systematic model for sustaining value-driven pedagogy in Philippine elementary education.