https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5762362

A paper published on SSRN titled “Spiral Curriculum in the Philippines: Real Progression or a Cycle of Repetition?" discusses and evaluates the implementation of the Spiral Progression Approach (SPA) in the Philippine K–12 Science curriculum. This article provides an analysis of the Spiral Progression Approach (SPA) used in the Philippines' K-12 science curriculum, where although the concept is founded on Jerome Bruner’s theory of progressive complexity in revisits, its practical application is marred by redundancy rather than learning progression.

In theory, SPA promotes cumulative learning, long-term retention, and conceptual development through repeated exposure to topics across grade levels. However, the study argues that in actual implementation, SPA often results in content repetition rather than meaningful progression.

Key implementation issues include:

Overloaded curriculum and too many competencies
Limited instructional time
Weak sequencing of topics across grade levels
Misalignment between teacher specialization and assigned subjects
Lack of teaching materials and resources

These challenges contribute to:

Shallow learning and surface-level understanding
Difficulty achieving mastery in complex subjects like Chemistry and Physics
Fragmented student knowledge across grade levels

Teachers generally recognize the value of SPA but report challenges in:

Teaching outside their field of expertise
Managing time constraints
Ensuring continuity of lessons across years

Student performance data shows:

Mixed results, with some improvements in engagement
Overall low or “satisfactory” achievement levels in many cases
Weak evidence of sustained mastery in science subjects

Theoretical critiques (e.g., Cognitive Load Theory) suggest:

Too many repeated and complex inputs can overload students’ working memory
Lack of consolidation leads to learning gaps

Reports from EDCOM II and ACTRC highlight:

Content redundancy
Weak conceptual progression
Need for better curriculum sequencing and flexibility

In essence, the Spiral Progression Approach (SPA) as practiced currently tends to be more of a process of cycling than one of progressing learning. Though it may have the capacity to promote cumulative learning, for SPA to be effective, some essential conditions must be fulfilled. For the Spiral Progression Approach (SPA) to be fully functional, it requires a well-aligned curriculum across grades, content sequencing that enables logical concept development, enough training for the teachers, particularly on how to handle different sciences, enough learning time, and a mastery learning approach to learning.

Spiral Progression Approach (SPA) in the Philippines