Plant Awareness, Plant Awareness Disparity (PAD), and Plant Literacy in Secondary Education: A Systematic Review as a Basis for a Contextualized-DepEd Intervention

The issue of Plant Awareness Disparity (PAD) has remained a significant problem in the field of secondary science education due to the natural complexity of plant processes, textbook-heavy instruction, and prevailing zoocentrism. This systematic review aims to identify factors influencing students' awareness, interest, and understanding of plants; explore effective educational interventions; and analyze common themes in biodiversity and botany education. This is to contribute towards the formulation of a contextualized intervention for the Department of Education (DepEd) while attempting to increase plant awareness and resolve plant blindness. Using PRISMA framework a comprehensive database search was conducted in ERIC, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Semantic Scholar, and Google Scholar. Out of 619 records retrieved from databases and snowballing, 592 were excluded based on predefined criteria. Moreover, 27 studies were found to be eligible to synthesize common themes. The findings reveal that overcoming PAD requires active learning, thereby supporting the implementation of a hybrid, local, and experience-based approach aligned with the competencies of the DepEd. The review highlights that for successful implementation, botany education for teachers and a multidisciplinary diagnostic method are necessary to develop 21st-century skills and environmental stewardship.