Development of a Convergence Model for Social Communication of a Philippine Catholic Parish Church

Social communication is an essential church activity considering the flock's profile and the COVID-19 pandemic. The study determined the convergence and divergence of the parishioners in a Philippine Catholic Church Parish in the City of Dasmariñas, Cavite on Respect for Life, using content analysis and survey methods as bases for the development of a model for social communication. Results revealed that respondents were 31 years-old, female, married, college graduates, or attended college, with the parish for 16-30 years, Sunday Church-goers only, and not members of any Church-based organizations. Parishioners had converging conceptions about the "War on Drugs," extrajudicial killings, and the death penalty even when they could not join Church activities. Parishioners' compliance was acceptable with five convergence points: the sanctity of life, proper appropriation of justice, expression of gratitude for life, healthy living, and understanding the social context of the pronouncements. With this, a social communication model for the Parish Church was recommended, which other parishes may employ.

Development of a Tool for Measuring Ecocentrism as an Outcome of Environmental Communication

Recent developments in Environmental Communication furthered the importance of tool development to measure practice with ecocentric orientation. This research aimed to develop a tool that can measure the level of ecocentrism. This research employed a descriptive research design, and a survey was used as the primary data gathering method. The ecocentric-driven environmental communication tool has undergone four phases: the development of indicators, generation of reliability evidence, and determination of limitations, and refinement of tool. The tool was administered to 225 fourth-year college students of De La Salle University-Dasmariñas (DLSU-D), a higher education institution that explicitly integrated ecocentrism in its curriculum. Mean, percentage, and frequency count were used to analyze the socio-demographic and environmental communication. Chi-square Likelihood Ratio was also used to analyze the relationship between environmental communication and ecocentrism. The novel output of this research was the identification of aspects of ecocentrism, namely, impacts of human activities on the environment, environmental awareness, sustainable practices, environmental stewardship, collective action, and compliance with environmental laws. The research was able to develop probing items for each aspect. It was recommended that the probing items be developed based on the specific environmental contexts.

Determinants of Income Diversification Strategies among Agricultural Households in the Philippines using National Survey Data

Household income diversification is a critical pathway to improve the living standard of agricultural households. It is the process by which households actively seek to increase the number of income-generating activities. This study sought to describe the prevalence and patterns of income diversification among agricultural households and to identify the factors related to the degree of income diversification. The study applied a quantitative research design using a cross-sectional survey from the Philippine Statistics Authority. The fractional response regression model was used to determine the factors affecting income diversification. Results revealed that most of the household samples have two income sources. Most come from agricultural labor, crop farming, and gardening. Factors related to income diversification are sex, age, education, family size, being married, agricultural income, access to credit, cash support, access to electricity and water, access to information and communication, and vehicle ownership.

A Systematic Review of Philippine Research Productivity: A Bourdieusian Perspective

In a neoliberal globalized institution, research productivity (RP) among faculty members has become an important aspect determining university rankings and academic performance. Coping with the demands of RP, many universities aim to improve their faculty’s scholarly academic repertoire through incentivizing research publications and providing research training programs. Drawing from sociological perspectives, this systematic review outlines the factors and consequences of research productivity as a capital in the context of Philippine academics. Based on the review, one glaring issue is the low RP of the country compared to its ASEAN and Western counterparts across both soft and hard sciences. Using Bourdieu’s theory on capital, the constant accumulation of faculty members for RP as capital has resulted in their struggle for legitimization in their professions and overcoming the paradox of national policies and institutional policies. Moreover, the review revealed additional pressure for faculty members to keep up with the demands of national policies requiring scholarly outputs while struggling to handle various institutional practices that can be restrictive towards research works.

Effect of Farmer Field School (FFS) on the Knowledge, Attitude, Practices and Profitability of Rice Farmers

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) Model explains the individual’s knowledge which affects attitude and consequently changes the actual practices. The study investigated the effect of the Farmer Field School (FFS) on the knowledge, attitude, practices, and profitability of rice farmers in Babatngon, Leyte, Philippines. Ninety-four participants, which included 47 FFS farmers and 47 non-FFS farmers, were randomly chosen. Data were analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics, cost and return analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Results showed that FFS farmers have a significantly higher level of knowledge than non-FFS farmers in the Palaycheck System (p-value<0.001). Additionally, FFS farmers have a significantly great extent of practice than non-FSS farmers in the Palaycheck System (p-value<0.001). Furthermore, farmers with high knowledge, positive attitude, and the great extent of practice on Palaycheck system gain more profit. Therefore, farmers should acquire more knowledge, a positive attitude, and more practice on production technologies to increase profit. Farmer Field Schools (FFS) and demonstration farms should be established in multi-locations to highlight the benefits of the Palaycheck technology for widespread adoption.

The Importance and Usage of National Census for Security and Development of Nigeria

Census exercise is based on the notion that clear-cut data is at the center of a roadmap that enables planning, implementation, and long-term development. Because these objectives were not met, most census research in Nigeria has focused on the difficulties, problems, and politics underlying the falsification of census results. Surprisingly, none has articulated why a census is required for security and development. As a departure from the contentious debate enveloping the population, the paper examines the indices census has on the security and development of Nigeria. The cross-sectional survey design was adopted for the study using the proportionate stratified sampling in selecting 270 respondents that cut across three towns: Ado, Ikere, and Ikole, representing each senatorial district of Ekiti State. The questionnaire served as the instrument for data collection. Findings revealed mixed perceptions about the use of census for tackling security challenges, infrastructural planning, and developmental stride.

Strategic Priorities, Management Competencies, and Performance of the Divisions of Schools in Negros Island, Philippines

Good governance is a requisite in achieving quality education and lifelong learning. This combined descriptive, comparative, and correlative study looked into the strategic priorities, management competencies, and performance of the 16 divisions of schools in the Department of Education in Negros Island, Philippines. The statistical tools used were percentage and mean to determine their strategic priorities, management competencies, and performance based on the study's indicators; single-factor analysis of variance to find out any significant difference in their strategic priorities and management competencies; and Spearman rho to examine the coefficient of correlation between their strategic priorities and management competencies, their strategic priorities and performance, and their management competencies and performance. The study found no significant difference between the divisions of schools’ strategic priorities and management competencies, and no significant relationship between these variables and between these variables and their performance.

Exploring Online Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Business English Teaching: A Hermeneutic Study

This study explored the online Business English teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to understand its essence in Business English teaching. It sought to uncover what they thought about PCK in Business English lessons and how they developed their PCK as they engaged themselves in the everyday teaching of Business English. Hermeneutic phenomenology was employed since the purpose of the study concerns the reflection and interpretation of the online Business English teachers' experiences. The participants of the study were six online Business English teachers from one ESL Company in the Philippines catering to business professionals. They were chosen through homogeneous purposive sampling. The data collection included in-depth interviewing following semi-structured interviews and observations to gather rich descriptions of the participants' reflection and interpretation of their experiences. The data were analyzed using the six-step data analysis of Smith et al. (2021) due to the interpretive nature of the study. The results of the analysis revealed that the online Business English teachers thought of PCK as knowledge of strategizing, knowledge of Business English as the language in the workplace, and knowledge of Business English being distinct from General English. Additionally, the findings reported that teachers developed their PCK through several sources such as their encounter in the field, growth processes, and perceived need for further PCK development in Business English teaching. A creative synthesis captures the essential themes. Despite the online Business English teachers’ patent consciousness of their PCK in Business English, they still demonstrated the need to be exposed more to the business field and broaden their knowledge of business phrases and expressions. Teacher interaction with various types of students, and feedback from senior colleagues helped develop and widen their PCK in Business English.

Exploring Frontiers in Electronic Evidence: The Philippine Experience

This paper is the first formal empirical study on electronic evidence (EE) since the promulgation of Rules on Electronic Evidence (REE) by the Philippine Supreme Court in 2001. A basic qualitative research design was employed in the study. A total of 29 litigation lawyers and 13 trial judges from the Province of Cavite and the National Capital Region were the participants in the study. A qualitative survey questionnaire was used to gather data from the participants through Google Docs. Results showed that EE was more commonly presented in criminal cases, a few in civil cases, and none in quasi-judicial and administrative cases. Text messages were found to be the most frequently presented EE at trial. Results further revealed three major themes such as (1) admissibility of EE, (2) authentication of EE, and (3) suggestions on the implementation of REE. The vagueness of REE provisions on the admissibility of electronic evidence results in varying interpretations of judges, which ultimately affect their appreciation of the evidence presented at a trial. The present empirical study would indeed contribute to the scholarly discourse of electronic evidence showcasing the Philippine experience.

Readings in Philippine History: Course Review, Best Practices, and Challenges among Higher Education Institutions

History is essential in the curriculum. The Readings in Philippine History (RPH) syllabus and instruction should be advanced. However, curricular changes and the pandemic affected the instruction. Thus, this study reviewed the course specification and syllabus of RPH among higher educational institutions in Kabankalan City, Philippines. Anchored on the CHED recommended syllabus in RPH, the study reviewed the course and determined the areas for improvement. Likewise, it identified the best practices and challenges. Using a descriptive design and employing purposive and stratified sampling, 269 external reviewers, teachers, and students reviewed the study. The mean, frequency count, rank, and percentage distribution were employed in data analysis. Generally, the course adheres to the standard. However, the main issue is students' learning readiness and the misalignment of teachers' specialization. Thus, a strong foundation on Philippine History among the students is necessary to ensure quality. Also, the retention of qualified teachers is essential in advancing the instruction.