Category: Researcher Accomplishment

Festivals boost the local economy through tourist visits. However, the shortage of theory-building studies in festival studies needs to be addressed empirically. This study aims to conceptualize a model that describes how visitors have become loyal to grand festivals in the Philippines. Following Glaserian grounded theory, 24 repeat Filipino festival goers were interviewed. Field texts were analyzed via open, selective, and theoretical coding procedures to emerge a theoretical model. Interestingly, this study afforded the development of Repeat Visitors’ Festival Loyalty Theory that consists of four unique but interlocking phases of victimization, vitalization, valuation, and volition. Implications of the study’s findings and recommendations were also discussed.

– https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1871045 [The journal Anatolia is indexed in Scopus (Q2, Earth-Surface Processes and Geography, Planning and Development) and in Clarivate Analytics’ Emerging Sources Citation Index]; by Research Associate Dr. Allan de Guzman and colleagues.

This mixed methods research note sought to determine the financial capabilities of remittance-receiving households from two rural municipalities in the Philippines: San Nicolas in Ilocos Norte province and Moncada in Tarlac province. The broader concept of financial capabilities not only looks at people’s financial literacy but also their financial inclusion (access to financial products) and financial functionings (actions on finance). Quantitative household surveys and qualitative data gathering methods that fall under a rapid qualitative inquiry (RQI) design were employed. Results and findings show that more remittance-receiving households from San Nicolas saved, invested, and did business in their hometown compared to counterpart migrant household respondents from Moncada. Differences in migrant households’ levels of financial literacy, as well as the geographic make-up and economic activities of the two municipalities, may help explain why one municipality had more migrant investors, savers, and entrepreneurs over the other.

– https://doi.org/10.1177%2F01171968211044573 [The Asian and Pacific Migration Journal is indexed in Scopus (Q2, Demography) and in Clarivate Analytics’ Social Sciences Citation Index [2020 impact factor: 1.333)]; by Research Associate Jeremaiah Opiniano

Previous studies in the Philippines have revealed that the implementation of gender mainstreaming in education has remained vague in . Also, there is a lacuna in the literature about informed accounts of teachers, particularly English language teachers, in their attempts to mainstream gender-and-development (GAD) education in Philippine schools. Through a qualitative survey among 124 Filipino senior high school teachers of English and follow-up focus group discussions, this paper explores English language teachers’ perceptions of the advantages, ways of, and challenges to incorporating gender dimensions in ELT. Findings indicate that teachers are ready to integrate a gender perspective into their teaching; however, concrete frameworks, curriculum materials, teacher education, and institutional support are crucial given the sensitive, ethical concerns that consideration of gender may generate among educators, students, and the wider community. Implications from this investigation could trigger similar accounts and experiences in teaching-learning contexts where the gender perspective may be integrated.

– https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2021.1966080 [Pedagogy, Culture and Society is indexed in Scopus (Q1, Cultural Studies) and in Clarivate Analytics’ Emerging Sources Citation Index]; by Research Associate Dr. Veronico Tarrayo

Engaging in research helps teachers improve their own classroom practices. However, there remains to be some dichotomy between teaching and research, even in the context of universities. This study aimed to uncover university teachers’ perceptions on the benefits and challenges in doing research, as well as their own research practices and the academic environment they are in. A group of 22 English language teachers participated in semi-structured online interviews. Thematic analysis of interview answers revealed that both personal and professional considerations permeated the issues on benefits, challenges, and practices, corroborating or contradicting previous studies. The participants likewise highlighted enabling and hindering factors concerning research engagements in their own university context and even proffered points for improvement. The study concludes that many teachers have engaged and want to engage in research, but variations can be seen in their level of engagement, exposure to research, and reasons for engaging in such endeavor. [Indexed in Scopus, Q2] – http://apssr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/RA-6.pdf

This interdisciplinary methods paper talks about how families receiving overseas remittances discuss, decide and act about finance (what is called family financial socialization). Money matters yield delicate family dynamics, and families and their members hesitate to talk about money to others. Verbal interview methods may not be enough to surface emotions about money. On this score, visual methods provide opportunities to innovate mixed methods projects while trying to surface the lived experiences of people through visual stimuli. This paper shares the story of a mixed methods project —done in two rural municipalities in the Philippines— that implemented a visual method called object-centered interviews (OCIs). The OCI as a visual method and an elicitation interview technique became useful in further understanding the behaviors and emotions of migrant families during family financial interactions. Psychologists, from various sub-fields, may find the use of objects during interviews helpful when research participants become verbally tight-lipped to narrate their lived experiences and emotions on ordinary and sensitive topics. – https://www.sciencedirect.com/…/pii/S2590260121000308 by Research Associate Jeremaiah Opiniano

The current work focused on how the learning environment of college students influenced their academic motivation, choice of learning strategies, and level of engagement in the classroom. Using a cross-sectional predictive design, a total of 1002 participating college students answered four standardized scales (college and university classroom environment inventory, academic motivation scale, motivated strategies for learning questionnaire, and student course engagement questionnaire). The learning environment was positively related to college students’ academic motivation, the choice of learning strategies, and the level of student engagement. [Indexed in Scopus (Q1) and Clarivate Analytics – Emerging Sources Citation index] – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10984-021-09382-x by Research Associate Dr. Ryan Francis Cayubit

The literature in educational research reveals disparities in how academics view their academic roles. Through semi-structured interviews, this study explores how a group of 53 Philippine higher education academics view themselves as doctoral academics and their roles in academic publishing. Overall, doctoral academics (which, in the present study, refers to academics who hold doctoral degrees) play important roles both in classroom teaching and in academic publishing. Thematic analysis of interview responses indicated that doctoral academics in Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) ascribed to two general roles: as teachers and researchers. In terms of academic publishing, it was found that doctoral academics fulfil four key roles: producers of new knowledge, research mentors and collaborators, expert reviewers of scholarly articles, and prime-movers of social change. This study includes implications for policy-making and curriculum development with respect to research pedagogy and academic publishing in Philippine HEIs. [Indexed in Scopus Q2] – by research associate Dr. Veronico Tarrayo and colleagues

Health seeking is any activity undertaken by individuals who perceive themselves to have a health problem or to be ill for the purpose of finding an appropriate remedy. Alarmingly, Filipinos have a tendency to delay or ignore preventative health-care measures until the illness becomes evident. The overall intent of this study is to explicate the health seeking-preferences of a select group of Filipino nursing students. To measure health-seeking preferences, a choice experiment was conducted involving 288 Filipino nursing students enrolled in a college of nursing in the capital of the Philippines. From a pool of 144 orthogonal cards, 16 cards were ranked and sorted by the respondents through the use of Balanced Incomplete Block Design or BIBD. Data were treated descriptively and inferentially using the SPPS version 20. The most important attribute in terms of health-seeking behavior is ‘who to consult first.’ Filipino nursing students tend to seek health advice from family members when signs and symptoms increase in number, severity, or duration. Results show that ‘who to consult first’ was conceived to be the most important in seeking health care. The preferred health-seeking behavior of the students, when integrated in health-care services, can improve the quality of nursing care. [Indexed in Scopus Q3] – https://www.tandfonline.com/…/14635240.2020.1730704… 

The Research Center on Social Sciences and Education invites everyone to watch this documentary, a social impact advocacy created through the efforts of USAID, ECOWASTE Coalition and our very own Sustainability Studies Research Interest Group. 

The research team led by Prof. Arlen Ancheta and members, Assoc. Profs. Moises Norman Garcia and Ma. Rosario Virginia Garcia, and Asst. Prof Ronald Castillo were among the research teams to participate in the project to document and analyze both social and environmental components of plastic pollution in Manila Bay.  Together, they brought an interdisciplinary approach and made research-based policy proposals to address this ecological issue.

Assoc. Prof. Rosalyn G. Mirasol and Asst. Prof. Katrina Ninfa M. Topacio published a paper on Reading Psychology, a Scopus-indexed Q1 journal by Taylor and Francis Online:

“Reading perceptions, needs, and practices among parents of an urban poor community in the Philippines”

https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2021.1939822

Congratulations!