FICS Theses and Dissertations
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Theses and dissertations by graduate students from the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies.
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ItemHow Online Collaboration Makes Telework Possible: An Ethnomethodological Study( 2025)This ethnomethodological research employed conversation analysis (CA) to examine how the communicative practice of online collaboration makes the phenomenon of telework possible. This study was framed within the perspective of the sociocultural tradition that theorizes communication as “a symbolic process that produces and reproduces shared cultural patterns (Craig, 1999, p.144).” Through conversation analysis, this study revealed teleworkers’ tacit, unacknowledged, and taken-for-granted collaborative practices, as well as their common sense, which enables them to create order and achieve work. This study utilized a pre-recorded Zoom recording of a remote session conducted by teleworkers. The pre-recorded remote session recording aligned with CA’s preference for recorded conversations, which are more natural and non-experimental, rather than provoked by the researcher (ten Have, 2011e, p. 4). The online written interaction found in the remote session recording was also added to the dataset used in this research. This study was guided by the research questions: “What practices do teleworkers employ to accomplish the organization? What organizational arrangement is created in telework?” Its findings include discovering six key practices that enable telework, which are: connecting, synchronizing/coordinating, sharing information, using digital technologies, initiating repair, and complying with data privacy and information security policies. It also proposed an organizational arrangement of telework, which provided a representation of how social order is formed during telework and a symbolic representation of how online collaboration is constituted for the purpose of accomplishing telework.
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ItemDrag as Creative Expression: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Filipino Drag Queens in Reality Shows( 2025)This study examines the lived experiences of Filipino drag queens in local drag reality shows, Drag Race Philippines and Drag Den with Manila Luzon, and how these shape their creative expression. Using a transcendental phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews with four participants reveal drag as a powerful and evolving art form that challenges heteronormative norms and promotes LGBTQ+ visibility in a society where queer identities are often marginalized. The research highlights how drag is not only a mode of artistic expression but also a form of resistance that reshapes cultural narratives and identity. While reality shows provide a valuable platform for visibility and social transformation, they also introduce challenges such as media commodification and the reinforcement of stereotypes. Participants shared how their creative autonomy was affected by the narratives constructed by television, limiting the authenticity of their drag personas. Despite these constraints, Filipino drag performers continue to use their art to inspire change, confront stigma, and redefine gender and sexual norms. This study contributes to the broader discourse on media representation and LGBTQ+ visibility in the Philippines, offering insights for media practitioners, policymakers, and advocates seeking more inclusive and respectful portrayals of the drag community.
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ItemArtificial Intelligence in Social Sciences: Behavioral Intention and Use Among Students in a State University in Central Luzon, Philippines( 2025-04-17)This study assessed the views and usage of AI among social sciences students in a state university in Luzon, Philippines, using the Unified Theory of Acceptance of Technology (UTAUT) theory. A total of 311 students were chosen through stratified proportional sampling and surveyed using Google Forms for 8 days. Data underwent statistical tests such as T-test and correlations (Point-Biserial, Spearman's rank, and Phi Coefficient). The behavioral intentions and actual use of AI among students were high. They actively utilize AI such as chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT) and writing assistance tools (e.g., Grammarly and QuillBot) to enhance their learning and assist with academic tasks. They hold a positive perception of AI, particularly in terms of performance expectancy and effort expectancy. They believe that AI enhances their academic performance and is easy to use. However, students remain neutral regarding social influence and facilitating conditions, suggesting that they feel neither strongly encouraged nor discouraged by their peers to use AI. Additionally, they perceive external support for AI as neutral, indicating a perceived lack of encouragement from academic institutions regarding its use. Students' attitudes toward AI are also neutral, due to the absence of standardized guidelines and implementation strategies from academic institutions. This seems to have created uncertainty, as students are unsure whether they are encouraged or discouraged from using AI. As a result, they approach the ethical use of AI with caution. Despite these, they still intend to use AI to enhance their creativity and ideas, innovate their academic methods, and improve the quality of their work.
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ItemBeyond the Crescent: Exploring Perceptions of the Philippine Halal Logo Among Young Non-Muslim Filipino Consumers( 2025-05-14)Can a logo intended to represent religious principles transcend its roots and become a universal symbol of health? In the Philippines, where approximately 91.5% of the population is reported to be Christian ("Religious affiliation in the Philippines (2020 census of population and housing)," 2023), the government has actively promoted locally made Halal-certified products through initiatives mandated by the Philippine Halal Export Development Program (Senate and House of Representatives Philippines, 2016). Central to these efforts is the introduction of the official Philippine Halal logo (Caybot, 2019). But can this marker truly resonate beyond the Muslim community and symbolize broader notions of health, cleanliness, trust, sustainability, and quality for everyone? This research presents a creative visual perception test, describing how the logo’s design elements-particularly its prominence, messaging, and imagery-influence perceptions of health, trust, quality, and purchase intentions among young non-Muslim Filipino consumers residing in Quezon City. Using a purposive, non-random sample of 311 respondents, the study employed descriptive analysis to explore awareness of and attitudes toward the Philippine Halal Logo. Guided by the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this study used a mixed-methods research design, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative insights. The findings reveal that while respondents generally have favorable impressions of the logo and its visibility, statistical analysis showed no significant effect of logo size alone on perceived health benefits. Messaging such as the text “Clean Food” resonated well with safety-conscious consumers, but it did not show a statistically significant advantage over other text options. In contrast, a green color scheme for the imagery significantly enhanced associations with cleanliness and sustainability. The synergy of these design elements-rather than any single factor-created the strongest positive impact on health perceptions and purchase intentions within this sample. Furthermore, respondents who engaged in the central route of processing information demonstrated greater cognitive engagement and more positive attitudes toward Halal-certified products, supporting key principles of the Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986). It is important to note that, due to the purposive and non-random sampling method, these findings are descriptive and reflect only the views of the surveyed group; they are not representative of all young, non-Muslim Filipinos in Quezon City or the Philippines. The study’s limitations highlight the need for future research across more diverse regions and with randomized samples to better capture the broader demographics. In terms of development communication, the results demonstrate how strategic visual design and messaging can help transform cultural symbols into more universal markers of trust, health, and quality (Page & Lim, 2022). Recommendations include optimizing the Philippine Halal logo’s design particularly through the use of green color and clear, health-focused messaging-launching targeted awareness campaigns that emphasize “Clean Food,” and establishing standard policies to unite MSMEs and businesses in communicating their Halal-certified products. By bridging cultural divides through effective branding and social marketing, this study highlights the potential of Halal certification to foster inclusivity and drive sustainable growth in the Philippine food industry.
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ItemConstruction of Entertainment News as a Collaborative and Negotiated Communication and Discourse: An Autoethnographic Study( 2025-04)The qualitative study investigated how Entertainment news as a discourse and its meaning come into being. It also interrogated the roles of editorial and Public Relations and Corporate Communications personalities who take part in it, the communication systems and the power relations that enact and shape the construction of Entertainment news. Utilizing analytic autoethnography and thematic analysis, the 10 themes that emerged were “Source” of the “source” of Entertainment news; What and who lands on the Entertainment page; The avenues and sites for Entertainment news; What questions to ask and get to ask; Questions and answers as basis for Entertainment news; The culture of giving; The writer’s making sense of Entertainment event; Entertainment narratives: Events to personalities; Stories people are talking about and whose voice; and New way of gathering and writing Entertainment news. They also revealed different points of communication, collaboration, negotiation and tension in relation to the construction of Entertainment news. Themes were based on the recollections and experiences of the researcher and the five other informants. In the interplay of their voices, the researcher’s perspective took the lead in understanding how Entertainment news emerges. Using Fairclough and Foucault’s conceptions of discourse and Berger and Luckmann’s The Social Construction of Reality as lenses, the study analyzed and discussed Entertainment news, from the text and discursive levels to the social practice level and encompassing surfaces of emergence and authorities of deliminations, and the habitualization, institutionalization and legitimation of practices and policies. The qualitative study legitimizes the value of Entertainment news and that it is never a neutral site of communication and discourse.