FICS Theses and Dissertations

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https://repository.upou.edu.ph/handle/20.500.13073/2
Theses and dissertations by graduate students from the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies.

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    No Teacher Left Offline: A Hermeneutic Study of Online Communication and Relationship Building for Near-Retirement Educators at Universities in Manila, Philippines
    ( 2024) Amoyo, Krizelle R.
    The pandemic forced a shift in the mode of delivery in education. Forcing everyone to migrate to the online platform just to make learning and communication possible. The platform is one thing, but paying attention to the sender of the message in the educational context is also a must to ensure effectiveness despite the trials. With near-retirement educators or those who belong to the baby boomer generation regarded as the tenured and respected individuals in the field, we must ensure support and assistance to help them navigate their way through an unmastered territory. This study seeks to understand the experiences of near-retirement educators and how they adapt to the obligatory online communication setup for relationship-building with their students. Through purposeful sampling, four near-retirement educators were invited to a one-on-one interview where they shared narratives during the shift to fully online communication. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and following the Hermeneutic approach, analyzed and interpreted.
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    A CSR Practitioner's Communication Practices in Engaging the Local Community in Watershed Conservation: An Autoethnography
    ( 2024) Amata, Dennis John M.
    This study aimed to answer the following questions: What are the CSR practitioner’s communication practices in engaging the local community in watershed conservation and what are the underlying views and assumptions of the communication practices? By positioning himself as the primary subject, the researcher employed autoethnography to deeply explore his interactions and communication practices used to engage a local community. Autoethnography as a research framework and methodology not only allows for an in-depth and reflective examination of his personal experiences but also provides a rich, nuanced understanding of the complexities involved in community engagement. The research methodology included gathering and review of the CSR practitioner’s personal journals during the implementation of the project from 2022- 2023, as well as a thorough review of related literature. Thematic analysis was employed to identify and explore recurring themes and provide insights into the patterns of his engagement with the local community. His journals were classified into two vignettes which included his communication practices when in project implementation and when the community is in conflict. Four communication practices during project implementation emerged in the analysis of data: engaging and empowering community leaders, integrating the local community’s wisdom and traditions; engaging the community in a long-term partnership; and recognizing literacy constraints. Each of these practices is made up of sub-practices, including: ● Sharing roles and responsibilities with the community ● Letting the community lead the completion of the project ● Including local voices in decision-making ● Inviting community leaders to educate employees and stakeholders ● Being mindful of local customs and traditions ● Respecting hierarchical structures ● Using the local language ● Involving community members in the storytelling process ● Bridging the language barrier ● Visiting the community to personally connect ● Immersing in the local community The findings from this study can inform more effective CSR communication practices and contribute to the growing body of research on the role of communication in fostering successful community engagement and partnerships in sustainability initiatives.
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    Digital Health Communication: Narratives of Health Patients using Telemedicine for Primary Healthcare in Lucena City, Philippines
    ( 2024) Alibuyog, Korina Marie N.
    This study analyzed narratives of health patients who have used telemedicine during the Covid-19 pandemic starting 2020. Focusing on the relation between society and technology, it is underpinned by the social determinism and the social construction theory and is qualitative in nature. Results showed that the participants used telemedicine during the pandemic because they needed to continuously connect with their doctors. They became familiar with telemedicine in different ways - it was advised by the doctor, it was seen on Facebook, or it has become prevalent even at work and in their Church. From the conventional personal visits to the doctor in their clinics or in the hospital, participants needed to learn and adapt to online medical treatment. Some of them who never had Viber (an online messaging app) created one while some extended the use of their Messenger accounts to constantly talk to their doctors. Because telemedicine is digital in nature, it lacks physical examination of patient by the doctor. Hence, the participants were compelled to become technology savvy and more diligent in monitoring their health by carefully taking note of their symptoms, such as their oxygen and heart rates. The participants also had to adjust to the other demands of technology for health consultation. Nonetheless, the participants have apparently embraced telemedicine as they claim that they are satisfied with its use. Even after pandemic, they continue to use telemedicine and now view it as a good alternative for basic healthcare because it is more convenient, faster, safer, and in many cases, cheaper. So, while telemedicine encouraged them to use technology, they also chose what technology to use or a combination thereof that suited their needs. Further, they improvised the technology to overcome any limitations that would help them transact with their doctors or nurses in the most efficient and effective ways.
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    Participatory Design and Testing of Food Handling and Entrepreneurship Guidebook for Bukidnon Women
    ( 2024) Agravante, Nova Thirdy E.
    Designing a material with no regard to user’s needs become useless in the long run. State universities are mandated to do extension work as one of its functions. Usually, extension materials are developed by extension workers without the participation of its intended users. These materials then do not serve its purpose. Thus, this study on participatory design and testing of a guidebook with the Bukidnon women discovered how a learning material can be carried out from an extension project facilitated by a state university. Following the telling-making-enacting framework, it allowed the participants to empathize with the problems encountered in understanding the message content and design produced by a state university, and defined the problem in a user-centered way. It proceeded to ideating and creating a prototype of its own desired material with the significant role of the designer and non -designers’ ideas combined. Exploring participatory design and testing for an improved extension material designed by an intended community yielded positive results when tested by the prospect end-users. Results also showed a unified acceptability, strong agreement on comprehensibility with clear messages in the use of images and texts, provided clear instruction due to the local dialect used, Binukid. Suffice to say that the jointly designed guidebook posed high interest for the next endusers being viewed as an economic and empowering tool in their lives. Hence, participatory design and testing as a method allowed the participants to arrive at agreements on their desired parameters in developing the material. Results as well led to the development of a communication framework for extension workers whose outputs include content and design review report, extension material design plan, extension material, pretesting results, and copyrighted material.
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    Building Community Resilience: A Case Study on the Localization of the Early Warning System
    ( 2025) Torreta, Aljohn T.
    The Philippines has been the world’s most at-risk country since 2022. While disasters cannot be controlled, its negative impacts can be mitigated. One of these is through the institutionalization and operationalization of the Early Warning System (EWS). The elements of EWS namely 1.) Risk Knowledge, 2.) Monitoring and Forecasting, 3.) Dissemination and Communication, and 4.) Preparedness to respond, are of equal significance because each contributes for the safety and resilience of the community. In the Philippines, the creation and institutionalization of the EWS in every Local Government Unit (LGU) is clearly defined in the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010. The LGUs from the provincial down to the barangay level are obligated to operate a multi-hazard EWS to provide accurate and timely advice for immediate response, and for the information of the general public. The LGUs play a vital role in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, this includes the creation, institutionalization, and communication of the EWS. The Philippines having a diverse ethno-linguistic culture makes the communication of EWS also challenging. A lot of studies have explored the preparedness of the LGUs for disasters but research focusing on the communication aspect of DRRM and of EWS, is quite limited. This research qualitatively explores the communication of EWS of the subject Local Government Unit through Key Informant Interviews to individuals who have a vital role in their communication process. The subject of this study, as the regional hub in Western Visayas and an awardee in disaster resilience, employs various strategies like the localization of its EWS to build a resilient community. The localization of the EWS is not only limited to the language used in communicating its early warning messages, it also pertains to the established mechanisms to ensure that it is responsive, inclusive, and sustainable. It is crucial to explore and analyze the communication of the EWS to ensure that it is functional and responsive to the needs of the public. With the right and timely information, everybody will be guided as well to do the right actions. The results of this qualitative research are vital in strengthening the operationalization and the communication of the EWS in the locality. The localization of the EWS, as an innovation, strengthens community resilience as it empowers the community. It ultimately contributes to the development and implementation of an inclusive, sustainable, and innovative DRRM and EWS. This research is aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, specifically No. 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), No. 13 (Climate Action), and No. 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).