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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ItemCOMMUNICATION FOR SAFE(R) SPACES IN COMING OUT AMONG FILIPINO QUEER YOUTH( 2024)This study explored the Filipino queer youth’s communicational perspective of safe spaces for coming out in the Philippine context. Guided by Blumerian Symbolic Interactionism, it uses Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006) as methodology. A theoretical sample of six Filipino queer youth from official queer student organizations in two universities in Metro Manila were interviewed in-depth online via Zoom from October 2022 to March 2023. Comparative analysis of data, concepts, and categories through reiterative coding steps was done. The Filipino queer youth identified kanlungan, tahanan, tambayan/takbuhan as the safe spaces because these are where they feel most honest to themselves, accepted, comforted, protected, empowered, and excited. Safe spaces are characterized as chosen (gender identity disclosure is solely their decision), established (initiating disclosure before they expect disclosure from others), all-encompassing (safety must be existent in all social institutions), and indefinite (a safe space can be a person/location or both). Safe spaces also have internal and external layers of safeness. Internally, a space is safe if there is no experience of gender dysphoria or self-harm ideations and if their disclosure were decided based on the elements of choice, readiness, timing, and relationship. Moreover, a space is externally safe if religious, socio-cultural, political, educational, and financial factors are all gender-affirmative. Communication plays a crucial role in creating safe spaces for the Filipino queer youth because it is through verbal and non-verbal communication that they get signs and symbols of whether they are accepted or not. Safe spaces are introduced, disseminated, and negotiated through interactions. The symbols of safe spaces and their meanings are continuously transformed and can produce a universally understood meaning of safe spaces for the queer community through Symbolic Interactionism.
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ItemCommunication and Redefining Home and Identity: Autoethnography of a Filipino Third Culture Kid Belonging to a Returnee OFW Family from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia( 2024-05-03)This study explores how communication has been interwoven in my third culture experiences as a member of an OFW family living in Saudi Arabia, and how these communication experiences allowed me to (re)shape my concept of home and identity as a third culture kid now residing in the Philippines. I used socio-cultural tradition as a theoretical lens and autoethnography as a methodology to create a chronology of my experiences based on personal memory data and artifacts. As a Filipino TCK, redefining home and identity through communication experiences is a continuous arduous process of preserving one's own culture, adapting to new cultural shifts and situations, and maintaining meaningful relationships. This requires having a good support system, consistent practice of the home culture, and embracing the host culture. Communication, whether verbal, nonverbal, in person, or online, plays an important role in shaping my concept of home and identity as a TCK. While there are many communication difficulties and challenges, communication must be consistent in whatever shape it takes to maintain one's pursuit of home and identity.
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ItemFraming of the Proposed Creation of the Autonomous Region of the Cordillera by Community Newspapers( 2020)Understanding the nature of media framing is pivotal to setting government agenda and public debate. It has a big influence on the salience of key information and interpretation of societal issues. This research draws on framing as an approach to understanding media discourse and communication. It looked into community newspapers' framing of the proposed creation of the Autonomous Region of the Cordillera (ARC), a three-decade-old proposal in the region covered by the media. Using Polkinghorne's paradigmatic analysis of narratives, this study revealed how Cordillera was framed as a region. The framing of the proposed creation of the ARC was also uncovered through the Labovian model of narrative analysis. Based on the framing used in their reportage, community newspapers' view of Cordillera as a region and their underlying position on the proposed regional autonomy in the region surfaced. The findings of the study show that Cordillera is generally viewed as an underdeveloped region that has been struggling to attain autonomy. Cordillera was framed as a region predetermined to become autonomous; an underdeveloped and neglected region; a region clamoring for regional autonomy; and a region with a diverse population. Further findings reveal that community newspapers have a favorable stance on the proposed creation of the ARC. Although they are for regional autonomy, they deem it tentative considering that the proposal is contingent on national government action and public understanding and approval. This position is evinced in the frames used in the news coverage of the proposed creation of the ARC. These are that Cordillera needs regional autonomy; that the proposed creation of the ARC needs government endorsement and action; and that it needs the Cordilleran public's support and approval. This study offers a new approach in defining and understanding framing – that is, by using narrative analysis as framework and methodology. By understanding the community newspapers' rhetoric through an analysis of their news frames, we are able to get a grasp of the meanings or interpretations that they contribute to the marketplace of ideas and convey to their audiences.
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ItemIsamapa: Identifying Ideal Templates for GIS-based Flood Hazard Maps in Disaster-prone Communities Within Davao City( 2023)This study investigates the creation of optimal templates for Geographic Information System (GIS) based flood hazard maps in disaster-prone communities within Davao City. The areas that were included in the study are identified by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office as two of the flood-prone barangays in the city. Utilizing comprehensive spatial data and advanced GIS techniques, the research aims to identify and assess the most effective template designs for accurately representing flood hazards with the help of the Purok Disaster Action Team (PDAT). Data was collected by conducting key informant interviews with several PDAT respondents in the identified flood-prone areas. The research revealed the templates that provide user-friendly visualization of flood-prone zones enabling better disaster preparedness and response strategies. Guided by the theory of Visual Rhetoric by Sonja K. Foss, the study highlights the importance of maps as a vital communication tool for decision-makers to facilitate proactive community-based measures. In turn, the research advocates to mitigate the impact of floods ultimately enhancing the resilience of the communities in Davao City.
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ItemKnowledge Practices Within the Health Knowledge Systems in Virac, Catanduanes, Philippines( 2024)To investigate the knowledge practices within the health knowledge systems in Virac, Catanduanes which includes the provincial and municipal health offices, the rural health unit (RHU), and barangay health workers (BHWs), key-informant interviews, focus-group discussion, and survey were conducted. The study, guided by the Knowledge Utilization Theory of Verkasalo and Lappalainen (1998), examined the following practices on health emergency management: knowledge acquisition, knowledge capture and retrieval, and knowledge transfer among health authorities, as well as the knowledge receival, knowledge perception and knowledge utilization among BHWs. The study found that health authorities adopt various approaches to acquire knowledge on health emergency management. Explicit knowledge is acquired through formal and systematic structures, while tacit knowledge is acquired through open, spontaneous knowledge sharing. To ensure knowledge transfer to barangay health workers (BHWs), health authorities also conduct various activities such as, but not limited to, training, seminars, meetings, and mentoring. The most popular method of knowledge transfer was found to be the use of the group chat system on Facebook Messenger that enables health authorities to directly connect with BHWs without meeting them face-to-face. Knowledge sharing practices were also investigated to check whether the tacit knowledge that BHWs have acquired through experience are being communicated to the provincial and municipal level. The findings showed that BHWs are more inclined to share their knowledge with their barangay nurse/midwife supervisors rather than directly with health authorities at the provincial and municipal levels. Other challenges are organizational, as well as technological barriers that hinder seamless communication among health workers, thereby impeding the sharing of critical knowledge on health emergency management. Despite these gaps, BHWs still possess and highly utilize the critical knowledge on health emergency management they have received.