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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    Vulnerability to Fake News: The Case of the Overseas Filipino Workers in Taiwan
    (University of the Philippines Open University, 2025) Eugenio, Francis Albert D.
    This study examines the vulnerability of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Taiwan to fake news circulating on social media. Using a qualitative, thematic analysis grounded in the Uses and Gratifications framework and elements of Grounded Theory, the research explores OFWs’ information‐seeking behavior, levels of awareness and understanding of fake news, social media habits, and cues that shape truth judgments. Data were gathered through semi‐structured interviews and analyzed via iterative coding, theme development, and constant comparison. Findings point to the roles of habitual social media use, heuristic processing, media trust, and confirmation bias in misperception. The study proposes a communication model and programmatic recommendations for MECO and partner agencies that emphasize digital/media literacy, lateral reading, fact‐checking routines, and transparent communication. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
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    Financial Inclusion in the Digital Era: Communicative Practices in Organizing Facebook Live Transactions
    (University of the Philippines Open University, 2025) Hilario, Ram Idelbert A.
    This study investigates the communicative practices that characterize Facebook Live selling and buying transactions—commonly referred to as Facebook Live selling—and examines their role in advancing digital financial inclusion. Grounded in ethnomethodology and conversation analysis, the research explores how sellers and buyers engage in patterned, real-time interactions—such as item claiming, product descriptions, transaction confirmations, and payment verification—to facilitate online commercial exchanges. By attending to the sequential organization of talk and turn-taking, the study demonstrates how social actions in live selling are organized, interpreted, and made intelligible to participants. These communicative practices not only enable smooth transaction processes but also serve as mechanisms for fostering trust, enhancing accessibility, and promoting financial participation in digitally mediated settings. The findings suggest that financial inclusion is not merely the outcome of technological access but is actively achieved through structured communicative routines that orient users to informal financial engagement. In doing so, the study offers a communication-centered understanding of how digital financial inclusion is constructed in everyday interactions within emerging online marketplaces. This aligns closely with the goals of development communication, which emphasizes the strategic use of communication processes and media to promote social and economic development. By highlighting how communication itself serves as infrastructure for participation, trust, and digital engagement, the study affirms that development efforts must go beyond technological solutions to consider how people use talk and interaction to navigate and reshape financial realities in marginalized or informal contexts.
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    Exploring Radyo DZLB's 'PAK!' as an Edutainment Program for Agriculture and the Environment
    (University of the Philippines Open University, 2025) Calamlam, Christopher N.
    With Radyo DZLB's move to the online space, various information and knowledge products are now transformed to cater to audiences from the legacy format and digital media. The station's online equivalent, DZLB Online! continues its advocacy in providing participatory broadcasting through engaging communities and organizations as partners in producing various programs. Adding to DZLB Online's roster of programs is PAK! Para sa Agrikultura at Kalikasan. Or PAK!. PAK!, is a program that uses the Teleradyonet format to popularize and deliver scientific concepts, research projects, and advocacies about agriculture and the environment to the common audience. The episodes tackled various topics such as sustainable agriculture, agricultural modernization, permaculture, environmental protection and conservation, ridge-to-reef ecological frameworks, One Health, sustainable freshwater ecosystems, agriecotourism/naturetainment, the role of individuals and groups as a driver of change for the environment, and community farming as a social enterprise. Through the use of narrative structural analysis, the study looked at the presence of various storytelling elements within the program and how they fit with the program’s learning/education process via broadcast. These processes include (1) looking at PAK!’s narrative structure, (2) analyzing how the program facilitates learning and engagement, (3) visiting the various technical elements present in the program when it comes to the production process, and (4) exploring how such technical elements aid in how educational content is delivered.
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    Campus Journalism in Cavite Public High Schools: A Qualitative Case Study of Stakeholders’ Perspectives
    (University of the Philippines Open University, 2025) Ruiz, Carlo Jay F.
    This qualitative case study explores the views of stakeholders which include student journalists, advisers, and school administrators, in secondary schools in Cavite, focusing on the implementation of campus journalism programs within the framework of the Campus Journalism Act of 1991. The study aimed to examine the views and perspectives of the stakeholders, particularly in light of evolving technological advancements and the rise of digital media. Findings indicate a significant shift from print to online platforms, with students embracing digital publishing tools such as social media and AI-based applications. Despite the benefits, stakeholders highlighted issues such as resource disparities, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient professional training in digital media. Stakeholders expressed a shared belief in the need to amend the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 to better align with the digital age, emphasizing the importance of incorporating provisions for online publishing, digital censorship, and the ethical use of technologies like AI. The study advocates for reforms in policy and the programs, proposing the integration of digital media into campus journalism training, enhanced resource allocation, and professional development for both students and educators. By addressing these gaps, the study sought to strengthen the role of campus journalism as a tool for student empowerment, media literacy, and civic engagement in the 21st century.
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    Communicating Disaster Risks in a State University in the Philippines
    (University of the Philippines Open University, 2025) Ompoc, Tricia P.
    In a disaster-prone country like the Philippines, schools and universities play an important role in promoting a culture of preparedness and resilience. However, such practice is seldom observed. Thus, the study examined how disaster risks are communicated within a state university in the Philippines. Specifically, the study attempted aimed to: identify the existing communication methods used to convey disaster information or protocols to stakeholders in the university; assess how constituents respond to these protocols; find out how prepared are they to respond to disaster risks to various stakeholders; and analyze the existing mechanisms for stakeholders’ feedback on disaster communication efforts. This study examined the gaps in disaster communication, acknowledging that clear, inclusive, and practical communication are keys for ensuring campus safety. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combined surveys, interviews, and a review of existing data to understand current communication practices, stakeholder responses, preparedness levels, and barriers. The findings showed that while the university has existing systems such as memos and social media announcements, these are not always consistent, inclusive, or engaging. Many students and faculty members are still unaware of some safety procedures. There are also few opportunities that are often lacking for people to give feedback, and visual materials that could help explain risks. This research suggests that communication efforts should be more participatory and tailored to the campus context. The lack of effective disaster risk communication makes it difficult to build a strong risk culture among members of the university community. Without clear, consistent, and inclusive communication, awareness about risks will not develop into shared values, habits, and actions that support preparedness and resilience. Steps like regular training, more accessible materials (such as visuals or audio aids), and greater involvement from all stakeholders of the university can help improve how disaster risks are understood. With these interventions, the university can strengthen its communication strategies and build a more resilient and prepared academic institution to develop a risk culture with shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviuoral norms that shape how a community views and reacts to hazards.