Multidisciplinary Grad Research Confab Features 9 Papers

The University Graduate Programs launched its first Multidisciplinary Research Conference (UGPMRC) on March 14 at the Cyber Lecture Hall.

UGPMRC gathered nine research papers authored by students and faculty of Silliman and universities in Dumaguete. These accepted entries went through a double-blind reference process undertaken by three well-published experts.

A double-blind reference process ensures utmost objectivity as it requires non-disclosure of names of both individual reviewing and the one whose work is under review.

Graduate Programs Dean Dr. Reynaldo Riversa said the conference was more than just a venue of sharing research works.

“This is not just an avenue to share insights and scientifically based findings on current societal concerns; it is more a step towards preparing for the challenges of unifying the ASEAN region to respond to the exigencies of what has been referred to as a ‘global village’,” he said.

There were two panelists invited to facilitate a deeper discussion on the presentations: Dr. Michele Joan D. Valbuena, an assistant professor from the Psychology Department of Silliman, and Ms Rutchelle Enriquez of Leyte Normal University.

This year’s nine presentations were: “Teacher’s Assessment Strategies for Children with Disabilities: A Construct Study in Regular Primary Schools in Negros Oriental, Philippines,” “Profile of Clients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Dumaguete City in the Years 2012 and 2013,” “The Community Life of the Hinterland Residents in the Fourth Class Municipalities in Negros Oriental,” “Survey on the Online Communication Literacy among College Students: Inputs towards the Development of an Online Counseling System,” “Economic Reasons and Teacher Turnover,” “Clinical Instructor's Challenges and Teaching Strategies in the 21st Century,” “The Daily Life of Post-Stroke Patients in Tomohon City,” “Marcusean Critique of TESDA's Competency-based Education Toward Holistic Tech-Voc Education in the Philippines,” and “Essence of Aging: A Phenomenological Study.”

• “Teacher's Assessment Strategies for Children with Disabilities: A Construct Study in Regular Primary Schools in Negros Oriental, Philippines” is a qualitative study which aims to explore how primary school teachers, who are identified as practitioners of inclusive education, assess children with disabilities in regular classrooms. This paper is authored by Silliman alumnus Rolando Villamero Jr., who now serves as the Philippine Youth Education Ambassador to the United Nations Secretary General's Global Education First Initiative Youth Advocacy Group.

• “Profile of Clients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Dumaguete City in the Years 2012 and 2013” is co-authored by four graduate students taking up Master of Science in Nursing major in Community Health Nursing. They are Dive Grace Ocay, Rosiana Eva Rayanti, S. Kep, and Claudine Rhea Sun. Their study looks into the sixth leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the Philippines by determining the profile of Tuberculosis Direct Observed Treatment Short Course (TB DOTS) enrollees in Dumaguete, the second city with highest prevalence of TB in Negros Oriental.

• “The Community Life of the Hinterland Residents in the Fourth Class Municipalities in Negros Oriental” by RegidorTubosaCarale, the Subject Team Leader in Research and MAPEH Basic Education Department at St. Paul University Dumaguete, investigates perceptions of residents of fourth class municipalities in the province towards government services, programs and activities, particularly in the field of education.

• “Survey on the Online Communication Literacy among College Students: Inputs towards the Development of an Online Counseling System,” authored by Master of Information Science student John Audi Bato, seeks to understand the factors affecting students’ intention to engage in counseling services to improve and develop an Online Counseling System.

• “Economic Reasons and Teacher Turnover” by Kristel Ann AdvinculaPunu, a Master of Arts in Educational Management student, investigates the relationship of take-home pay on the tecahers’ intention to leave the school they work for.

• “Clinical Instructor's Challenges and Teaching Strategies in the 21st Century”is a mixed-method research using Copeland and Hewson’s questionnaire to evaluate the level of effectiveness of teaching strategies employed by instructors in the clinical area. This study was written by Richard Pascua, a Faculty of the Graduate School at St. Paul University Dumaguete.

• “The Daily Life of Post-Stroke Patients in Tomohon City” by RosianaRayanti, a Master of Science in Nursingstudent, is a case study using data collected through in-depth interviews of stroke patients and their family. It was conducted in Tomohon City in North Celebes, Indonesia and was co-authored by Ferry Kawur,the Dean of Health Sciences at Satya Wacana Christian University in Java, Indonesia, and Juliana Karwur, Head of the Department of Eduation in Tomohon City.

• “Marcusean Critique of TESDA's Competency-based Education Toward Holistic Tech-Voc Education in the Philippines” by Arvin Revagorda, a faculty member from the Philosophy Department, argues for an urgent need to reconfigure TESDA’s competency based curriculum for a one-dimensional training into multi-dimensional learning through the incorporation of Liberal Arts subjects in its offered courses.

• “Essence of Aging: A Phenomenological Study” is an effort to understand the older adults in Dumaguete city. It made use of a phenomenological interview to learn about the lived experiences of participants. This was a study by Maria Luz Calumpang-Fuentes, a PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology who concurrently serves as the Principal of Negros Oriental Montessori International School.