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The development of efficient and reliable online assessments has become increasingly important in the digital era. We developed a 10-min online word reading assessment of global English based on the existing paper-and-pencil version of our English silent word reading test. The test includes two parts, namely, random word recognition and contextual word reading. A total of 889 participants (437 children and 392 adults; 62.7% female) took part in the study. They were from various regions including mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Poland, the United States, and the Philippines. Reliability and validity analyses on various demographics samples (by age and country/region of origin) demonstrated that the WordSword Test is highly reliable and valid (e.g., the correlation of this test with other English reading measures were above.80). Education level was positively correlated with test performance, while the correlations between age and test performance were not consistent. Ninety-seven children participants also took the paper-and-pencil version of the WordSword Test. The correlation between performances on the online and paper-and-pencil versions of the test was.879, one year apart. With more children and adults taking the WordSword Test, we ultimately hope to establish norms by area, grade level, and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the AlDub Nation, a fandom birthed from the accidental love team formed in the Philippine noontime show Eat Bulaga in 2015. Convergence culture (Jenkins, 2006a), group dynamics (Forsyth, 2019) particularly Tuckman's (1965) developmental stages of a group, and mixed methods approach through audience ethnography (Livingstone, 2009) were used to analyze the foundation and dynamics of the said fan community from a six-month fieldwork. I argue that the both online and offline fan activities such as attending fan events and buying fan-related items help prove and assert their identities as fans and identity as a group that continues to thrive even without their idols together in any project, which I call "striving for authenticity." This paper sheds light on the AlDub Nation fandom through empirical data, contributes to the growing literature on fandoms in the Philippines and Philippine popular culture in general, as well as provides prospects for future studies on other fandoms that are converging in this digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Official price statistics in the Philippines are mainly sourced from the conduct of regular surveys and censuses which entail high costs. As businesses move into digital platforms, alternatives to these traditional data sources have become more available; one of which is web scraping, a process of collecting information from the web. As digital and online platforms become increasingly utilized for commerce, web scraping offers a way to increase the frequency of data collection while reducing its cost compared to price surveys. This paper provides a survey of experiences of various government statistical agencies in their conduct of web scraping for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Moreover, it details the Philippines' experience using web scraped data to estimate the food and alcoholic beverages CPI of the National Capital Region in the Philippines, and that is compared to the official CPI estimate of the Philippine Statistics Authority. Finally, this paper discusses the challenges encountered and the recommendations for enhancing the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly viewed as a critical workforce to address health system strengthening and sustainable development goals. Optimizing and widening the capacity of this workforce through digital technology is currently underway, though there is skepticism regarding CHWs' willingness and optimism to engage in digital health. We sought to understand CHWs' perceptions on the use of digital health tools in their work. Methods: We obtained survey data from 1,141 CHWs from 28 countries with complete study information. We conducted regression analyses to explore the relationship between CHWs' training and perceived barriers to digital health access with current use of digital devices/tools and belief in digital impact while adjusting for demographic factors. Results: Most of the CHWs worked in Kenya (n = 502, 44%) followed by the Philippines (n = 308, 27%), Ghana (n = 107, 9.4%), and the United States (n = 70, 6.1%). There were significant, positive associations between digital tools training and digital device/tool use (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.92, 95% CI = 2.09–4.13) and belief in digital impact (AORhigh impact = 3.03, 95% CI = 2.04–4.49). CHWs were significantly less likely to use digital devices for their work if they identified cost as a perceived barrier (AORmobile service cost = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.49–0.95; AORphone/device cost = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.47–0.92). CHWs who were optimistic about digital health, were early adopters of technology in their personal lives, and found great value in their work believed digital health helped them to have greater impact. Older age and greater tenure were associated with digital device/tool use and belief in digital impact, respectively. Conclusions: CHWs are not an obstacle to digital health adoption or use. CHWs believe that digital tools can help them have more impact in their communities regardless of perceived barriers. However, cost is a barrier to digital device/tool use; potential solutions to cost constraints of technological access will benefit from further exploration of reimbursement models. Digital health tools have the potential to increase CHW capacity and shape the future of community health work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assess the country’s legal framework for taxing digital transactions. Specifically, the extensiveness of which the provisions of the legal framework can implement the value of digital transactions to taxpayers. This study employs a qualitative method by reviewing and further analyzing relevant case studies, recent gap analysis, policies, and literature on taxing digital transactions, and conducting interviews with policy experts from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Recent study recommends enhanced policy measures based on the findings on new digital technology and its possible interactions with both current and proposed tax policies, three (3) policies were recommended. First, optimizing existing authority to tax over online platforms. Second, to have a digital-ready tax administration. Finally, to have an expanded and continued investigation for enhancement and liability regarding these digital transactions. Findings include that the BIR doesn’t have enough systems to capture all revenue-generated digital service providers and is unable to track all revenue-generating digital platforms. The Philippines should continue improving taxing rights and administration pursuant to modern times. This study concluded that digital platforms can be designated as withholding agents, improve communication channels with these digital platforms and tie them up with BIR exclusively for data access, and finally, a centralized BIR portal where all digital service providers will be registered and monitored. This will be the tax platform for online transactions that is convenient and accessible for taxpayers and is deemed a highly resilient revenue generation and imposition of tax administration as time changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of the digital age thrust seasoned educators from older generations into a transformative educational landscape. Among these educators, Generation X (born approximately between 1965 and 1980) emerged as pivotal figures bridging the analog and digital eras. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, this study delves into the narratives of Generation X educators in the Philippines who continue to teach in the digital age. The research aims to uncover the insights they have acquired throughout this transformative journey, both as individuals and as educators in the digital era. Thirteen Generation X educators, selected through volunteer sampling, participated in semi-structured interviews, and their data were subjected to thematic analysis. The research uncovers three prominent themes illuminating the evolving landscape of pedagogy and continuous learning, the pursuit of educational equilibrium, and the imperative of adaptation and thriving amidst change. These insights advocate for policies that foster pedagogical innovation, teacher training programs that empower educators with essential digital-age skills, and classroom practices that cultivate dynamic, reciprocal, and evidence-based learning environments. Implications for further research are also offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled many educational institutions to employ flexible learning options (FLO), requiring technology integration in teaching. Digital immigrant nurse educators, who are educators born before 1985, may need help adopting FLO due to their limited technological knowledge and skills. This study explores the challenges digital immigrant nurse educators face in adopting FLO as a teaching strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Employing a qualitative phenomenological research approach, we researched 6 digital immigrant nurse educators with at least 10 years of teaching experience in the nursing institution at the College of Health Sciences of Mindanao State University in Marawi City, Philippines. These educators, expressing difficulty in adopting FLO, were purposively selected and interviewed from October 2021 to April 2022. Interviews were conducted through a scheduled Zoom meeting. For this purpose, an interview guide with open-ended questions was used. Colaizzi's method of analysis was applied to analyze the data. Results: We identified 4 themes representing the challenges digital immigrant nurse educators face in adopting FLO. The themes comprised a lack of technological knowledge and skills, difficulty adjusting to new teaching methods, inadequate technological resources, and emotional stress and exhaustion. Conclusion: Given the challenges experienced by Filipino digital immigrant nurse educators in integrating FLO amid the pandemic, this study recommends providing support and resources to improve these nurse educators' technical knowledge and skills. Continuous education is crucial for successfully integrating FLO into their teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of the middle-income trap (MIT) asserts that economies with middle-income levels often struggle to progress to higher income levels, which is particularly evident in Southeast Asia. Escaping the MIT has been a significant concern, with various factors like governance, infrastructure, and labor markets identified as contributors. Education is a crucial element for developing human capital and driving economic growth. Despite efforts to enhance education, the Philippines has a historical challenge of being stuck in the lower-middle-income trap (LMIT). Limited research on effective education reform strategies to overcome the LMIT in the Philippines is available in government plans and existing studies. The research utilized a mixed method involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches. In the initial qualitative phase, the analysis drew from the Murdoch School's critical political economy and strategic management framework. It revealed that insufficient funding for education, unequal allocation of resources between urban and rural areas, and unfavorable home learning environments are significant factors hindering progress. To address these issues and escape the LMIT, a development strategy was proposed, combining formulation and execution into a unified concept. By tackling problems like misaligned investment priorities, improper resource distribution, lack of mobile infrastructure, and unsupportive learning environments, collaboration among private sectors and universities as cluster networks could drive educational reforms. This, in turn, would lead to societal transformation and economic growth by aligning with societal needs and market demands. Focusing on relevant skills in the digital age is a suitable approach, where skill-oriented education could serve as a cornerstone of the reform efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research on the adverse impact of digital platforms on democratic politics has generally focussed on supply side factors underlying illiberal populism. Yet by reinforcing a services-led growth model of capitalism in the developing world, the platform economy has also been implicated on the demand-side of the global populist upsurge by fostering new insecure classes as well as precarious urbanisation patterns. Through a case study of the rise of Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines' 2016 elections, we show how our theoretical argument has unfolded in one of the most well-known cases of illiberal populism within the Global South. Even while waging unprecedented disinformation campaigns on social media, the political opportunity structure underlying Duterte's electoral victory in 2016 was fostered by the growth of 'rising yet insecure' classes linked to the Philippines' services and platform economy, as well as the socio-spatial legacies of the country's experience of premature deindustrialisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital revolution in education presents formidable challenges for teachers and students, particularly in regions with limited access to comprehensive training and reliable internet connections. This study examined the teachers' level of digital competence, attitude toward digital instruction, and utilization of digital technology as an instructional strategy. It also investigated the relationships between these variables and whether they predict teachers' preparedness for using digital technology in physical education. This descriptive correlational and causal-predictive research was gathered from the randomly selected 300 students in a public senior high school in Bukidnon, Philippines. The results revealed that teachers generally demonstrated a high level of preparedness, positive attitudes, and extensive technology utilization in physical education. Moreover, the study established significant relationships among digital competence, attitude, and technology use, further revealing attitude as the most influential predictor of teachers' utilization of digital technology as a physical educational instructional strategy. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the crucial role of nurturing positive attitudes and enhancing digital literacy among teachers to facilitate effective technology integration in physical education. It underscores the ongoing need for continuous teacher training and support to improve competence and attitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The valorisation of ecotourism as 'sustainable development' transforms coastal Southeast Asia. • Coastal transitions and ecotourism accelerate via Web 2.0 platforms prosuming virtual natures. • Coastal natures transformed as virtual natures can violently impact coastal people and places. Across parts of Southeast Asia, coastal governance strategies have drawn on 'ecotourism' initiatives for 'sustainable development' by constructing captivating imaginaries of coastal places and people as sites of touristic production and consumption. Increasingly, representations of exotic and pristine coastal natures are reproduced virtually in support of this campaign through Web 2.0 platforms and their underlying algorithms. As ecotourism expands in the region, growing networks of social media users coproduce and consume abstract virtual natures with profound consequences for coastal peoples and ecosystems. In particular, Instagram, a popular photo sharing social media platform, has become central to reifying and distorting complex coastal realities. Drawing on a case from El Nido , Palawan Island, the Philippines, our paper examines how the virtual representation of coastal places and people on Instagram accelerate coastal transformations. Our results reveal how the political economy of coastal governance and the platform capitalism of social media converge to accelerate ecotourism in ways that realign virtual ideals and material realities. As virtual imaginaries shape coastal realities, new forms of exclusion and misrepresentation of people and places drive the displacement of local fishers, violence against activists, and coastal degradation. Bringing together research exploring (mass) ecotourism, platform capitalism and virtualism, we argue that greater scholarly attention should be placed on how new digital actors and platform algorithms influence how coastal peoples and places are imagined, consumed and subject to violence over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taxonomy and classification of freshwater algae is highly dependent on morpho-taxonomic characterization and molecular genetic techniques. However, these methods are considered timeconsuming and tedious. This study was conducted to integrate the latest technological innovations of digital image processing and machine learning in developing an automated detection, recognition, and identification of selected algal species from the divisions of Chlorophyta and Cyanobacteria. OpenCV and Tensorflow (convolutional neural networks or CNN) were used in the development of a digital image identification system of common freshwater algal species (Chlorococcum infusionum, Chlorella vulgaris, Nostoc commune, Leptolyngbya lagerheimii, Desmodesmus abundans, Acutodesmus dimorphus, Oscillatoria proboscidea, and Oscillatoria limosa). Using OpenCV, digital microalgae images were subjected to image enhancement techniques for the removal of noise and other unwanted objects that minimizes image identification errors. TensorFlow classified these pre-processed images using CNN and gives the percentage results for the algal species in which it identifies each image. The developed automated image identification system correctly identified 75 images from a total of 80 selected freshwater algae images yielding a final test accuracy of 93.75%. This study exhibited for the first time in the Philippines the use of a CNN-based automated image identification system in the recognition and classification of freshwater algae. The developed system is applicable to algal culture collections and taxonomists for fast and easy identification of algal taxa and improved storage of algal images in the database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One popular genre of YouTube content in the Philippines is the Miss Universe reaction video made by queer fans during pageant viewing parties. The videos show hysterical and dramatic expressions of fans which are conceptualized as a form of queer expression, kabaklaan [Diaz (2018). Biyuti from below: Contemporary Philippine cinema and the transing of Kabaklaan. Transgender Studies Quarterly, 5(3), 404–424]. By analyzing the circulation of the videos, the present study aims to identify the roles of YouTube users and digital platforms in the transformations of the queer expression. My findings suggest that the affordances of YouTube (visibility, participation, dissemination) contribute to the commodification of the reaction videos and the popularization of queer emotional performances. At the same time, YouTube provides a facility where users can participate in the politics of queer recognition. The study shows how circulation can account for cultural transformations and continuity on digital platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the emergence of technology, there has been a rapid transformation of the way things are done as a result of digitalization innovation for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Philippines to remain competitive. The purpose of this study is to present an overview of innovative behavior and perception among SMEs surveyed from the 2015 World Bank Enterprise Survey and from the 2015 Survey of Innovation and Activities of Establishments for the Philippines. Analysis of the innovation components such as product innovation, process innovation, and mapping of the main innovative activities was examined. The results showed that SMEs spend less on formal research and development and have less purchase or license of any patented or non-patented inventions. Moreover, SMEs provide less formal training to any of its employees specifically for the development and/or introduction of new or significantly improved product services and processes. Innovation showed a negative covariance which means that innovation and R&D expenditures tend to move in inverse directions. This situation should allow the government to come up with national policy interventions that support and encourage innovation especially for the SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the law enforcement mechanism for the implementation of the Anti-illegal Camcording Act of 2010 in selected Philippine cinemas against film piracy and illegal camcording. Using sociological perspectives, especially some tenets of the Actor-Network Theory (ANT), and qualitative data from testimonies of twenty student-informants who witnessed actual illegal camcording inside some cinemas in Metro Manila, interviews from the chairperson and agents of the Optical Media Board (OMB, the Philippines' lead agency against media piracy), personal observation and experience of the author as a moviegoer, media reports, and research literature, it argues that effective law enforcement against illegal camcording entails an efficient and effective use of human and technological surveillance and policing with the application of the latest digital technologies to track down illegal recording inside cinemas. Results showed that illegal camcording, which occurred in movie theaters in Metro Manila and witnessed by the study's student informants, was primarily caused by the lack of efficient human monitoring by cinema personnel and government agents, as well as by the absence of the latest surveillance and detection technologies in theaters, which could have deterred illegal recording of films by pirates inside movie houses. Although the cases maybe dated, this study nevertheless provides an eye-witness account and sociological insight on the loopholes of law enforcement against film piracy in movie theaters. It recommends an efficient human and technological surveillance in cinemas, including the use of the latest anti-piracy technologies, to implement the law. C [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, humanitarian conduct has been drifting away from the classical paradigm. This drift is caused by the blurring of boundaries between development aid and humanitarianism and the increasing reliance on digital technologies and data. New humanitarianism, especially in the form of disaster risk reduction, involved government authorities in plans to strengthen their capacity to deal with disasters. Digital humanitarianism now enrolls remote data analytics: GIS capacity, local data and information management experts, and digital volunteers. It harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to strengthen humanitarian agencies and governments' capacity to anticipate and cope better with crises. In this article, we first trace how the meaning of accountability changed from classical to new and finally to digital humanitarianism. We then describe a recent empirical case of anticipatory humanitarian action in the Philippines. The Red Cross Red Crescent movement designed an artificial intelligence algorithm to trigger the release of funds typically used for humanitarian response in advance of an impending typhoon to start up early actions to mitigate its potential impact. We highlight emerging actors and fora in the accountability relationship of anticipatory humanitarian action as well as the consequences arising from actors' (mis)conduct. Finally, we reflect on the implications of this new form of algorithmic accountability for classical humanitarianism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online political participation has been presented as a possible solution to declining levels of trust in traditional politics. However, the most marginalised communities are often the least connected and participate least in digital citizenship programmes. Much existing literature rests on a binary understanding of citizens as being either connected or unconnected. Progress is therefore often understood simply as a process of "connecting the unconnected." This paper presents primary empirical research from the Philippines, which suggests that such binary understandings disguise more than they reveal. We argue that it is descriptively more accurate and more analytically useful to recognise that multiple classes of technology access exist, which limit digital citizenship in multiple ways. Qualitative methods were used to learn from non‐users and the least connected about the barriers to online civic participation that they experience. The 5'A's of Technology Access was employed as a framework to analyse those barriers and reveal the social and economic factors that they reflect, reproduce, and amplify. Findings suggest that nonbinary and nontechnical understandings of the barriers to digital inclusion are essential to any effective attempt to remove the remaining obstacles to genuinely inclusive digital citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spike in COVID-19 cases all over the world poses a massive impact on various sectors of society. The global economy is no exception, for it has been severely affected by the unprecedented public health crisis leading businesspeople to shutdown commercial establishments and dramatically shifting businesses into digital platforms. Immense challenges brought by the pandemic have turned into great opportunities among entrepreneurs from different parts of the globe. In pursuit of the recovery path, they considered digital tools to be instrumental to surviving the crisis and even thriving in the long term. This study explores drivers and barriers to digital innovations in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during economic disruptions from the perspective of Filipino young entrepreneurs. Researchers employed a qualitative method for the conduct of in-depth interviews with 46 online entrepreneurs in the Philippines and transcribed them for Inductive Content Analysis to generate themes. Results found the adverse effects of the pandemic, which reinforce entrepreneurial innovations of shifting businesses to digital platforms, categorized into intrinsic (e.g., personal and professional growth) and extrinsic (e.g., mobility restrictions, market conditions, and household economic status) motivations. Participants described the barriers to digital entrepreneurship, including skills needed for doing online business, market-related problems in digital platforms, availability of quality internet infrastructures, and the pandemic restrictions. The findings of this study contribute to the entrepreneurship literature and areas for an empirical investigation to develop programs that support entrepreneurs during economic disruptions. This would serve as a guidepost in the formulation of government policies and strategies for economic recovery through digital entrepreneurship while considering the perspectives of young entrepreneurs. This further recommends future related researches to empower entrepreneurs, particularly those in the developing economies during the pandemic and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]