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This study made a preliminary attempt to conduct a needs assessment of teachers' utilization of the SSI-based approach in teaching Science by exploring Filipino teachers' awareness, perceived need, readiness, and willingness. It also aimed to determine which among the demographic profiles of the teachers had significant differences in their perceived need and readiness. A needs assessment using a quantitative survey research design was used in this study. The data-gathering procedure was done using a validated online survey questionnaire with a Cronbach alpha of 0.89. A total of 124 science teachers participated in this study throughout the two-week implementation. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data gathered from this study. Results revealed that more than fifty percent of the teachers were highly aware of the SSI-based approach and perceived the need for its implementation in science classes. Teachers were also willing to participate in an SSI training program to learn more about it and develop their own SSI-related materials. Furthermore, gender and specialization significantly differed in teachers' perceived needs, while specialization significantly differed in readiness. Results obtained from this study can be used as a basis for exploring teachers' perceptions and views of implementing the SSI-based approach.

The responsibilities of emerging adulthood and academic pressure are some stressful situations encountered among graduating students. Those graduating students used different coping that deals with stressful situations that may affect their quality of life. This study, a predictive correlational design, was conducted on 202 Filipino graduating university/college students to determine if stress and avoidant coping can predict their quality of life. Results showed a significant relationship existed between stress, avoidant coping, and quality of life. Stepwise forward regression analysis tested two regression models, where model 1 revealed that stress negatively predicted the quality of life. Whereas model 2 suggested that stress and avoidant coping (i.e., behavioral disengagement) was significantly higher in predicting the quality of life among graduating students.

Background/purpose: Little attention is being put forward to the lesser-known type of curriculum--that is, hidden curriculum--most especially in the Philippine context. This study explored the positive and negative lessons from the hidden curriculum in higher education, with a Philippine state university as the research setting. Materials/methods: This study used qualitative case study. The data were obtained using online focused interviews and focus group discussions from Filipino college students. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: For the positive lessons, college students implicitly imbibed the value of being compassionate. They also acquired behaviors and attitudes that are healthy for the development of their personality. Seeing that many people helped each other, they also learned to collaborate with people. For the negative lessons, college teachers acted as a cause of academic discord. They also were reported to have a lack of sympathy toward student circumstances. Toxic behavior, collective cheating, and high-pressure work environment were observed. Conclusion: If there is a group of people, such as in the university setting, there must be a hidden curriculum. By that, we pertain that the social environment always offers a hidden curriculum. The hidden curriculum offers both positive and negative lessons. Observed or not, it is impactful to students and other stakeholders. Further, the development of hidden curriculum undergoes an iterative cycle-- hidden curriculum influences the collective, then the collective influences the hidden curriculum, "ad infinitum."

This study determines the critical success factors of teaching mathematics to special education (SPED) students wherein a list of success factors is identified through a literature survey and analyzes the causal relationships among the identified factors to evaluate the key success factors using the integration of the grey system theory and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), named as the grey-DEMATEL. Results reveal that professional development (PD), institutional support (IS), and individual factors (IF) are categorized as net causes. They influence other factors considered as net effects, including mentoring, self-efficacy, teaching capacity, student feedback, teaching knowledge, instructional accommodation, and use of technology. Among those net causes, only PD yields as the key factor, while IS and IF are the minor key factors. Thus, decision-makers must allocate resources that provide PD to teachers in delivering SPED mathematics teaching. A sensitivity analysis suggests these findings are robust to linguistic evaluation scale changes. The insights outlined in this study would aid educational managers and decision-makers of educational institutions in carefully designing initiatives to improve the quality of mathematics education provided to SPED students. Some potential directions for future research agenda are also discussed.

This study is intended on the development of the learners' reading comprehension and story analysis skills under the implementation of PowToon as an innovative instructional material for learners' development in reading comprehension and story analysis skills. This study provided various evidence on how innovation can be a great step in developing the learners reading comprehension and story analysis skills. The purpose of this action research is to determine or evaluate the effectiveness of using PowToon as an innovative instructional material to improve and develop learners' reading comprehension and fluency. Various test and data gathering procedures showed promising data on the success of the implementation of the said instructional material where thirty (30) students assessed under the supervision of the chosen master teachers and grade 4 teachers with the use of learning materials evaluated by the teachers using LRMDS tool. The data that this study generated in terms of the success it shown over the development of the learners were significant in terms of their level of reading and analysis skills. Furthermore the information gained from this study will benefit English teachers by yielding information about the effectiveness of using PowToon as an innovative instructional material to develop learners' reading and analyzing skills.

This study investigated the effect of using a comic-based learning module in Physics as a learning tool on students' conceptual understanding and motivation. A mixed method approach using a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design was used in this study. An adapted 50-multiple choice test items and the physics version of the "Science Motivation Questionnaire-II' (SMQ-II) were used to measure changes of students" conceptual understanding and motivation respectively. Two intact classes of 68 Grade 8 students in a public school in Cavite, the Philippines participated in this study with corresponding parental consent. Quantitative data were analyzed using Paired-Sample t-test and qualitative data were gathered from students' interviews. After the integration of the comic-based learning module for 4 weeks, results showed that it provided significant increase on students' conceptual understanding in Physics. Meanwhile, the four components of students' motivation such as intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, self-determination, and grade motivation showed significant increase. Finally, students' learning experience on the use of the module as revealed on focus group discussion showed that the module helped them to understand better the Physics topics being discussed and to become more motivated to learn Physics. Future studies would have to consider the appropriateness and suitability of comic-based learning module in other subject areas and grade levels.

Prior to the pandemic, remote learning in the Philippines was not a widely popular mode of teaching and learning. The COVID-19 health crisis, however, turned such modality into a norm. In this context, this study examined the experiences of Filipino teachers caught in the transition from traditional face-to-face interactions to virtual or distance learning. Findings were drawn from 86 teachers from private and public institutions in the Philippines, whose survey responses were collected online. The results indicate that the transition is seen both as an opportunity for professional growth and as a phase of tremendous challenge for discharging teacher duties. The narratives, however, are dominated by the latter. Logistical constraints brought by limited resources, heavier workload, and the anxiety rooted in the quality of online teaching are some of the challenges that arose. We contend that the perceived suddenness of such need for change, as reflected in these narratives, revealed how alien online learning is to teachers in the broader context. We argue further that the challenges in this transition are rooted in decades-long underinvestment in distance learning evidenced by the inadequate information and communication infrastructures in the country. This failure to invest in digital modality may suggest a lack of foresight about the power of technology in streamlining educational processes and improving outcomes under different settings and circumstances.

Early childhood interventions that target numeracy, language, and literacy skills can help to mitigate negative educational outcomes among young children from low- to middle-income families in developing countries. The current study evaluates the efficacy of parent coaching programs designed to enrich home numeracy and literacy environments in Cebu City, Philippines. A total of 673 families with 3- to 5-year-old children were randomly assigned to the numeracy, dialogic reading, early literacy skills training, and control groups. Following the 12-week intervention, children in the 578 families that participated in the posttest generally demonstrated a differential pattern of skill gains according to program content. Children in the numeracy group manifested improved basic and complex numeracy skills, and children in the dialogic reading group demonstrated gains in vocabulary knowledge for words in the books that they were exposed to, as well as print and word awareness, to a limited degree. Children in the early literacy skills training group had improved letter name knowledge, phonological awareness, and print and word awareness skills. Evidence of cross-domain transfer from early literacy skills training to some numeracy skills, as well as variations according to socioeconomic status, level of parental involvement, and teacher assignment in the program, were observed in the results. Results are discussed in relation to the specificity of program effects, cross-domain transfer effects, and improvements needed to maximize intervention program benefits among the children who need them the most.

The Philippines' Republic Act 11332 (2020) mandates prisons, jails and detention centres to participate in disease surveillance, but currently no surveillance system exists in these facilities. This report aims to describe the piloting of an early warning disease surveillance system in 21 selected jails in Calabarzon from July to September 2021. Sites were selected based on congestion, proximity to health facilities and logistical capacity. Data sources, collection mechanisms and reporting tools were determined and health personnel were trained in the operation of the system. During the implementation period, the system detected 10 health events, with influenza-like illness and foodborne illness being the most common. Nine of these events were reported within 24 hours. The local health unit provided medications for clinical management and instructed jail nurses on infection prevention and control measures, including active case finding, the isolation of cases and the inspection of food handling. Twelve sites reported over 8 of the 10 weeks, with all sites reporting zero cases promptly. The challenges identified included insufficient workforce, slow internet speed and multitasking. It was concluded that the jail-based early warning surveillance system is feasible and functional, but the perceived benefits of jail management are crucial to the acceptability and ownership of the system. It is recommended to replicate the surveillance system in other penitentiaries nationwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Separation issues have been rampant, and a significant rise in union dissolution cases in the Philippines has been observed. This certain occurrence should be given particular attention because it may alter the individual's way of living, particularly in perceiving and dealing with relationships. This study explores the lived experience of individuals who have undergone parental separation. The study utilized a Hermeneutic Phenomenological Design, which involved ten (10) respondents using a semi-structured key informant interview guide. The respondents were selected based on criteria as follows: (1) Have parents who have decided on the dissolution of marriage (annulled or informal) living separately; (2) 18 years of age and above; (3) Residents of Central Visayas; permanent or transient in Cebu City and; (4) Able to understand and express ideas in Cebuano dialect or English language. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis anchored on van Manen's six-step interpretive phenomenological approach with management and analysis done manually created a poem titled “Memoirs of Yesterday,” which incorporates three (3) major themes: (1) Into the Tunnel: Etiology of Separation, (2) The Darkness in the Tunnel: effects of the dissolution of marriage to children- emotional, psychological and academic status and (3) The Light After the Tunnel: attitude of the child and parent towards relationships and separation. The study implies that nurses should recognize the importance of assessing family concerns in rendering holistic and individualized client care. Thus, nurses should use assessed needs in advocating for the creation of more programs on awareness and counseling to families and, most especially, children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we present an approach to determine the optimal location of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination sites at the municipal level. We assume that each municipality is subdivided into smaller administrative units, which we refer to as barangays. The proposed method solves a minimization problem arising from a facility location problem, which is formulated based on the proximity of the vaccination sites to the barangays, the number of COVID-19 cases, and the population densities of the barangays. These objectives are formulated as a single optimization problem. As an alternative decision support tool, we develop a bi-objective optimization problem that considers distance and population coverage. Lastly, we propose a dynamic optimization approach that recalculates the optimal vaccination sites to account for the changes in the population of the barangays that have completed their vaccination program. A numerical scheme that solves the optimization problems is presented and the detailed description of the algorithms, which are coded in Python and MATLAB, are uploaded to a public repository. As an illustration, we apply our method to determine the optimal location of vaccination sites in San Juan, a municipality in the province of Batangas, in the Philippines. We hope that this study may guide the local government units in coming up with strategic and accessible plans for vaccine administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tick-borne diseases (TBD) cause enormous losses for farmers. Backyard raising comprises majority of the livestock population in the Philippines, but TBD information in backyard livestock is scarce. In this study, 48 cattle and 114 water buffalo samples from Quezon province, Philippines were molecularly screened for tick-borne pathogens. Anaplasma marginale (16.67%) and hemoplasma (20.99%) were detected in the samples. A. marginale infection (P=0.0001) was significantly higher in cattle, while hemoplasma infection (P=0.011) was significantly higher in water buffaloes. A. marginale isolates from this study were highly similar to previous isolates from the Philippines while Mycoplasma wenyonii and Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos were the identified hemoplasma species. Our findings reveal additional information on the TBD situation of Philippine backyard livestock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemotropic mycoplasma (hemoplasma), a neglected vector-borne pathogen in goats, causes extensive economic damage to farmers due to production losses. In this study, 107/295 (36.27%) goats sampled from 4 farms (Barili, Danao City, Dumanjug and Minglanilla) in Cebu, Philippines tested positive for PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene of Mycoplasma. All hemoplasma-positive goats were from Barili and no clinical sign was observed. Sex (P=0.0005) and age (P=0.03) were found associated with hemoplasma infection. Mycoplasma ovis, Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos, Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum and 3 Uncultured Mycoplasma sp. sequences were identified by sequencing analysis. This is the first report of molecular detection and genetic characterization of hemoplasmas in goats in the Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aftermath of super typhoon Haiyan , which devastated central Philippines on 08 November 2013, mangroves gained renewed national interest. Other than claiming thousands of lives and displacing millions of people, Haiyan wrought massive damage to infrastructure, crops, and coastal systems including mangroves. In this paper, the impact of Haiyan on mangroves across the entire impact corridor (i.e., Samar-Palawan stretch; broad-scale survey) was assessed, with particular focus on the planted Rhizophora cohorts (various forest age; detailed assessment) in Bantayan Island, typical of the massive planting programs in the country. Of the 21 mangrove species recorded within the impact corridor encompassing some 28,000 ha of heavily defoliated forests, the large-sized (older) Rhizophora spp. individuals were generally unable to produce epicormic sprouts resulting in mass mortality, in contrast to the other dominant mangrove taxa with high epicormic resprouting potential (e.g., Sonneratia , Avicennia , and Aegicera s). Focusing on the Bantayan cohorts, this paper found that, overall, 45% of the existing 20-ha, multi-aged Rhizophora plantations was severely damaged by typhoon Haiyan , but with mortality gradient being clearly directly related with stand age, i.e., for those >32 yr old, mortality was massive (>95%), while those < 8 yr old, although similarly totally defoliated, full recovery was attained < 2 years after Haiyan . Within old plantations, this paper also found significant differences in the mortality of trees in the core and in the periphery. These findings (1) offer a number of insights on the general age-frequency distribution and the growth architecture of Rhizophora spp. vis-a-vis other mangrove species within typhoon belts in the Philippines and in other countries with similar circumstances, and (2) demonstrate the high vulnerability of Rhizophora plantations against super typhoons, eventually suffering mass mortality upon attaining certain age threshold (>32 yr). Thus, the post- Haiyan mangrove enhancement practices which still insist to prefer Rhizophora as the main taxa for planting, must be seriously reconsidered to avoid similar fate, taking into account the wind exposure - growth and forest architecture dynamics, as Haiyan uniquely demonstrated in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the English language continues to evolve through time, many of its structures and functions changed, which made it even realizable that the smallest unit in a discourse can play a crucial role in communication. Hence, this present study is an attempt to investigate the phenomenon and further delve into the discourse-pragmatic functions of discourse particles (DPs) in digital genres, particularly on Facebook, since DPs are commonly used by Filipino youths when posting and commenting online. Thirty tertiary-level students from different universities in Metro Manila, Philippines, were selected to participate in the present study. Using both qualitative and quasi-quantitative methods, results revealed a surprising number and interesting types of combined English and Filipino Relational DPs having several micro functions. Generally, they serve as a device that can let the interlocutors convey their emotions, relationships, and attitudes towards the receiver of their message. Discourse particles have crucial and prominent implications in the way Filipinos, particularly the youth, express their message, gain understanding of the received message, and establish speakerreceiver relationships and attitude on Facebook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its first appearance in 1921, the Filipino novel in English has always existed at a disadvantage, having to struggle with the reading public's preference for writings in the vernacular languages, a small and not entirely receptive market, and stiff competition from imported Englishlanguage novels. What made Filipino authors produce novels in English, then? And why did they continue to do so in increasing numbers throughout the years? This essay seeks to address these questions by exploring the publishing history of Filipino novels in English during the twentieth century and by determining what forces drove the production of English-language novels in the Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Philippines has been active in formulating laws to advance human rights (HR), having ratified several international instruments in the area of HR. From 1980 to 2011, it ranked 112 out of 187 countries in terms of human development index trends (United Nations Development Programme, 2011). Yet, free land distribution to landless peasants has been elusive in the country since time immemorial. Against this backdrop, this paper presents the struggle of a local peasant community in the Philippines as rights holder asserting their social, economic, and political rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to The Philippine Nurses Association Of America (PNAA) Nurse Balik Turo Teach-Back program, is presented, which was launched in 2006, at the national convention of PNAA.

COVID-19 has affected millions of people worldwide, causing illness and death, and disrupting daily life while imposing a significant social and economic burden. Vaccination is an important control measure that significantly reduces mortality if properly and efficiently distributed. In this work, an age-structured model of COVID-19 transmission, incorporating an unreported infectious compartment, is developed. Three age groups are considered: young (0–19 years), adult (20–64 years), and elderly (65+ years). The transmission rate and reporting rate are determined for each group by utilizing the number of COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region in the Philippines. Optimal control theory is employed to identify the best vaccine allocation to different age groups. Further, three different vaccination periods are considered to reflect phases of vaccination priority groups: the first, second, and third account for the inoculation of the elderly, adult and elderly, and all three age groups, respectively. This study could guide in making informed decisions in mitigating a population-structured disease transmission under limited resources. • Age-structured model plays a crucial role in identifying effective interventions. • Population and social structure influence the transmission of COVID-19. • Reporting of probable cases aids in controlling the spread of the disease. • Optimal control theory guides in vaccine allocation strategy given limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Comfort has been an integral component of nursing interventions. It is also supposed that the degree to which comfort is evidenced in nursing performance depends in great measure on the way forthcoming nurses perceive the said construct during their educational training., Objective: This study purports to describe student nurses' outlook of the words "comfort" and "comforting", through conscious doodling, and at the same time to find out instances of similarity or striking distinctions in students' perception on the said terms., Method: A sample of 163 freshmen and 116 senior students were provided with a 2-part questionnaire. The first part used a robotfoto to determine the student subject's cartographic sketch. In the second part, a sheet of paper was given to each respondent who was asked to sketch a particular object, event or thought with which he associates the words, comfort and comforting. Moreover, a brief explanation of their illustrations was also called for. Metaphor representations were drawn up and analyzed and clustered according to their similarities in meaning, representation and the number of times the sketches were utilized by the respondents in order to comprehend how they interpret their sketches., Conclusions: Interestingly, this study yielded four major aspects that reflected the respondent's perception on the words "comfort" and "comforting", namely; physiologic, socio-environmental, psycho-spiritual and emotional. Results of this qualitative study did not show any marked difference in the interpretation of the construct under investigation on the comparison of the student's perception of the terms "comfort" and "comforting".