The Department of Educational Communication (DEC) of the College of Development Communication (CDC) organized a special plenary session at the 12th Association of Development Communication Educators and Practitioners (ADCEP) National Conference and Scientific Meeting on December 5, 2024, University of Southern Mindanao (USM), Kabacan, North Cotabato.
The plenary session titled “Educational Communication and The Learning Crisis,” featured conceptual papers, empirical studies, and practice notes that reaffirm Edcom’s role in addressing the learning crisis in the Philippines. Collectively, they aimed to spark critical discussions towards improving educational practices, implementing programs, and formulating policies to address said issue.
Asst. Prof. John Mervin Embate presented his paper “Si Teacher Feelingero: The Emotional Labor of Teaching and the Social Constructions of a ‘Good’ Teacher.” Through exploring literature on teacher emotion and critical theories on affect, the paper offered perspectives on the interface of identity construction, emotions, and labor in teaching. In addition, it discussed how teacher emotions provide a more comprehensive picture of the challenges faced by learning actors amidst the crisis in Philippine education.
Meanwhile, DEC Chair Asst. Prof. Elijah Jesse Pine shared his research titled “A Thematic Review of Educational Comics Research in Southeast Asia: Prospects for Philippine Basic Education.” The paper revealed a lack of research on educational comics in Philippine basic education, and that most available research on the subject are experimental studies that focus on educational comics in the sciences and mathematics. As such, a framework of recommendations for educational comics research and practice was presented.
The third paper, titled “Pagpiga sa Wika: Paglilimi sa mga Katutubong Kagawiang Pangkomunikasyon sa Pagtuturo na Hinango sa Filipino” was presented by Asst. Prof. Romel A. Daya. During his talk, he emphasized the importance of mainstreaming Filipino communicative practices, such as pagtatanong-tanong, pakikisalamuha, and pakikipagkuwentuhan, as instructional strategies. He further encouraged reimagining local classroom practices that are anchored solely on Western notions of learning and communication.
Lastly, Assoc. Prof. Mildred O. Moscoso and DEC UEA Ms. Renz Frances D. Abagat-Manrique presented their practice-based paper titled “The Case of DEC-CDC Kalinga sa Eskwela’s Strategic Planning and Partnership Review: Lessons from Beyond the Classroom.” The paper narrated the rationale, conceptualization process, and implementation of the strategic planning workshop conducted by DEC with its long-time partner school. Further, reflections on the school as a community, the value of embracing the slow movement in sustaining partnerships, and the importance of shared responsibility and a nurturing environment were highlighted as a guide for future practice.
The session was moderated by Asst. Prof. Rovil A. Espiritu, DEC faculty member and ADCEP Philippines Treasurer.
Themed “Communication that Cares: Fostering Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions,” the conference intended to highlight Devcom research outputs and community-based initiatives that aimed to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. It featured plenary speakers from non-government organizations and academic institutions such as UNICEF Philippines, Islamic Relief Worldwide, OXFAM International, USM, Limitless Lab, and UN World Food Programme.
In addition, parallel sessions on themes such as digital transformation and futures thinking; social and ecological justice; participation in agrifood systems; inclusive and resilient communities; and communication, governance, and elections featured research outputs of Devcom faculty and staff from different higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines. Among those who presented papers during these sessions were CDC faculty members:
- Asst. Prof. Daya (DEC) – “Papel ng Pakikipagkuwentuhan at Iba Pang mga Katutubong Kagawiang Pangkomunikasyon sa Pagbuo ng Isang Makataong Istoryang DevCom”
- Asst. Prof. Daya and Mr. Laurenz B. Cruz (DEC) – “Nature Tourism Discourse in Travel Blogs on Palawan, Philippines: Key Articulations Spotlighted and Social Realities Overlooked”
- Asst. Prof. Avril Adrianne D. Madrid (DSC) – “Making a List and Checking It Twice: Checklists as Innovative Capacity-Building Tools for Successful Scientific Publication and Presentation”
This was the third time the ADCEP conference was held in Mindanao. Central Mindanao University and Mindanao State University hosted the association’s fifth (2015) and ninth (2019) conferences, respectively.
ADCEP Philippines is a professional organization of Devcom educators and practitioners formed in 2010 and launched in 2011. Annually, it holds a national conference to promote the praxis of Devcom through showcasing research trends and industry challenges and opportunities.
As an academic unit under CDC, DEC regularly conducts studies on the intersections of education, communication, and development, with emphasis on learning and media, learning systems design and management, facilitation of learning, and communities of learning. It offers courses on designing learning materials and implementing media-based and distance learning systems.
(This article was a collaborative class project of the DEVC 11 D-2L Laboratory Class, First Semester A.Y. 2024-2025; Photo courtesy of University of Southern Mindanao Development Communication Society)
