Mindoro State University

Technology integration plays a vital role in both teaching-learning processes and school management. However, its implementation in public secondary schools remains uneven, particularly in rural and resource-limited areas. This study examined the extent of technology integration in pedagogical practices and school management among selected public secondary schools in Oriental Mindoro. It also identified the challenges encountered and coping strategies employed as a basis for an Enhanced School Improvement Plan. The study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed-method research design involving 145 school administrators and 145 teachers from mega and large public secondary schools. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire with high reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.956 and 0.951). Quantitative data were analyzed using weighted mean, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey’s post hoc test, while qualitative responses were examined through thematic analysis. Findings revealed a high level of technology integration in instructional delivery and communication, while moderate levels were observed in digital content creation and organizational tasks. In school management, technology use was extensive in class operations, staff management, and data/resource management, but less evident in predictive planning, data ethics, and system integration. Significant differences were found among pedagogical and management domains (p < 0.05). Major challenges included limited skills, inadequate infrastructure, time constraints, and systemic issues. Coping strategies involved professional development, streamlined workflows, institutional support, and infrastructure enhancement. The study highlights the need for advanced digital skills training and content digitization to strengthen effective technology integration.

This study examines gender equality practices in the hospitality industry in Southern Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, with a particular focus on how gender biases influence recruitment, task allocation, career advancement, and employee satisfaction. Despite substantial advancements in gender equality both globally and nationally, gendered divisions of labor persist in the hospitality sector, where women and LGBTQ+ employees are often relegated to lower-paying, customer-facing roles, while men dominate managerial positions. This study uses descriptive and statistical analyses to assess the demographic profile of employees and the prevalence of gender biases in various organizational processes. Results indicate that traditional gender roles continue to shape job assignments, limiting opportunities for women and LGBTQ+ individuals to advance to leadership roles. The findings align with global and local studies that highlight the persistence of gender inequality in recruitment practices, career progression, and task allocation. Recommendations for addressing these biases include implementing gender-neutral recruitment practices, promoting competence-based promotions, and providing inclusive training programs. The study contributes to understanding how organizational cultures, HRM practices, and institutional policies can be modified to create more equitable and inclusive work environments in the hospitality industry.

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is now widely used by students as an on-demand source of mathematical explanations, yet its reliability in applied Differential Calculus remains underexamined at the level of solution processes. This descriptive-evaluative study audited the mathematical accuracy and error patterns of ChatGPT and Gemini in solving selected applied calculus problems involving business optimization, particle kinematics, and vertical motion. Using neutral step-by-step prompts, AI-generated solutions were compared with expert-verified solutions through qualitative comparative error analysis across five dimensions: semantic-to-algebraic translation, calculus procedure, algebraic and arithmetic execution, boundary-condition handling, and contextual relevance. Results showed that both tools could often execute isolated differentiation or integration procedures, but their reliability declined when narrative conditions had to be converted into functions, when constants had to be retained across multiple integrations, or when final values required contextual verification. ChatGPT showed recurrent boundary-condition omissions and inappropriate defaulting of displacement constants, whereas Gemini showed a severe positive-slope demand-function error in the business optimization problem and arithmetic fragility in the vertical-motion task. Both tools also produced fluent but flawed explanations and occasionally inserted irrelevant contextual information. The study argues that GenAI should not be used as an unquestioned answer source in calculus instruction. Instead, AI-generated solutions can serve as productive critique artifacts through semantic auditing, constraint tracking, and independent computational verification.

This research examines the transmission of stories across generations in Masbate City, Philippines, by analyzing the narrative patterns in local urban legends shared by 25 elder storytellers from five barangays. Working with community members aged 65 and above, the researcher collected and analyzed their oral narratives using a mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative content analysis with quantitative descriptive statistics. The study demonstrates that Masbateños consistently prefer straightforward, chronological storytelling, with linear narrative structures prevailing in their oral traditions (M = 2.8, SD = 0.84). Rather than employing nonlinear temporal structures, these storytellers consistently organize their legends in a sequential order that mirrors how events unfolded. The most intriguing discovery emerged from examining thematic relationships: a perfect negative correlation between origin and heroism narratives (ρ = -1.000, p < .001) suggests that these two story types serve entirely different functions within the community's oral tradition and operate in separate narrative spaces. This finding indicates that Masbateño communities have developed a sophisticated system for organizing their cultural knowledge, in which different thematic categories fulfil distinct pedagogical and mnemonic roles. However, the study also documented generational erosion, in which younger storytellers systematically omit cultural details and shift narrative perspectives, threatening the preservation of authentic cultural memory. In response to these preservation challenges, the researcher developed the Controlled Shift Narration (CSN) framework. This community-based intervention employs strategic perspective alignment, linguistic anchoring of vernacular terms, and pedagogical integration to maintain narrative authenticity while allowing natural evolution across generations. Unlike existing preservation models that prioritize static documentation, CSN acknowledges the inherently dynamic nature of oral tradition while providing structured mechanisms to mitigate unintentional distortion. This framework offers practical tools for cultural heritage preservation initiatives and contributes to folklore studies’ methodology by bridging the gap between authenticity and adaptability in oral narrative transmission.

Reliable freshwater aquaculture supply chains are crucial for food security and regional economic growth. Poor water quality and delayed management responses can lead to production losses. To tackle these issues, the eH2O system was created as an Internet of Things (IoT) platform for ongoing monitoring of pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. This study details the design approach and technical validation of the initial eH2O prototype, tested in the field in Oriental Mindoro. The prototype was assembled based on a structured needs assessment with local farm operators, using an Arduino Mega 2560 and laboratory-grade electrochemical sensors. During verification, the system maintained stable power and data transfer, but mechanical latency (average 15.8 seconds) extended sensor exposure to surface splashes, causing water ingress and electronic failures. Continuous immersion for 72 hours caused signal fatigue, evidenced by a pH change of -0.81. These findings suggest that standard probes and slow actuators are inadequate for long-term pond monitoring. Therefore, a redesigned architecture featuring a dedicated protective housing and an ESP32-based Store-and-Forward system is recommended to enhance resilience and data accuracy in future smart aquaculture systems.