Tarlac State University (TSU; Filipino: Pamantasang Pampamahalaan ng Tarlac) is a public university located in Tarlac City, Philippines. Established in 1906, it is the flagship academic institution of higher education in the province offering different degree programs through its ten colleges and three campuses.Providing one hundred years of educational service to the people of Tarlac and the Central Luzon region, TSU started as an elementary trade school progressing to a secondary school. Later, it became a collegiate technical school and then a full-fledged state college, the Tarlac College of Technology. On October 13, 1989, it was converted into a state university by virtue of Republic Act No. 6764.Tarlac State University sits on a Level III-A status awarded by the Joint Committee of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in recognition of its excellent instruction, active involvement in research programs and community-wide extension services. Most of its curricular programs are accredited by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP).The university acquired its ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2013 for its provision of technical assistance, consultancy and training for the implementation of community development, industry development, and extension support services program. In August 2016, TSU was granted an Integrated Management System (IMS) Certification, becoming the first state university in the Philippines to acquire this status. The IMS Certification covers ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System, ISO 14001:2015 Environment Management System, and OHSAS 18001:2007 Occupational Health and Safety Management System under the United States Accreditation System (USAS).It is mandated to provide advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences, and the arts, and also to offer professional and technical training courses. To enhance the academic sector, the syllabi of the various course subjects adopted the outcomes-based education (OBE) format prescribed by CHED.TSU is the first university among other State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) with a government authority to conduct Transnational Education Programs. It has established international linkages with a number of colleges and universities in Asia.
Rapid urban expansion in the Philippines has intensified the pressure on agricultural lands, raising concerns about national food security and environmental sustainability. This study presents a national-scale spatial analysis of agricultural land conversion to built-up areas between 2003 and 2019, using high-resolution Earth Observation (EO) maps. The map validation based on expert-labeled reference data yielded 81% user accuracy, while correlation and bivariate mapping revealed a strong relationship (r = 0.89) between cropland loss (ha) and built-up expansion (ha), with hotspots identified in Central and Southern Mindanao, and Central Luzon. Conversions showed a moderate association with agricultural land area (r = 0.38), which may correspond to provinces with large areas for high-value crop production with intact economic value. Around 31% (3,228 out of 10,397 ha) of converted cropland to built-up fell within legally protected zones under the Network of Protected Areas for Agriculture and Agro-Industrial Development (NPAAAD), indicating possible governance and enforcement gaps. Almost 80% of the conversions within NPAAAD are mostly agro-industrial and alluvial lands characterized as high-value and road-accessible, thus being vulnerable also to urban and industrial projects. The findings underscore the urgency of enacting the National Land Use Act (NaLUA) to institutionalize spatial planning and safeguard agricultural lands from unregulated conversion. The findings of this study alongside mapping of specific land-uses following the conversions nationwide are deemed helpful inputs for mandated local land use planning.
Climate change remains a critical global challenge requiring integrated responses, with education playing a central role in fostering climate literacy. This study examined the climate change perspectives and self-reported practices of 102 public secondary science teachers and developed a conceptual model to enhance climate change education. Using a descriptive-correlational and comparative design, data were collected through a validated questionnaire (α=.94). Findings revealed highly positive personal and professional perspectives (M = 4.33), while overall reported practices were only moderate (M= 3.40). Teachers demonstrated high engagement in curriculum development (M= 3.64), but only moderate practices in instructional materials development (M= 3.37), teaching strategy innovation (M= 3.18), and the implementation of teaching-learning activities (M = 3.39). A significant positive relationship was found between teachers’ perspectives and practices (r=.573, p < .01), with perspectives accounting for 32.9% of the variance (r2=.329). While no significant differences in practices were observed between male and female teachers overall, a statistically significant difference emerged in instructional materials development (t=3.56, p < .01), with male teachers reporting higher engagement. Key challenges included limited innovative strategies, time constraints, and insufficient training, revealing an “action-practice gap.” In response, the Climate Education Action for Sustainable Engagement (CEASE) conceptual model is proposed to enhance pedagogical integration through curriculum alignment, contextualized instructional materials, methodological innovation, participatory learner-centered activities, and research capability building. The study contributes both empirical evidence and practical model aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action).
Nilalayon ng pag-aaral na ito na mataya ang kabisaan at antas ng pagtanggap sa Sipat-Saliksik bilang kagamitang pampagtuturo sa asignaturang Pananaliksik para sa mga mag-aaral ng Senior High School. Sinisikap nitong mailarawan ang antas ng performans ng mga mag-aaral, matukoy ang makabuluhang pagkakaiba ng resulta ng pagsusulit, at malaman ang antas ng pagtanggap sa materyal batay sa nilalaman, hikayat, pagkakaayos, at kahalagahan. Ginamit ang disenyong Evaluative Research at kinasangkutan ng isangdaang (100) mag-aaral mula sa ika-11 na baitang ng Benigno S. Aquino National High School sa pamamagitan ng purposive sampling. Ginamit bilang instrumento ang binuong modyul, pagsusulit (pretest at posttest), at talatanungan upang makakalap ng sapat na datos para sa pagsusuring estadistikal. Natuklasan sa pagsusuri na ang antas ng performans ng mga mag-aaral ay makabuluhang umunlad mula sa markang Di-mahusay (5.48 mean) sa pretest patungong Pinakamahusay (26.38 mean) sa posttest. Ang antas ng pagtanggap sa modyul ay nakakuha ng interpretasyong Lubhang Mataas sa lahat ng aspekto, na nagpapatunay na ang materyal ay organisado, kawili-wili, at napakahalaga sa proseso ng pagkatuto. Batay sa mga natuklasan, napatunayang ang modyul ay isang mabisang instrumento sa pagtuturo na nakatutugon sa pangangailangan ng kurikulum at ng mga mag-aaral. Inaasahang makatutulong ang nabuong kagamitan sa pagpapaigting ng kalidad ng edukasyon at pagpapaunlad ng kasanayan sa pananaliksik sa konteksto ng asignaturang Filipino.
Despite growing emphasis on democratic citizenship education in South Korea, limited research has examined the social and psychological factors influencing children's democratic citizenship-defined here as awareness of and willingness to engage in societal issues as responsible community members. This study examines the relationship between parent-child communication and democratic citizenship, focusing on the mediating roles of growth mindset and peer relationships among South Korean elementary school students. A total of 212 students in grades four to six completed a cross-sectional survey assessing parental communication, democratic citizenship (operationalized as civic awareness and community engagement), growth mindset, and peer relationships. Serial-multiple-mediation analysis was conducted to evaluate the mediating effects of growth mindset and peer relationships. The results indicated that positive parent-child communication was associated with higher levels of democratic citizenship and that growth mindset and peer relationships jointly mediated this relationship in a serial manner. These findings highlight the importance of fostering open parent-child communication, encouraging a growth mindset, and promoting positive peer relationships to enhance democratic citizenship development in children. Given the cross-sectional design, causal inferences should be interpreted with caution, and longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these relationships.
IntroductionThis study investigated the sociolinguistic competence of Korean migrant workers in service-oriented workplaces in Tarlac City and surrounding areas of Central Luzon, Philippines.MethodsEmploying Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven Korean migrant workers across diverse service sectors, including food service, personal care, language and early childhood education, and pastoral ministry. Cross-analysis yielded four thematic sections: language repertoire formation under mobility and labor-market conditions; translanguaging and adaptive communicative strategies; sociolinguistic challenges in workplace interactions; and implications for communication support and language training.ResultsParticipants perceived their language repertoires as developing in relation to labor-market demands and transnational biographical experiences, with workplace exposure and informal learning described as more influential than prior formal instruction. Adaptive strategies included visual and multimodal anchoring, lexical simplification, speech-rate reduction, and conceptual recontextualization in ministerial discourse. Participants reported sociolinguistic challenges at phonological, grammatical, pragmatic-cultural, occupational-register, and structural-attitudinal levels. Some participants also reported experiences of language-based discrimination.DiscussionThe findings suggest that barriers to communicative inclusion may arise not only from individual linguistic difficulties but also from relational and attitudinal conditions within the receiving community. The study contributes empirically and theoretically to workplace sociolinguistics, translanguaging theory, and migration studies within the understudied context of Korean migrants in Philippine provincial service-sector settings.
