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In addition to the use of pure-tones for testing hearing, speech signals are highly valuable diagnostic tools for identifying and evaluating hearing impairment. Speech audiometry involves the implementation of such signals in the measurement of hearing acuity. One aspect of speech audiometry involves assessment of the speech recognition threshold (SRT) which evaluates an individual's ability to hear and understand speech. While live speech has been used in the past to assess SRT, recorded materials are preferred and have been shown to be advantageous over live speech. High-quality digitally recorded speech audiometry materials have been available in English for some time, but assessment of individuals using speech materials from a language that they do not speak natively has been shown to be both inadequate and inaccurate. Speech audiometry materials have recently become available in many languages. Currently, however, there are no known published recordings for assessment of SRT in the Tagalog language. The goal of this study was to develop psychometrically equivalent speech audiometry materials for measuring speech recognition threshold in Tagalog. During this study Tagalog words were initially recorded by a native speaker selected for accent and vocal quality. The words were reduced down to 90 words to be evaluated in the study. Each of the 90 trisyllabic words were evaluated at 2 dB increments from -10 to 16 dB HL by 20 native Tagalog speakers, all having normal hearing. Based on the results, 34 trisyllabic Tagalog words were selected based on their familiarity to native listeners, relative homogeneity with regards to audibility and psychometric function slope. Each word was then adjusted to make the 50% performance threshold equal to the mean PTA of the 20 research participants (4.3 dB HL). The final edited words were then digitally recorded onto compact disc for distribution and for use in assessing SRT in native Tagalog speakers worldwide.

Although the nature of services provided by college guidance/counseling centers in the Philippines have evolved from an almost exclusive academic focus to a more diversified one, little is known as to who is taking advantage of this expanded service and what may be preventing others from doing so. More information is needed since psychological stress from personal concerns impacts the well-being of Filipino college students, and, in particular, their likelihood to have a positive academic experience. Data were collected from six introductory psychology classes from three colleges in the Philippines. The data consisted of responses to six measures of constructs that prior research has found to be related. These constructs are: locus of control orientation, levels of distress, likelihood to conceal, level of social support, attitudes toward counseling, and likelihood to seek counseling. Statistical analysis of the results was performed and the findings interpreted to determine whether or not specific models of help-seeking behavior would apply to the Filipino college student population. Path analysis was used to determine the best fitting model among the eight that were studied. Based on the best fitting model, specific conclusions were drawn and these are: (1) college students in the Philippines are more likely to seek counseling when their level of distress is high; (2) distress is higher when social support networks are impaired, individuals have an external locus of control orientation, and they tend to conceal personal information from others; (3) social support is less in Filipino college students who tend to have an external orientation and who are likely to conceal personal information from others; and (4) negative attitudes toward counseling are more likely in students who tend to have an external orientation and who are likely to conceal personal information from others. Implications for service providers point toward a more active role in providing services to the students in the classrooms while exploring various way of educating the students about the different factors that contribute to psychological distress and isolation.

In many cases, the need to survive has been the reason for many individuals to leave their country and to start anew in a foreign land. Indeed, migration has played its role as one of the solutions to struggle against poverty among many migrants. Nevertheless, migration can also be an excellent way to improve or develop one’s linguistic, professional and cultural competencies. And one way of doing this is to be part of the au pair cultural exchange program. The interest to be an au pair as well as the interest to have an au pair has been the subject of colorful debates in Denmark, and pushing politicians to make an action due to reports of abuse by many host families. Where the au pair program will end up is still a question hanging up in the air. This study is about the journey of many young and educated Filipino migrants who have decided to embark on the au pair expedition. The theme is anchored on deprofessionalization and deskilling. Transnationalism, civic culture and cultural citizenship, and media are the central theories of the study. Feedback from the participants indicates that there is a need to shift the discussion and focus. It is also important that the au pairs’ knowledge and skills are recognized. The study recommends further research on how participatory communication can be utilized or applied to engage all the stakeholders: au pairs, host family, social organizations, sending and receiving countries, and mass media, in finding long term solutions. The ‘cultural exchange or cheap labor’ argument must not be ignored; however, debates should not be limited to this alone. Most of the au pairs are educated. Recognition of such qualifications must be done to create a new arena for discussions. Oftentimes, many au pairs themselves do not see this side of their background as something valuable. From a communication for development perspective, behaviour change- the au pairs should not see themselves as domestic workers, but as educated migrants, and this must be promoted and advocated, so that au pairs and members of the host society can acknowledge this unknown aspect of these unsung migrants. They are education migrants; it is only right and logical that the au pairs are supported to enhance their qualifications. Deprofessionalization and deskilling must be avoided.

At more than three million, Filipina/o Americans are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in the United States. Yet, few studies have focused on the experiences of Filipina/o Americans in institutions of U.S. higher education. Given the increasing disparity in degree achievement between first and second generation Filipina/o Americans, this qualitative study investigated the challenges to persistence that Filipina/o American undergraduates have faced in college and identified resources and strategies that have facilitated their survival in higher education. Through individual interviews and a focus group, participants shared their experiences in a private, Catholic, and predominantly White institution. This study found that challenges to persistence included feelings of cultural dissonance between Filipina/o Americans and a predominantly White and affluent student body, feelings of invisibility and marginality due to lack of representation in the institution’s academic and social spheres, and personal academic challenges. Their stories also elucidated that despite these struggles, students were able to persist. Campus subcultures such as ethnic and cultural organizations, an Asian-interest sorority, and service organizations were primary factors in persistence. Additionally, the support of family was key in fostering participants’ educational aspirations. Institutional characteristics such as size, religious affiliation and mission, and available resources were also cited as important factors in building their commitment to persist. The stories shared in this study are a testament to the need to destabilize dominant narrative of persistence in higher education to include Filipina/o American students who are often overlooked as a result of the model minority myth.

Despite the existence of breast cancer screening that could promote early diagnosis and survival of breast cancer, high mortality rates of breast cancer persist among Filipino women. The purpose of the qualitative study was to describe the perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors of Filipino women working as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 Filipino women between the ages of 40 to 60 years who were recruited voluntarily using purposeful sampling technique. Guided by the structures of health belief model (HBM), the study used an inductive coding technique to elicit common themes from the raw data. The study established that the participants' screening behaviors were influenced by family history of breast cancer, the financial and emotional burden of the disease and its treatment, the benefit of early detection, mobility to participate, culture and language barriers, and the social media. The study also demonstrated that the desire to participate in breast cancer screening is influenced by the participants' perception of susceptibility and perception of severity to breast cancer. The findings of the study could create a positive social change as it may inform the practice of public health providers, influence the drafting of informed policies for comprehensive breast health care, and improve access to preventive health services for Filipino women OFWs. Furthermore, the study could empower Filipino women in their personal health decision making, especially when working in other countries where good health is the working capital and a precondition for survival.

The history of the United States’ occupation in the Philippines requires an alternative archive that includes family stories, museums sites, and other memories to articulate the nearly inexplicable legacy of imperial trauma. My project foregrounds the intangible effects of American imperialism, traced in generational memories of Filipinos and Filipino Americans and their descendants. Addressing three key moments defining the Filipino and Filipino American experience: the Philippine-American War, World War II, and 21st century global capitalism, I look at how the under-the-surface, banal nature of imperial trauma’s legacy marks Filipino identity and creates blind spots in the Filipino imaginary. My dissertation examines sexual atrocities committed by American soldiers during the 1898-1902 Philippine-American War, revisits memories of World War II and the Japanese Occupation as represented in military museums in Fredericksburg, Texas and on Corregidor Island, Philippines, and concludes with the importance of the babaylan figure, from an ancient priestess tradition in the Philippines, for diasporic Filipinas to negotiate the contemporary challenges of everyday living. My dissertation examines the use of strategic storytelling to recover lost histories, heal from the past, and re-create the present. / text

published_or_final_version / Comparative Asian Studies / Master / Master of Arts

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The purpose of this study is to examine the cultural relevance of the Peacebuilders model. The study shows that programs such as Peacebuilders need to address concepts of culture that will enhance the diversity of program participants. Many schools and school districts are utilizing these programs to head off student violence, resolve student conflicts and premote school wide harmony.