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Addressing the Ten Commonly Asked Questions about Qualitative Research in the Philippines
(2017-12-25) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
There is no doubt that the need for qualitative research has increased and has been felt all around the world. Once feared, detested, or even not much valued by some, qualitative research has now become the rare bird many people are trying to catch. Unfortunately, as more and more people and institutions try to embrace qualitative research, maybe more damage is being done in the process because of the lack of solid understanding of qualitative research. To pave a strong way to excellence in qualitative research conduct and dissemination, it is important to have an idea of the current state of qualitative research. This paper is based on content analysis of the input from 197 higher education professors, administrators, researchers, graduate and doctoral students from 40 higher education institutions in the Philippines. It is based on 10 most commonly asked questions about qualitative research. These questions are grouped into three major themes: the fundamentals, the methodology, and the trustworthiness of qualitative research. Understanding these commonly asked questions can help us pave better the way to quality capability training in qualitative research.
Adventists in politico-military strife and violence
(Ministry International Journal for Pastors, 9-12, 2016-02) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
A Brief Ethnography on Philippine English
(2014-04) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary; Blath, Claudia; Lloren, Janice; Duan, Wenwan
The Philippines is a nation with a rich culture and heritage that reflects the indigenous diversity of the islands. Its present identity and unique features are not whimsical. They are mainly the result of a combination of events throughout its history. Its linguistic diversity and cultural uniqueness— e.g., being the only Asian Christian country—are clear evidence of several colonial influences (Hechanova, 2012; Miller, 2014). Using an ethnographic approach, this paper examines English, Taglish, and pragmatic aspects in a suburb and a metropolitan area of the Philippines. This study reveals that socioeconomic status, educational attainment and background go hand in hand with the level of exposure and usage of the English language. It also shows that the interactional and speech acts that nine participants demonstrated during the interviews, together with the artifacts found on the research sites, are reflections of their culture. The study also led to the conclusion that code-switching or Taglish is common among English-speaking Filipinos. Finally, more English proficiency was evidenced with people who had attended private schools more than those who attended public education.
Changing Lives through Qualitative Research: Some Practical Principles and Practices for Advocacy
(2020-12) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
Research in social sciences is or at least should be, primarily about improving people’s lives. This is especially important in qualitative research. It is not uncommon to find many qualitative research books and articles encouraging qualitative researchers to give voice to participants who do not have any. In the literature, one branch that is concerned with this specific ethical duty of qualitative researchers is advocacy or advocating. While some qualitative research books and articles have referred to advocacy in passing, it is not a topic that is frequently discussed in the qualitative research fora, despite its significant importance. This paper defines what advocacy is, its importance in qualitative research, and the challenges of advocating. The ultimate goal of this paper is to discuss effective ways of advocating through qualitative research. This is especially important when conducting qualitative research with alienated, marginalized, dehumanized, and powerless groups of people.
Christian ethics challenges: the case of the Great Lakes Region of Africa
(2014) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
In some academic and professional circles, ethics is a topic that is often discussed as a brainteaser. In the Great Lakes Region of Africa, war has challenged Christian members’, pastors, and church leaders’ ethics. War has claimed about 10 million lives in that region in the past couple of decades. It has been sustained directly or indirectly around the world because of the benefit it brings to the world population at large. This paper presents findings of a phenomenological case study based on accounts from lived experiences of Christian, pastors, and church leaders of the Great Lakes Region. It presents challenges that these Christians have had to face, how they have dealt with them ethically, and better paths that can be taken to deal with the impact of war on Christians in this and other similar contexts.
Designing Learning Modules for Online Courses: The 5-WH Approach
(2012-10) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
More and more educators today are joining online teaching with little or no instructional design training. Challenges have been reported in in many regions around the world. In addition, time constraints present another challenge because of the many responsibilities that educators assume as regular faculty members. They need practical guidelines that can help them in designing their online courses, beginning with the module–the meaningful, self-contained, basic building block of the online course. This theoretical paper provides some practical guidelines for this purpose by applying the common 5-WH approach in designing a module for any online course. This approach helps the online educator to address the questions related to who, what, why, where, when, and how, expected from any complete online course module from a Christian perspective.
English Teachers’ perceptions of the mother tongue-based education policy in the Philippines
(2014) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
The instruction of English in the Philippines causes quite some challenges to scholars due to its rich linguistic diversity. With more than 180 languages currently recorded in the country, linguistic power struggle is unavoidable, although it may be silent. To make the situation even more complex, the Philippine Government recently launched a new educational policy that promotes learning in mother tongues in earlier years of primary education. While this policy is based on sound research, it poses quite some challenges to linguists due to the various linguistic backgrounds found in almost every classroom around the nation. This survey research investigated 467 English teachers’ perceptions about the importance of this policy. Findings were inconclusive on teachers’ perception about the policy’s importance on general learning and the nation’s preparedness. Findings were positive, however, about teachers’ perceptions about the role this policy plays on first language learning, students’ culture, and the Philippines as a nation.
Factors Leading to Limited Faculty Publications in Philippine Higher Education Institutions
(2015-10) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
One of the major expectations of the higher education faculty is to generate knowledge through research and disseminate it through scholarly conferences and journal publications. This expectation has created much pressure on faculty members in higher education, even more so in recent years, as more and more emphasis is placed on presenting and publishing research. Using content analysis as a design, this exploratory study is based on data from higher education faculty members of 3 different universities about the reasons they gave for having no or limited number of publications. Findings reveal that the 7 most challenging factors preventing faculty members from publishing enough or not publishing at all include having limited time, lack of training on publication, fear of rejection, lack of interest, faculty laziness, limited funds, and lack of institutional support. This study helps raise scholars’ awareness on the common issues expressed by the faculty, with the hope of starting some constructive discourse in colleges and universities on how to better support the work of publication. Some recommendations are made to help colleges and universities tackle more effectively the 7 issues found in this study.
Globalization, Minerals, War, and Education: the case of Congo
(2014) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
Seen as a bittersweet gift to the world today, especially in developing countries, globalization has had both positive and negative impacts on Africans, and especially on the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The resources of Congo have played an important role in globalization around the world; more so in the world outside Congo. Through the death of millions of people, socioeconomic and psychological challenges, the Congolese people have had to pay a very high price simply because of these resources that are so highly needed to sustain globalization. While expected to help address these challenges, higher education in the Congo has struggled to face the challenges of repeated wars. This case study presents the results of interviews, archival data, and participant observation done with educational leaders and administrators, teachers, and students in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that has been on war for almost two decades. The study explores how war affects the quality of higher education when a country is constantly under the challenges of war, and what is being done about it.
Instructional Design Foundations of Online Education
(2013-04) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
It is becoming a common practice today for educational leaders to check job applicants’ experience with online teaching as they consider names for a new faculty position. Conversely, less attention is placed on what type of online teaching training these job applicants received. Rarely are job applicants asked to present a demonstration of at least one online course that they have designed or taught. This deficit is probably due to the fact that there are not yet any fundamental principles to define what online education is and the principles that should guide its implementation. This paper introduces fundamental principles for online instruction. It synthesizes some important considerations to take into account in planning and implementing online education programs in Christian institutions.
Integrating Faith and Learning in Distance Education in the Ghanaian Context
(2015-10) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary; Appiah, John
Seventh-day Adventist education is unique because it is holistic and redemptive in nature. All components of the curriculum are geared toward students’ redemption by connecting them to Jesus Christ. Scriptures are expected to be an integral part of the academic programs to develop students’ spirituality. Programs such as church services, group meetings, and weeks of prayer are organized to connect resident students to Jesus Christ. Distance learning students, however, do not benefit from these programs. This paper synthesizes the philosophy of Adventist education, defines distance education, and recommends ways to integrate faith and learning among distance education students to provide an opportunity for them to accept Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord. The paper can help other faith-based institutions to effectively integrate faith and learning in their curricula for distance learning.
Integration of Faith and Learning in the ESOL Classroom
(2016-04) Blath, Claudia E.; Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
In this world, education is led by different philosophies. Any education institution is based on a chosen philosophy. Christian institutions, for instance, are led by the Christian philosophy of life. In Christian higher education, the integration of faith and learning is of paramount importance, as professors and students approach teaching and learning within a Christian worldview. The classroom where English is learned as a second language (L2) is no exception when it comes to teaching methods to develop adult Christian minds. This paper discusses the implications of the integration of faith and learning in a classroom context where adults are learning English as an L2. It briefly reviews the biblical worldview that genuine Christian teachers should hold and transmit to their students through modeling. It analyzes the connection between the process of first and second L2 acquisition and universal grammar within the framework of God as Creator. It then analyzes key aspects that contribute to an effective integration of faith and learning in the English classes. Finally, it presents some practical suggestions on how to attain this holistic approach of teaching when teaching reading, writing, listening, speaking, and grammar.
Lived Experiences of International Male Married Single Students
(2013-10) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
The Republic of the Philippines is attracting more and more international students, especially in tertiary institutions. People have realized that the Philippines has high quality education at an affordable cost. Consequently, the increase in the population of international students is evident in the Philippines. One unnoticeable group of international students that is creating a new phenomenon is the married singles, that is, married international students living in a foreign country without their families. Based on the accounts of two focus groups and eight individual interviews of male married singles, this phenomenological study explored factors that lead to married single life of international students, the impact of such a life on the students’ wellbeing and their academic performance, the effect on their families, and the ways they cope with this life during the course of their studies. The findings demonstrate that the financial challenges are the major cause of the phenomenon of married singles in the Philippines. Both positive and negative consequences were seen on the academic performance of married single students while only negative results were reported on their wellbeing.
Moonlighting as a growing phenomenon: a case study of a Congolese Christian University
(2017-12) Kisumano, Georges Mumbere; Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
This paper explores why professors at a rural Christian university—where traditionally moonlighting was not allowed– moonlight and the impact this practice has. A qualitative case study with semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion with students and faculty was used to understand the phenomenon at a Christian university in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Findings suggest that moonlighting occurs for financial reasons, as a hedging mechanism against the uncertainty of the future, as a way to take advantage of available opportunities, for networking, for improvement of professors’ intellectual capacity, and for academic ranking at the national level. The phenomenon results in superficial teaching, limited personal contact with students, and reduced concentration on daily teaching activities. In addition, it increases the risk of burnout and reduces the time spent with the family. The study has implications for human resources management and quality of education as well.
Promoting more English language teaching and learning in Adventist organizations
(2017-12) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary; Kingston, Carol Linda; Namanya, Sheri Joy
English is interwoven with all layers of the socio-economic life. This fact is globally true in travel, business, ministry, education, and many other domains. No one can deny the importance of English today. With the heritage of the Spirit of Prophecy available primarily in English, the Adventist Church has an even better reason to be in the frontline of promoting English language learning and teaching. This paper discusses the role of English in today’s Adventist world. It proposes some paths to meet the English teaching and learning needs to equip better the Adventist people for the mission and for their lives in the 21st century. These include offering more TESOL programs, using technology more effectively to make English learning more accessible, and the design of Bible-based instructional materials or materials aligned with the philosophy of Adventist education.
Qualitative Research in the Time of a Disaster Like COVID-19
(2020-11) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary; Costa, António Pedro
The year 2020 will go down in history as the year when the whole world was challenged with one invisible enemy that changed everything in human society in the 21st Century. It is the worst modern pandemic that has shaken all aspects of human life. It is clear that no one in any field was well prepared, if prepared at all, for COVID-19. The newness of this pandemic has given room for several qualitative research opportunities to help understand and address the social implications. In this paper, we discuss the social trends of COVID-19, the role qualitative research should play during a disaster such as this pandemic, and how to conduct qualitative research about and during such a disaster. This paper also introduces the Crisis Recovery Stages model that can help researchers move effectively in the production mode despite the disaster. The paper also generates ideas for current issues that can be addressed through and about qualitative research.
Second Language Acquisition: A General Overview
(2016-04) Silvana de, Biaggi; Samojluk, Cinthya; Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
Second language acquisition (SLA) is known as both the process of learning an additional language and the field where issues pertaining to the teaching and learning of a second language (L2) are discussed (Ellis, 2010; Nunan, 2001). The field of SLA has experienced exponential growth over the past 3 decades. As Ellis (2010) states it rightly, SLA is “now an established discipline” (p. 182). This is evident in the growth of SLA research, SLA textbooks, and increase in number of theories, principles, and strategies that are found in the field of SLA. While this tremendous advance has been heavily demonstrated particularly in the United States, growth seems sparing in other countries. In fact, few are higher education institutions that offer Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) programs where SLA courses should normally be offered. Without proper knowledge and understanding of how L2s are taught and learned, it is quite likely that teaching English to nonnative speakers in these non-English speaking countries is negatively affected. This paper synthesizes important topics pertaining to SLA to help TESOL experts with some fundamental understanding.
Teaching in Extreme Conditions: A Study of Refugee Teachers in Central Africa
(2012-04) Dr. Wa-Mbaleka, Safary
This paper briefly synthesizes the literature on refugee education around the world and especially in Central Africa. It then focuses on preliminary results of a recent study in a refugee camp in Central Africa. Based on the findings, the presentation introduces some practical recommendations needed to increase sustainable educational access and quality in refugee camps. Recommendations are given for the international community in general and specifically to people who believe in promoting human rights through education for the Central African region. The paper also presents additional research opportunities.

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