USJ-R Senior High School holds first research summit

The Senior High School Department (SHS) of the University of San Jose-Recoletos conducted its first ever research convention on February 20 at the USJ-R Basak Campus.

Dubbed as the “Josenian Research Summit,” the event aimed to encourage the students to incorporate the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals when coming up with the topic for their research studies.

It was spearheaded by the SHS Math and Research Department. Its theme was “Cultivating Community, Championing Sustainability.”

The department received 71 submissions during the initial call for papers. After a series of screening by external assessors, 13 papers passed as finalists for the research summit. The finalists included five quantitative studies, five feasibility research projects, and three qualitative researches.

Math and Research Cluster Head John Nicko Coyoca said they wanted to provide the students with a culture and an environment wherein they can grow to learn and love research. He said the Josenian Research Summit is their first step to creating such environment. Aside from that, the activity also served as an avenue to showcase and acknowledge the SHS students’ research outputs.

One of the capstone projects of the Grade 12 STEM students named “Smart Drainage System.”

Herben Tautho, Coordinator for Academic Affairs, shared that they wanted to facilitate the collaboration and the establishment of partnerships among the participants.

“When we speak about community, it’s not about competition actually. It’s about collaboration,” he said.

The summit kicked off at the Recoletos Coliseum with a talk by Dr. Jestoni P. Babia, dean of the College of Education. He explained the meaning behind the event’s theme. He also talked about possible ways to cultivate a community that focuses on championing sustainability.

Two senior high school students also presented their studies in front of all the participants during the morning session. They were Ronald  Dela Cerna(Grade 12 ABM student) and Therese Rose Devilleres(Grade 12 HUMSS student).

Dela Cerna presented his group’s study on the Impact Analysis of Senior High School Students’ Preference Towards Different Studying Methods in Correlation to Academic Grade. On the other hand, Devilleres discussed her group’s research entitled Analysis of Academic Stress Among Humanities and Social Sciences Students.

The 15 delegates from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy holding their Certificates posed with the faculty of USJ-R SHS.

As this was the first research congress of the department, they only accepted studies from USJ-R students. Despite that, the department still received papers from other schools around Cebu three days before the event. They promised to accommodate them in the next research summit. The Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy sent 15 students to attend the summit as research observers.

The summit also included an exhibit of the Grade 12 STEM students’ capstone projects at the 2nd and 3rd floors of the La Salud Building in the Basak Campus. Coyoca stated that the exhibit’s goal was to give Grade 11 STEM students an idea and inspiration on what study they will conduct as they move up to the next grade.

Here are the winners of the first Josenian Research Summit:

Denise Gomez (second from right) receives the award for Exemplary Qualitative Research Achievement of the Year for the study entitled “The Impact of Separated Parents on Student’s Academic Performance.”

In his closing remarks, Rigil Kent Sevilleno left the attendees with a mind-taunting quote.

“Do things not for the sake of winning, but for the sake of learning,” he said.

Even without clear confirmation, the faculty members of the Senior High School Department look forward to the 2nd Josenian Research Summit. They have high hopes on the summit being an annual event.

Written by Raine Kathleen Olila (LIACOM intern)