CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Community Extension Program is an activity where an individual can

experience a different way of learning. It doesn’t teach what are written in the

book but how to apply it in outside world. Moreover, the meaning of Community

Extension Program varies to every person. It somehow to be kind and caring to

others or to help out those who are less fortunate.

In Nigeria, the numbers of empowered communities is very little and are

linked to poor implementation of extension services, while some scholars argue

that policy issues, political instability and poor training are the major factors

hindering community empowerment. Moreover, the factors surrounding poor

performance of extension personnel in community empowerment is directly

associated to the challenges encountered during program or project execution,

these challenges are multi-dimensional, but prominent among them includes

political system, rapid increase in population, competency of the personnel and

their adequacy, training and retraining and the challenge of coping with modern

technology through ICT. It is in view of the above that this article reviews some of

the issues and challenges bedeviling the system through personal experience

and review of literature (Gombe, Suandi, Ismail & Omar, 2016).

In the Philippines, Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas is a

learning institution which has an integrated educational institution namely:

instruction, research and community extensions are linked harmoniously to

produce meaningful learning. The institutions together with the different

academic departments, students, and faculty and staff organizations have been

involved in providing community extension to the community. Developing a

community with greatest necessity to get some assistance from different

agencies like academic institutions is an act of fulfilling the mission of helping

people to uplift not only the standards of living of those deprived but it would also

provide greater impact to the character and values of the students and

employees who take part on this worthy undertaking (Rubio, 2016).

The researchers, through Community Extension Office and with the

collaborative efforts of the faculty, students and administration conducts different

kinds of activities indifferent areas like coastal clean-up, environmental clean-up,

community-based bookkeeping tutorial, and pamumuhunang pangkabuhayang

/micro financing to elevate the economic status of the beneficiaries. This

community extension helps community their needs to become more productive

and capable of making intelligent decisions for the improvement and

development of their socio-economic well-being.

Review of Related Literature

State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), by virtue of their mandates,

provide quality formal and non-formal education through their four fold functions,

namely: instruction, research, extension, and production. In the four fold-

functions, instruction is enriched by research and extension engagements; while

instruction supports, through complementation both research and extension. On

the other hand, production results from the output of research and extension. The
convergence, coordination and leveraging complementarities of these fourfold

functions will strengthen the instructional mandates as stipulated in the 1987

Constitution, Section 2 of Articles XIV on Education, Science and Technology,

Arts, Culture and Sports (Jovita, 2006).

According to Geronimo (2006), among SUCs most extension programs

are demand driven and accreditation driven. Demand driven is community-based

that encompass basic functional needs and demands designed to establish and

promote the general well-being of the rural and urban populace. Usually this is

requested by the Local Government Unit concerned upon identification of the

specific needs of their constituents. On the other hand, the accreditation driven

extension programs are implemented in response to the requirements by an

accrediting body. Although, they emerged differently, yet the implementation

complements the curricular offerings of the institution. Both kinds of programs

provide opportunities for the target clienteles to improve their standard of living

and uplift the quality of life of the clienteles.

Furthermore, in order to serve and improve community life, SUCs offer a

wide variety of extension programs and services. These are designed primarily to

increase the security of livelihood, alleviate poverty, reduce illiteracy, improve

health and nutrition, creates a system of governance that promotes supports and

sustains human development and protecting and preserving the environment.

For the poor to benefit, they must be empowered in mind, body and resources.

To augment their voice and make government responsive to their needs and

aspiration, good governance demands for their greater participation. Hence,

good governance increases their opportunity to participate in decision making,

institution building and social life (Elman, 2008).

Community Extension Programs

According to COMEX (2012), the Community Extension Program works

through self-support, self-reliance and self-sustaining principles. There should be

intended efforts to plan programs and services that are community based

through people’s participation, taking into consideration the changing needs of

the society and the individual. The Community Extension Program still continues

its mission, to lend a hand to the needy and to make a change in their lives

through the help of the community extension volunteers. Helping the people who

are most in need and being a part of the mission is the best feeling a volunteer

can have.

Moreover, Gonzales and Maghamil (2009) noted that the extension

service in the Philippine has been implemented during Spanish era, though it

was organized into national system in 1952. Israel, Harder and Brodeur (2011)

defined community extension program as comprehensive set of activities that are

intended to bring about a sequence of outcomes among targeted clients”. They

clarify that a program is more than a single workshop or activity. Among other

things, Extension programs are characterized by: a focus on the needs of the

target audience, the intent to affect participant learning and behavior outcomes,

multiple activities that are comprehensive in nature, and presence of a formal

evaluation.
 On the other hand, Social psychological factors, and social networks has

been captured by what has been termed “social integration theory,” or “role

theory,” which holds that an individual’s social connections, typically measured

by the number of social roles that an individual has, can provide meaning and

purpose to his or her life, while protecting him or her from isolation in difficult

periods (The United Nations Environment Programme-UNEP, 2007).

Consequently, some community service activities relate to their

environment. These programs are usually planting activities. Clean up activities

are also parts of the environment programs together with the reduce, reuse and

recycle campaigns. Aside from environment programs, helping those in needs is

also a big part in community services. This includes donations and feeding

programs. Helping kids with school and teaching them is also part of this

(Ludwig, 2009).

Likewise, it is significant to look into the characteristics of the program that

is implemented and the beneficiaries of such program as well. The program is

design or built can have its effects on how the student will construct his

experiences as well as the program’s differences with other programs directed

towards a similar goal of helping the community (Tapscott, 2010).

Additionally, it enhances various sectors of the non-academic community

to deepen their concern to the needs of the others and a strong desire to commit

themselves to uplift the quality of life of the community. Maintain harmonious

relations with the community and establish cooperative endeavors with the

government and non-government groups and individuals, help expand

community resource and share school resources to identify the needs and

engage the community towards self-reliance (COMEX, 2012).

Furthermore, Fletcher and Major (2009) found out that those students that

volunteered or are doing volunteer work are doing it because of the activity being

related to their careers sooner or later. It shows that some students volunteer

depending on the course they are taking but it has to be that what they will be

doing is also related to what they are studying. It might be that case because

doing volunteer activities that are related to the course the students are taking

could be considered as experiences that will help them in their future

undertakings. Doing things related to their respective courses could also provide

greater knowledge for them with regard to their craft and so they may also have

real world or realistic experience when it comes to their courses.

Moreover, Community Extension program also holds problem that make it

difficult for students. Tapscott (2010) has mentioned three problems that come

with community extension programs. First is poor organization. The coordination

of some activities proves to be not well organized that the activity fails or there

would be logistics problems that would hinder the activity from being a success.

Second is the lack of appreciation to the benefactors. There would be cases

where in the people students are helping would complain and have a bad attitude

towards the people who are helping them. And lastly, safety issues. The lack of

safety precautions makes it problem in doing community services.

Besides, the common problems that people encounter which are distance,

isolation, and coordination of services; lack of infrastructure and resources;

recruitment of service professionals; limited skill base of service accountability

and outcomes; and poorly define roles for local government (Dale, 2010).

Furthermore, the focus of this extension program is to promote activities in

the area of social, environmental and life course development with an emphasis

on: promoting social integration in later life including intervention programs to

reduce social isolation between the wealthy and the needy. It increases different

sectors of the community to tighten and deepen their concern to the needs of the

community and a strong desire to commit themselves to uplift the quality of the

life of the community (COMEX, 2012).

Additionally, the community extension program, the entire academic

community is not only provided opportunities to be aware of, and understand the

needs and problems that are relevant on both local and national levels, but also

opportunities to involve itself in activities designed to develop the community and

the less privileged. The program therefore serves as an instrument by which the

institution instills in the mind of its own community specially its beneficiaries, the

concept of social responsibility. Moreover, the program serves as a springboard

for a closer linkage between the school and the community (COMEX, 2012).

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

This research is anchored to the concept that State Universities and

Colleges (SUCs) in the Philippines are mandated by law to serve the

communities. This mandate is fulfilled by exercising the functions of the school.

One of the functions is to meet social needs or to provide the social services
needed to combat social and economic ills of society. Therefore, SUCs have to

move ideas along the road to action, to develop knowledge needed, and to apply

useful knowledge in the solution of society’s major problems. This is carried on

through the establishment of the extension programs and services (Campiseño,

2004).

In response to the mandate and the strong emphasis to sustain

community development, SUCs of all regions in the Philippines extended its

programs and services to the different communities. These services are focused

on capability building through education, the conduct of livelihood skills training to

adults who are unemployed, underemployed or who wanted to upgrade their

skills, out-of-school youth, technical assistance to support programs of

government, and the transfer of technology to the depressed barangays where

resources were available. In view of the mandate, SUCs extended the following

programs and services to the community and which looked into this study.

This is supported by Putnam (2010) which states that involvement in the

community has both an individual and a collective aspect—that is, both

individuals themselves and their communities can benefit from community

involvement. However, at least within social psychology and the growing

literature on service-learning, the bulk of the extant research has focused on the

person who engages in community service and his or her satisfaction and

outcomes, as opposed to the community itself and the benefits that do or do not

accrue to it.
 Furthermore, researchers working in this functionalist tradition (Snyder &

Cantor, 1998) which focuses on individual differences in goals and motives as a

way of predicting behavior. As such, it is in keeping with, though by no means

isomorphic with, other person-centered approaches such as work on the

prosocial personality or on role-identity. The extent to which individual differences

can predict community involvement has been debated—and they may be entirely

unrelated to decisions to get involved when such decisions

were dictated by educational institutions. They may, however, play a very

important role in predicting outcomes from community involvement or the quality

of the behaviors enacted in the context of involvement, but perhaps only in

conjunction with other important situational or organizational variables.

 Dependent Independent

 Political Community Extension Program and

Services of Rizal Memorial Colleges
 Social

Profile of the Respondents

1. Gender

2. Civil Status

3. Age

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework Showing the Variables of the Study

Statement of the Study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Community Extension

Programs and Services of Rizal Memorial Colleges. Specifically, the study aims

to answer the following question.

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents, in terms of:

1.1 Gender;

1.2 Civil Status;

1.3 Age;

2. What is the status of implementation of the identified extension programs

and services in terms of:

2.1 Political

2.2 Social

3. What is extent level of the social engagement of the RMC when analyzed

in terms of:

3.1 Behavior

3.2 Accountability

4. Is there a significant relationship of the community extension program and

services and the social engagement of Rizal Memorial Colleges?

Hypothesis

This study will test the following hypothesis:

HO: There is no significant relationship of the community extension program and

services and the social engagement of Rizal Memorial Colleges.

Significance of the study

The findings of this study will provide valuable information which are

beneficial to the following:

For the RMC, this may enable them to gain knowledge on how they can

improve the implementation of extensions programs and services.

For the Educators, this study will give them more ideas in terms of the

importance of Community Extension Program in enhancing the students learning

process. For the Students, this study can help them by providing them with

sufficient adequacies that encounter the needs and the knowledge needed for

future profession. For the community, this will give them insights on the

importance of Community Extension Program in their respective community.

Future Researchers, this study widens their knowledge about the abilities

that tourism students may need to obtain.

Definition of Terms

The following terms were defined conceptually and operationally in order

to clarify the purpose of this study.

Community Extension Programs refers to the mandate of Republic Act

7722, otherwise known as The Commission on Higher Education mandates

institutions of higher learning like State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to

respond to the call for societal transformation. The aim is to serve the poorest of

the poor, the less privileged, the deprived and the oppressed.
 Chapter 2

Method

This chapter covered the overview of methodology used in the study. The

discussion in the chapter was structured around the research design, research

instrument, research participants, data collection and data analysis,

Research Design

The researchers opt to utilize the respondents through an adopted

questioner that served as a source of primary data. The descriptive – correlation

method will be used in this study. The purpose is to find new truth, which may

come in different forms such as increased quantity of knowledge, a new

generalization, or increased insights into factors, which are operating, the

discovery of a new causal relationship, a more accurate formulation of the

problem to be solved and many others.

Research Instruments

Research study will utilize a researcher made-questionnaire. This will be

used to evaluate the Community Extension Program and services at Rizal

Memorial Colleges. The descriptive equivalent employed for the rating of the

evaluation is shown below:

RATING DESCRIPTIVE EQUIVALENT INTERPRETATION

5 Always Strongly agree

4 Often Agree

3 Sometimes Neither agree nor

Disagree

2 Rarely Disagree

1 Never Strongly disagree

Data Gathering Procedure

The survey questionnaire will be validated and will be checked by the

research panel and adviser, and comprised with descriptive questions which

relates to the participants regarding the stated problem.

1. Asking permission from the panel to conduct study. The researcher will

ask permission to the research coordinator, to head and to the dean.

2. Formulation and Validation of Researcher Made Questionnaire. The

researcher will formulate the questionnaire for descriptive purposes, for

the validation and approval of the adviser and research panel.

3. Administration of the Researcher’s Made Questionnaires. After the

validation of research questionnaires made by the researcher, the

researcher will conduct data collection.

4. Tabulation, Analysis and Interpretation on Data Gathered. After the data

is tabulated, these will be analyzed and interpreted. While the data

obtained from the key informant interview, these will be synthesized by

theme.
Statistical Analysis of Data

These are the statistical tools used in the research study.

1. Frequency distribution. This will be use by the researcher to give more

precise, systematic and orderly presentation of data in rows and in

columns. This was used to determine the actual number of respondents

and their demographic profile.

2. Simple Percentage. Percentages explain information as a proportion of

the whole. This tool will be utilized in this study as profile of respondents

percentage.

3. Mean. The mean or average is used in computing and by adding

together all the values, answers and scores and divide by the total

number. This tool will be used to evaluate the Community Extension

Program and Service of Rizal Memorial Colleges.

4. Standard Deviation. This is to quantity calculated to indicate the extent of

deviation for a group as a whole.

5. Pearson-r – this will measure of the linear correlation between two

variables, the dependent and the independent variables.

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