Philippine Higher Education Institutions’ Discourse and Praxis on Sustainable Development

Central Bicol State University of Agriculture – Calabanga Campus Research Development and Extension Research Proposal* Philippine Higher Education Institutions’ Discourse and Praxis on Sustainable Development Richard G. Castor, Faculty Member – College of Arts and Sciences

BY:

Collaborating Agency: (Prospect) Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Duration:

9 months

Rationale of the Research Project The purpose of this qualitative study will be to explore conceptions of sustainable development in the Philosophy-Vision-Mission statements (PVMs) of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines.

Specifically, this research aims to: 1. Identify keywords advanced in the HEIs‟ PVMS; 2. Determine through content analysis the discourse being promoted in the PVMs of HEIs; 3. Ascertain synergies and contradictions among the PVMs with regard to sustainability; and 4. Explain how HEIs frame sustainability and sustainable development in the PVMs. Further, the problems which the research intends to solve are: General: How did Philippine HEIs frame the concept of sustainability in the Philosophy-Vision-Mission Statements (PVMs)? Specifically,  What were keywords advanced in the HEIs PVMs?  Which discourses was the Philippine HEIs promoting through its PVMs  What are synergies and contradictions among PVMs by HEIs with regard to sustainability?  How were the terms „sustainability‟ and „sustainable development‟ framed by HEIs?

Results of this research will contribute to policy development in the Higher Education sector. UNESCO, being one of the lead agencies promoting Education for sustainable development (ESD) will likewise benefit as results will provide assessment of ESD implementation in the country.

Expected Output Impacts on field of knowledge The study hopes to contribute to the on-going conceptions of sustainability among HEIs in the world to eventually develop theoretical underpinnings underlying discourse on sustainable development.

Effects on individuals or society Policy development and implementation of curriculum which place premium value to the need for taking actions towards sustainability will be one of the effects of this research.

Total Budget Allocation: PhP 28,000.00

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I.

INTRODUCTION

Mission and vision statements provide a concise articulation of how the university-society relationship is conceptualized by higher education institutions (Baxter, 2012). Proponents of community engagement within higher education have argued that mission statements can serve as an important touchstone for institutional change (Holland, 2005). Although focusing on mission and vision statements stops short of illuminating the divergence that may occur as policies are translated into practice and appropriated by university administrators, faculty and students, analysis of mission and vision statements provides a starting point for considering convergence and divergence at the level of policy formation (Baxter, 2012).

"Sustainability" and "sustainable development" have become important topics for many governments, corporations, and other organizations in recent decades. In fact, sustainable development has been one of the dominant discourses related to environmental protection since the 1980s (Dryzek, 2005; Dryzek & Schlosberg, 2005; Wright & Kurian, 2010). The concept of „"sustainable development" has many meanings and definitions, according to the interests of particular sectors such as environmentalists, scholars, and business groups (Dryzek, 2005; Mebratu, 1998).

Despite that fact, the most common definition of sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, p. 43), known as the Brundtland definition. In particular, the concept of sustainable development is associated conceptually with three main pillars – environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and social sustainability – which may be in balance with each other to achieve the entire goal of the concept (Milne, 1996). This definition has been widely spread, but according to Dryzek (2005), the sustainability discourse has been more evident at the international level, where institutions such as the United Nations have incorporated the discourse as part of their policies. Further, Dryzek claims that some developed countries, especially in Europe, have also incorporated the sustainability discourse as part of their agenda, including governments and corporations. However, the lack of clarity around the concept (Mebratu, 1998; Zeemering, 2009) or the perceived high cost of implementation of some sustainable practices (Roper, Collins, Lawrence, & Haar, 2010) continue as justification for a lack of action for, or procrastination about, the inclusion of these concepts by other governments and companies around the world. Hence, the argument from which this research will take stems from Philippe Kruchten saying that “If it is not written down, it does not exist” thus will never permeate in the system.

As a critical approach, the critical discourse analysis (CDA) is concerned with the ideological nature of discourse and seeks not only to analyze but also to disrupt social and political power relationships (Gee, 2004; Rogers, 2004). This involves drawing connections between texts and the contexts in which they are created. As Vavrus and Seghers (2010) suggest, “This is an especially useful approach for policy studies because it links micro-level textual analysis and macro-level exploration of the authoritative knowledge generated by national and international policy-making institutions” (p. 78). Additionally, by drawing attention to the values embodied in certain texts and emphasizing the reciprocal relationship between language and 3

social practice and making values explicit, CDA directs critical attention to texts that may otherwise be viewed as harmless (Askehave, 2007).

Fairclough (1989, 1995) presents a three-dimensional method of discourse analysis. This method is based on a conception of discourse as a spoken or written language text, as discursive practice involving text production and reproduction, and as socio-cultural practice involving the relationship between discursive processes and social processes. This approach is illustrated in Figure 1. Discourse-as-text constitutes the most micro-level of the analysis, focusing on a linguistic description of the text. The meso-level analysis, discourse-as-discursive practice, addresses the production, distribution, and interpretation of texts. Discourse-as-social-practice is a macro-level analysis of broader social relations of power and knowledge that are reflected in and perpetuated by texts. Although this study focuses on the micro-level analysis of discourse-as-text, the analysis section briefly considers the meso- and macro-levels, suggesting directions for further research.

Vavrus and Seghers (2010) suggest that the field of comparative education has tended to address only the meso- and macro-level analyses, largely neglecting the micro-level textual analysis. It is the micro-level textual analysis, they argue, that has the potential to “most effectively illuminate the ideological effects of policy� (p.

81). This study sets out to explore this proposition by attending to a linguistic analysis of higher education policy documents in Rwanda.

Restricting the institutional analysis to mission and vision statements of higher education institutions allowed for a certain level of consistency across institutions, as most universities make their mission and vision statements available on public websites. However, these statements provide only brief representations of institutional missions and values. Furthermore, little is known about the context and processes through which these texts were produced. The advantage of restricting the analysis to mission and vision statements is that it allows for a careful microanalysis of the language present in the texts. Starting with the macro level of discourse as social practice, the purposes of higher education are considered in light of broader social relationships and higher education literature. At the meso level, the funding relationships are discussed as they relate to the production of policies and institutional mission and vision statements. The analysis concludes with a micro level discussion of institutional, national, and international texts, attending to the ways in which language is used to promote a limited vision for the purposes of higher education.

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is one approach that scholars have employed to study the extent to which the values and forces of the free market have become embedded in higher education discourse (Askehave, 2007; Fairclough, 1995). This methodology provides a framework for linking institutional texts with the socio-cultural context in which they are produced, and for considering how powerful institutions legitimate and authorize particular understandings of the purpose of higher education (Baxter, 2012).

The purpose of this qualitative study will be to explore conceptions of sustainable development in the Philosophy-Vision-Mission statements (PVMs) of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines.

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Specifically, this research aims to: 1. Identify keywords advanced in the HEIs‟ PVMS; 2. Determine through content analysis the discourse being promoted in the PVMs of HEIs; 3. Ascertain synergies and contradictions among the PVMs with regard to sustainability; and 4. Explain how HEIs frame sustainability and sustainable development in the PVMs. Further, the problems which the research intends to solve are: General: How did Philippine HEIs frame the concept of sustainability in the Philosophy-Vision-Mission Statements (PVMs)? Specifically,  What were keywords advanced in the HEIs PVMs?  Which discourses was the Philippine HEIs promoting through its PVMs  What are synergies and contradictions among PVMs by HEIs with regard to sustainability?  How were the terms „sustainability‟ and „sustainable development‟ framed by HEIs? Results of this research will contribute to policy development in the Higher Education sector. UNESCO, being one of the lead agencies promoting Education for sustainable development (ESD) will likewise benefit as results will provide assessment of ESD implementation in the country.

II.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Constructivist and critical theoretical perspectives inform the methodologies which will be employed in this study. Both vertical case study and CDA approaches reject an objective, static view of knowledge and instead emphasize the processes and power relations by which knowledge is socially constructed (Vavrus & Seghers, 2010). Drawing on the work of Foucault, the notion of discourse is employed to illuminate the relationship between power and knowledge, and to discern how power relationships shape and constrain what can be said and imagined (Ball, 1990; Vavrus & Seghers, 2010). Language is viewed not only as a vehicle for communication but as a “form of social practice” (Fairclough, 1989, p. 18). University philosophy, mission and vision statements were selected to represent higher education discourse at the institutional level.

Data collection and analysis will be done accordingly: 1. HEI listings will be sourced from CHED web page; 2. PVMs of HEIs will be accessed from their websites, only those HEIs with webpages will be included in the study; 3. Alternatively, these HEIs listings and PVMs may be requested from CHED national office; 5

4. Decision will be made on whether to exclude „Philosophy‟ statements if this will be absent from majority of HEIs with webpages; 5. Policy papers from CHED and UNESCO will be analysed using content analysis as to the different conceptions of sustainability and sustainable development; 6. Keywords and density of use will be bases for developing themes drawn from HEIs‟ PVMs as well as in the national and UNESCO‟s education policies III.

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES embedded

This study will be conducted within six months. The following are schedules for implementation: o Preliminary – writing and presentation of proposal, 2 weeks o Data Collection – web search for PVMs in HEIs site, 8 weeks, collection of PVMs o Data Analysis – use of keywords trimmed down to thematic statements, 10 weeks o Report preparation – 4 weeks Gantt chart Activities Preliminary Data Collection Data Analysis Data Analysis Report preparation

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August 2016 – January 2017 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

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Work Plan Activities Proposal Preparation and Presentation Data Collection

Data Analysis Report Preparation

Outputs/Deliverables „Bible‟ for this research

Due date 31 August 2016

HEIs‟ PVMs and CHED, UNESCO policy documents Keywords, density of use, themes Terminal Report

12 October 2016

21 December 2016 18 January 2017

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IV.

FINANCIAL PLAN

Line Item Budget Month 1 – Month 6 (2016-2017) Philippine Higher Education Institutions’ Discourse on Sustainable Development Maintenance and Operating Expenses A) Supplies and Materials B) Travel C) Communication D) Reproduction, printing & binding cost Subtotal Professional Services A) Honorarium for researcher Other personnel services (statistician, enumerators, etc.) (if applicable) Research assistants (if applicable only) Subtotal TOTAL

V.

Amount 3,500.00 5,000.00 1,000.00 2,500.00 12,000.00 8,000.00

8,000.00 16,000.00 28,000.00

ENDORSEMENTS Should be endorsed by the College Dean or immediate supervisor to the Research, Extension & Development Center and should be approved by the Campus Administrator.

Important Note: The RED C shall schedule a proposal defense with TWG members convening as panel.

*(Adapted from: Anglia Ruskin University, 2012; AuthorAID, 2012; CHRDC, 2012; CHEDUniversity of the Philippines, 2012; PTFCF, 2012)

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References: Askehave, I. (2007). The impact of marketization on higher education genres: The international student prospectus as a case in point. Discourse Studies, 9(6), 723-742.

Ball, S. (1990). Politics and policy making in education: Explorations in policy sociology. London: Routledge.

Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and power. Harlow: Longman.

Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Harlow: Longman.

Holland, B. A. (2005). Institutional differences in pursuing the public good. In A. J. Kezar, T. C. Chambers, & J. C. Burkhardt (Eds.), Higher education for the public good: Emerging voices from a national movement (pp. 235-259). San Francisco: JosseyBass.

Gee, J. P. (2004). “Discourse analysis: What makes it critical?” In R. Rogers (Ed.), An introduction to critical discourse analysisin education. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Vavrus, F. & Seghers, M. (2010). Critical discourse analysis in comparative education: A discursive study of “partnership” in poverty reduction policies. Comparative Education Review, 54(1), 77-103.

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