Viewing research as a commitment rather than a requirement can lead to well-crafted, relevant, and publishable studies. This was the key takeaway for English juniors from the Bachelor of Secondary Education, Major in English (BSE-ENG), who attended a research-oriented seminar on Friday, March 21.
As part of their Language Education Research course, the online event, titled "From Research Ideas to Publications: A Beginner's Guide to Language Education Research," explored the essentials of effective research for educators. It provided practical insights on making research both meaningful and enjoyable.
Prof. Christian Loid Valenzuela, LPT, the keynote speaker, discussed the state of research publishing, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), and the need for healthy collaboration among students as an "ecosystem" for research success. He emphasized that research must serve as an avenue for advocacy, driven by rigor and responsibility.
"At that time, I only viewed research as just a piece of paper, but yeah, sinampal ako ng reyalidad. That came as a reminder for me until now... Today, I tell my students that research is not an academic requirement, but rather an academic commitment. We are educators who are smart enough to argue and advocate for something that will deliver change for us and others, and those are made and backed by our research findings," Prof. Valenzuela said.
A seasoned journal reviewer and published researcher, he provided tips on how to make for a compelling topic of concern. According to him, most studies begin with curiosity and a willingness to pursue an academic inquiry about it.
"If you want to become an effective language researcher, you should always have an eye for curiosity and employ critical thinking about things in our society. Ask yourself: What are the issues happening today? Why are these things happening? What can we do about them? Everything that we see—even songs and memes, can turn into research. We just have to be curious enough," he explained.
Valenzuela also addressed that for a study to go in the right direction, its contents must be aligned and structured with comprehension.
"Research can either be a great or a good one. It just depends on how rigorous everything is done: how systematic your study is structured, and how you make sense of the contents in your research. If you have that system in doing your research, it makes it a great one, regardless of the framework or design you used in your research. You have to make sure that everything is aligned, everything is meticulous, everything is justified, and everything is backed up with related literature," he added.
Valenzuela concluded by encouraging students to be "generous" in research, advocating for the sharing and publication of findings to contribute to the academic cause.
"You're an educator, and what you know in research, you should share it. Huwag tayong madamot sa ganyan. As I said, hindi lang naman natatapos ang research sa conclusion and book-binding. If you're generous, let's engage with exploring more topics and continue to learn what you want to know and share," he said.
Students from both UCC-Congress and UCC-Main campuses commended Prof. Valenzuela for his insightful discussion on creating a quality research paper. According to them, his light-hearted discussion makes up for an engaging and reflective lesson on research.
"(Prof. Christian) really opened my mind (in dealing with) healthy criticisms wherein I must not take the comments of the panelists personally. We must consider and remember that they just want us to be successful and competent enough in our research," an English major commented.
"As long as you know how to handle your time, as long as you know your research and you're passionate about it, and as long as you believe in yourself—you will definitely ace it. You should not be afraid—instead, you should be excited and take pride in your research," another attendee added.
The Society of English Majors extends its heartfelt thanks to Prof. Valenzuela for devoting his time to guiding the students in their way of effective research creation and publishing. Furthermore, the Society sends its gratitude to Prof. Stephie Cambe, the Majors' language education research adviser, for bringing her advocacy of research to events like this. Their unwavering commitment to education raises the standards of excellence to greater heights.
News and Pubmat by: Mr. Edcel Escaro (The Catalyst Editor-in-Chief)
Photos courtesy of Prof. Stephie Cambe (LanguageEducation Research professor)
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