BIBLIOGRAPHY MAGSIANO, DENNIS DEAN...
BIBLIOGRAPHY
MAGSIANO, DENNIS DEAN P. Content Analysis of Science Articles Published
in Mountain Collegian in 2008. Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Marife D. Carpio, BSc
ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to analyze the science articles published in Mountain
Collegian. Specifically, it aimed to determine the socio-demographic profile of the
mountain collegian staff; determine the number of science articles published in 2008;
determine the dominant source of information for science articles and determine the
nature of coverage of science articles in terms topics, frequency of articles, space
allotment, placement and treatment.
A standard coding sheet and scheduled interview were used in data gathering.
Data collected were analyzed and tabulated using frequency.
Many of the respondents belonged to the age bracket of 18-19 (40%) and there
were more female (66.67%) than male (33.33%). Most of the Mountain Collegian staff
were taking up Bachelor of Secondary Education (33.33%) and they were mostly 3rd and
4th year students.
During the year in review, there were 16 articles related to science published in
Mountain Collegian. In its special issue, there were 6 science articles published with a
total of 22 articles published. Other articles were related to sports, leadership trainings,
politics and improving school facilities. In the June- August 2008 issue, there were eight
science articles published while on August-September issue there were 2 articles
published.
Official voices were mostly the sources of information for the various science
articles published in the Mountain Collegian. With regards to the method of gathering
news, majority were derived using both the interview and secondary methods.
In the nature of coverage, topics most science articles were related to Agriculture
and out of the 16 articles published, Mountain Collegian allotted a total of 312.5 column
inch. Furthermore, it is equivalent to 16 pages out of 60 pages contained in 3 issues
which is 26.67%.
Most science articles were allocated in the inside pages (87.50%) while 12.50%
were placed in the front page.
In the evaluation of articles, the Mountain Collegian has equally published
straight news (50%) and Feature news (50%).
Mountain Collegian mostly published (50%) articles positioned on the 2nd
quadrant followed by the 1st quadrant (31.25%) while (12.50%) was positioned in the 4th
quadrants and least was positioned on the 3rd quadrants (6.25%).
Based on the results, Mountain Collegian writers prefer a combination of primary
and secondary sources of information in writing science articles, most articles are found
in inside pages but still are given due importance since they are placed in either the
second or first quadrant. There is an equal representation of the types of news treatment
for science articles
Therefore, Mountain Collegian should continue presenting science articles since
BSU is rich source of scientific information.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………..
i
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………..
i
Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………..
iii
INTRODUCTION
Rationale …………………………………………………………………………..
1
Statement of the Problem …………………..……………………………………..
2
Objectives of the Study ………………………..………………………………….
3
Importance of the Study ………..…………………………………………………
3
Scope and Limitation of the Study …..……………………………………………
4
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Mountain Collegian ………………..…………………….………………………..
5
Science Writing ………………...………………………………………….
5
Science Journalism …………...……………………………………………
6
Science Communication …………………………………………………...
7
Media for Disseminating Science …………………………………….........
8
Sources of Information ………………………………….............................
9
METHODOLOGY
Locale and Time of the Study ………………….…………………………………
11
Respondents of the Study …………………………………………………………
11
iii
Data Collection ………………..…………….…………………………………….
11
Data to be Gathered ………………….……………………………………………
13
Data Analysis ………………..………. .……………………………..……………
13
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Socio-demographic Profile
of the Respondents ……………….. ……………………………………………..
14
Number of Science Articles Published
by Mountain Collegian in 2008 …….……………………………………………..
14
Method of Gathering and
Sources of Information …………………………….……………………………..
17
Nature of Coverage ………………………………………………………………..
21
LITERATURE CITED ……. ……………………………………………………………..
28
APPENDICES
A. Coding Sheet Instrument …………………………..…..………………
29
A. Interview Schedule ………………………...………..…………………
31
B. Scanned Articles ……………………………...……………………….. 32
iv
1
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
Education and science journalism have a history. They are part of a movement
that has been going on in various forms for decades and often referred to as the ‘public
understanding of science’, but more accurately comprises a general interest in science
communication.
Simply put, it is an effort to educate the public about science so that they can
make better decisions about public affairs that require such knowledge.
Around this time, scientific information in general was becoming a premium
commodity and growing as a political force, needed to build nations. So efforts to
communicate science were doubled, and in some minds, the burden of responsibility was
placed on scientists and journalists, who needed to become “civic”, and lead the effort to
improve the quality of scientific information available to people.
The communication of scientific knowledge through mass media requires a
special relationship between the world of science and news media, which is still just
beginning to form.
Journalism plays a more important role in scrutinizing science. Science journalists
in particular often understand the subject they are writing about and know who to contact
to provide context and criticism.
The community newspapers, which are designed to serve the rural communities,
with population dominated by farmers, sometimes fail to meet their information needs.
Developmental issues, which include science and technology, are not given that much
2
attention, ergo new developments and innovations are hardly known by the general
public.
As the official student publication of Benguet State University, the Mountain
Collegian writes articles that represent the voice of the students and current issues
including science researches.
Publications are being established as increasingly crucial for creating a centralized
forum and identity. Alternative publications function as public watchdogs, monitoring
university officials, activist groups, student governments, local institutions, and even
other campus papers. Papers also have a unique vantage point from which to see and fill
needs on college campuses and to gather students from many different parts of the
campus community (Gruen, 2006).
To note, writing for science is not so much about science or technology- but about
people- human problems and their solutions, curiosity and discovery (Jaqua, 2002).
Therefore, there is then a need to analyze the situation of science news coverage in the
local setting, to be able to understand deeply its role in our daily lives, to see its potential
in the development of a society and for its full utilization to our human actualization.
Statement of the Study
1. What is the socio-demographic profile of the mountain collegian staff?
2. How many science articles were published in 2008?
3. What is the dominant method of gathering source of information for science
and technology articles?
4. What is the nature of coverage of science articles in terms of
a. topics
3
b. space allotment
c. placement
d. treatment
Objectives of the Study
The study aims to:
1. Determine the socio-demographic profile of the mountain collegian staff.
2. Determine the number of science articles published in 2008.
3. Determine the dominant method of gathering source of information for science
and technology articles.
4. Determine the nature of coverage of science articles in terms of
a. topics
b. space allotment
c .placement
d. treatment
Importance of the Study
This study shall evaluate published science articles, it intends to emphasize the
importance of popularizing science articles and its effect to the beneficiaries both
community and students.
4
Scope and Limitations of the Study
This study is limited its scope on evaluation and perceived effects of published
science articles in Mountain Collegian, Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet.
5
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Mountain Collegian
The official student publication of Benguet State University serves as the voice of
the students and shall serve as the bridge between the students and the administration. It
express opinions and views regarding contemporary issues, free from repressive and
restrictive regulations and directives from the university administration and other student
organizations, it recognizes the inviolable right of the people to know, thus shall fight
against any forces that seek to undermine truth, freedom, justice and democracy.
According to the Mountain Collegian Constitution and By-Laws, the organization
is being guided by the following objectives: first, to uphold and pursue the highest
standards and ethics of journalism; second, to publish and uphold just, honest and truthful
information and uphold, protect the rights of the students; third, to promote social,
cultural and national consciousness among students as well as serve as an active forum
for current issues that are of concern and relevance to the students; and fourth, to promote
and foster writing and journalistic talents of students and publish new discoveries and
breakthroughs in agriculture and other fields through researches especially those
conducted by researchers of Benguet State University.
Science Writing
Science is the study of nature through observation and reasoning, aimed at
finding out the truth.
Science has two main goals, namely, to discover the laws of nature and to be able
to control nature for the benefit of humankind (Deauna et al., 1998).
6
Northwest Science Writers Association (2004) stated that the term “science
writing” seems like a simple phrase but there is a need to understand its nuances before
one can engage in it effectively. It is important to entertain two possibilities and these
possibilities are: writing about science and writing that takes within the context of
science, governed by a specified set of conventions. It concerns itself with describing
observations and/or results, and the manner by which these are derived through
experimental or non-experimental methods. Science writing then, thus, refers to the
manner of presentation and the topical content.
Science writing isn’t just an interesting genre; it fills the massive information gap
between what scientists do and know, and what the public understands. In democratic
society, the general public is called upon to make decisions on how taxes are spent. Vast
amounts of public funds are spent by governments on a multitude of research programs,
yet only a small subset of the public is sufficiently knowledgeable about the science and
technology that is involved in public policy debates to make informed decisions
(Anonymous, 2003).
Science Journalism
According to the Columbia Journalism Review (2003), journalists display an
inordinate amount of skepticism - even deep cynicism - about anyone's honesty.
Everyone's a liar unless proven not to be. Scientists, knowing themselves, knowing their
colleagues, knowing the culture of science where 100% honesty and trust are the key,
knowing that exposure of even the tiniest dishonesty is likely the end of a scientific
career, tend to trust scientists a great deal more. On the other hand, scientists are deeply
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suspicious of people who do not abide by high standards of the scientific community, and
the list of those who, due to track record, should be mistrusted the most is topped by -
journalists.
On the other hand, scientists are interested in results of the process, obtained by
any means, only one of which is through people's utterances - they are interested in
investigating and uncovering the facts. Many scientists are excellent and exciting
communicators and can speak directly to the audience (online on blogs/podcasts/videos
or offline in public lectures or science cafes), or will gladly accept to do interviews (TV,
radio, newspapers, magazines) about their findings. Those researchers who know they are
not exciting communicators, or do not like to be in public, or are too busy, or have been
burned by the previous interactions with the media, tend to leave the communication to
lay audience to professionals - the press officers at their institutions (Bennett, 2001).
Science Communication
Science communication as relatively new field of academic knowledge with
shorter historical record and currently emerging theoretical basis suffers from the lack of
clearly formulated definitions and continuing state of confusion in definition of related
terms. Public understanding of science, public awareness, and science communication are
the most frequently found terms in the literature concerning relationship between science
and society. These terms as the closest in meaning to science communication are
interchangeably used by authors as synonyms (Diarmaid Mac Mathuna, 2006).
The role and place of communication in technology transfer entered the stage of
important transition influencing acceptance of knowledge and technologies in the market.
8
The growing potential of communication in multicultural world is evident, but still might
be underestimated by the members of scientific community mostly focused on research
and implementation. The value of science as the art of discovery, accumulation and
transfer of knowledge may significantly increase if communicative methods are
recognized and introduced into various spheres of scientific world (Diarmaid Mac
Mathuna, 2006).
If communication is valued as one of the most effective methods of fostering
technical progress, the presence of communication in the process of forming knowledge
and creating innovation inevitably leads to analysis of
science communication as a
complex network of social channels serving not only as mechanism for bridging a gap
between scientific community and the lay public, but also as effective tool for extending
scientific boundaries and gaining wide public support for important research and
development (Diarmaid Mac Mathuna, 2006).
Media for Disseminating Science
Science has been and continues to be at the very core of progress and
development. However, in recent times, there has been growing concern about whether
the resulting technology is beneficial or detrimental to human progress (Kuther, 2003).
A great deal of misunderstanding emanates from the fact that scientists have few
constructive dialogues with the public. For the dialogue between scientists and society to
be meaningful, we first and foremost must ensure that we have an informed public.
Second, we must ensure that the scientific community improves its understanding of the
public and its institutions, governmental and nongovernmental. Here the media have a
9
crucial role to play and, in fact, can serve as a link, fostering better communication in
both directions (Kuther, 2003).
This is even more critical in developing countries where the role of the news
media as a means of conveying objective scientific information to an adult population is
not well established, and where it does exist, the roots of such communication efforts are
shallow and fragile. Here, pressing social and economic problems, political instabilities,
limited educational opportunities, minuscule public sector budgets confound the
situation. Also limited training and even limited employment opportunities for journalists
often mean that science and technology issues receive short shrift in the small number of
independent outlets that do exist. The result is a population that remains largely unaware
of the world of science and technology except for the "schooled" information that they
receive during the course of their formal education (Augenbraun, 2005).
Most people get their health information from the media, either through journalists
or through advertisements from drug companies. It isn’t unusual for the latest health
advice put forth by the media to be in conflict with long-accepted notions about health
(Augenbraun, 2005).
Source of Information
In the eyes of various stakeholders, University of California (2000) stated that
university professors and public sector scientists are often perceived to occupy the
highest rung on the credibility ladder and are identified to be among the most trusted and
sought-after information sources. University scientists and research institutes are seen to
10
be highly concerned about public health and safety issues and are deemed capable of
assessing and managing benefits and risks.
Today's business environment there is many methods of communication. We can
basically divide business communication into two parts as internal and external
communication. The primary tools for communicating information in business include e-
mail messages, memos, letters, reports, phone calls, meetings, and conversations
(Kronick, 1991).
Thus, media experts play a crucial role in providing people with the information
necessary to make decisions about technology options and their potential risks and
benefits. Another important role for media is that they allow people to gauge the climate
of opinion which in turn influence what people will think about a certain issue. Through
regular networking, media are provided news for possible articles. They are also invited
to media workshops to be briefed on latest issues and concerns; get updates on local
research and development efforts; visit laboratory, field trials, and farmers’ fields; and
share experiences in communicating biotechnology. Exchange visits of journalists are
also facilitated where they interact with colleagues from other countries as they visit
research facilities and farmers’ fields (Kronick, 1991).
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METHODOLOGY
Locale and Time of the Study
Benguet State University is located in La Trinidad in Benguet province,
Philippines. Its name is originally La Trinidad Agricultural High School, which was later
changed to La Trinidad National Agricultural School (LTNAS). When the school was
nationalized, its name was again changed to Mountain National Agricultural School
(MNAS). It was soon converted into the Mountain National College (MNAC); Mountain
Agricultural College (MAC); and eventually, the Mountain State Agricultural College
(MSAC) in 1969 through RA 5923. In January 12, 1986, the school was converted into a
chartered state university by virtue of Presidential Decree 2010.
Specifically, the Mountain Collegian which is the official student publication of
Benguet State University which is located at the Students Center Building, Benguet State
University La Trinidad in Benguet. The letters MC shall stand for the name of the
organization and the members shall be referred to as MC’ians.
Sample of the Study
The respondents of this study were the current Mountain Collegian staff. The
sample of the study were issues of the Mountain Collegian from January to December
2008.
Data Collection
The researcher will be getting copies of the science articles published from
January to December 2008. Writers of the articles as well as the Research Editors of
12
Figure 1. Map of Benguet showing the locale of the study
13
Mountain Collegian will also be interviewed to check the sources of information for the
science articles.
Data Gathered
The data gathered were the profile of Mountain Collegian staff for the year in
review, topics covered in the articles, source of information for science articles, space
allotment for the science articles, placement of science articles and treatment of the
article.
Data Analysis
The collected data was tabulated, consolidated categorized and interpreted
according to the objectives of the study.
14
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Socio-demographic Profile of the Respondents
Table 1 shows the respondents’ socio-demographic profile in terms of age sex,
course and year level.
Age and sex. Among the 15 staff of Mountain Collegian, many belonged to the
age bracket of 18-19 (40%) followed by 20-21 (33.33%) then 22-23 (26.67%). Females
outnumbered (66.67%) the males (33.33%).
Course and Year Level. Five of the Mountain Collegian staff are taking up
Bachelor of Secondary Education (33.33%), 4 (26.67%) are taking up Bachelor of
Science in Development Communication, 3 (20%) are taking up Bachelor of Science in
Information Technology , and 1 (6.67%) each under Bachelor of Science in Nursing,
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (6.67%) and Bachelor of Science in Agricultural
Engineering (6.67%).
Base from the gathered data, most of the members of the Mountain Collegian staff
were 3rd and 4th years (46.67%) and 2nd years (6.67%).
Number of Science Articles Published in 2008.
During the year in review, there were 16 articles related to science published in
Mountain Collegian as seen in Table 2.
In its special issue, there were six articles which are the: (1) Initial results on
Chickpea research revealed by Paul Joseph Nuval, (2) CVM studes shine in National
Veterinary Quiz contest by Urchris Doyayag, (3) Chem teachers attend Int’l Confab by
15
Table 1. Socio-demographic profile of the respondents
CHARACTERISTICS
FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE
N=15
(%)
Age
18-19
6
40.00
20-21
5
33.33
22-23
4
26.67
Gender
Female
10
66.67
Male
5
33.33
Courses
BSE
5
33.33
BSDC
4
26.67
BSIT
3
20.00
BSN
1
6.67
BSAEng’g
1
6.67
DVM
1
6.67
Year level
IV
7
46.67
III
7
46.67
I1
1
6.67
16
Table 2. Number of science articles published by Mountain Collegian in 2008
Issues
No. of Articles
Special Issue
6
June- August 2008
8
August- September 2008
2
Total
16
Mary Cris Balancio and Jordan Abad, (4) BSU hosts 3rd Cordillera Organic
Conference by Elizabeth Aplat and Clarence Panawan, (5) BSU-MATH and Science
ginanap by Jordan Abad and (6) Heart disease prevalent among gov’t employees by Juan
Jose David.
In this issue, a total of 22 articles were published. Other articles were related to
sports, leadership trainings, politics and improving school facilities. In addition, others
were also Memorandum of Agreement and enhancement programs.
In the June- August 2008 issue, there were eight science articles: (1) Research
says: ’the body can heal itself’ by Ronalyn Banaken, (2) Siling Labuyo: a topical healing
agent for wounds by Bonifacio Pe Jr, (3)Veggie Waste for Biogas Production by
Sheenalyn Sao-an. Also, (4) Potato Peeling Made Easier by Jordan Abad, (5) CA now
offers Organic Agriculture by Ronalyn Banaken, (6) BSU establishes Veggie Incubation
Project by Mary Cris Balancio and Crislyn Balangen, (7) 20 farmers attend Mushroom
Production Training by Paul Joseph Nuval and (8) BSU spearheads CORBAMDEV.
Most stories in this issue were mostly related to Agriculture.
17
In this issue, a total of 37 articles were published and there were eight science
articles published. These refer to the results of researches in the University and some
other events related to agricultural activities or knowledge building in the aforementioned
field/topic.
August-September issue on the other hand, consists of two articles which include:
Of mental health boosts athletes’ performance by Suzette Joy Palantog, and Balanced
diet, MSG, and Melamine by Ivy Jane Velano. These articles are associated with
medicine and food.
Sources of Information
To determine the sources of information for the various science articles published in the
Mountain Collegian, the articles were analyzed in terms of the voices that were reflected.
As seen in Table 3, out of the 16 articles, 37.50% were from official voices. These
are statements that come from government officials.
The voices contained in an article also known as the news source factors replicate
the focus or filter of the story. The results on the type of voices used in the news articles
will determine where these news articles came from or who the source is/are (Malinao,
1977).
In the article “BSU spearheads CORBAMDEV,” this focused on the 1 million
worth of bamboo seedlings from China that were delivered and planted at the College of
Forestry (CF) Nursery. According to Engr. Dante Chichioco, Dean of CF and project
management officer, the bamboos will be subjected to research like propagation test
where they will be observe the growth pattern if the seedlings will cope with the Table 3.
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Table 3. Tables of voices in news articles
TYPE OF VOICE
N=16 %
Official Voices
6
37.50
Technical Voices
5
31.25
Combination
2
12.50
Business Voices
3
18.75
condition in the province. Moreover, Engr. Chichioco said that this project is an advocacy
in planting bamboos through Cordillera.
This is similar to the University of California (2000) statement that university
professors and public sector scientists are often perceived to occupy the highest rank on
the credibility ladder and are identified to be among the most trusted and sought – after
information sources.
Next in rank are the technical voices (31.25%), which are voices from experts and
scientists on a definite field of study and specialization. In the article “BSU establishes
Veggie Incubation Project”, it says that a vegetable incubation project has been
established to develop would-be entrepreneurs in vegetable processing. According to Dr.
Jane K. Avila, Food Processing Center Manager and Project supervisor, the vegetable
crops used in this project are chayote and carrots.
The source of the data is Dr. Jane K. Avila who is the project supervisor in the
research. With these data, the Mountain Collegian staff prefers to get first hand
information from those who are involved in the particular topic or research being
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Table 4. Newsgathering methods of Mountain Collegian staff
METHODS OF GATHERING FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE
N=16
%
Interview Method
4
20.00
Secondary Sources
2
13.33
Combination
10
66.67
discussed in the articles.
It is followed by the business voices (18.75%) which simply refer to
businessmen/women or those official statements from the business world.
Last in the list is a combination (12.50%) of two or more of the four voices.
News Gathering Methods
Table 5 shows the methods of gathering news, which measures the degree of the
reporter’s exposure to the event either directly or indirectly.
As shown in Table 5, majority of the articles (66.67%) were derived using both
the interview and secondary methods.
Of the 16 articles, four (20%) was written by gathering information through
interview method only and (13.33%) of the articles derived its information from
secondary documents. Still, the Mountain Collegian staff prefers to get information from
varied sources.
20
According to some of them, there is a need, most of the time, to double check
some information that they have come acrossed with. They also said that it is better to get
all the possible sides of a certain event or situation.
Findings are similar to the observations of Malinao (1977) wherein he said that
most experienced reporters would recommend gathering facts employing combination of
methods to convey comprehensibility of the story.
Table 5. Classification of topics for MC’s science articles
TOPICS
N=16
%
Agriculture
6
37.50
Medicine
5
31.25
Technology
1
6.25
Chemistry
1
6.25
Food
1
6.25
Mathematics
1
6.25
Veterinary Medicine
1
6.25
21
Nature of Coverage
All 16 articles were coded and content analyzed. The coding was based on
standard criteria; and classified into topics, space allotment, placement, and news
treatment.
Topics. Results show (Table 5) that science articles were related to Agriculture
(37.50%), Medicine (31.25%) and Information Technology (6.25%).
It was related to Agriculture as discussed by the article of Sheenalyn Sao-an
entitled Veggie Waste for Biogas Production as the usage of vegetable as an alternative
for energy production. The production of biogas indicates promising benefit such as fuel,
fertilizer pile, a significant reduction environmental pollution and also an increase of job
opportunities. The university started as an agricultural school and to date, it continues to
work on the development of the agricultural sector by supporting researches, activities
and programs that are meant to enhance and improve this sector.
This fact may have a great impact on the prevalence of a bigger percentage in
agriculture-related topics. Most of these topics were the results of researches done by
faculty-researchers and students.
Articles relating to medicine are those that talk about health issues. Examples of
which is the article on
siling labuyo as a topical healing agent for wounds. Most of the
articles related to medicine give tips to readers on how to maintain a healthy life through
using natural healing methods, through eating healthy foods, and through maintaining a
clean environment.
An article that was classified under technology is about equipment and completed
technology that is also the results of researches of BSU students, faculty and researchers.
22
Also, articles regarding contests and quizzes that was held in the school was
classified under chemistry, mathematics and veterinary medicine. Thus, article that is
classified under food pertains to its advantages and disadvantages to our human health.
Space Allotment. To be able to get the total space allotment of all the 16 articles
of Mountain Collegian in 2008, the following formula was used:
Column inch= (length of item) x (number of standard column)
With this, it was found out that Mountain Collegian allotted a total of 312.5
column inch for science articles which is equivalent to 16 pages.
The three issues combined contained 60 pages in total. The space occupied by
science articles, relative to the three issues is 26.67%.
Relatively, science articles have a small space in the Mountain Collegian. Each of
the Mountain Collegian issue contains topics on school activities such as trainings
regarding enhancing literary, agricultural and technical skills, lectures on various topics
(e.g. role of women in substantial development), students’ dialogues and issues (e.g.
scholarship grants, incentives and enrollment process), academic concerns, educational
facilities, general services and improvement of infrastructure.
This was supported by Augenbraun (2005) that limited training and even limited
employment opportunities for journalists often mean that science and technology receive
short shrift in the small number of independent outlets that do exist.
Placement. Table 6 shows the placement of science articles in the Mountain
Collegian. Most (87.50%) science articles were allocated in the inside pages while
12.50% were placed in the front page.
23
The page placement of science articles show the emphasis given to science
articles by Mountain Collegian. Those written on the front page have greater impact and
the placement of news is certainly not just for easy reading. The placement of articles
have something to do with giving priority to what the editorial team deems as important
and a must-read.
Most of the science-related articles were placed in the inside pages, and as
observed, most of the articles placed on the front pages were about school activities.
Science related articles that have found their way to the front page were also those
related to school activities such as quiz contests or science fora.
News Treatment. In the evaluation of articles, the Mountain Collegian has
published straight news (50%) and feature news (50%). This is shown in Table 7.
The straight news were on the activities that relates to science, such as quiz bees,
fora and symposia, project establishment, updates on projects being implemented, etc. On
one hand, the feature news was mostly on the results of researches done by the faculty
and the students.
In addition, Table 8 shows that Mountain Collegian had 8 (50%) articles
positioned on the second quadrant, 5 (31.25%) on the first quadrant, 2 (12.50%) on the
fourth quadrant and only 1 (6.25%) on the third quadrants.
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Table 6. Placement of science news for Mountain Collegian
PAGE
NUMBER
PERCENTAGE
Front
2
12.50
Inside
14
87.50
The positioning of articles in the 1st and 2nd quadrants shows the prominence and
importance of an issue. Furthermore, positioning the article in the center of the page such
that it occupies a space from each quadrant means that the issue is very much important.
As supported by the criteria of lay outing by Jamias (1957), the 1st and 2nd
quadrants are the most important and prominent parts of a newspaper. Therefore, table 6
shows that though science articles were placed on the inside pages, Mountain Collegian
gave importance on the science articles published.
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Table 7. News Treatment of Mountain Collegian
TYPE OF TREATMENT
N=16
%
Feature News
8
50.00
Straight News
8
50.00
Table 8. Shows the quadrant where the articles were placed
QUADRANT DESIGN
FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE
N=16
%
1st
5
31.25
2nd
8
50.00
3rd
1
6.25
4th
2
12.50
26
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
This study was conducted to assess the science articles published by Mountain
Collegian. Specifically it was conducted, to determine the socio-demographic profile of
the mountain collegian staff; determine the number of science articles published in 2008,
determine the dominant source of information for science articles, determine the nature of
coverage of science articles in terms of topics, space allotment, placement, treatment.
Following the principles of content analysis, a standard coding sheet instrument
was used to assess the nature of coverage.
Sixteen Mountain Collegian articles were coded from January to December 2008.
These science articles were content analyzed.
The dominant sources were categorized according to primary and secondary
sources. Most of the science articles published by Mountain Collegian have gathered
information from a combination of primary and secondary sources.
Based on the gathered data, most issues tackled in the science articles were about
agriculture, medicine, and technology.
On the nature of coverage, the articles have higher page allocation on the inside
pages (87.50%). These articles were mostly positioned on the second (50%) and first
(31.25%) quadrants. For the three issues, there was the same number of feature and
straight news.
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Conclusions
Based on the results, the following conclusions were derived:
1.
Mountain Collegian writers preferred a combination of primary and
secondary sources of information in writing science articles;
2. Most of the science articles pertain to Agriculture and Medicine;
3.
Most articles are found in inside pages but still are given due importance
since they are placed in either the second or first quadrant;
4. There is an equal representation of the types of news treatment for science
articles.
Recommendations
1.
Staff writers or members of the Mountain Collegian may consider
publishing more science articles so that the students of BSU will always be updated and
informed about science researches and innovations.
2.
Mountain Collegian should continue presenting science articles since BSU
is rich source of scientific information.
3.
Another research of the same nature may be done but the coverage or
number of issues may be increased so as to get a wider view of the coverage of science
articles in Mountain Collegian.
LITERATURE CITED
ANONYMOUS, 2003. Science Writers. Retrieved on December on 8. 2009 from
http://scicom.ucsc.edu/SciWriting.html
AUGENBRAUN E, 2005. Center for Science and the Media. Retrieved on December 6,
2009 from http://www.scienceandmedia.org/news.html
BENNETT B, 2001. Science and Development Network. Retrieved on December 5, 2009
from http;//www.scidev.net/en/science-communication/science-journalism
COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW, 2003. About Science Writing. Retrieved from
http://www.cjr.org/theobservatory/sciencejournalismgrowingove.php
DEUNA, M., M. EUSEBIO, L. CATRIS, 1998. The world of Physics. Quezon City:
Kalayaan Press Mktg. P.2
DIARMAID MAC MATHUNA, 2006. Science Communication Review. Retrieved on
December 5, 2009 from http://www.sciencecommunicationreview.com
GRUEN, S. 2006. Campus Papers Can Save Journalism. Retrieved on December 7, 2009
from http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/37830
HOLLAND, A. 2002. The importance of Good Science Writing. Retrieved on November
11, 2008 from http://www.writersblock.ca/winter2002/essay.htm
JAQUA M, 2002. Writing for Science. Retrieved on December 7, 2009 from
http://home.att.net/`MikeJaqua/writing-for-science.html
KUTHER, T. 2003. Tara’s Graduate School Blog Disseminating Science. Retrieved on
December 5, 2009 from http://gradschool.about.com/2003/11/17/disseminating-
science.htm
KRONICK, D. 1991.History of Science, Medicine and Technology. Bibliography of
Primary Sources: Articles. Retrieved November 13, 2008 from
http://www.ifi.unicamp.br/`ghtc/sources/articles.htm
NORTHWEST SCIENCE WRITERS ASSOCIATION, 2004. A Science Oddyssey.
Retrieved on December 5, 2009 from http://www.nwscience.org
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APPENDIX A
STANDARD CODING SHEET INSTRUMENT
NEWS COVERAGE CODE SHEET
A. GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Article Title:_________________________________
Date:_____________
B. Treatment
( ) Straight News
( ) Feature News
( ) Opinion
C. News Source Factor
( ) Official Voices
( ) Farmers’ Voices
( ) Technical Voices
( ) Business Voices
D. News Gathering Method
( ) Actual Coverage
( ) Interview with Prominent Personality
_______________________________________________
( ) Writing from documents
___________________________________________
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E. Placement/Page Allocation
( ) Front Page
_____ 1st quadrant
_____ 2nd quadrant
_____ 3rd quadrant
_____ 4th quadrant
F. Classification of these Science articles
_____ Medicine
_____ Biology
_____ Physics
_____ Information Technology
_____ Genetics
_____ Agriculture
_____ Others
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APPENDIX B
Interview Schedule
(For Research Writers)
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
Name: _________________________
Age: _______
Course: _____________
Gender: _______
Year Level: _________
Trainings Attended: _____________________________________________
1. Where do you usually get ideas for your articles?
2. How do you get information for your articles?
3. What were the problems encountered when writing about science articles?
Document Outline
- Content Analysis of Science Articles Publishedin Mountain Collegian in 2008
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- REVIEW OF LITERATURE
- METHODOLOGY
- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
- SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
- LITERATURE CITED
- APPENDICES