THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH (COPAR) OF THE COMMUNITY EXTENSION PROGRAM OF A SELECTED HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION
PUBLISHED IN AD SAPIENTIAM VOLUME X 2016, COPYRIGHT: ISSN 2012-290X
REYMA M. MAGBANUA
ABSTRACT
This study sought to assess the extent of implementation of Community Organizing Participatory Action Research (COPAR) of the selected Higher Education Institution’s (HEI’s) Community Extension Program (CEP) in the partner community in relation to the CEP’s five program thrusts. A Descriptive Correlational Research was used having the complete 53 heads of the family as participants who are the direct beneficiaries, utilizing the three instruments duly validated by the three jurors who are experts in terms of concepts and practice relative to the study. These instruments are based on the COPAR Model to address the specific problems. The adherence of the selected HEI’s CEP to the Pre-Entry Phase of the COPAR revealed a complete adherence in terms of expected activities. The effectiveness of the implementation of the Institutional Extension Program in terms of the Four Basic Phases namely; Entry, Organization and Capability Buildings, Sustenance and Strengthening, and Exit/Expansion Phase are effective, likewise, as a whole. The level of satisfaction of the community residents to the Community Extension Program in terms of the four (4) program thrusts name: Literacy, Health Care, Poverty Alleviation, Family Enhancement and Community Building revealed a satisfied result. The program thrust on Environmental Care and Development revealed a Very Satisfied result, consequently, as a whole, the level of satisfaction of the partner community revealed a “Satisfied” result. Finally, a significant correlation between effectiveness of the implementation of the selected HEI’s CEP’s program thrusts utilizing COPAR as methodology and the level of satisfaction of the partner community was established in this study. The findings suggest that selected HEI’s CEP’s program is not merely directed by its thrusts but processes were utilized for its effective implementation.