UPV student wins Southeast Asia research grant

Michelle L. Villavert, a Master of Education in social studies student at the University of the Philippines Visayas, has secured a competitive research grant from the 2026 Research Grants Scheme of the Strengthening Human Rights and Peace Research and Education in Southeast Asia, or SHAPE-SEA, Program.

SHAPE-SEA is hosted by the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Research Grants Scheme provides financial, substantive, and technical support to students, scholars, and academics in Southeast Asia conducting research on human rights and peace issues.

Villavert is a graduate student under the Division of Professional Education.

Her research proposal builds on her Master of Education special problem project, “Interface of Indigenous Knowledge and Island-Based Climate Change Realities with Policy, Curriculum, and Pedagogy.”

The proposal was selected for funding from among more than 472 submissions under the master’s category.

The study examines the contexts of small island schools, which reflect many of Southeast Asia’s distinct sociocultural, political, and geographical realities but are often marginalized in policy and practice.

It explores how these schools navigate climate change challenges through institutional mechanisms, policy frameworks, and educational networks.

The study also highlights the need for more context-responsive policies, curricula, and pedagogical approaches.

The project under the grant cycle will run from June 2026 to January 2027.

As part of the grant conditions, Villavert will join an inception meeting with other selected grantees in Bangkok on July 20–21.

Villavert’s special problem proposal has already passed the proposal defense phase.

Assistant Professor Donne Jone P. Sodusta, Ph.D., serves as her adviser, with Assistant Professor Irene Betalas as the UPV Professional Education faculty panel member.

Retired Professor Andrew Eusebio Tan, an environmental scientist and environmental educator, joined them as an external panel member.

Tan is the immediate past president of the Philippine Network of Educators on Environment and former vice president for research of Carlos Hilado Memorial State University.

The recognition affirms the relevance of island-based education research in addressing climate change, Indigenous knowledge, and policy gaps in Southeast Asian learning communities. (Helen Grace Concepcion Q. Fernandez; Nikki Joy R. Gargollo)