AJHS Researchers Address Reading Gaps And Digital Citizenship In Japan

• Four Ateneo de Manila Junior High School educators and doctoral students presented research at IAFOR’s 17th Asian Conference on Education (ACE2025) in Tokyo, addressing literacy, digital citizenship, and collaborative learning.
• Studies showcased included fostering reading interest, assessing student technology use and digital citizenship, and a holistic framework for scaffolding student collaboration.
• Their participation highlighted Philippine perspectives in international education discussions, promoting cross-cultural dialogue and actionable insights for improving local and global educational practices.

Four members of the Ateneo de Manila Junior High School community left an indelible mark on the world stage as they presented their research papers at the International Academic Forum's (IAFOR) 17th Asian Conference on Education, ACE2025, in Tokyo, Japan from November 23 to 28, 2025. ACE is an annual international conference held at the Toshi Center Hotel-onsite and virtually-that brings together educators, researchers, and practitioners from around the globe, allowing them to present their research, create networks, and discuss current issues in education.

Representing Ateneo de Manila Junior High School were Brian Aljer Coballes from the Educational Media Center, Mary Anthony Sieras from the Office of the Vice President for Basic Education, Marites Veloso of the Testing and Research Office, and Filipino Subject Area teacher Paolo Ven Paculan. All four are also doctoral students in the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSEALD), Ateneo’s graduate program dedicated to preparing leaders and innovators in education and learning design.

This onsite presentation in Tokyo was entitled 'Fostering Reading Interest: The Influence of Perceptions, Activities, and Promotions', a research study that aimed to address a critical challenge in Philippine education. Specifically, his study investigates the collective impact of students’ perceptions of reading activities and the promotional strategies that are employed by schools and educators in influencing interest in reading among school students.

These findings, supplemented by suggestions from focus group discussions with school students, yield important insights into pragmatic and strategic measures schools could take to inculcate better reading cultures among learners. This becomes particularly relevant to the Philippines after its continuance of posting low literacy performance in international benchmarks such as the Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA.

Onsite, Ms. Sieras also presented her work, 'Assess Digital Citizenship Among Students and Technology Competency of Teachers'. The study examined student use of technology and discussed the encouragement of digital citizenship principles within education. Her results showed students use technology very frequently, but there are still some gaps in their practice of responsible and ethical use.

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These teachers were found to be competent in using basic technology tools, though many were not prepared to effectively embed the concepts of digital citizenship into instructional practice. This again reflects that additional teacher training in curriculum development is necessary to ensure that the learning of students will better incorporate concepts of digital citizenship.

Supplementing the onsite presentations, Ms. Veloso and Mr. Paculan's collaborative paper, co-authored with Desi R. Magnaye of Davao Christian High School, entitled 'Student Collaboration: A Holistic Framework for Scaffolding Group Activities', was presented online. Their research proposed the Student Collaboration Paradigm as a holistic framework that integrates the core elements of group dynamics, project management, conflict resolution, structured discussion practices, metacognition, accountability, and student leadership. It was an effort toward offering a holistic approach to the design and facilitation of collaborative learning tasks and development of long-term collaborative competencies in students.

Their presence at ACE2025 underscores the institution's commitment to contributing Philippine perspectives to international conversations on education. These various studies have tackled vital issues ranging from literacy and digital citizenship to collaborative learning structures, reflective of the many-faceted challenges and opportunities facing educators today.

Not only did it expose them to the global community of academics and practitioners, but it also facilitated meaningful exchange on strategies that can further enhance educational outcomes locally and internationally. Apart from being a platform for the presentation of research, the ACE Conference provided an opportunity for networking and cross-cultural dialogue, reinforcing IAFOR's broader mission to promote interdisciplinary discussion and international academic exchange. For the Ateneo presenters, participation in ACE2025 offered not only a place where they could air their ideas but also allowed them to get in touch with peers, receive feedback, and bring back insights that can inform future educational practice and policy.