Speech-language pathology in the Philippines: reflections on the past and present, perspectives for the future

Speech-language pathology research in the Philippines in retrospect: Perspectives from a developing country

PURPOSE

There is a need for speech-language pathology (SLP) research in the Philippines, in order to fill in knowledge gaps relevant to the local context. Information about the local SLP research status remains inadequate. This study describes local SLP research done over the almost past four decades.

METHOD

Using a descriptive retrospective design, a search was made for all empirical research articles completed by Filipino SLPs from 1978 to 2015.

RESULT

A total of 250 research articles were identified and described along several parameters. A predominant number were authored by the SLPs in the academe (97.20%). There was a focus on language (27.60%) and the nature of communication/swallowing disorders (20.80%). More than half utilised quantitative exploratory research designs (69.20%). Several used survey forms to generate data (38.41%). Nearly all were unpublished (93.60%) and were unfunded (94.80%).

CONCLUSION

The current study revealed a dearth of research studies, limited diversity of research articles, limited research dissemination and funding concerns. It is suggested that the results of the current study can serve as a reference point to restructure research systems in the Philippines and in other developing countries, and offer data that can be used to develop a research agenda for the profession.

Phonological assessment and analysis tools for Tagalog: Preliminary development

Information and assessment tools concerning Tagalog phonological development are minimally available. The current study thus sets out to develop elicitation and analysis tools for Tagalog. A picture elicitation task was designed with a warm-up, screener and two extension lists, one with more complex and one with simpler words. A nonlinear phonological analysis form was adapted from English (Bernhardt & Stemberger, 2000) to capture key characteristics of Tagalog. The tools were piloted on a primarily Tagalog-speaking 4-year-old boy living in a Canadian-English-speaking environment. The data provided initial guidance for revision of the elicitation tool (available at phonodevelopment.sites.olt.ubc.ca). The analysis provides preliminary observations about possible expectations for primarily Tagalog-speaking 4-year-olds in English-speaking environments: Lack of mastery for tap/trill 'r', and minor mismatches for vowels, /l/, /h/ and word stress. Further research is required in order to develop the tool into a norm-referenced instrument for Tagalog in both monolingual and multilingual environments.