Most Outstanding Dissertation Award

I am extremely honored and humbled to share that my Ph.D. research entitled, “Developing a Procedural Model to Determine the Null Curriculum” received the MOST OUTSTANDING DISSERTATION AWARD from UP Diliman College of Education!

Set in curriculum theory, my dissertation explored the epistemology of determining the phenomenon called “null curriculum” - a curriculum that does not exist.

It was a major challenge to put into writing such a paradoxical concept that is “powerful by the virtue of its absence.” I don’t know if it was an ‘imposter syndrome’ at work or a personal desire for growth, but whatever kind of challenge it was, I’m glad that it pushed me to better myself.

I was not alone though, I constantly had God, and all the "most outstanding" people by my side - my adviser, expert panel members, participants across my five research phases, instrument reviewers, MSU General Santos, DepEd schools, my friends, and beloved family - who carried me through all the stages of my dissertation writing.

I used to view the world in terms of its presence, but then I wrote my dissertation on the null curriculum which turned my eyes to the absence. Retrospectively, this award inspires me to work on creating egalitarian spaces for the absence whether it’s some excluded elements of the curriculum or marginalized persons and groups.

Para sa edukasyon at bayan,

MICHAEL B. CAHAPAY
Ph.D. in Education Major in Curriculum Studies
University of the Philippines Diliman

#MostOutstandingDissertationAward 🏅🏅🏅