Department of Education

Region Ⅻ
Division of Sultan Kudarat
LAGUILAYAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Laguilayan, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat

SOCIAL INJUSTICE (DISCRIMINATION AND RACISM)

A COMPETED APPLIED RESEARCH

Submitted to
LAGUILAYAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Laguilayan, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat

Researchers

Charls Darwin S. Padilla

John Oscar Gonzales
Prencess Padending
Michaella Lina
Jay V Quingco
Mikko Abalos
Myra Utik

Evelyn A. Rodriguez
Adviser

MAY 22/2023
 Chapter I

Research Problem and its Background

A. Introduction
In the book of Essien D. Essien entitled “Theradox of Increasing Women’s Space and
Influence in Public Life in Africa: The First Lady Experience,” published by the University of
Uyo, Nigeria, social injustice is the way unjust actions are done in society. Social injustice occurs
in a situation where the equals are treated unequally.. The most common examples are
discrimination and racism, which are currently prevalent in our society. Moreover, as the Merriam-
Webster dictionary stated, social injustice refers to a situation in which the rights of a person or a
group of people are ignored. The main problem that is being amplified is how the effects of social
injustice affect one’s socializing skills. Not only does this unfair treatment of people by others
constantly disregard their own rights, but it will also leave someone mentally or emotionally
troubled.

By understanding what social injustice is, we can better understand and analyze what we
need to apply in order to solve the issues regarding it. Some of these solutions include self-
education and organized activities such as campaigns that should be created in order to influence
people’s practices and actions. It is important to study this topic because it’s not a unique issue to
everyone now; almost everybody is encountering or experiencing this in their day-to-day lives.
That’s why reducing the probabilities that this will happen should start in small steps.

B. Background of the Study

Social injustice is a fair and just relation between the individual and society. This is measured
by the explicit and tacit terms for the distribution of wealth, opportunities for personal activity and
social privileges. In western swell as in older Asian cultures, the concept of social injustice has
often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fulfill their societal roles and receive what
was their due from society. In the current global grassroots movements for social injustice, the
emphasis has been on the breaking of unspoken barriers for social mobility, the creation of safety
nets and economic justice.

By the Virtue of such qualities, such a person is able to guide and rule. The distinctive
qualities of a person with spiritual faculty are ambition, love for power, demonstration of courage
or strength, fighting spirits, etc. Therefore, they are suitable for maintaining peace and order in

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society, and are able to defend the state. A person having the qualities of appetitive faculty will opt
to undertake various physical labors. Such persons are full of bodily desires and always hanker
after their satisfaction (Lindsay, 1959; Barker,justice

The concept justice, in Ambedkar’s view, is a problem not merely of distributing the material
abundance among the people but basically a mode of life based on mutual respect and regard, a
feeling of fellowship as equal members of society. Hence, the measure of social justice is not
material progress, but the abundance and proliferation of human values among the people (Sativa,
1998). Hence, Ambedkar’s conception of justice is holistic and continuous process. He is more
concerned with social transformation and development as it encompasses social justice to it.

The social injustice issue happens in social life such in society. It is discussed too on literary
area such as Sociology. Sociology itself means the study that deals with human’s life in the society
(Saraswati, 2003, p. 2). Swingewood (in Faruk, 1994, p. 1) also states that sociology is a study on
people in society and on the social process and the institution embedded on it. Therefore the basis
of the understanding is the society thus sociological theory is the appropriate approach in this
research.

Life in the midst of society will not be free from problems. Injustice is one of the big
problems in the world. Injustice varies as political injutice, economic injustice and social injustice.
Social injustice can occur in a society as long as there is a group which marginalized rather than
another group.

Social injustice is a phenomenon which has occurred in the society for long time ago (Dogra,
2014: 1) it happens in almost every country in the world, especially in England during the
Nineteenth Century. The social injustice issue happens in social life such on society. It is discussed
too in literary area such as Sociology. Sociology itself means the study that deals with human’s life
in the society (Saraswati, 2003, p. 2). Swingewood (in Faruk, 1994, p. 1) also states that sociology
is a study on people in society and on the social process and the institution embedded on it.
Therefore the basis of the understanding is the society thus sociological theory is the appropriate
approach in this research.

Damono (1984, p. 2) confirms that the sociology of literature is an approach to literature that
considered the social aspects of human beings. It means that sociology of literature associated of
human life or social problem such as politics, law, religion, norms and value of society. So,
literature is studied and analyzed based on the sociological approach.

C. (SOP) Statement of the Problem

This study aims to spread awareness about the unjustified and unfair treatment between
people, where social injustice affects everyone in society. Specifically, the study seeks answers to
the following questions:

 Q1: What is behind of this Social Injustices?

 Q2: What can Discrimination and Racism do?
 Q3: What we need to do in order to prevent Social Injustices?

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 D. Significance of the Study
This study aimed to provide valuable information on what social injustice can do and how
it affects us.

For the students, every individual should be aware of these social issues, find ways to
prevent them, and develop steps to fight for a fair community. This study may also improve and
provide a deep conceptual understanding of social injustices. As students mostly spend their time
in school, creating a new strategy for learning should also be effective.

For our school, this study should provide insights about developing this so-called human
rights-based education, an adjusted or improved strategy that includes the importance of creating a
peaceful zone for every student.

For the community, our society nowadays is becoming toxic with a still-growing social
injustice that, as we can observe, has had such an impact on our community. Thus, this study
should create a new perspective for the community, allowing them to better understand what is
currently happening.

And, for future researchers, the result of this research may be a basis or a reference for
studies and can be used as related literature.

E. Scope and Delimitations

This research will cover all the effects, and the same goes for the importance and what we
need to do in order to prevent social injustice. However, this study will mainly focus on those who
experienced discrimination and racism. While the respondents of this study should be at least 10
(ten) persons, these individuals should have experienced social injustices in the last 3–5 years and
be currently enrolled in Laguilayan National High School.

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 Chapter II

Review of Related Literature (RRL)

This chapter presents the related literature and studies both local from foreign and local
sources. This also includes of the synthesis of the art, gap bridged study and the theoretical
framework terms and defined conceptually and operationally for clarity.

This chapter presents the review of literature and studies related to the topic to add
essential to this study.

SOCIAL INJUSTICE

From the book of Opotow, S., entitled “Social Injustice: The Encyclopedia of Peace
Psychology (2011).” Social injustice is the opposite of social justice; it is the discrepancy between
what is and what should be. Edmond Cahn (1949) describes social injustice as an emotionally
laden construct provoking “outrage, horror, shock, resentment, and anger… that prepare the human
animal to resist attack” (p. 24). Social injustice, motivated by emotions evoked by morally loaded
cognitions about right and wrong, can motivate individuals, groups, and nations to take action,
including violence and war, in order to right perceived wrongs.

The idea of social injustice is pivotal to much contemporary moral and political philosophy,
and yet mysteriously, this concept has repeatedly failed to attract the detailed analysis it deserves.
What makes this lacuna in the literature even more surprising is the fact that the idea of social
justice has attracted more attention than any other single concept in moral and political philosophy
over the past 50 years. After telling us that justice (in its more general conception) can be
expressed in the following terms: “All social values—liberty and opportunity, income and wealth,
and the bases of self-respect—are to be distributed equally unless an unequal distribution of any, or
all, of these values is to everyone’s advantage,” Rawls (1972, 62) goes on to say that “Injustice,
then, is simply inequalities that are not to the benefit of all.”

In other words, for Rawls, injustice is simply the absence of justice. For too long, the
relationship between social justice and social injustice has been misunderstood. It is not a case of
social injustice being the lack or violation of social justice, as many (like Rawls) seem to assume.
Instead, the opposite is closer to the truth: social justice is the absence of social injustice.

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 The three dimensions of social injustice: A proper account of the idea of social injustice
must encompass the many intuitions and insights about injustice that have informed the subject
matter over the past 150 years, from Gaskell and Engels to Sen and Pogge. In delineating the
parameters of social injustice, it is imperative to emphasize the distributive element of social
injustice, as Pogge rightly suggests, lest injustice become a rhetorical slogan for everything that is
seen as evil in our world. Yet at the same time, the focus on distribution should not be so narrow as
to include only institutional matters or assume that access to natural resources is the only
distribution we should be concerned with.

These lacunae can be corrected if we endorse a three-dimensional working definition of

social injustice:

1. Injustice as maldistribution Social injustice is the improper or injurious distribution of

the benefits and burdens that arise from social cooperation. An injustice occurs when the benefits
and burdens are distributed according to criteria that not everyone (especially those who stand to
receive less than others) could reasonably accept. Furthermore,

 A. The criteria may apply to both institutional and non-institutional contexts.

 B. The benefits and burden refer to both natural and social resources.

2. Injustice as Exclusion Social injustice involves actions or policies undertaken to exclude

others as legitimate recipients of the distribution of benefits and burdens. This dimension of
injustice may be experienced by either individuals or groups.

3. Injustice as disempowerment Social injustice exposes and exploits a person’s

vulnerabilities; victims of injustice are disempowered by injustice and therefore excluded from the
distribution of the benefits and burdens of social cooperation.

These dimensions reminds us that since injustice is suffered by its victims, it is the victims’
experiences or perspectives that should be the starting point of our inquiry. From victims’ accounts
of injustice, we get the distinctive picture that what makes an injustice unbearable and
unacceptable is the fact that through an act of injustice, a person’s vulnerabilities have been
exposed and exploited, and as a result, the victim is left to feel disempowered by the experience.
This happens because of inequalities of power between the perpetrator and the victim.

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VIOLENCE

Although injustice and violence are distinct concepts and are not interchangeable, the
experience of violence is very similar to the experience of injustice. Violence being a more
extreme phenomenon than injustice, it is possible to see what is bad (and wrong) about injustice by
looking at violence; in other words, the true nature of injustice may become visible through the
lenses of violence. Both violence and injustice can be defined from the point of view of the victim,
and in both cases, the victim suffers the experience of powerlessness and vulnerability. From the
literature on violence, we learn that it is degrading and humiliating to be a victim of violence
precisely because, in having violence done to us, our vulnerability and powerlessness are fully
exposed; or, as Robert Litke (2009, 298–299) compellingly puts it, “we use the term [violence] to
censure the fact that some or all of a person’s power to act and interact in bodily and decision-
making ways has been diminished or destroyed by someone else.” That is the heart of violence: the
disempowerment of people. The same can be said for victims of injustice. This was addressed by
Vittorio Bufacchi, University College Cork, UCC Department of Philosophy, in his literature
entitled Social Injustice.

DISCRIMINATION

In the article “Students’ Perception of Discrimination Against Minorities” by RL Giurgiu,

published by Elsevier Ltd., which is an open access article under the CC-NC-NC License,
discrimination is defined as the treatment of an individual or group of individuals based on their
belonging to a certain “class” or “category.” Discrimination also refers to a certain behavior that a
person, an institution, or a group of people adopt against the members of that class or category.
This may involve the exclusion or limitation of the discriminated group members’ access to the
exercise of certain rights and opportunities that are otherwise available to other groups (Gidens,
2009). In a review of the Oxford Index (A Search and Discovery Gateway), discrimination against
social groups may be the result of tacitly adhering to social norms or existing institutional and
organizational rules.

Additionally, cultural norms, associated beliefs, prejudices, stereotypes, ethnocentrism, and

closed groups are listed as possible causes of discrimination. Discrimination is an action or an
approach that excludes, disadvantages, or simply differentiates individuals or groups of individuals
based on attributes or personal characteristics. Discrimination is studied by a wide range of
disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, economics, etc., in
order to clarify and describe the contexts in which discrimination occurs, the conditions that
generate it, the associated factors, etc. From a sociological perspective, for example, discrimination
may be an explanatory phenomenon for social stratification, generated by the unequal distribution
of community members, resources, material and social benefits, and political rights, and hence the

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reflection of power struggles. The definition of discrimination is seen as a difficult task by most
experts involved in the field.

Discrimination may be direct or indirect and have multiple connotations as follows:

harassment, victimization, attaining the dignity of the person, etc. Phenomena that are usually
associated with discrimination are racism, sexism, stereotypes, and discriminatory actions and
behaviors. The social status of different groups of people is relative to their origin (regardless of
sex, age, race, religion, etc.)

Chapter III

Research Methodology

This chapter presents the research design, sampling and sampling techniques, research
instrument, data gathering procedure, and statistical techniques.

A. Research Design

This study utilizes the use of Qualitative Research Design in order to achieve and gather
information that will benefit this research. This approach is also used widely in the social sciences
to explore social interactions, systems, and processes. Since Qualitative addresses the “how” and
“why” research questions, it enables deeper understanding, brings details, and depth of the context.

B. Sampling and Sampling Techniques

The scope of the study comprises of selected students that are enrolled in Laguilayan
National High School.. The aim of this study is to interview 10 (ten) students in LNHS that are
experiencing discrimination and racism.

The sampling design that the researchers will use is a type of probability sampling
technique which is simple random sampling. The researchers will pick individuals of assigned
numbers and the numbers that are chosen will be the members that are expected to be included in
the sample.

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 C. Research Instrument

To carry out the research, the researchers used the following Research Instruments.
Interview, the members of this study created and formulated some questions that are used to ask
and interview an individual. The questions are created by the researchers of this study. The
questions are also focused on how a person experiencing social injustice is coping in their daily
lives.

D. Data Gathering Procedures

Using the semi-structured questions where it includes a number of planned questions, but
the interviewer has more freedom to modify the wording and order of questions, the researchers of
this study will collect data and gather information that corresponds on what the researchers wants
to know about this study based on the answers of selected individuals. After gathering the data, it is
analyzed and organized by the researchers based on the respondents answers.

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 Chapter Ⅳ

Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation

This chapter presents the related literature and studies both local from foreign and local
sources. This also includes of the synthesis of the art, gap bridged study and the theoretical
framework terms and defined conceptually and operationally for clarity.

In this part of research, we will present, analyze, and interpret the gathered data. The
corresponding analysis and interpretation of data are incorporated in this portion of the
study.

A. Introduction

In the research for Social Injustice we collected data’s from participants through qualitative
study. Since it’s a qualitative study , the researchers prepared some semi-structured questions.
These questions are then utilized to interview the participants. Presentation of the questions are the
following:

1) Are you experiencing discrimination or racism? In what way or type?

2) Where do you commonly observe this?
3) When do you experience it?
4) Why do you think they are doing these to you?
5) Do these things affect you? If so, how?

Now, after the researchers gathered data through interviews, bracketing and
horizontalization stage was done by highlighting significant statements from the answers. In this
part, we will present you how the researchers completed the process of bracketing,
horizontalization, theme clustering, and writing the overall essence.

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 B. Analysis

Table 1 : Significant Statements/Answers

Are you experiencing discrimination or racism? In what way or type?

 Through verbal…
 I am bullied…
 They always bullied me…
 Discriminated through their rumors.

Table 2 : Significant Statements/Answers

Where do you commonly observe this?

 like in public...
 In our place.
 In school.

Table 3 : Significant Statements/Answers

When do you experience it?

 and in my day-to-day lives…

 When I interact with other people.
 when I socialize..
 In my elementary days.
 Everyday.

Table 4 : Significant Statements/Answers

Why do you think they are doing these to you?

 they do it for fun.

 because my weaknesses are exposed.
 they think we don’t have our own rights to be treated right.
 Because of my gender…

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 Table 5 : Significant Statements/Answers
Do these things affect you? If so, how?

 Yes…
 It hurts my feelings.
 It affects me emotionally.
 It limits me to wear the clothes that I want.
 gave me trauma…
 loss of confidence…
 body shaming,…insecurities
 yes… in my mental health or maybe psychologically

After horizontalizing, theme clustering was done next by analyzing, outlining, and grouping
the significant statements or answers into themes or meaningful units that would give us more
ideas and help us understand about this issue more deeply. The group that contains theme should
answer the central questions of the study: What is behind of this Social Injustices? , What can
discrimination and Racism do? , What we need to do in order to prevent Social Injustices?

Theme Clusters
(Formulated through the statements came from the participants.)

Theme 1. Cause

 Gender
 Habit
 Fun Activity
 Disregarded Rights

Theme 2. Effects

 Trauma
 Loss of confidence
 Mental Illness

Theme 3. Experiences

 Bullying
 Verbal Abuse
 Rumors

Theme 4. Personal Issues

 Body shaming

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  Insecurities
 Emotionally troubled

C. Essence
As to the first question of the study’s SOP (What is behind of this Social Injustices?)...

- Theme 1. Cause

Gender equality also applies because of how a victim’s gender is also being considered in
discrimination, so is the rights of everyone that are only disregarded and ignored. They also think
that discrimination and racism to others is some sort of a non-serious matter. The fact that they
consider this as a habit or a fun activity is just not justified.

Transcription:

1. They do it because maybe they think we don’t have the right to show that we shouldn’t be
treated right.

2. Ginagawa nila yun kasi ano, kasi dahil nga sa gender ko.

(They do it because of my gender.)

3. Because they have nothing to do and did that as a habit and fun.

Second Question (What can discrimination and racism do?)...

- Theme 2. Effects

To the victim’s view, discrimination and racism can also be a factor of trauma and
other types of mental illness. This can also result in loss of confidence because of showing
that they’re not part of this society.

Transcription:

1. Nakakaapekto ito sa akin, nagbibigay trauma and loss ng confidence, kasi

uhmm sa mga tao talaga na nakakaranas ng discrimination or racism is nawawalan sila ng
confidence…

(Yes it affects me, it’s the reason of trauma and loss of confidence, because it
is commonly happening to the victims of discrimination and racism.)

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14
 D. Theory

According to Copeland at el’s theory about “Social Injustice and the cycle of
Trauma”, social injustice repeatedly assessed traumatic experiences and has link of exposure
to discrimination and bullying, does causing significant health problems, behavior, and
mental. Furthermore, inequality for some time now has been known for a major factors of a
traumatic event.

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 Chapter Ⅴ

Findings, Conclusion, and Recommendation

A. Findings
The study’s main objective is to study social injustice more deeper so that we can gather
knowledge and information about it and why does it happen frequently. Aside from that we should
find a way to prevent it and solve it. The mentioned objectives was also stated in the study’s SOP
(Statement of the Problem). The findings of the study includes:

1. A lot of related actions are to be considered as a factor for which discrimination,

racism and other types of injustices that are happening to our society. However, this
study should prove that gender also contributes specifically to discrimination, and
that what we call Gender Inequality. Gender Inequality is where people take
advantage of your gender and treat you differently. Another point worth noting is
disregarding our rights. Everyone of us are protected of rights in which we should
all pay attention to, and because of this, Inequality among individuals is happening.
And of course, Social Injustice as a habit. One of our participants said that even in
lower ages they’re already experiencing injustices. He also described this as a fun
activity that some consider them as a habit.
2. One of the main focus of this study is it’s implications or effects to the victims.
Based on what we have gathered, because of social injustice problems like trauma,
mental illness and loss of confidence are being experienced by 9 out of 10
participants.

B. Conclusion
After gathering data from 10 participants from Laguilayan National Highschool, the
researchers determined that almost every students are experiencing injustices, from their day-
to-day life basis, schools, and even public areas. They have no escape from it. Some already
make this issue as a daily exercise or some sort of a hobby, that if we analyze could be a
potential emerging issue. There are also different ways of encountering social injustice, it could
be through verbal, physical, mental and emotional. Because of this a lot of victims are suffering
from bullying, trauma, loss of confidence and can even lead to violence/abuse.

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 Therefore, social injustice shouldn’t be just a mere issue of the society. It should be
focused to so that it should also be prevented.

C. Recommendation
The following recommendations are offered to the school, teachers,
baranggay/community, and to future researchers.

 Based on the research result, public places especially schools are a place of
common types of social injustice happens. That’s why implementing a strategic
way of teaching equality through rights should be effective.
 Supporting different organizations that promote equality through seminars,
exhibit, conference or other types of promotional steps should be taken a look.
 And to the future researchers, it would be beneficial if you were to continue
researching about Social Injustice so that it would have more generalized,
updated and more effective ways of detaining injustices.

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