LABORATORY ACTIVITY 1

NAME:
GROUP:
DATE:
RATING:

INTRODUCTION:

The community is a group of people sharing a common geographic boundaries and/or common norms, values
and interests. It functions within a particular sociocultural context. It means that no two communities are
alike. The physical environment varies, and so with the people’s way of behaving and coping. The people are
different from each other, thus the dynamics in one community differs from that of the others.

More than the sum of it’s populations, a community consists of interdependent social units that transact a
common life among the people making up the units. As a social group, functioning with norms of behavior and
organization of resources, the community regulates the environment and behavior of individuals and
organizations.

In defining the characteristics of a community, the public health worker considers the following factors in
assessing the health resources and problems:
1. Physical factors refer to the community’s environment, geography, topography, and climate.
2. Historical factors reflect the community’s ancestral origins, including population and settlement
history.
3. Social factors reflect the community’s character in terms of ethnicity and language, family structure,
social divisions, degree of education, and gender relations.
4. Cultural factors refer to the community’s traditions, beliefs and religious influences
5. Economic factors refer to the community’s livelihood strategies (occupation) and family income.

OBJECTIVES:
Students should be able to:
1. Explain the significance of a community
2. Describe their own community in terms of physical, historical, social, cultural, and economic
characteristics.
3. Explain how these characteristics influence their own values and behaviors

ACTIVITY:
A. Significance of A Community: Mental Maps
Mental maps are pictures of places in our minds. Metal maps can change to reflect our experiences
and feelings, and people with different experiences may see the same space differently. Examples of
mental maps are giving directions, imagining distant places, etc.

Students will be grouped according to the area where they live. Each student will accomplish the
tasks. After completion members will take turns in sharing their reflections.

TASKS:
1. Think of the different places in your own community.
2. Reflect on the following questions:
a. Which places are very important to you?
b. Why are they important to you?
c. Which places are very important to others but not to you?
d. Why are these places important to them and not to you?
e. Which places do you dislike and would like to change?
 f. Why do you dislike these places?
3. List at least 3 places important to you and rank them from 1 to 3 with 1 being the most
important. Explain your ranking.
4. List at least 3 places that you dislike in your community and rank them from 1 to 3 with 1 as the
least you like. Explain your ranking.
5. Explain how do these places (important to you. Important to others, you dislike) in your
community influence or affect your stance or approach to everyday life?

MENTAL MAPS

Places that are important to Places important to others but Places that you dislike and
you not to you would like to change

B. Studying the Characteristics of a Community

1. Gather initial information about the community from the appropriate office’s records or reports.
2. List the name of persons to contact for a courtesy call.
3. Make proper introductions: yourself or your group, your roles or functions, and your purpose.
4. Arrange a first meeting with the identified key leaders.
5. Request to community officials to sign an invitation for a meeting.
6. Prepare agenda for the meeting.
7. Integrate with the people. It is important that group members are residents in the assignment
area. This is the first act of integrating with the people. Living with them is an advantage, that is,
to get their full participation.

Procedures:
1. When the preliminary steps are accomplished, each group will proceed to the community and
conduct an observation and interview or survey regarding the characteristics of their community.
2. Gather data on the following:
a. physical characteristics
i. geography
ii. topography
iii. climate
b. historical characteristics
i. ancestral origins
ii. history of the community
c. social characteristics
i. ethnicity
ii. language
iii. community size
iv. political structure
v. family structure
vi. community organizations
vii. education
viii. health provisions
d. cultural characteristics
i. tradition
ii. religion
iii. beliefs
 e. economic characteristics
i. livelihood strategies or occupation
ii. family or household income
3. record all findings. Make a data presentation. Share presentation to the class.

STUDY QUESTIONS
1. The physical environment of a community affect the mental, emotional, social and physical health of
its residents? Cite examples.
2. Is this statement true: “it is impossible to eliminate community customs but not difficult to modify
them”? Explain your answer.
3. What constitutes the community in which you live in?