CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURE

This chapter presents the research design, the respondents, the sampling technique used, the

data gathering instrument and the statistical data treatment.

Research Design

The study made use of the descriptive method of research through survey in ascertaining the

factors that affect students’ academic performance in Mathematics of the third year Pavigamean students

in Padre Vicente Garcia Memorial Academy (PVGMA) enrolled during the School Year 2008-2009. It is the

most appropriate method to be used since a self-constructed questionnaire was utilized to obtain the

data needed to answer the questions posted in this study.

Furthermore, the said method could lead this research to determine the different factors

influencing the academic performance in Mathematics and the extent of their influence on the

respondents’ academic performance in the said subject. Finally, it was also used to determine the

relationship between and among each of the factors and the academic performance in Mathematics of

the respondents.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study were the selected grade 10 students of Irineo L. Santiago National

Highschool of Metro Dadiangas enrolled during the School Year 2019-2020. Using Slovins Formula at five

percent margin of error, ninety-six (96) Pavigamean students were utilized in this study from the total

population of one hundred twenty six (126).

 The ninety-six (96) students were composed of seventy-one (71) males and fifty-five (55) females

Pavigamean students. Using random sampling, thirty-two (32) students per section were selected and

were asked to answer the questionnaire.

The researcher chose the Pavigamean students as respondents of this study because it was

assumed that these students should have worked for their academic performance in Mathematics in order

to cope up with the tough challenges in the Padre Vicente Garcia Memorial Academy (PVGMA).

Research Instruments

A self-constructed questionnaire will be used by the researcher to gather data needed in the

present study. Items included in this questionnaire were based on the researcher’s readings, personal

experiences, own observations, and informal interview with other students. The questionnaire has three

parts. Part I is for the respondents to put a check mark on the Grade Average Point (GPA) they obtained

in Mathematics last school year.

Part I included the different factors, categorized into personal, school environment, health and

economic which are assumed to influence the grade 10 students track choices. There were seven items

under each category and the respondents were asked to rank each item based on the intensity of its

influence in choosing their track choices. Ranking is 1-7 where 1 stands for the most influential factor on

the academic performance and 7 the least influential.

Part III was designed for the respondents’ assessment on how the given factors under each

category influence their academic performance in Mathematics. Seven conditions which are stated as

sentences under category were cited and the respondents were asked to check the box corresponding to

their assessment. The respondents’ answer was represented through the use of a scale: 4 – Strongly

Agree; 3 – Agree; 2 – Disagree; and 1 – Strongly Disagree. The assessment of the respondents on each

factor influencing their academic performance in Mathematics was interpreted through the use of
ranking, weighted mean and chi-square which implied that the higher the computed weighted mean is,

the greater the influence of this factor on the academic performance of the said subject.

Furthermore, the following equivalent for each verbal interpretation was used:

3.5 – 4 Strongly Agree

2.5 – 3.49 Agree

1.5 – 2.49 Disagree

1 – 1.49 Strongly Disagree

Data Gathering Procedure

After the approval of the researcher’s chosen topic to work on, which is about the different factors

that affect the academic performance of the third year Pavigamean students in Padre Vicente Garcia

Memorial Academy (PVGMA), she started reading different topics about academic performance to gain

more information and knowledge needed in the writing of this thesis. She also surfed the internet for the

accumulation of related and current information. Through extensive reading, the researcher was able to

gather enough literature and studies that served as excellent source for constructing her questionnaire.

The researcher made a self-constructed questionnaire to know the effect on the academic

performance in Mathematics of the different factors such as personal,school environment, health and

economic. The prepared questionnaire was shown to the adviser of the researcher and Mathematics

teachers in the College of Arts and Sciences for comments and corrections and to an English teacher to

correct the grammar and sentence construction. After all the comments from these people were done,

the questionnaire was administered to other students for dry-run.

 After the process of content validation, the researcher wrote a letter to the Principal of Padre

Vicente Garcia Memorial Academy to permit her administer the questionnaire to the target respondents,

the Pavigamean students. After the approval of the letter, the researcher asked for the students’ master

list to determine the exact number of respondents. The researcher personally administered the

questionnaire and retrieved them from the respondents after answering it.

The data that was gathered in the study were carefully tallied, tabulated and analyzed to arrive at

reliable findings and valid conclusions using statistical method.

Statistical Treatment of the Data

The data obtained were presented in tabulated forms, analyzed and interpreted by the researcher

through the employment of the following statistical techniques and procedures:

Ranking – was used to determine the effect of the different factors on the academic performance

of the respondents – which of the given factors has the greatest effect and which has the least.

Weighted Mean – was used to determine the ratio of the responses of the respondents in the

different factors and the total number of responses.

__

X = ∑ X1

____

Where:

___

X – computed mean

X1 – response of the respondents

 n – total number of respondents

Chi-Square – this was used to know the relationship between and among the different factors

and the academic performance of the respondents.

λ 2 = ∑ (fo-fe)2

________

fe

df = (c-1)(r-1)

Where:

λ 2 - computed chi-square

fo - observed frequency

fe – expected frequency