Chapter III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Introduction:

The study shall employ the descriptive method of research, utilizing the research

questionnaire as the primary research tool for gathering the needed data. According to (Fox

1989), the descriptive method is an approach that emphasizes the present status of a

phenomenon, describes a current situation, determines the nature of prevailing conditions or

practices and seeks accurate descriptions of activities, objects, persons and processes.

In educational research, there are two conditions which occur together to suggest and

justify the descriptive survey: first, that there is an absence of information about a problem of

educational significance; and second, that the situation which could generate the information

does exist and is accessible.

According to Best (1989), the descriptive method of research is done to be “fact-finding”

or “information gathering” with analytical information. It is concerned with condition or

relationships that exist, practices that prevail, beliefs and processes that are going on, effects that

are being felt, or that are developing.

Best (2004) further characterizes the descriptive method with the following: It involves

hypothesis formulation and testing, it uses logical inductive methods to arrive at generalization.

It often employs method/randomization so that error may be the estimated when referring to

population characteristics from observations of samples, the variables and procedures are

described as accurately and completely as possible so that the study can be replicated by other

researchers.
 Aguirre (1993) asserts that the descriptive method is something beyond just data

gathering. The true meaning of the data collected should be reported from the point of view of

the objectives and the basic assumptions of the study. Facts obtained maybe accurate expressions

of central tendency, deviation/correlation but the report is not research unless discussions of the

data are carried out up to top level of adequate interpretation. The data must be subjected to the

thinking process by means of ordered reasoning.