SHS

PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1
Quarter 2 - Module 4
Research Methodology
Practical Research 1
Quarter 2 – Module 4– Research Methodology

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Regional Director: Gilbert T. Sadsad

Assistant Regional Director: Jessie L. Amin

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Julie Ann B. Bongon

Editor: Lany M. Abainza

Illustrator: Jason C. Borabo

Layout Artist: Atty. Catherine B. Panti

Reviewers: Lany M. Abainza

MASBATE CITY DIVISION (headed by Jeanette M. Romblon)

MODULE 4
Research Methodology

Good day and welcome to Quarter 2, Module 4! You are halfway to

completing your study. Sounds great, right?

For this module, you are expected to have already chosen the appropriate
qualitative research design for your study, described sampling procedure
and sample and planned data collection, data gathering instrument and
analysis procedures, which were discussed in Quarter 2 Modules 1, 2 and
3, respectively. The question now is, “How do you put all these in your
Research Methodology?” This module will answer that question.

In this module, you are expected to present written research methodology.

Directions: Let us have a quick review on the previous modules. On your answer sheet, write
AYE if the statement is correct. Otherwise, write NAY.

1. The Grounded Theory Design focuses on the identification, location, evaluation, and
synthesis of data evidence from the past to confirm or reject a hypothesis.
2. Action Research Design involves a cycle of identifying a problem regarding a situation
or process, developing a strategy for intervention with the purpose of improving said
situation or process, implementing said intervention, and observing and analyzing the
results until a sufficient level of understanding of (or valid solution to) the problem is
achieved.
3. Researchers should not assume that their intended subjects/participants are readily
and immediately available. Thus, they must take the necessary time to locate their
sample.
4. Group interview is NOT one of the main methods used in qualitative research.
5. Observations may be useful in identifying, for example, discrepancies between what
people say and what they do.

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 Before proceeding, it is necessary to define or review the terms that will
be used in this module and to differentiate them from one another.

• A method is a technique which the researcher uses to gather and

generate data about the subject of study.
• A methodology is the section of the research paper which explains why
the researcher chose to use particular methods. The methodology also
includes descriptions of any and all theoretical and/or ideological
concepts informing and influencing the course of the study, and the
researcher’s rationale behind adhering to these concepts.
• A research design is a plan which structures a study to ensure that the
data collected and generated will contain the information needed to
answer the initial inquiry as fully and clearly as possible.

What is a Research Methodology?

A Research Methodology is a description of how exactly you conducted your

research.

You should provide detailed information on the research design, participants,

equipment, materials, variables, and actions taken by the participants. The method section
should provide enough information to allow other researchers to replicate your experiment
or study. (Cherry, 2017)

This part is critical because it allows other researchers to see exactly how you
conducted your research. The research methodology should allow other researchers to
reproduce your experiment if they want and to assess alternative methods that might
produce differing results. (Cherry, 2017)

The methods section typically consists of:

1. Participants
2. Materials or Apparatus
3. Design and Procedure

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 Take Note:

The methods section should be presented in the past tense, always.

How to Write the Research Methodology

Describe what you did and how you did it. The interested reader should be able to
repeat the study from the account provided. (“APA style: Method,” 2017)

Be concise, precise, and logical in your writing.

Use the past tense in writing the methods section.

Provide enough detail to enable the reader to make an informed assessment of the
methods used in obtaining the results in relation to the research problem. “Insufficient detail
leaves the reader with questions; too much detail burdens the reader with irrelevant
information.” (“APA Method Section,” 2017)

STEP ONE: Participants

The Participant section tells the reader a minimum of three pieces of information:

1. who was in your study;

2. the population used;
3. any restrictions on the nature of your participant pool. (“APA Method Section,”
2017)

You must give the following information in your Participants section:

1. the total number of participants and the number assigned to each experimental
condition
2. the major demographic characteristics of the participants (such as age, etc.)
3. You must report the way the participants were selected.

Were they randomly selected from the whole population or only from
volunteers?

Were they not randomly selected but only volunteers?

Were they offered money or course credit to volunteer?

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 4. You must indicate if your participants are not representative of the general
population and if the selection process was restricted in any way.

Did the study use only psych majors, only women, only deaf?

Did the study eliminate any people with vision problems, color-blindness,
hearing problems, etc.?

You must indicate how the participants were assigned. Were they all assigned
to the same group or to different groups?

5. If they went to different groups, were they randomly assigned? (“APA Method
Section,” 2017)

STEP TWO: Materials or Apparatus

The Materials or Apparatus section tells the reader what equipment and tools you
used to run your experiment and to acquire data. Sometimes it is not clear whether
something is an apparatus or a material. It is traditional to label the section “Apparatus” if
you are mostly describing mechanical devices; to label it “Materials” is you are describing
mostly paper and pencil type items, and to label it “Apparatus and Materials” is you are
describing both. (“APA Method Section,” 2017)

The rules for writing this subsection are as follows:

1. Standard equipment (such as screens, timers, keyboards, etc.) can be

mentioned just by name and without detail.
2. Specialized equipment should give name, model number, and supplier
name and location.
3. Complex equipment is named and then the reader is referred to the
Appendix for illustrations and greater detail.
4. Custom equipment is named and labeled as custom equipment. Then
the reader is referred to the Appendix for illustrations and greater detail.
5. In your descriptions of the apparatus and materials, do NOT tell in detail
how you will use them. (“APA Method Section,” 2017)

How apparatus and materials are used belongs in the Procedure section.

STEP THREE: Design & Procedure

Describe the type of design used in the research. Specify the variables as well as
the levels of these variables. (Cherry, 2017; “APA Method Section,” 2017) This subsection
gives the reader a summary of each step in the execution of the research. This summary
must be concise, precise, and logical. Do not burden the reader with too much detail but
give enough so the reader can follow what is being done. (“APA Method Section,” 2017)

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 With the guide on how to write Research Methodology as discussed
above, do you think you can already write one? Yes? Before that, you
may want first to go over the following examples of Research
Methodology.

Examples of Research Methodology

Example 1

SCHOOL VIOLENCE: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY

By Sadegül Akbaba Altuna and Özgür Erdur Baker, 2010

Methodology

The majority of the literature on school violence has been compiled using
quantitative data gathered from student self-reports and statistics of violent incidences
occurring in and around schools. Qualitative studies have the potential to provide a deeper
understanding of the experiences, values and beliefs of both school professionals and
students. In order to develop effective preventive programs, it is necessary to understand
how the school violence construct is defined and how risk and protective factors are
perceived. However, only a few studies examined the issue of school violence through
qualitative methodology. This study is designed as a qualitative case study with a typical
sampling method.

The setting for the study is a school, which is run by a non-profit organization. The
majority of the students are coming from middle-class families, the majority of which are
working at state organizations. A total of 27 teachers, 1 administrator, and 125 students
from the grades 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected
through open-ended questions. Data were transferred into a digital environment and were
analyzed by content analysis with frequencies.

Example 2

THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP FROM THE STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

by Jennifer L. Hipp, 2012

This study was focused on barriers to high school graduation. A qualitative

research method was used to discern the barriers to graduating high school on time from
the student’s perspective. An exploratory design was used to help determine what students
who did not graduate high school have in common, and what about their experiences made
attaining graduation harder. A qualitative approach was used for this research as “certain
experiences cannot be meaningfully expressed by numbers” (Berg, 2009, p.3).

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Sample

A semi-structured qualitative interview was used to conduct research about why

students did not graduate high school. The sample for this study included seven adult
participants who did not graduate high school. Participants were chosen based on the
criteria of being over 18, not graduating high school or receiving a traditional high school
diploma.

Non-probability sampling was used to find the participants. Convenience and

snowball techniques were utilized to find participants that did not graduate high school.
Participants from this study were volunteers from the community who responded to copies
of a flyer (see Appendix A) that were posted on community boards in General Education
Development (GED) testing sites. Participants were also garnered through word of mouth
by teachers, school social workers, and members of the community who know of persons
over 18 who did not graduate on time.

Data Collection/Procedures

In January 2012, after receiving IRB approval, the researcher posted flyers
advertising the research study (see Appendix A) on community boards in GED testing
centers. The researcher also acquired participants through word of mouth. Those
interested in participating in the study were directed to contact the researcher at a
confidential, private phone number, in order to express interest and learn how they could
be involved. The researcher answered all questions participants had at the time they called
to express interest in the study. Individual interviews were scheduled with participants once
they were well informed of the process and all of their questions were answered.

Each interview was audio recorded in a quiet, confidential space that was
convenient for the participant. Interview settings included library study rooms, and
community rooms within GED testing centers that were available to check out. Before the
interview began and any data was collected, the participant was asked to review and sign
a consent form (see Appendix B).

After the interview, participants were supplied with a list of local resources to
access in case the content of the interview left them distressed (see Appendix D).
Participants were thanked for their participation in the study. Participants were reminded
that they could contact the researcher or the supervisor of the research at a later time if
they had any questions and/or concerns about the research. Participants were asked if
they wanted a summary of the results that will be available in June 2012. If participants
were interested in receiving a summary, they were asked to provide a postal or email
address where they would like it sent.

Measurement

Semi structured interview questions guided each interview (see Appendix C). The
first four questions were used for demographic purposes. The semi structured interview
consisted of nine open ended questions intended to gain an understanding of participants’
thoughts about the perceived barriers to their graduation. Many of the questions had

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 follow-up questions to be used as a prompt if the participant could not think of an answer.
Most of the questions were designed to address the four main themes of race,
socioeconomic status, high-quality teaching/schools, and family. The remaining questions
were in place to allow the participants to speak about their ideas on what impacts drop out
or graduation rates. The researcher also asked participants to share any information they
thought impacted their decision to leave school. The last question was a self-regulation
question. It was asked last in an effort to have the participants leave the interview feeling
positive. The anticipated length of each interview will be approximately one hour.

What can you say about Research Methodology as

part of the study? Is it easy? Try answering the tasks
that follow to see how well you have learned from the
lesson.

Directions: Choose five (5) sentences that are concise, precise, and logical. Write the
numbers of your choice on your answer sheet.

1. The participants were all the 121 laborers in Barangay Kasipagan who became
unemployed due to Covid-19 pandemic.
2. The researchers gave out the same questionnaires.
3. The participants were 136 managers.
4. The study employed the Action Research Design as its results will be used to help
improve the organization and its processes.
5. The researchers interviewed the librarians and observed their manual process of
lending and retrieving books borrowed to be able to adjust the proposed online system.
6. The researchers chose the most appropriate research design which served as their
guide.
7. The study did not include barangay officials who were not elected during barangay
elections such as Barangay Health Workers, Barangay Secretary and Treasurer.
8. The researchers used the short story The Emperor’s New Clothes to measure the
children’s reading skills (see Appendix A).

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Directions: The three (3) sentences you did not choose in Practice Task 1 are the ones you
believe are NOT concise, precise, and logical. Revise them to fit the guidelines in writing the
Research Methodology. Write your answers on your answer sheet. Be guided by the rubric
below.

Indicators 3 2 1

Clarity The sentence is clear. Some parts of the The sentence is vague.
sentence are not clear or
not explained well.

Conciseness The sentence is Only some parts of the The sentence is not
concise. sentence are concise. concise at all. It’s too
wordy, making it
difficult to follow and
understand.

Grammar and No grammatical errors 1-3 grammatical errors 4 or more grammatical

Tense were found. were found. errors were found.

Past tense was used Past tense was used, but The sentence did not
all throughout the only in some parts of the use the past tense of
sentence. sentence. the verb.

REMEMBER:

❖ A Research Methodology is a description of how exactly you

conducted your research.
❖ Be concise, precise, and logical in your writing.
❖ Use the past tense in writing the methods section, always.
❖ Provide enough details of participants, materials and
apparatus, and research design and procedure.

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 A. Directions: Identify/enumerate the following from your own study. In Materials and/or
Apparatus, write NONE if you did not use any. Write your answers on your answer
sheet.

1. Participants

2. Materials and/or Apparatus

3. Research Design

4. Data Gathering Method/s Used

B. Directions: On your notebook, write down the Research Methodology of your study.
Be guided by the rubric on page 8.

Two thumbs up for completing Module 4! I hope that you do not

grow weary of learning new things. Keep it up. You are amazing!

Directions: Everything we do entails a process. Choose a favorite hobby of yours and write
down on your notebook the step-by-step procedures on how you do it yourself. Start from Step
1, then Step 2 and so on.

One module down, way to go!

Congratulations!

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 References

Cristobal, A. P. & Cristobal, M. C. D. (2017). Practical Research for Senior High School.

Quezon City, Manila: & E Publishing, Inc.

Jerusalem, V. L., Garcia, M. D. R., Palencia, J. M. & Palencia, M. M. (2017). Practical

Research 1: Basics of Qualitative Research. Sampaloc, Manila: Fastbooks.

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 Answer Key

YOUR READINESS CHECK

1. Nay
2. Aye
3. Aye
4. Nay
5. Aye

YOUR PRACTICE TASKS

PRACTICE TASK 1

PRACTICE TASK 2

Answers vary.

YOUR FINAL TASK

A. Answers vary.
B. Answers vary.

YOUR REINFORCER

Answers vary.

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