Contextualized Instructional

Module for Inquiries,

Investigations and Immersion
(Qualitative- Quantitative Research)

An output based on the Action Research

“LIVED EXPERIENCES OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN
RESEARCH INSTRUCTIONS: BASIS FOR CONTEXTUALIZED MODULE”

EDILBERTO M. HINAY JR., M.A.Ed., M.A.Comm.

December 2018

i
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am ever thankful to the Big Boss on top who gave me all the time,

chances and opportunities laid upon this world. This piece of endeavour,

however, would never have come into reality without the support and love from

my very own family. To Caroline, my significant other, who constantly kindled my

burning desire to venture in pursuit of happiness, thank you Hon for helping me

make dreams and make them mine. To Xi, Io and Yv who are the strong

tailwinds who constantly blow the sail of their Tatay to keep me move further and

a li’l bit more. You truly are my inspiration to in all of my life’s aspirations.

I also would like to put in record my appreciation to the management of

Danao city Division, especially to Mr. Roseller Gelig, the SDS; Dr. Bernadette

Susvilla, the ASDS, Ma’am Marites Banzon, and Mam Maryjane Tura, and all

members of Division Research Committee.

My sincerest appreciation also goes to the management of Ramon M.

Durano Sr. Memorial National High School especially to our school head, Dr. Eric

Capuyan. I am also thankful to have found a secondary family in my workplace in

the persons of Partner Lino Jay, Ma’am Mai2x, Ma’am Kulot, and Ma’am Malou. I

also would never fail to thank my students who taught me on how to become a

better research teacher especially to the participants of the Focused Group

Discussion (FGD) who were my sources of data as basis for the creation of this

contextualized instructional module.

ii
 DEDICATION

The creation of this piece of endeavour is

inspired by my wife, Caroline who is
constantly
there through thick and thin.
My burning desire to be a blessing to other
people is inspired by Xi, Io and Yv.

- tatay edil -

iii
 Foreword

As a contextualized material, this instructional module was specially made

by the author for purpose of improving his own classroom teaching-learning
system. Thus, it might work or may not for other classroom settings. The creation
of this instructional module was based on the information disclosed by the
student - FGD participants who are done with 3i’s and were able to write a full-
blown thesis.
The author of this material is assigned to one of the farthest village in
Cebu province that has mountainous topography, no network signal for cellular
phones, no internet access, no school library, no instructional text book, no
references, among other disadvantages of a hinterland schools. Most students
are not well – versed in using computers, have weak foundation in English
language, and mostly came from poor families. Thus, the design of this
contextualized instructional module was designed to address the said
adversities.
On the other hand, the subject “Inquiries, Investigations and Immersion” or
3i’s is different from any other subjects in basic education since the curriculum
guide doesn’t have a learning code. There is no precise learning competency
stated in curriculum guide but it asked for student’s output and at the end of the
semester, the students are expected to create a full blown quantitative-qualitative
research. Thus, this subject should be treated differently. The 3i’s teacher should
have a strong will to have his/her student write a full blown research and he/she
should have faith that the students could do it.
The instructions and activities in this module are especially designed for
an instructional situation with two (2) hours of teaching-learning engagement at
two (2) sessions per week. Based on the author’s experience, the traditional 1 –
hour – per –session instructional engagement time is deemed not suitable not
only for 3i’s but also for Practical Research 1 (Qualitative Research) and
Practical Research 2 (Quantitative Research).
It is also necessary that the research teacher should ask assistance from
the school administration to have other teachers in junior high school and senior
high school to get involved with the research instructions as “censor” for research
groups. The sole responsibility of the censor is to filter the grammatical,
typographical and clerical lapses of the students’ outputs. The censors, however,
are not allowed to change the technicality of the research output. It is highly
recommended that the appointed censors for the student research groups would
be the faculty who are English majors; teachers who are done with their master’s
degree; teachers with background in research; teachers who graduated
bachelor’s degree with honour; and teachers with strong command in English
language.
iv
 The research teacher should also collaborate with the teacher of English
for Academic and Professional Purposes and Reading and Writing so that the
competencies on citing sources, using APA format, referencing, reviewing for
literature, identifying reliable sources, among others, would be focused so that
when they took up research subjects, students are already familiar of it. There is
also a need for a strong collaboration between the teachers of research and
Elementary Statistics and to address the need of the students in adhering
technical know-how in handling basic statistical operations for descriptive and
basic inferential statistics such as correlations and t-test using Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) or any other computer-based statistical
tools.
Meanwhile, there is an old adage that “You could only give what you do
have”. This is very much true to research teachers since they tend to teach to
their students the things that they have learnt from their graduate studies.
Different higher learning institutions have their own institutional standards when it
comes to formats and contextual standards. The author of this learning-teaching
material is strongly influenced by the institutional standards of Visayas State
University where he graduated Bachelor of Science in Development
Communication; Cebu Technological University - Danao Campus for his master’s
degree in Education (Administration and Supervision); Cebu Normal University
where he finished his Master of Arts in Communication; and Cebu Technological
University - Main Campus where he is currently in his final academic years for
Doctor of Philosophy program.
The author of this contextualized instructional module would like to cover
all competencies in the curriculum guide. However, due to limited time, the
competences covered were only up to the creation of research proposal. There
are actually a lot of instructional and references available online that are better
that this material. This material, like I said earlier, was especially created to
address the existing instructional needs of the author and his students.

- Sir Edil -
December 2018

v
 Table of Contents

CONTENTS Page Number

Title Page i
Acknowledgement ii
Dedication iii
Foreword iv
Table of Contents v
List of Tables vii
List of Figures viii

I – Brainstorming for Research Topics 1

Grouping of Student – Researchers 1
Coming up with Research Topics 3
Guidelines on Developing Research Topics and Title 9

II - Identifying the Problem and Asking the Question 11

Background of the Problem 12
Conceptual Framework 14
Research Hypothesis (for Quantitative Research) 16
Statement of the Problem 18
Definition of Terms 25
Importance of the Study 26
Scope and Limitations of the Study 28

III - Reading on Related Studies 32

Review of Literature 33

IV - Understanding Ways to Collect Data 35

Research Design 35
Population 38
Sampling Method 39
Data Collection Procedure 42

Unrequired Parts of Research in Curriculum Guide 46

Research Environment 46
Research Instrument 48

Treatment of Data or Data Analysis 50

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 LIST OF TABLES

Table Number Title Page No.

1 The first learning area in curriculum guide for

3i’s which is “brainstorming for Research Topics”. 1

2 The second learning area in curriculum guide for 3i’s

which is “Identifying the problem and asking the question” 11

3 The third learning area in curriculum guide for 3i’s

which is “Reading on Related Studies” 32

4 The fourth learning area in curriculum guide for

3i’s which is “Understanding Ways to Collect Data” 35

5 Group activity sheet students need to comply to

facilitate the creation of research design 36

6 Sample of answered sheet from table 5 37

7 A sample of answered activity sheet students have

to comply to facilitate the creation of “Sources of Data” 38

8 Group activity sheet students need to comply to

facilitate writing the “Research Environment” 46

9 Sample of answered sheet from figure 15 47

10 A table that shows the proper identification of

appropriate statistical test 51

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No. Title Page No.

1 A screenshot of the conceptual framework of the author’s

M.A.Ed. thesis which employs quantitative method. 14

2 A screenshot of the conceptual framework of the author’s

M.A. in Communications thesis which employs
qualitative method. 15

3 A screenshot on the dummy statement of the problem

created in the next activity 17

4 An output “Null Hypothesis” based on the sub-problems

4, 5 and 6 from Statement of the Problem. 18

5 An example of general problem in the dummy

statement of the problem 20

6 An example of sub-problem about independent

variables in the dummy statement of the problem 21

7 An example of sub-problem about dependent

variables in the dummy statement of the problem 22

8 An example of sub-problem about question/questions

on relationship or difference between the variables 23

9 An example of sub-problem about question on output that

could be proposed based on findings of the study 23

10 An example Statement of the Problem from the dummy

research title “Knowledge and Study Habits of the
Senior High School in Research Instruction” 24

11 An example way of operationally defining term for

“Definition of Terms” 26

12 An example of enumerative type of Significance/

Importance of the Study 27

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13 An example of paragraphical type of Significance/
Importance of the Study 28

14 The created dummy Statement of the Problem

from previous activity with highlighted parts that would
be needed for the creation of “Scope and Limitation” 30

15 An example of scope and limitations crafted

based on the Statement of the Problem created
from the previous activity 31

16 A research design derived from table 5 37

17 A sample of an output for “Sources of Data” based

on the guide questions 39

18 A sample of “Sampling Method” for

quantitative-qualitative study 41

19 A screenshot of the Data Collection Procedure from

the quantitative MAEd thesis of the author 43

20 A screenshot of the actual “Data Collection Procedure”

from the author’s pure qualitative M.A. in
Communications thesis 44

21 A research environment derived from table 9 47

22 A sample of “Research Instrument” derived

from the guide questions and Statement of the Problem 49

23 A screenshot from the Data Analysis of the author’s

MAEd thesis (Quantitative Study) 52

24 A screenshot from the Treatment of Data from the

author’s MA Communications thesis (Qualitative Study) 53

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 1

I. Brainstorming for Research Topics

Learning Area No. of Weeks Learners Teacher’s Learner’s

(No. of hours) Activity Activity Output
I. Brainstorming 2 Weeks (8 The learner The teacher Class
for Research Hours) prepares a plan monitors and Research
Topics and a focus on directs the Agenda
issues and learner’s work
ideas in their
respective field

Table 1. The first learning area in curriculum guide for 3i’s which is
“brainstorming for Research Topics”.
Grouping of Student - Researchers

Though grouping the student-researchers is not explicitly mentioned in the

Curriculum Guide for Inquiries, Investigations and Immersion (Quantitative-
Qualitative Research), otherwise known as “3 i’s”, it turned out to be a major
pivotal factor either all students could be able to create a full-blown research
output at the end of the semester. Without proper and equitable grouping
process, there is a possibility that fast - learner students would be in the same
group and it would make other groups weak.

It is important that each group should have a member who could

effectively lead; a member who has resources such as personal computer and
cellphone with Android operating system; members who are responsible and
other positive traits of student- researcher. Based on the Focused Group
Discussion among the first batch of students who were able to finish Inquiries,
Investigations and Immersion (Quantitative-Qualitative Research), the drafting
process as popularized by the National Basketball Association (NBA) is deemed
practically applicable in making equally strong research teams. The NBA –
inspired drafting includes the following:
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Activity 1.1

Research Team Grouping Process Using the NBA Draft Method

This process of creating equally competitive teams was inspired by

National Basketball Association (NBA). The author of this instructional module
strongly recommends having this activity conducted on the very first day of the
class. It is expected that the first day of class would be the time to roll out house
rules, subject orientation, goal - setting among other primary activities but
properly creating equally strong research groups helps the teacher and students
alike to come up with the target full blown thesis at the end of the semester. The
NBA draft – inspired grouping process involves the following:

1. The teacher will tell the students to write down on a 1/8 sheet of paper
five (or any desired number of groups depending on the size of the
class) names of their classmates whom they think could be good
research leaders. The teacher will give hint that a good research
leader should have but not limited to the following traits such as being
responsible, resourceful, trustworthy, output - oriented, solution -
driven, and has strong sense of leadership.
2. Once all papers were collected, assign a student to read every single
sheet and have another student write on the blackboard the names
and the frequency they were mentioned. The presentation on the
board much looks like a tally sheet or scoreboard.
3. Identify the top five (or any desired number of groups depending on the
size of the class) names who were voted in. The top five voted
students would be the research group leaders.
4. The identified group leaders would be informed that they will be the
one to select their own members. The least voted leader (the fifth in
rank) will be the first one to pick only one member from the teachers
class record. The next one would be the fourth- placer until the most
voted leaders will be able to pick one member. The same process will
be given back again to the least voted leader and the process will
 3

continue until all names in the class record will be picked out. Before
the leaders pick their members, they would be advised to select
members whom they are comfortable working with, responsible,
research –oriented, has resources such as personal computer or
cellular phone with Android operating system.
5. Once the “drafting” process is done, the teacher will read the names of
the member and the research group that they belong. The teacher
should refuse any request from students to trade –in members in order
to keep the balance between teams.
6. Seat assignment should be provided at the end of grouping activity.
The seat assignment of the students should be clustered according to
their respective group. The seat orientation should be arranged in a
manner in which the groups could form a circle in less than 10
seconds. There would be a lot of group brainstorming activities under
the 3 i’s subject so proper seat assignment would be important. There
are instances that students already have their own seat assignments
by their classroom adviser but the students should be informed that
their seat assignment would be for “3i’s” only.

The NBA draft – inspired grouping process is deemed effective since the
members has no reason not to support the leaders since they were the ones who
selected them though a democratic process. In the same manner, the leaders
have no reason as well to complain about a certain member since she/he was
the one who opted for them in the very first place.

Coming Up With Research Topics

“The most difficult problem in research is to look for a problem”.

The passage above was deliberately said by one of the student

researcher who is one of the FGD participants. Teachers could relate to this
dilemma since they also experienced during their undergraduate and graduate
 4

studies that looking for topic and creating research title out of it is quiet
challenging.

The research topics and titles should be coming from the students.
However, the students could not be able to come up with topic and title without
the help from the teacher. If the teacher will just give a vague instruction to
students to come up it research title topics out of thin air, chances are, students’
output would end up with a wrong ones or the worst situation is that they could
not be able to come up with an output at all. The teacher should facilitate the
students in coming with ideas on what to research and what the research title
would be but under no any circumstances that the teacher would be the one to
decide and for the student researchers.

Though it is anticipated that students already have an existing outputs

from the previous research subjects such as Practical Research 1 (Qualitative
Research) and Practical Research 2 (Quantitative Research), there is certainly a
need to improve the existing titles to creative a qualitative-quantitative research
design. However, in the event that there is no student’s output from previous
semester or the output created by the students could never be salvaged to make
it a qualitative-quantitative research design, the following activity is suggested to
help the students come up with topic and title in the earliest possible time.

Activity 1.2

Coming up with Research Topic and Title

1. Tell the students to form a circle with their research groups. Their seat
assignment should allow them to form a group in less than 10 seconds.
Always remind your students to “carry their chair like a baby” in order
to avoid chaos in making circles with their groups.
2. Once they are in circle, tell the students to conduct a brainstorming
activity by collecting and consolidating data from their group members
within 15 minutes on the following information:
 5

Hobbies or stuffs they would love to do.

Problems that they noticed in their community.
Possible solutions to the community problem mentioned in # 2.
Problems in the school that they encountered.
Possible solutions to the school problems mentioned in # 4
School programs that could have an impact among students.
Government programs that could have an impact among students.

3. Once the groups are done with the collection and consolidation of data
from the group members, tell the group leader to present the results
generated from their brainstorming/FGD. Inform the whole class the
purpose of the activity is to come up with possible topic and titles out of
the output generated from the group activity. The teacher should
encourage everyone to participate and suggest to other groups should
they need any help.

4. Once the research leader give the report on the group output, the
teacher should take note on the answers for questions number 2 to 7.
The first question is just a dummy one to lighten the class atmosphere
but it could also be a good foothold to know the likes of the student-
researchers. During the presentation, the teacher should masterfully
dig in and make follow up questions from the presenter in order to
come up with an idea on the topic and title of their study. It would be
OK if the teacher would sometimes use leading questions but the
development of ideas should be coming from the group.

Take a look at the example conversation between the research

teacher and the presenter during this activity.
 6

Sir Hinay: You said that one of the problems among students is scarcity
on monetary resources, right?
Cherry Ann: Yes sir. In fact, majority of us said that it is the most pressing
problem we encountered at school.
Sir Hinay: So what do you think is the solution for having scarcity in terms
of monetary resources?
Cherry Ann: (Consulted her group mates then answered right away) I
think students should venture into small business
Sir to at least earn but not compromising their
studies.
Sir Hinay: What sort of business do you have in mind?
Cherry Ann: Can I ask my group mates about that sir? (consulted her
group then went back after a short while). Sir, one
of our members is in fact selling “Camoteng Turon” and I
guess that would be a perfect example since she has a
first-hand experience about it.
Sir Hinay: Do you think that kind of business would prosper here in our
school?
Cherry Ann: I’m not sure sir but I guess it would since she had been
selling such for more than a month.
Sir Hinay: So you are not sure if the said business would be feasible. How
about the students, do you think your schoolmates would
patronize the product? Do you think they would
like the product?
Cherry Ann: I’m not also sure sir but I guess they would like it.
Sir Hinay: So you are not also sure. Did you realize that based on what
you have said; you were able to open a potential
topic that is interesting to conduct a research?
Cherry Ann: I’m sorry sir but I don’t totally get it.
Sir Hinay: Why not conduct a research if selling “camoteng turon” would
be feasible in our school by conducting a research
that would identify its acceptability level among the
students? Can you make a research title out of that?
 7

Cherry Ann: Sir, one of my group mates has a suggested title based on
our convo. How about this, “Acceptability of
Camoteng Turon Among High School Students in
Ramon M. Durano Memorial National High School”
Sir Hinay: Excellent! That’s a good one. Is there anybody in the class who
has a suggestion on how to improve the title?

It is very important to listen to the details of the statements of the students

since they have the tendency to not notice the obvious. If the direction of the
conversation is not gearing up towards the digging up topic and titles for the
research group, the teacher could use a cliff-hanger and open-ended questions
that would help the research group in coming up with an idea.

Here is another example exchange of thoughts between the research

teacher and the group leader.

Sir Hinay: You mentioned earlier that one of the school programs that
seemed to have an impact to students is the
conduct of religion instruction by the parochial
catechists, right?
Roque: Yes sir. I think it would greatly affect the general welfare of the
students.
Sir Hinay: Ok then, let me ask everyone in the class (faces the whole
class). Just answer me honestly, who among you
here believes that catholic religion instruction should be
taught in public schools. (some students raised their
hands and some did not). Did you notice the reaction
from your classmates? Some of them agreed with
you, some did not? What do you think is the reason for
that?
Roque: I don’t know sir. Maybe they have just a different point of view.
Sir Hinay: There you go. You know what, you can make an interesting
research topic and title out of that. Can you give me
one?
 8

Roque: (could not be able to reply for quite a long time) We don’t have
any idea yet sir.
Sir Hinay: Okay then, talk to your group, look for ways that you could
come up with a good title. You know what? You
were already able to come up with an interesting topic
which is religion instruction in public schools. Try to
conceptualize a study out of it. I will go to another group but
when I come back, you should be able to create a title
based on the topic that you have just said.
(The group which was catered by the teacher could not also be able to come up
with a title right away so the teacher left them with a cliff-hanger question and
went back to the previous group)
Sir Hinay: So, what now? Were you able to come up with a title?
Roque: We are not really sure Sir but how about this: The Integration of
Religion Instructions in Ramon M. Durano Memorial
National High School: An Assessment”
Sir Hinay: Alright, that sounds good. There is a need to improve though
but at least we have something to look at.

There is a strong possibility that the research titles created by the students
are incomprehensible, absurd and ridiculous but always appreciate their
responses every time they give one. Once they give an “almost okay” kind of a
title, the teacher should seize that golden opportunity to give direction so that
they could create a good title. The teacher should always involve the whole class
in improving the titles and also give appreciation to those who could help other
teams. The classical approach which involves “Submit three topic/titles and we
are going to select the best” is deemed not applicable for senior high school
since it would take a lot of time, and “lot of time” is something that a research
class doesn’t have.

The teacher could also help to improve the research titles by asking the
student-researchers the following follow up questions:

Who are your sources of data?

 9

What variables/data are you going to collect?

How would you collect the data?
What are you trying to fulfil by conducting the study?

There are actually a lot of follow up questions that a teacher could ask that
would help you guiding the students in coming up with a title. The teacher should
not hasten this activity. Coming up with a research title that is coming from the
students is a very important thing. It would be alright if some research groups
could not be able to come up right away with a good title since according to the
Curriculum Guide (CG) the competency on coming up with a research topic
alone is good for 2 weeks or 8 hours. A class with five research groups who was
able to come up with three (3) approved titles in a single session is already a
good progress.

Guidelines on Developing Research Topics and Title

In developing research topic and title, it is important to consider the

following:

1. The research topic should be chosen by the student-researchers which

are based on their interest. In the case of group-based research, it is
important that research topic suits to the interest and competence of all
members. The scope of the research should also be within the
financial capability of the student-researchers.
2. The study should be logical. The study should add to the body of
knowledge and it should be in accordance to the common logic. The
research topic selected should be geared towards the improvement of
life quality and development.
3. The research topic should be available and researchable in the locality.
The data collection must be doable and could be validated for its
accuracy and objectivity. Research instruments and materials should
also be locally available for the ease of data collection for the student-
researchers.
 10

4. The research topic should not be contradicting to any established

cultural norms and should not violate any spiritual and moral values. If
the research has an innovative aims, the means and end that it
proposes should not resort to violence but in a peaceful way.
5. The research should be significant and should benefit to the
researcher or to other people who are one way or the other are directly
and indirectly involved in the research topic chosen.
6. Since the students are already done with Practical research 1
(Qualitative research) and Practical research 2 (Quantitative research
2), it is expected that students that students already have an output or
at least a research topic and title. The teacher should help in improving
their existing topic by making it applicable for quantitative-qualitative
research. It would save a lot of time and effort to edit an existing
research to make it a quanti-quali rather than start all the way from the
scratch.
7. The research topic should not compromise the environment and other
living things.
8. The research topic should not be hazardous on the part of the student-
researchers and the sources of data.
9. The title should bear all the contents of the study. It should provide a
general view on the topic and the sources of data.
10. The research title should not be more than 15 words, written in an
inverted pyramid format and should be in upper case and bold font.
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II. Identifying the Problem and Asking the Question

No. of
Learning Learners Teacher’s
Weeks (No. Learner’s Output
Area Activity Activity
of hours)
1. Background of the
problem
1. Gives
2. Conceptual
feedback or
Framework
1. Formulat commence
es clearly on progress
3. Research Hypothesis
I. the achieved by
(for quantitative
Identifying statement of the learner.
research)
the research
3 Weeks (12
problem problem 2. Checks
Hours) 3. 4. Statement of the
and learner’s
asking the problem
2. Presents work
question written
4. 5. Definition of terms
statement of 3. Conducts
the problem oral defence
5. 6. Importance of the
of learner’s
study
work.
7. Scope and limitations
of the study

Table 2. The second learning area in curriculum guide for 3i’s which is
“Identifying the problem and asking the question”.
The second learning area in 3i’s is supposed to be taken in just a matter of
3 weeks or 12 instructional hours. However, the previous learning area which is
“brainstorming for research topics” was budgeted with 2 weeks or 8 instructional
hours, the earlier topic could be done in just one week as long as proper
execution of the activities would be done. Thus, there would still be extra time
that could be used for the second learning area which is “Identifying the problem
and asking the question”.
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The results from the study “Lived Experiences of Senior High School
Students in Research Instructions: Basis for Contextualized Module” which is the
main reference in creating this contextualized module, gave a wider
understanding on teaching and learning research based on the perspective of the
students who were able to finish the 3i’s. Results generated from the participants
of the Focused Group Discussion (FGD) revealed that there should be necessary
adjustment needed to be done especially when the school is located in hinterland
with no access to internet and computers.

2.1 Expected Learners’ Output: Background of the Problem

Depending on the higher learning institution, “Background of the Problem”

could be dubbed as well as “The Problem and its Scope” and it encompasses the
first chapter of the thesis.

The first part of the “Background of the Problem” is the “Rationale of the
Study”, or to put it simply “Rationale”. Based on experience, students are really
having a hard time in creating the Rationale. The high school students need to
know what the teachers exactly expect from them. If the research teacher will
only provide vague instruction such as “Create a Rationale of the Study which
includes a justification on the rationality, feasibility, beneficiality of the study and
establish gaps and proposed solution to it”. Student will end up creating wrong
ones or could not come up with any output at all. Though there is no such a thing
like a universal standard when it comes to research formats since institutional
standards varies from school to school.

It would be easier on the part of the students if the teacher will be more
specific about the number of pages and number paragraphs and its contents. A
good quality “Rationale of the Study” should be only two (2) pages, has five to six
paragraph, should follow the APA format for citations. It is advisable for research
teachers to provide the following specific instructions to the students in creating a
“Rationale”:
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First Paragraph. The first paragraph of the Rationale should contain the
general information about the study. On the level of high school students, it
would be easier for them to have the general topic defined. Justify that there is
really a need to conduct the study.

Second Paragraph. The second paragraph should contain information

about the research topic from a global perspective. It would be advisable if there
would be a cited international study that would justify the importance of the study.

Third Paragraph. This segment should contain information about the

research topic as it happens in the country. It would be advisable if there would
be a cited study conducted in the Philippines that would justify the importance of
the study. This could be information about the topic under investigation based on
the reports from the government agencies.

Fourth Paragraph. This portion should include information about the

research topic as it happens in the locality. For instance, if the research
environment is the school, the fourth paragraph should contain information on the
phenomenon observed in the school.

Fifth Paragraph. The fifth and last paragraph should establish the “gaps”
or the problem in the study and propose solutions to address the said gaps. A
justification should be included that the researcher should conduct the study or
the study could be a potential answer to the problem. A possible solution to the
said problem should also be provided.

Things to Ponder:

The teacher should put a little pressure among students by giving deadline on
the submission of Rationale. But if the students could not be able to provide a complete
Rationale on the expected submission date, the teacher should be considerate
especially when there is scarcity in terms of references and access to online sources.
The most important thing is that the teacher should proceed to the next competency
which is the “Theoretical Background” with or without the complete Rationale. In
hinterland schools where students needs to travel just to access to internet, it is
advisable to roll out first the topic on Theoretical Background before advising them to go
to internet cafe so that that they could search online for sources for their Rationale and
Theoretical Background at the same time. The teacher would then check the output of
 14

2.2 Expected Learners’ Output: Conceptual Framework

During the conduct of Focused Group Discussion with the students who
were done with 3i’s subject, it turned out that student-researchers are having a
hard time in creating a Theoretical - Conceptual Framework. The author also
observed in his class that students tend to include entries in Theoretical -
Conceptual Framework which as supposed to be included under the Review of
Literature.

The purpose of Conceptual Framework is to facilitate a clearer

understanding as to the direction or flow of the study. The most popular system
for the flow of the study as illustrated in Conceptual Framework would follow the
“Input – Process – Output” pattern. The “Input” would include the variables in
the study which is best described by listing down the sub-problems from
Statement of the Problem. The “Process” includes the series of activities that
needs to be done in the course of the study such as data gathering process; data
analysis using appropriate statistical treatment; data interpretation, etc. The
“Output” of the study would be a “product” of the research which is based on the
 15

findings from the study and it could be a proposed action plan, intervention
program, or development plan.

Figure 1. A screenshot of the conceptual framework of the author’s M.A.Ed. thesis which
employs quantitative method.

The conceptual framework as illustrated in figure 1, however,

depicts on a quantitative method of research. Since 3i’s deals with both
quantitative and qualitative research methods, it is important to always
consider the qualitative side of the research.

To give us a clearer understanding of a theoretical – conceptual

framework for a qualitative research, the author of this contextualized
module wishes to use the theoretical – conceptual framework from his
M.A. in Communications thesis from Cebu Normal University that follows
the qualitative – phenomenological method.
 16

Figure 2. A screenshot of the conceptual framework of the author’s M.A. in

Communications thesis which employs qualitative method.

From figure 1 and 2, one could have an idea in creating a

Theoretical – Conceptual framework for mixed method or qualitative –
quantitative research by fusing both formats. The important factor that
needs to be considered is that the coherent relationship between the

Things to Ponder:

When asking for an output of the Rationale and Theoretical Background, the
teacher should always require a separate sheet for Bibliography or Literature Cited.
Though Bibliography is in the latter part of the research, the teacher should discuss
about it and ask for it and check if the cited sources in the Rationale and Theoretical
Background could be found in the Bibliography. If Bibliography would be created latter,
the student-researchers would tend to forget the sources and it would be a laborious
task to look for them again. The Bibliography should follow the APA format.
 17

theories and variables should be established and the conceptual flow of

the study would be clearly presented.

2.3 Expected Learners’ Output: Research Hypothesis (For Quantitative

Research)

Though the curriculum guide for 3i’s puts the Research Hypothesis before
the Statement of the Problem, the author of this contextualized instructional
module personally prefers to discuss first the Statement of the Problem since
established research questions could help the researchers in creating specific
hypothesis based on the research objectives. The curriculum guide further
suggested that having a Research Hypothesis is an option. However, since the
descriptive title of Inquiry Investigation and Immersion is “Quantitative-Qualitative
Research”, having a Research Hypothesis is inevitably necessary part of the
study. This contextualized module is not designed to defy the Curriculum Guide
but the experience of the researcher suggested that it would be easier for the
teacher and student researchers to create Hypothesis once research objectives
are already established.
What is Hypothesis?
Hypothesis is an ad interim or temporary claim of researcher regarding the
difference or relationship between the variables being investigated. It is only
applicable for quantitative research since the degree of independence or
association between variables could be only tested using quantitative analysis
using appropriate statistical analysis. The negative form of statement of
Hypothesis is Null Hypothesis and its symbol is H0. The positive form would be
the Alternative Hypothesis which is symbolized by Ha.

How to Create a Null Hypothesis?

Once there is already a Statement of the Problem, the teacher have to
instruct the student –researchers to refer to their sub-problem that would ask for
either the significant relationship or difference between the variables.
 18

Take a look at the example below. This was taken from the dummy
“Statement of the Problem” that was set as example on the next activity.

Figure 3. A screenshot on the dummy statement of the problem created in the next
activity

Question numbers 4 to 6 are sub-problems which attempts to explore any

significant relationship or difference between variables. This will be the guide in
creating Null Hypothesis by converting it into a hypothetical form.

Figure 4. An output “Null Hypothesis” based on the sub-problems 4, 5 and 6 from

Statement of the Problem.

It would be easy to spot the difference between figure 1 and figure 2. The
interrogative format in figure 1 was converted into a hypothetical passage by
simply making it a declarative format. This is the main reason that the
researcher/author would rather have the Statement of the Problem created first
before the Hypothesis in order to have a specific research questions as a basis.
 19

2.4 Expected Learners’ Output: Statement of the Problem

Statement of the Problem is the backbone of the study. Almost all

methodological parts of the research are dependent to it. Thus, it is important
that student-researchers must be able to fully understand the Statement of the
Problem that they have created.
Teaching students how to create Statement of the Problem could be
efficiently done by starting with the following important terminologies that needs
to be unlocked first:
Statement of the Problem. As a backbone of the study, this
establishes the direction of the research. It states the general and specific
objectives which the study is geared to uncover. This could be presented
in a declarative (statement) and interrogative (question) formats.
Contextually, it is composed of two major parts; the general problem and
the sub – problems. The general problem is the main focus of the study as
reflected in the research title. The sub – problems consist of specific
questions related to the independent and dependent variables.
Variables. Technically, this pertains to the characteristics and
properties of the observable phenomenon whereby the members of the
group set differ from one another. Basically, there are three different types
of variables: independent, dependent, and moderator variables.
Independent Variables. The variables in the study that has an
effect to the dependent variables once it is applied, removed and
manipulated.
Dependent Variables. This is otherwise known as the outcome
variable since it the result of manifestation of the independent variables. It
is “dependent” since it depends on independent variables.
Moderator Variables. These are variables that appears like
independent variable in the study but it may not be measured and
determine its affects to the dependent variables.
 20

Once the aforementioned terminologies are fully understood, it would be

easier to introduced Statement of the Problem. Activity 2.4 could be of great help
for teacher and students to come up with Statement of the Problem.

Activity 2.4 Creating Statement of the Problem Made Easier.

1. The teacher will create a dummy research title in MS Word and have it shown
to class using a projector or LED TV. It would be easier for the students to
create their own version of Statement of the Problem if they have salient
example that they could refer to. For example, if the teacher has created the
dummy research title “Knowledge and Study Habits of the Senior High School
in Research Instruction”.

2. The teacher will ask the students to identify the possible variables of the
dummy research title. The students should also identify if the variable is
dependent or independent. In the case of sample research title, The
independent variables would be the background information of the Senior
High School students and the dependent variables would be the Knowledge
Level and Study Habits of the Senior High School students in research
instructions.

3. In a real-time presentation, the teacher will create a Statement of the Problem

based on the identified variables and the students will be tasked to create
their own version of Statement of the Problem based on their own research
title. The following would be the recommended order of presentation:
 21

a. Create a general problem based on the title. In the case of the dummy
research title which is “Knowledge and Study Habits of the Senior High
School in Research Instruction”, the following general statement would be
appropriate:

Figure 5. An example of general problem in the dummy statement of the problem.

In some cases, the “general problem” in Statement of the Problem comes

in two sentences. The first sentence consists of variables, the sources of data or
the respondents and the research environment. The second sentence is about
the proposed output which is based on the findings generated from the study.
However, the second sentence which pertains to creating an output is not
practiced in some learning institution since some of them are more on theorizing
and making inferences on the observed phenomenon. Most of the educational
researches though usually require an output. The teacher should ensure that all
research groups would be able to come up with a general question. If the
students failed to do that, the teacher should guide them to have one.

b. Once all research groups were able create a general question the class
could go on the creation of a sub-problems. The general rule in creating
sub-problem is to break down the general objective/problem of the study.
This could be done by asking the students if what are the independent and
dependent variables in the study. The presentation of the sub-problem
usually follows this arrangement:
 Question on independent variables
 22

 Question on dependent variables

 Question on relationship or difference between the variables
 Question on output of the study.
c. The first sub-problem would be about the independent variables. Take a
look at figure 4 below, the dummy statement of the problem selected the
profile of the respondents as an affecting factor on the level of knowledge
and study habits of the senior high school students on research
instructions. The background characteristics or profile of the respondents
is an example of independent variables.

Figure 6. An example of sub-problem about independent variables in the dummy

statement of the problem.

d. The second sub-problem would be about the dependent variables. The

dependent variables of the study could mostly be found in its title. In the
case of the used dummy title which is “Knowledge and Study Habits of the
Senior High School in Research Instruction”, the dependent variables
would be the “Knowledge Level” and “Study Habits” of the respondents.
Once the dependent variables are established, break it down further into
different categories. Take a look at the example sub-problem on
dependent variables in figure 5 below.
 23

Figure 7. An example of sub-problem about dependent variables in the dummy

statement of the problem.

e. The third sub-problem would be about question/questions on relationship

or difference between the variables. The golden rule in creating this sub-
problem is to analyze the general problem. For example, if the purpose of
the study is to test any significant relationship between variables, the third
sub-problem would ask for correlation. If the general problem would test
the difference between variables, the question would be comparative in
nature. An example of this sub-problem is shown in figure 6.

Figure 8. An example of sub-problem about question/questions on relationship

or difference between the variables

f. The fourth and last part of the Statement of the Problem would be the sub-
problem that asks for the output of the study. This part, however, is not
available in other institutional formats of some established research
 24

instututions. Most of the educational researches such as action research

requires an output. The basis in creating this sub-problem would be the
second sentence in the general problem statement. An example of this
sub-problem is shown in figure 7 below

Figure 9. An example of sub-problem about question on output that could be

proposed based on findings of the study.

To put a sense of qualtiative touch in the study. The teacher could

explain to the learners that it would be easier if the study would delve into the
lived expereinces and the issues and concerns encountered by the sources of
data on the certain topic that is inder investigation. It could be added as a sub-
problem and it would appear like “What are the lived experiences encountered by
the senior high school students in research instructions?”.

Once the general problem and sub-problems were put together,

this is how it would look like as it is shown in figure 10.
 25

Figure 10. An example Statement of the Problem from the dummy research title
“Knowledge and Study Habits of the Senior High School in Research Instruction”.

2.5 Expected Learners’ Output: Definition of Terms

 26

Definition of terms is an important part of the study since it provides better

understanding of the technical terms employed. It gives a clearer difinition of the
terminologies based on their usage in the study. Thus, the definition of the terms
are not based on the meaning as defined in dictionary but according to how they
are being used exclusively in the study.

Some research institutions place the defintion of terms in the last part of
the research proposal or right after the Methodology. However, some research
institutions follow the format as prescribed by the Curriculum Guide of 3i’s. But
regardless the format and order the research study is presented, the purpose
and the definition of terms would still be the same and that would be to provide
the operational definition of the important terms used in the study.

These are the guidelines in creating a good quality Defintion of Terms:

a. Only the important key terms used in the study would be defined.
Such important/key terms could be found in research title and
Statement of the Problem. It is advisable to define the variables
being investigated in the study.
b. Do not define the obvious. For example, there is no need to define
“Sex of the Respondents” since everybody knows that it is the
distribution of the respondents which is dichotomized into male or
female.
c. Do not define methodological and research terms used in the study.
Terminologies such as statistical analysis used, research design,
approaches, among others, are expected to be understandable
from the perspective of the research – oriented readers.
d. The presentation of the terms operationally defined would be in an
alphabetical order.
 27

Take a look at the example definition of term below. The creation of this
was based on second sub-problem of the dummy statement of the problem
created from the previous activity.

Figure 11. An example way of operationally defining term for “Definition of Terms”.

2.6 Expected Learners’ Output: Importance of the Study

Importance of the Study is otherwise dubbed as “Significance of the

Study”. Although the terms “important”, “significant” and “rationale” has more or
less the same meaning, “Significance of the Study” is totally different from
Rationale of the Study. While “Rationale of the Study” discusses the about the
rationality, feasibility, establishing of gaps and justification on the need to conduct
the study, “Significance of the Study” focuses on the entities who could benefit
from the study.

Technically, the main purpose of “Significance of the Study” is to answer

these two questions:

1. Who are the entities who could benefit from the study?
2. In what way that the mentioned beneficiaries could benefit from the
study?

There is actually no universal standard in terms of presentation of

“Significance of the Study”. Like other parts of the research, the presentation of
 28

the “Significance of the Study” depends on the institutional standards followed by

the research institution. There are couple of ways to present the “Significance of
the Study”: the enumerative and paragraphical formats.

a. Enumerative format. This format of significance of the study presents

the beneficiaries of the study in an individualized manner. Justification
would be provided why the said entities could benefit from the study.
The order of presentation would be based on the most benefitted
group. For example, for educational researches, the learners would be
the top target clientele while business research would target
customers. An example of this format is shown in a screenshot below.

Figure 12. An example of enumerative type of Significance/Importance of the Study.

b. Paragraphical Format. This format of “Significance of the Study” is

mostly shown in one or two paragraph. This would appear like an
encapsulated version of enumerative format. Technically, the content
of the paragraphical format is more simplified and direct to the point. It
is shorter than the first format but the context would still be the same.
An example of this format is shown in the figure below.
 29

Figure 13. An example of paragraphical type of Significance/Importance of the Study.

2.7 Expected Learners’ Output: Scope and Limitations of the Study

“Scope and Limitations” explains the coverage of the study in terms of

the topic being investigated; the variables of the study; the sources of
data; the sampling procedures; the research environment; the type of
research method and design; research instruments; and the expected
duration of the study.

However, some research institutions and universities do not have this part
since the information under this section could be found in a detailed manner
under the research methodology. Scope and limitation plays an important part of
the research since it provides brief and concise information as to the general
coverage and limit of the study. A good quality Scope and Limitations should not
exceed 250 words and a maximum of two paragraphs. Like most parts of the
study, the general basis of creating the Scope and limitation would be the
Statement of the problem.
 30

Activity 2.7: Creating “Scope and Limitations” made easy.

Creating “Scope and limitations” of the study is not really a complicated

procedure. The student-researcher should do a brainstorming activity on studying
their Statement of the Problem and answer these simple questions:

“Which part of your Statement of the problem could you be able to find the
following information:

a. Topic being investigated;

b. Variables of the study;
c. Sources of data;
d. Sampling procedures;
e. Research environment;
f. Type of research method and design;
g. Research instruments; and
h. Expected duration of the study

To facilitate better understanding on identifying the said information from

the Statement of the Problem, the following image is a screenshot of the dummy
Statement of the Problem created from the previous activity. The parts
highlighted in red would the information asked above.
 31

Figure 14. The created dummy Statement of the Problem from previous activity with
highlighted parts that would be needed for the creation of “Scope and Limitation”.

From the identified information in “Statement of the Problem”, it would

easy for the students to create a “Scope and Limitation” using the following
format:
 32

Figure 15. An example of scope and limitations crafted based on the Statement of the
Problem created from the previous activity.

The student-researchers could follow the example “Scope and Limitations”

above or modify it according the needs of their study. To avoid having all
research groups follow the same format or pattern of presentation, it would be
advisable if the teacher would encourage the research groups to re-arrange the
order of presentation. Anyway, there are no established global standards as to
order of presentation of “Scope and Limitations”. As long as all information
needed is available, it would be fine.

III. Reading on Related Studies

 33

No. of
Learning Learner’s
Weeks (No. Learners Activity Teacher’s Activity
Area Output
of hours)
1. Selects, cites and 1.Gives guidance
synthesizes properly about relevant
related literature literature on the
III. topic under study List of
Reading 2. Uses sources and appropriate Related
5 Weeks according to ethical literature sources
on Literature
(20 Hours) standards.
Related Reviewed
Studies 2. C onducts
3. Presents written critiquing or oral
review literature (8-10 presentation of
pages) review literature
Table 3. The third learning area in curriculum guide for 3i’s which is “Reading on
Related Studies”.
The third major learning area in Inquiries, Investigation and
Immersion (3i’s) would be about the Review of Related Literature. The
curriculum guide suggests that this competency would be good for 5
weeks or 20 hours. I personally believe that such allotted time would be
too much to complete a Review of Literature that is acceptable for the
senior high school level.
There are actually several competencies under the Review of Related
Literature that are already discussed in the lessons from earlier grade levels. The
basics in citing, paraphrasing, and citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago) are
already taken up in Elementary and Junior High School English subjects.
Moreover, the applied subject “English for Academic and Professional Purposes”
has an in-depth discussion and activities on the citing, paraphrasing, and citation
styles. Thus, it needs a little shake off and review and the learners could certainly
apply what they have learnt in the past in creating a Review of Literature for their
study.
The pedagogical approach employed by the researcher/author might not
be practically applicable in other school but for a school that he is assigned to
which has no access to internet, no network signal for cellphone, physically
distant from the city and the students are not really that tech-savvy, this approach
 34

turned out to be effective in hitting the goal of having an actual research output at
the end of the semester.

What is Review of Literature?

A literature review is a comprehensive survey of published articles on

topics that are related to the current study under investigation. It could be a
review of scholarly publications such as theses, dissertations, books, and
conference proceedings (Monash University, 2014).
The literature review accomplishes several purposes. According to
Cooper (2010), it shares with the reader the results of other studies that
are in one way or the other related to the one being undertaken. It relates
a study to the larger, ongoing dialogue in the literature, filling in gaps and
extending prior studies.
Cooper (2010) discussed that there are four purposes of literature
review which are to (a) integrate what previews study have claimed on the
topic being investigated, (b) criticize previews related scholarly works, (c)
build transitional claims between related topics, and (d) identify the central
issues and concerns in the topic being undertaken.
On the other hand, different formats in writing the review of related
literature are being adapted by different research and higher education
institutions. For instance, some State Universities and Colleges in Central
Visayas uses the thematic presentation of Review of Literature while some
follows the separate presentation of review of related readings and related
literature.
For a Review of Related Literature that follows the thematic
Presentation, the presentation of the reviewed reading materials would be
according to the sub-topics which are normally based on the arrangement
of the variables under the Statement of the Problem. The second format
which is commonly practiced by Universities in Cebu such as CNU and
UV would be the one which arranges the presentation of reviews based on
“Related Literature” and “Related Studies”. Under the “Related Literature”
 35

would be the information related to the topic under investigation which

could support the claim and building gaps of the study. The “Related
Studies”, however includes results from the previous study that could
somehow help the current study in making inferences and support to
claims. Research teachers in senior high school normally teach what they
have learnt from their respective schools during their graduate programs.
It doesn’t really matter either which format they follow as long as the
review of literature serves it purpose.

On the other hand, the author of this contextualized instructional module

graduated his Master’s degree in Education in Cebu Technological University
and finished his Master of Arts in Communication from Cebu Normal University.
Since he has a first-hand experience as to writing theses for two different
universities, he could easily identify the difference and could point out which
format would be easier for senor high school students. Under the institutional
standards of the Cebu Technological University (CTU), there is no separate
chapter for Review of Literature. The literature review is incorporated with the
Theoretical Background. The author of this contextualized instructional module
found it more practical to follow the format of CTU since according to the FGD
conducted with the students, they found difficulty in writing the literature review
due to lack of monetary support for payment to access online sources from in
internet café; limited time to create the review of literature; and the school
community is distant from the city proper where internet cafés are located.

Important Note:

 The author of this contextualized instructional module found it more practical to

follow the format of Cebu Technological University to incorporate the “Review of
Related Literature” with the “Theoretical Background”. Results from the FGD
conducted with the students revealed that students found difficulty in writing the
literature review due to lack of monetary support for payment to access online
sources from in internet café; limited time to create the review of literature; and
the school community is distant from the city proper where internet cafés are
located.

 If the students could not come up with a good Review of Literature right away, let
them be. Proceed with the next competency and make ROL as assignment.
Check their portfolio on weekly basis. They need to raise fund and go to internet
over the weekend to search for online sources.
 36

IV. Understanding Ways to Collect Data

No. of
Learning Teacher’s Learner’s
Weeks (No. Learners Activity
Area Activity Output
of hours)
1. describes 1. Research
adequately research 1. Assists in design
design (either the
quantitative or identification of 2. Population
qualitative), sample, appropriate
IV. instrument used in research 3. Sampling
Understandi 3 Weeks (12 quantitative research, methodology, method
ng Ways to Hours) data collection and
Collect Data planning and
analysis procedures. execution of 4. Data
the research collection
2. Presents written project (if procedure
research applicable)
methodology
Table 4. The fourth learning area in curriculum guide for 3i’s which is
“Understanding Ways to Collect Data”.
The fourth major learning area according to the curriculum guide of 3i’s
involves with the understanding ways to collect data which is comprised of
research design; population; sampling method; and data collection procedure.
Thus, the expected learner’s output would comprise most of the parts under the
Research Methodology.

Research Design

Creating the research design would be based on the Statement of the

Problem. The research design should be geared in such a way that the research
objectives would be adhered. Since there are several types of design for
qualitative and quantitative research, the author of this contextual instructional
module regulated the Statement of the Problem (SOP) created by the students in
such a way that the research method and design would not be complicated. It
may sound unfair but the research teacher geared the SOP outputs to focus on
correlation and differential studies that require bivariate analysis; Statistical
analysis that could be done through MS Excel “Data Analysis” feature; less
 37

number of variables; less expensive, accessibility of the materials and data

needed; and simplify the study that it would be done in one semester.

Activity 4.1 Writing the “Research Design”

The formats for research design varies between different research

institutions but their concept are the same which is to introduce what methods
and design of research has to be employed. To assist the student-researcher in
coming up with the appropriate research design, have them do the following
activity:

1. Provide the following information in a Manila paper by sticking with their

established Statement of the Problem from previous activity:

Table 5. Group activity sheet students need to comply to facilitate the creation of
research design.

2. Once the student – researchers were able to provide the answers, have
somebody from the group present their output in front of the class. Post
the Statement of the Problem (Output from previous activity) beside the
output for today. During the presentation, allow interaction with the other
students from other groups. The research teacher should make sure that
 38

the answers provided by the student-researchers would be based on their

Statement of the Problem.

3. Once all research groups are done with their presentation of outputs, the
teacher should also create a dummy/sample of the same activity.
For instance the teacher will provide the information asked above from the
dummy Statement of the Problem from table 5 in page 36.

Table 6. Sample of answered sheet from table 5.

4. From the answers provided in activity 4.1 the following Research Design”
could be developed
 39

Figure 16. A research design derived from table 5.

Activity 4.2 Writing the “Population”

Different research institutions use different nomenclature on “Population”.

Some higher learning institutions commonly refer this part as “Research
Respondents”. However, for a quali-quanti kind of a research, the author of this
contextualized instructional module prefer to use the term “Sources of Data”.
 40

The reason behind this is that “Research Respondents” generally connotes a

quantitative research in which that the data gathering procedure will be done
using a survey method. Technically, the respondents are the sources of data
collected from a fielded questionnaire. “Research Participants” is also used if
the data gathering procedure involves Focused Group Discussion (FGD) while
“Research Informants” is used when the data collection is done through
personal interview and both of them are used for qualitative study. Since 3i’s
involved with both qualitative and quantitative collection of data, it would be safe
to name this stage as “Sources of Data”. In fact, the College of Arts and
Sciences of Cebu Normal University uses “Sources of Data” whenever there is
a combination of survey, interview, FGD and personal observation.

Creating “Sources of Data” Made Easy

Writing the “Sources of Data” is not actually difficult. If the student –

researchers could be able to provide answers to the following questions, then
creating this part is like a roller coaster ride.

Table 7. A sample of answered activity sheet students have to comply to facilitate

the creation of “Sources of Data”.
 41

Using the guide questions from figure 15, the following “Sources of Data”
could be crafted.

Figure 17. A sample of an output for “Sources of Data” based on the guide
questions.

In some cases, the “Sources of Data” and the “Sampling

Method/Procedures” are fused as one and the author of this contextualized
module prefer such format. However, the Curriculum Guide for 3i’s treated the
said parts as separate competency so the discussion here would also be
separate for both parts.

Activity 4.3 Writing the “Sampling Method”

“Sampling Method” is also called “Sampling Procedure” by many research

institutions. Its purpose is to discuss how the sources of data (survey
respondents, interview informants and FGD participants) were selected.

Methodologists have created excellent reports on the underlying

logic of sampling procedures such as Babbie (2007), Fowler (2009) and
 42

Creswell (2014). Here are some of the essential aspects for sampling
procedure:

 Identify the population in the study and its size. State the means of
identifying individuals in the population. Information as to accessibility of
the sources of data arises here. The researcher might refer to availability
of sampling frames—mail or published lists—of potential respondents in
the population (Creswell, 2014).

 Babbie (2007) suggested that the sampling design for the population
should be defined whether it is single stage or multistage (called
clustering). Cluster sampling is suggested when it is impractical to
compile a list of the elements composing the population. The single-
stage sampling procedure is deemed appropriate if the researcher has
access to names in the population and can conduct a direct sampling to
the people (or other research subjects). In clustering procedure, the
clusters (groups or organizations) must be identified first, the names of
individuals within those clusters will be obtained, and then samples within
them.

 Creswell (2014) suggested that the researcher must identify the selection
process for individuals. He further recommended using random sampling
in which each individual in the population has an equal probability of
being selected. If the size of the population is very large or the list of
individuals is long, a systematic sample could be used instead of random
sampling. In this method, the researcher chooses a random number on
the list and selects every X numbered people on the list. The X number is
based on a fraction determined by the size of the population (e.g., 1 out
of every 100th person). The author of this module, however, suggests
that if the number of population is manageable, the universal sampling
procedure would be employed, in which all members of the population
would be automatically subjected as respondents.
 43

 For qualitative methods, the author of this instructional module

recommends to use the purposive/purposeful sampling procedure in
which the researcher will determine who would be the right person whom
they could interview or persons to be participate the Focused Group
Discussion. The “snowballing” technique is also deemed useful in looking
for additional informants since this methods involves asking the
interviewee if who would be the next right person that could provide
additional information.

There are actually several ways that could be employed in sampling

method. The research teacher should ensure that the selection process of
sources of data (survey respondents, interview informants, or FGD
participants) should be randomly done. If purposively sampling was
employed, the process and the basis or justification why purposively
sampling was done should also be included.
 44

Figure 18. A sample of “Sampling Method” for quantitative-qualitative study.

Activity 4.4 Writing the “Data Collection Procedure”

According to the standard curriculum guide for 3i’s, the Data Collection
Procedure is the last part of the last competency in creating a research proposal.
The author of this contextualized module begs to respectfully disagree on this
though since there are also important parts of methodology that needs to be
emphasized such as the Research Environment, Research Instrument, and
Treatment of Data or Data Analysis and they would be tackled in the next part of
this module.

The purpose of “Data Collection Procedure” in methodology is to explain

the process of collecting the necessary data. For qualitative study, this portion
explains the unstructured or semi structured observations, interviews, focused
group discussion, documents, and personal observation, as well as establishing
the protocol employed in the research for recording information.

Meanwhile, there are confusion as to the format that needs to be followed

in creating the “Data Collection Procedure” since the format and presentation of
this part varies from one research institution to another. For instance, most of the
higher education institution in central Visayas that favours quantitative method for
their theses and dissertations emphasize in the Data Collection Procedure the
process that needs to be followed from the creation of transmittal letters to the
authorities and the ethical standards that needs to be followed in the course of
collecting the data. However, some research and higher learning institutions that
is more inclined to qualitative method such as the College of Arts and Sciences
of Cebu Normal University, the data gathering procedure that needs to be
emphasized would be the “Phases” involved in collecting the data for each
variables.

To facilitate better understanding of this part, the author of this

contextualized instructional module would like to use his actual theses for MA
 45

Education and MA Communications to compare, contrast and combine the “Data

Collection Procedure for both qualitative and quantitative researches.

Figure 19. A screenshot of the Data Collection Procedure from the quantitative
MAEd thesis of the author.

For a quantitative study that employs the survey method in collecting the
data, the presentation of the Data Collection Procedure is less complicated since
it could be thoroughly presented using be answering the following questions:

1. Who are the authorities that need to be asked for permission prior to
the conduct of the study?

2. What would be the content of the transmittal letter that would be sent
to the authorities?

3. Who would field and retrieve the survey questionnaires?

4. Explain the process of distributing survey questionnaires and how

would you inform the respondents as to the confidentiality and secrecy
of their responses.

The answers to the aforementioned questions should be presented

in a narrative/paragraphical form and it would be an easy way to create a
 46

Data Collection Procedure. The important thing is that, the procedure of

data gathering would be emphasized.
 47

Figure 20: A screenshot of the actual “Data Collection Procedure” from the
author’s pure qualitative M.A. in Communications thesis
 48

Compared to the presentation of Data Collection Procedure for

quantitative research format, the presentation for its qualitative counterpart is a
little bit complicated since it having it a little bit longer is inevitable. In Cebu
Normal University, the Data Gathering Procedures for a qualitative study is
presented according to “Phase” distribution.

The number of “Phases” would be based on the number of

variables under investigation. In other words, the number of research
questions under the “Problem Statement” would be the number of phases
in which the research would discuss how to collect the data for such
category. Each phase should be presented in a single paragraph for
bettering structuring of idea presentation.

To facilitate better understanding on how to explain each phase,

the following guide questions would be deemed helpful:

1. What is the variable under investigation in this particular phase?

2. What is the process employed in collecting the data (e.g. interview,

FGD, personal observation, data mining)?

3. What are the sub-problems that needs to be collected in this particular

phase?

4. How would the data presented for this phase (e.g. graph, table,
narrative explanation, etc.)?

Like its quantitative counterpart, the presentation of “Data

Collection Procedure” for qualitative research design also discusses the
protocols that needs to be followed in data collection such as securing a
transmittal letter asking for approval from the authorities. The details on
the conduct of interview such as the process that needs to be followed,
the materials that would be needed, the interview schedule, the estimated
 49

duration, the language that would be used, and confidentiality issues

should also be included.

“The Unrequired Parts of Research in Curriculum Guide”

Though the following parts in research were not deliberately mentioned

under the “learner’s output” in the standardized curriculum guide for Inquiries,
Investigations and Immersion, the author of this contextualized instructional
strongly recommends to include these part in the Methodology since they play an
important roles from the methodological perspective of research. These
unrequired important parts of research are the Research Environment,
Research Instrument, and Treatment of Data or Data Analysis.

Activity 4 - A. Writing the Research Environment (Not included under the

Learner’s Output but mentioned under the Learner’s Activity in Curriculum
Guide)
Research Environment is otherwise dubbed as “Research Locale” and it
purpose in the study is to provide information to the readers regarding the place
in which the study took place. A study that employed respondents from rural and
distant villages may not necessarily reflect or represent the ideas of the
population in the urban or sub-urban communities.

To guide the students in writing the Research Environment, have the

research groups search for the following information about their research
environment:
(For In – Campus Research Environment)
 50

Table 8. Group activity sheet students need to comply to facilitate writing the
“Research Environment”
For researches that need to be conducted outside of the campus, the
checklist above needs to be modified in such a way that it would find similar
information about the village or community in which the study will be conducted.

Table 9. Sample of answered sheet from table 8.

Once the answers are provided from figure 15 as shown above is

available, use it as guide in writing the Research Environment such as the
following:
Figure 21. A research environment derived from table 9.
 51

Activity 4 - B. Writing the Research Instrument (Not included under the

Learner’s Output but mentioned under the Learner’s Activity in Curriculum
Guide)

Under normal circumstances, research instruments should undergo

a strict and meticulous process of validation and reliability test. However,
under the senior high school class which is overloaded with school
activities and has limited instructional time, a contextualized instructional
mode must be crafted. It is advisable to adopt or adapt a established
research questionnaire. An adopted questionnaire would be a
standardized research instrument from a reliable research used in the
current study without modifying it. An adapted research questionnaire,
however, is also standardized research instrument from a reliable
research which is modified to fit the needs of the current study. Both
adapted and adopted questionnaires need to be acknowledged by citing
its original source in the “Research Instrument” section of Methodology.
There is a great advantage if the student researchers would employ
adopted or adapted questionnaires since it could save them time and
effort and the reliability and validity of the instrument is out of the question.

However, the author of this contextualized instructional module

opted to have his students create their own questionnaire since they have
no access to internet to search for standardized instrument. He also would
like to have his students experience on how to create their own
questionnaire based on the established Statement of the Problem.

To assist the students in coming up with a “Research Instruments”,

have them answer the following questions:

1. Describe the instrument that you are going to use in collecting the
data.

2. What are the parts of the instrument?

 52

3. How are you going to establish validity and reliability of your research
instruments?

After the research groups were able to answer the aforementioned

questions, a representative from the group will present the group output
and involve the other students from the other research groups.

Once all research groups are done with their presentation of

outputs, the teacher should also provide answers to the aforementioned
questions and display the dummy Statement of the Problem that was an
output from Activity 2.4 like the in Figure 10 of page 19.

Figure 22. A sample of “Research Instrument” derived from the guide questions
and Statement of the Problem
 53

Activity 4 - B. Writing the Data Analysis (Not included under the Learner’s
Output but mentioned under the Learner’s Activity in Curriculum Guide)

Under the 3i’s, it is expected that the treatment of data should be

done using both quantitative and qualitative approach. However, most of
the existing theses from higher education are more into quantitative and
most of the teachers handling research subjects in senior high school
were more exposed to quantitative rather than qualitative research.
The author of this contextualized instructional module graduated his
Master of Arts in Education, Major in Administration and Supervision from
cebu Technological University and his Master’s thesis employed the
quantitative – correlative method. Moreover, he also graduated his Master
of Arts in Communication from Cebu Normal University and his thesis was
a pure qualitative approach using the Phenomenological research method.
With this, incorporating both research method based on his experience
would not be that much of difficulty. However, the author of this
contextualized module found it more challenges to conduct a qualitative
study using the phenomenological approach compared to their
quantitative counterpart. In fact, during the initial year of teaching 3i’s, he
was optimistic to have his students apply the quali-quanti approach of
research. However, he found out that students are really having a hard
time with qualitative treatment of data.
Combining both qualitative and quantitative analysis is called
“Mixed Method Procedures”. According to Creswell (2014) there are three
basic designs in mixed methods research which involves both quantitative
and qualitative approaches: (a) convergent, (b) explanatory sequential,
and (c) exploratory sequential. The differences between the
aforementioned types of quali-quanti approach are detailed in terms of
their approaches, the procedure for data gathering, the treatment of data,
and interpretation of the analyzed data. Moreover, there are also three
advanced qualitative –quantitative designs that were also mentioned: (a)
the embedded design, (b) the transformative design, and (c) the
 54

multiphase design but they add more complications instead for the senior
high school level.

One of the major dilemmas of students in writing the “Treatment of

Data” is identifying the right Statistic to be used in data analysis. To
address this issue, the teacher should ensure that the students should
totally understand the concept of the study and what they would like to
measure in their statement of the problem.

The following table would be useful in identifying the appropriate

statistical test for inferential data analysis.

Table 10. A table that shows the proper identification of appropriate statistical
test
 55

To have a better comparison of a data analysis for qualitative and quantitative

research, the author of this contextualized module uses his both MA Education
and MA Communications Theses as a concrete example.

Figure 23. A screenshot from the Data Analysis of the author’s MAEd
thesis (Quantitative Study)

The screenshot above is an example of a quantitative data analysis. The

basic information as to the treatment of numerical data and the descriptive and
inferential statistics are emphasized.

Based on the experience, the author recommends to guide the students

during the creation of the Statement of the Problem so that during the phase of
creating Data Analysis Procedures, the inferential statistic that will be used would
be limited only to Bivariate analysis such as Correlation and t – test. Using
 56

multivariate statistic such as Regression and ANOVA would be deemed too

much to bear for a Senior High School student.

In a pure qualitative Data Analysis Procedure, the presentation is

totally different from their quantitative counterpart. Take a look at the
actual Treatment of Data from the MA Communication thesis of the author
which is a pure qualitative research that follows the phenomenological
approach.

Figure 24. A screenshot from the Treatment of Data from the author’s MA
Communications thesis (Qualitative Study)

There are actually several ways in treating qualitative data using the
phenomenological approach. The author’s personal favourite are Collaizi (1979)
and Hycner (1994) methods in phenomenological approach since the students
could easily understand and follow its concept.
 57

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Babbie, E. (2007). The practice of social research (11th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth/Thomson.

Cooper, H. (2010). Research synthesis and meta-analysis: A step-by-step

approach (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Cresswell, J.W. (2104). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed

methods approaches. Fourth Edition. Sage Publishing. Thousand Oaks,
CA. 91320

Fowler, F. J. (2009). Survey research methods (4th ed.). Sage Publishing.

Thousand Oaks, CA. 91320

Monash University (2014). Writing a thesis in education. Retrieved from

http://www.monash.edu/education on September 21, 2018