Chapter 3

Methodology of the Study

The methods and techniques that were used in the study, the research design,
setting, participants, instruments and other data collection techniques, data gathering
procedure, and data analysis are presented in this chapter.

RESEARCH DESIGN

This study will be using a phenomenological type of approach. This type of

design provides a highly significant perspective on cognition, which involves gathering
information through the experience of CET takers. Phenomenology enables one to
comprehend the significance of people's lived experiences (University of Warwick,
2018). It considers consciousness to be the product of experience rather than the work
of a disembodied mind. It considers all consciousness to be rational – that is, as it wants
to make sense of something, we do so with a meaning in mind, which contributes to the
existentialist viewpoint. This holds that there is no prior sense to nature and that it must
confront this existential truth. The objective of the phenomenology method is to
understand how people make sense of their living experiences; discourse analysis
studies how language is used to achieve personal and social goals; grounded theory
constructs explanatory explanations of fundamental social processes analyzed in the
background (Starks & Trinidad, 2007). The keyword in phenomenological science,
according to Giorgi, is ‘describe.’ The researcher's objective is to analyze the
phenomena as objectively as possible while avoiding some pre-determined framework
while being truthful. As cited by Groenewald (2004), "phenomenologists are concerned
with interpreting social and psychological processes from the viewpoints of those
interested." Alfred Schultz redirected Husserl's conceptual phenomenology "toward the
contexts in which ordinary members of society attend to their daily lives". A
phenomenologist is interested in the living experiences of people who are or were
involved with the topic under investigation. In addition, there is no procedural model that
guarantees phenomenological observations and comprehension (van Manen, 2017).
Phenomenological research investigates what people experienced and draws on their
encounters with a phenomenon. Furthermore, philosophy serves as a solid basis for
phenomenology (Duquesne University, 2020). According to Finlay (2012), “As is it often
the case for social psychology, translating a detailed and very dense study of human
consciousness such as phenomenology into a tool for conducting social research is
extremely difficult. However, when social science is defined as phenomenological, it
often means that the researchers wish to discover an answer or significance that people
ascribe to.” Polkinghorne (1989), another phenomenologist, encouraged
phenomenological researchers to interview five to 25 people who had all encountered
similar activities for phenomenology to provide uniformity in the lived experience of
participants in the study. As a response, similarities in their backgrounds can be
captured and understood. In this analysis, the demographic of those being interviewed
is specific. The researchers are going to utilize several existing documents, most
especially statements from previous CETs takers that would be subjected to
observation to learn more about their experiences, including whether the CETs are
STEM leaning or not.

RESEARCH SETTING

The study is going to take place in NCR, known as the heart of the Philippines'
culture, trade, government, and education. This place was chosen to learn about
students' and study center facilitators' views on CETs being STEM-inclined. NCR has
the top and elite universities in the country (uniRanks, 2021) that provides a top-notch
quality of education. Included in these universities are the members of UAAP, that are
mostly located in Manila and Quezon City. CETs of these universities have been
anticipated by SHS completers with different SHS strands. Since a myriad of elite
institutions of learning is in NCR, its population comprises a multitude of degree holders.
As reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (2000), NCR is the second region with
the highest population in effect as of May 1, 2000. In the same year, the proportions of
the population with a full secondary education, a partial tertiary education, and a
complete tertiary education were the greatest in the NCR. In line with that, the research
subjects that will be participating in this study are from NCR, in which their universities
and review centers are located. As NCR houses the anticipated UAAP universities and
the region with the highest population of literates, it is undeniable that many people
attend review centers. Considering that multiple top review centers are mostly located at
Quezon City, Makati City, Manila, Pasig City, Muntinlupa City, and Paranaque City, they
are accessible for students within the boundary of NCR (Eureka, n.d.).

Additionally, the researchers have chosen the study’s location to elicit additional
perspectives from research subjects regarding the CETs of UAAP universities obliqued
to STEM educational program. This analysis will be implemented on first-year college
students who were the last cluster to take CETs at UAAP-accredited universities with
varied courses and review center facilitators in the NCR.

RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

Purposive sampling will be used to draw the participants of the study. It is a

method that occurs when "elements selected for the sample are chosen by the
researchers" (Black, 2010). Using this type of sampling technique is reasonable
because the researchers seek to gather information through the perspectives and
experiences of eligible participants to satisfy the purpose of the study. The researchers
will be corroborating the assumptions of CETs leaning towards STEM through
conducting an interview with the participants. The participants of this study are SHS
completers and review centers' facilitators. The participating students must fall under
these selection criteria: (1) must be a first-year college student for the academic year of
2020 –2021; (2) must have taken and passed the CETs from several UAAP universities;
(3) and must have completed SHS but not in one of the UAAP universities. As for the
review centers’ facilitators, they will be chosen through these two criteria: (1) they must
have the job for more than a year; (2) and they must work on review centers for CETs of
UAAP schools. It will serve as a foundation since the latter participants were selected
because they are the most qualified to provide the necessary and accurate data for the
study's completion.
 The researchers chose these subjects because they are well-suited for the study;
SHS graduates or current first-year college students will be able to provide useful
information or insight on their CETs studies, and review center facilitators will serve as
the researcher's source for determining CETs materials. The researchers will be able to
decide whether the CETs are STEM-leaning or not with the aid of the participants in this
analysis. However, a sample size of the interviewees will be divided into five students
per UAAP institution who completed their SHS years at schools other than their current
colleges. Lastly, the researchers must then interview five review center facilitators who
live within the NCR's boundaries.

INSTRUMENTS AND OTHER DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES

Since this study would include participants, the researchers will conduct an
unstructured interview in conjunction with the research design and setting to obtain a
better understanding of the subjects' viewpoints during the corroboration of their
insights. This is due to the fact that in this manner-based approach, participants will not
be given a direct predictable answer, as they will have the liberty to say what they
choose to instead. The interview will also take an in-depth, purpose-based approach, as
the researchers want to learn specific details about them with regards to this study’s
focus. Hence, regardless of how profound their response is, as long as it is consistent
with the interview questions presented by the researchers, it will be accepted. Given
that there is a pandemic in progress and that proper protocols must be followed, this will
be accomplished through the use of a mediated interview across various online
platforms. Be that as it may, individual interviews are preferred if a face-to-face
interaction is possible.

The interview questions will revolve around responding to the researchers’

statement of the problem, with the primary objective of determining whether or not the
CETs are STEM-leaning. Participants will be divided into two classes, as previously
stated: SHS completers and review center facilitators. The students will primarily be
answering questions about their CETs experiences, and the facilitators will be
invaluable in verifying the contents of the CETs. In the fullness of time, their responses
may confirm or refute the aforementioned issue based on data analysis.

The following are the interview questions that have been proposed for this
study's data collection, which will be verified further:

For the students

1. What was your strand in SHS?

2. Are there any of your subjects in SHS that were reflected in the test?
3. What preparations have you done for the CETs?
4. Did you use any techniques to review for the CETs?
5. What was your initial reaction upon seeing the test?
6. Did you find any specific component difficult? If there is, how long did it take
you to answer it?
7. Overall, did your strand in SHS help you ace the test or vice versa?
8. Do you think the entrance examinations favor STEM subjects?

For the review center facilitators

1. Why do you think students should go to review centers?

2. How did you obtain the contents that are in the test?
3. How accurate are the reviewers your institution is providing to the CETs
takers?
4. Which subjects did most students have difficulties with?
5. Does the content of the reviewers lean more towards STEM subjects?
6. Do you think the entrance examinations favor STEM subjects?

DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE

On the inceptive phase of collecting data, the researchers are planning to

conduct an interview along with the following procedures in data gathering:
 The researchers will accommodate the SHS completers first, followed by the
review center facilitators. The processes, however, will be the same.
 To optimize the time spent interviewing the subjects one by one, a set schedule
will be created and submitted to them a week prior to the actual interview.
Participants will be asked which medium they prefer to use for the interview in
addition to receiving the timetable.
 After that is completed, the plan will be followed. The interview will begin during
business hours.
 Once the link is given, participants will go to their designated platform while the
researchers wait for them to enter.
 A further getting to know each other activity will be done once they are inside the
meeting or have completed the forms. The researchers have already introduced
themselves when selecting the participants, so this will be concise.
 The research subject or study will be briefly discussed so that participants are
aware of what they are getting into.
 The actual interview will begin by first having a discussion that is related to the
question to be answered.
 The researchers would write down the participants' perceptions as they
answered the questions, in addition to the authorized recording.
 The questions will be posed one at a time, in a proper and respectful way, until
they are all answered.
 When all of the questions have been answered, the researchers will ask the
participant if there is something else they would like to say, think about, or
request, which the researchers will gladly accommodate.
 The participants and the researchers would now part ways, and the researchers
would use this time to prepare for the next interview, and so on.
 After performing the interviews, additional data for this study will be collected by
the use of the internet.
 In this final stage, all of the collected data will be analyzed.
DATA ANALYSIS

In analyzing the data gathered from the participants of this study, the researchers
will use the categorizing and coding data type of analysis. As cited by Cessda (n.d.),
coding is the method of locating a passage in a document or other data objects, looking
for and defining terms, and determining their relationships. As a result, coding entails
more than just labeling; it also entails connecting data to the research question and
corresponding to all other data. With that, coding data comes with the process of
categorizing since similar codes may be grouped together into a category, or family of
codes, and a similar code assigned to them (Pelz, n.d.). In line with this, the researchers
will use this approach in analyzing the gathered data as designating codes to terms and
phrases in each answer aids in capturing what the response is for, allowing the
researchers to further interpret and summarize the outcome of the interview. Moreover,
to create an "overall picture" of the problems important to explaining a phenomenon
under study, categories are required to minimize the range of concepts the researchers
must deal with. The researchers will then look for interrelationships within the different
categories as they code and categorize the data. With both factors combined, the
researchers will efficiently and reliably perceive and evaluate interviewee answers,
achieving the study's goal of corroborating assumptions about CETs being STEM-
leaning.
SOURCES: RESEARCH SETTING

https://www.4icu.org/ph/national-capital-region/

https://psa.gov.ph/population-and-housing/node/4001

https://eurekacentre.com/top-10-best-tutorial-centers-and-their-advantages-in-the-philippines

SOURCES: RESEARCH DESIGN

https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ces/research/current/socialtheory/maps/phenomenology

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022167812453877
https://guides.library.duq.edu/c.php?g=836228&p=5972144
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1049732307307031

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1049732317699570

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-1-4615-6989-3_3

https://www.scribd.com/doc/45935704/Giorgi-s-Empirical-Phenomenological-Model
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
237233474_A_Phenomenological_Research_Design_Illustrated

RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS/SUBJECTS

Purposive sampling (research-methodology.net)

DATA ANALYSIS

https://www.cessda.eu/Training/Training-Resources/Library/Data-Management-Expert-
Guide/3.-Process/Qualitative-coding#:~:text=Coding%20is%20a%20way%20of,it
%20%7C%20Gibbs%20(2007).&text=Coding%20is%20a%20process%20of,and
%20finding%20relations%20between%20them.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-research-methods/chapter/chapter-13-
qualitative-analysis/