The Perception of High School Students and Teachers

of Montessori De Manila on the COVID-19 Vaccines

Quantitative Research Paper

Submitted By:

Borja,‌‌Atasha‌‌Margaux‌V
‌ .‌

Delos‌‌Santos,‌A
‌ manda‌R
‌ ouelle‌M
‌ .‌

Estrada,‌‌Joelle‌‌Beatriz‌L
‌ .‌‌

Yap,‌E
‌ nrico‌A
‌ ngelo‌S
‌ .‌‌

October 29, 2021

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 CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The

emergence and global spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, commonly

known as "COVID-19," has posed enormous challenges to public health systems and affected the economic conditions of

countries around the world. According to the WHO, as of October 2021, there have been a staggering total of 245 million

recorded COVID-19 cases. While there are several ways to protect oneself against the virus, such as wearing masks or

practicing social distance, the best shield the public currently has is the vaccine.

There are currently various COVID-19 vaccines that have been developed and marketed. In December 2020,

several corporations gained emergency approvals from several health agencies., namely Moderna in the United States,

Pfizer-Biotech in the United States and Europe, Oxford-AstraZeneca in the United Kingdom, and Sinovac in China. Some

vaccines, such as Russia's Sputnik V, are in phase III testing and have not yet received approval from the European

Medicines Agency (EMA). Since vaccines are now available, it is essential to identify the reasons and motivations, and

health beliefs that will influence the decision to be vaccinated and achieve herd immunity. Knowing the health behaviors

that encourage vaccination acceptance allows for the development of appropriate target vaccination campaigns. (Cerda &

García, 2021)

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 One factor that may strongly influence the decision of a person to be vaccinated is the question, "which vaccine

brand is best for me?" Vaccine efficacy and the risk of side effects have been recognized as influential variables of vaccine

acceptance. According to the WHO, two doses of the Moderna vaccine, or mRNA-1273, has shown to be 94.1% effective;

the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has shown to be 95% effective; the Astrazeneca-Oxford vaccine, or AZD1222, has shown to

be 63% effective; and the Sinovac vaccine has shown to be 51% effective. According to the Department of Health, the

Gamaleya Sputnik V vaccine has shown to be 91.6% effective. According to Robles (May 2021), Filipinos have been

swarming vaccination clinics that offer Pfizer or Moderna; meanwhile, people are missing appointments at centers

offering Sinovac shots. This is because the Sinovac vaccine has the lowest efficacy rate among the vaccines offered in the

Philippines.

While the different efficacy rates of each brand of vaccine are important to take note of when choosing which

vaccine to get, according to Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Céline Gounder, Michael Osterholm, Luciana Borio, Atul Gawande, and

Rick Bright (March 6, 2021), "The varying "effectiveness" rates overlook the most important point: the vaccines were all

100 % effective in vaccine trials in preventing hospitalizations and deaths... all seven COVID-19 vaccines that have

completed large efficacy trials — Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, and Sinovac

— appear to be 100 % effective for serious complications." In addition, according to the Centers of Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 vaccines are effective and safe. They keep humans from getting and spreading the virus

that causes COVID-19.

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 Despite the solid evidence presented by qualified scientists on the efficacy of vaccines, there are still people who

are reluctant to get the vaccine. Hart R. (September 2021) presented a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, which

found that 19% of 30-49-year-olds refuse to be vaccinated. A few reasons for this were presented in a study by the

University of Michigan. According to the study, a few believe that the vaccine was rushed or experimental; They may

have heard false statements about vaccines causing infertility or containing a microchip. Another reason for refusing the

vaccine is fear of blood clots caused by the Oxford – AstraZeneca vaccine, a very rare but serious side effect. However, it

is important to weigh the risks. According to Dr. DeSancho, the risk of getting a vaccine-related blood clot is no more than

the overall blood clot risk in the general population (Weill Cornell Medicine, 2021). Additionally, incidences of blood

clotting from the COVID-19 vaccine affect just over ten people in every one million dosed with the vaccine (Williams,

n.d..), while for every one million COVID-19 cases, there are over twenty thousand deaths (WHO).

This study focuses on the factors that affect the choice of teachers and students from Montessori de Manila receiving

their vaccinations. The data will prove beneficial to medical professionals and government officials looking into the

factors that influence an individual's willingness to receive a vaccine for COVID-19. Medical and government officials

can devise a more effective strategy for advertising the benefits of receiving vaccines; the target population may be

persuaded to do so. On a larger scale, this puts society one step closer to herd immunity and our lives returning to

"normal."

Statement of the Problem

The researchers aim to examine the factors that affect decisions of teachers and students from Montessori De Manila

in regards to receiving a vaccine against COVID-19.

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Research Questions

The researchers aim to answer the following questions:

1. Does the availability of a certain vaccine brand affect the final decision of students and teachers from Montessori

De Manila to get vaccinated?

2. Did the majority of the students and teachers from Montessori De Manila decide to get the COVID-19 vaccine?

a.) Is there a common reason among the respondents that affected their final decision to choose to get vaccinated?

b.) Is there a common reason among the respondents that affected their final decision to choose not to get

vaccinated?

3. Is there a significant relationship between the respondents’ choice to get vaccinated and their age?

Hypotheses

General Problem

Null Hypothesis: There are no significant factors affecting the final decision of the respondents from

Montessori De Manila.

Alternative Hypothesis: There are significant factors affecting the final decision of the respondents from

Montessori De Manila.

Research Question # 1

Null Hypothesis: The availability of a certain vaccine brand did not affect the final decision of students and

teachers from Montessori De Manila to get vaccinated.

Alternative Hypothesis: The availability of a certain vaccine brand did affect the final decision of students

and teachers from Montessori De Manila to get vaccinated.

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 Research Question # 2

Null Hypothesis: The majority of the students and teachers from Montessori De Manila did not decide to get

the COVID-19 vaccine.

Alternative Hypothesis: The majority of the students and teachers from Montessori De Manila did decide to

get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Sub-question a:

Null Hypothesis: There is no common reason among the respondents that affected their final decision to

choose to get vaccinated.

Alternative Hypothesis: There is a common reason among the respondents that affected their final decision to

choose to get vaccinated.

Sub-question b:

Null Hypothesis: There is no common reason among the respondents that affected their final decision to

choose not to get vaccinated.

Alternative Hypothesis: There is a common reason among the respondents that affected their final decision to

choose to get vaccinated.

Research Question # 3

Null Hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between the respondents’ choice to get vaccinated and

their age.

Alternative Hypothesis: There is a significant relationship between the respondents’ choice to get vaccinated

and their age.

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Theoretical / Conceptual Framework

According to the World Health Organization's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) and Working Group

on Vaccine Hesitancy, "Vaccine hesitancy" is defined as "a delay in receiving or refusing vaccines despite the availability

of vaccination services," and it is a "complex and context-specific phenomenon that varies across time, place, and

vaccines." Based on prior research and taking into consideration several fundamental structural elements of modern

societies, vaccination hesitancy is viewed as a form of decision-making process impacted by people's commitment to

healthism/risk culture, as well as their trust in health authorities and mainstream medicine (Peretti-Watel et al., 2015).

Trust is widely seen as an important component of people's attitudes about vaccination. People may not distrust

vaccines by themselves, but rather health officials who are thought to be strongly influenced by vaccine manufacturers.

This characteristic of modern societies is closely related to healthism, and some authors have even combined the two

concepts: in such cases, healthism refers to individuals who seek to control their (children's) health, who want to become

its informed and rational entrepreneur, but who also have strong doubts about medical authorities and mainstream

medicine and are more likely to seek alternative experts, including on vaccination issues.

The research may be based on the Health Belief Model (HBM). It is a theoretical model, which is used by medical

professionals, that serves as a guide in determining how to promote health programs (Rural Health Information Club,

n.d.). HBM is similar to behavioral theory but has a medical-related foundation. The behavioral theory states that human

behavior is highly influenced by his environment. On the other hand, the Health Belief Model is bounded by two

behavioral components: the individual’s desire to avoid the illness, or their desire to recover from the illness, and their

belief in the specific health actions taken that will prevent or cure the illness. The theory suggests that an individual’s

certain belief of an illness, together with their belief in the efficacy of the recommended action in preventing the illness

will be able to predict the likelihood of the individual accepting the treatment (Boston University, n.d.).

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 Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) studies serve as a guide in the medical field in implementing public

health interventions, which are evident today with the current COVID-19 pandemic. The study is being applied in

convincing individuals to take the appropriate preventative measures and health actions in combating illnesses, such as the

vaccination against the COVID-19 virus. The KAP theory consists of three steps: gaining knowledge, developing certain

attitudes and beliefs, and acting with certain actions and beliefs. The knowledge, attitude, and practice model empower

individuals to participate in healthcare campaigns in taking action against various diseases and illnesses. The increased

participation will play a crucial role in disease prevention, control, and rehabilitation (Wang et al., 2020).

Figure 1

Research Paradigm

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Significance of the Study

The researchers considered the endeavor not only vital to themselves as students, but also to the following beneficiaries:

Healthcare Workers: The researchers aim to make the study beneficial to healthcare workers because the research

will provide them with information and statistics on the factors that influence an individual’s willingness to receive

COVID-19 vaccine. Through this study, healthcare workers will be able to address and find solutions to the respondents’

concerns regarding the vaccines in order to help them gain a better perception on the different COVID-19 vaccines.

Government Officials: The researchers target government officials and the government, in general, as

beneficiaries of the study. The government will benefit from the study because they will be able to read the responses of

the high school students on their vaccine perceptions, and acceptance or hesitance. Through the research, the government

officials will be able to address the said concerns, and find better ways to raise awareness and promote COVID-19

vaccination to increase their overall vaccination rate.

The General Public: The general public is targeted to be a beneficiary of the study because the study will provide

the different perceptions and factors that come into play when deciding to get vaccinated. The study will provide

information to the public and may aid them in making their decision on vaccination against COVID-19. On a grander

scale, the research may boost and help the public gain a better understanding and perception on the different COVID-19

vaccines, leading to achieving better herd immunity.

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Scope and Delimitation

The study’s participants are the teachers and students from the high school department of Montessori De Manila

for the academic year 2021-2022. This study will have a total of forty (40) participants from the high school department; it

will only include ten (10) participants from Grade 10, ten (10) participants from Grade 11, ten (10) participants from

Grade 12, and ten (10) teachers. The study will consider the ages of the participants. (when making their conclusions).

Those who have already contracted the virus may be included. The study will not consider the following: the gender of the

participants.

Definition of Terms

● Vaccine Efficacy - this refers to the reduced percentage of a disease in a group of vaccinated individuals

compared to an unvaccinated group

● Vaccine Hesitancy - This refers to an individual's aversion towards a vaccine brand or vaccination as a whole.

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