CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter reveals the methods of research to be used by the researchers in

conducting the study which includes the research design, participants of the study, data

collection tools, validity and reliability, data collection procedures, data analysis, and ethical

considerations of the study.

Research Design

The research methodology chosen for this study is qualitative research. Qualitative

research is a form of exploratory research that seeks to understand and describe the

experiences, behaviors, and attitudes of individuals in their natural setting. This approach is

typically used to gain insights into complex phenomena that are difficult to quantify, such as

human emotions, beliefs, and values. The purpose of qualitative research is to provide a

detailed and comprehensive understanding of the research topic. This method is useful in

exploring the lived experiences and perceptions of high-achieving STEM students on

academic pressure.

The research design chosen for this study is phenomenological research.

Phenomenology is a qualitative research approach that focuses on the study of subjective

experiences, perceptions, and meanings of a particular phenomenon. The aim of

phenomenological research is to explore the essence of a phenomenon and describe its

essential structure, through the lived experiences of individuals who have experienced the

phenomenon.

We choose phenomenological approach to gain more insights and understanding

towards the personal experiences of high-performing students, how their mind works, and

how they act towards academic success. By studying their experiences we will be able to
identify the elements that helps them to succeed and also provide additional information on

how other student can also achieve academic success.

Participants of the Study

The main objective of this study is to explore the lived experiences of high-achieving

STEM students of academic pressure. The research will consist of a minimum of 8 students

from Leyte National High School, who are chosen purposively from two different grade

levels, namely grade 11 and grade 12, with four students selected from each grade level. All

of these students are accomplished in the STEM track, and their academic background will

assist in comprehending the research queries while providing a diverse range of perspectives.

Data will be collected through a semi-structured interview and the participants will be

informed that they could withdraw from the study at any time, for what ever reason. This is to

give respect to their privacy and additionally, all participants will be referred to by

pseudonyms to protect their identities. Gender will not be a factor in choosing the

participants, nor will the STEM subjects they are currently studying be considered in the

selection process. To guarantee that they can offer valuable insights for this study, all

participants will be selected through purposive sampling. The participants will be identified

on the basis of the following criteria:

1) with high honor student or with highest honor student;

2) consistent honor student from high school to senior high;

3) from the STEM strand;

4) a student from Leyte National High School;

5) currently residing in Tacloban City, and

6) willing to participate in the study.

 According to Wilson (2015), phenomenological research is a method with strong

philosophical origins. It guides the researcher to further understand and gather information

from the participants such as lived experiences, issues and more. Moreover, Umanailo (2019)

stated that phenomenological study is an instrument to further elaborate and express the

experiences, observations and human mind against social reality in our society.

The participants will be chosen based on their availability, academic background and

willingness to provide information. The researchers will choose high achieving senior high

school students in STEM strand at Leyte National High School as the participants in the

study. Their availability will provide answers needed for this study by doing an interview to

gather data. Researchers selected these participants to have a further knowledge about the

experience of STEM students in coping pressure.

Data Collection Tools

To explore the experiences of high-achieving students in relation to academic

pressure, we will employ two primary data collection tools: semi-structured interviews and

reflective journals.

To gain a deeper understanding of the personal experiences of academic pressure

among participants, semi-structured interviews will be conducted. These interviews will taIke

place either face-to-face or virtually, depending on the participants' preference. With the

participants' consent, the interviews will be audio-recorded. The interview questions will be

designed to facilitate participants' sharing of their experiences, perspectives, and emotions

related to academic pressure. The questions will be open-ended to encourage participants to

provide detailed responses. No information will be left out while conducting these interviews.

Reflective journals will be used to supplement the interviews and allow participants to

further reflect on their experiences of academic pressure over an extended period.

Participants will be asked to complete weekly journal entries for a total of four weeks. The
prompts for these entries will be provided by the researchers and will be related to their

experiences of academic pressure during that week. Participants will be able to choose

whether they want to write their journal entries on paper or in an online format.

Interview guide questions.

1) Can you describe your academic experiences in high school?

2) How do you cope with academic pressure?

3) Have you ever felt overwhelmed by academic demands? If so, how did you handle it?

4.) How do you manage your time to balance your personal life and your studies?

5.) Can you share an experience where you felt proud for having academic achievement?

How do you feel?

These following questions serves as a guide for the participants to write their entry

for the reflective journal:

1.) Is there a particular academic task or responsibilities where you feel pressure to

perform well on? What academic task or responsibilities is it?

2.) What kind of emotion did you experience knowing that you feel pressured?

3.) What technique or method did you use to manage the pressure that you were feeling?

4.) Has there been someone who sends support and encouragement to you, during that

time?

5.) If you could turn back the time, will you act differently or the same?

Validity and Reliability

To ensure construct validity, the researcher will use the phenomenological approach,

which is a recognized research design for exploring subjective experiences. This approach

will allow the participants to provide in-depth and detailed accounts of their experiences with

academic pressure.
 To ensure reliability, the researcher will use a semi-structured interview guide and

reflective journal prompts. The semi-structured interview guide will be used to ensure

consistency in the questions asked to each participant, while the reflective journal prompts

will be used to ensure that participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their

experiences over time.

Data Collection Procedure

Before the data collection procedure begins, the participants will be notified of their

participation in the study, the nature of the study they are in, and the significance of their

response in the study. In conducting the study, the researchers will conduct a semi-structured

interview with high achieving STEM students at Leyte National High School. To gain deeper

understanding of the participants' experiences and to collect specific information’s on how

high achievers deal with pressure, what causes them pressure, and many others, the

researchers will ask them questions using the interview guide and allow them to freely

respond. Participants are required to respond fairly, and questions in the interview are

established in English language but in order to gain proper responses from the participants,

the interview process can also be conducted using their mother tongue language. The

interview will be audio-recorded, and it is expected that the conversation will flow naturally

and give the participants the feeling of comfortability and impression that they are simply

having a free and easygoing conversation. To make sure that the collected information is

reliable and can be duplicated in future researches, the participants will also be asked to

complete weekly journal entries for a total of four weeks, as participants' responses may

change gradually. This is to assure that the data collected from the participants is not

influenced by any type of factor during the interview, thus providing more accurate data for
the study. Following the collection of the data needed, the record of interview will be

transcribed and translated in English language by the researchers. Once they are done with it,

the researchers will perform a thematic analysis of the data. To find common themes in the

data and comprehend the phenomenon, thematic analysis will be used.

Thematic Analysis

The first step of the thematic analysis will involve the transcribing and coding of the

interview data. Each interview will be listened to and transcribed, and then analyzed for

relevant codes and patterns that may emerge. The researchers will review the transcripts

multiple times to identify recurring themes and patterns in the data.

Next, the researchers will develop a list of potential themes based on the codes and

patterns identified in the data. These themes will be refined and revised through an iterative

process of comparison, contrast, and discussion among the research team.

Once the final list of themes is developed, the researchers will examine the data to

ensure that each theme is well-supported and represented across the interviews. The

researchers will also conduct a member-checking process to confirm the validity and

reliability of the themes identified with the participants.

The researchers will interpret the themes and their relevance to the study. They will

examine how the themes are related to the research questions and what they reveal about the

experiences of STEM students who have achieved high academic success and how they

handle academic pressure. The use of thematic analysis is a flexible and thorough method for

examining qualitative data. It helps to identify and analyze themes that arise from the data in
a structured way and provides an opportunity to investigate the intricacies and difficulties of

the experiences of high-achieving STEM students in managing academic pressure.

Ethical Considerations

The researchers will provide a comprehensive explanation of the research before

commencing it, covering its objectives and potential impact on the participants after the

interview. The researchers recognize the topic of academic pressure may be sensitive or

personal to the participants, and will be cautious to minimize any potential emotional distress.

The participants will also be informed of the possible emotional impact of the study and will

be provided with appropriate support if they feel overwhelmed during or after the interview.

Prior to that, the participants will be encouraged to share their stories candidly, without any

fear of being judged. Along the interview process the researchers will also tell their personal

stories to establish trust and credibility of this research. The researchers will also ensure that

the participants are all free to withdraw from the research at any stage if they want to. Lastly,

to ensure the trustworthiness of the results of the study, the data gathered will be returned to

the participants to check for the accuracy and resonance of their experiences.

In general, the researcher will ensure the safety and respect the authority of the

participants throughout the study and will conduct the research in a way that is courteous,

well mannered, dependable and follows ethical guidelines.