CHAPTER III

Methodology
This chapter includes the Introduction, Type of Research, Research Design, Population, Sample
and Sampling, Data Gathering Procedure, and Data Analysis Procedure.

Introduction

The Study entails the Factors Affecting the Decision-making of Grade 10 Students of Top

Achievers Private School, Inc. in choosing their Senior High School Strand. The Researchers aim

to pursue this study seeing that it will be beneficial since choosing a track involves making an

honest self-evaluation of one’s interests, talents, and skills. Identifying these key factors would be

a great help for incoming SHS students because they'll have a guide in choosing their strand. The

Purpose of this Qualitative Study is to determine the view of grade 10 students in entering senior

high school and to understand the certain reason that they consider in choosing their strand.

Moreover, this study aims to assess some factors associated with preferences of senior high school

track that are commonly adopted by the Grade 10 students of the school year and to help track the

importance of decision-making for the incoming senior high students.

This study is founded on the theory of Social Cognitive Career Theory. Lent et al. (1994)

developed Social Cognitive Career Theory to facilitate understanding of career choice, interest,

and performance processes. This theory identifies the factors that interplay when a student chooses

a certain track and progresses on the chosen career path. In this Chapter, the sections are divided

addressing the Type of Research, Research Design, Population, Sample and Sampling, Data

Gathering Procedure, and Data Analysis Procedure.

3.1 Type of Research

This Study is a Qualitative Study on the Factors Affecting the Decision-making of Grade

10 Students of Top Achievers Private School, Inc. in choosing their Senior High School Strand.

Punch (1998), defines qualitative research as “empirical research where data are not in the form of

numbers”. Empirical means that data or search is based on something that is experienced or

observed as opposed to being based on theory. Since this type of Research is mostly associated

with words, language, and experiences, the Researchers chose this type seeing that the Study can

be better expressed and described through words rather than in a numerical form. The study entails

one’s thoughts, self-evaluation, and preferences that are not answerable by numbers, and are best

described in sentences. Noting that this study covers the factors that affect the students’ decision-

making, the factors will be easier to convey by using one’s words to better illuminate their answers

to the problem and the things they considered in choosing a strand. The study focuses on

identifying what are the factors, and not on the level of the percentage that these factors affect the

students’ decision-making.

3.2 Research Design

In order to obtain a significant result, the research should be conducted using a specific

Design. In this study, a Descriptive-Phenomenological research approach is used. This design is

one of the most frequently used methodologies. It is used because its purpose is to describe how

human beings experience a certain phenomenon. The phenomenon that will be described and

analyzed in this study is the Decision-making of Grade 10 Students of Top Achievers Private

School, Inc. in choosing their Senior High School Strand and the Factors they considered in

choosing a strand. The Deakin University (2021) stated that the Descriptive-Phenomenological
approach is a strong tool for understanding subjective experience and gaining insights into people's

actions and motivations, questioning conventional knowledge and cutting through long-held

preconceptions. It could aid in the creation of new theories, policy changes, or reaction changes.

In finding out the Factors Affecting the Decision-making of Grade 10 Students of Top

Achievers Private School, Inc. in choosing their Senior High School Strand, a Descriptive School

Survey was conducted. Macfarlane SB. (1997) stated that Descriptive Surveys are conducted to

describe specific characteristics of a defined target audience. The Semi-Structured Questionnaire

was made through a google form made by the Researchers that was sent online through a group

chat to the chosen Respondents from Grade 10 students of Top Achievers Private School,

3.3 Population

The researchers focus on the factors affecting the decision-making of grade ten (10)

students at Top Achievers Private School, Inc. The study purposefully chose a general population

of grade ten (10) students from Top Achievers Private School, Inc. to enable the current research

to produce generalizable findings. Fifteen (15) to sixteen (16) year old students of Top Achievers

Private School, Inc. were selected to be interviewed. The researcher chose Five (5) grade ten (10)

students from Top Achievers Private School, Inc., three (3) girls and two (2) boys that will answer

the survey that will be given.

3.4 Sample and Sampling

SAMPLE STUDY

A sample is a group of people, objects, or items that are taken from a larger population for

measurement. The sample should be representative of the population to ensure that we can

generalize the findings from the research sample to the population as a whole (Bineham 2006).
 Mouton (1996.132) also defines a sample as elements selected to find out something about

the total population from which they are taken. A convenient sample consists of subjects included

in the study because they happen to be in the right place at the right time Polit & Hungler

1993.176). The sample included five (5) grade Ten (10) Students of Top-Achievers Private School

from Alicia Campus. Taking the Present situation into consideration, the Researchers of this Study

conducted the said Research by sending out forms online with a set of questions about the said

topic to the Grade 10 Students of Top-Achievers Private School from Alicia Campus

The sample size of five (5) students was the total of subjects who were willing to participate

in the research and who met the sampling criteria.

3.4.1 The Sampling Criteria

Subjects included in the sample were selected to meet specific criteria. The Grade 10

Students had to meet the following criteria to be included in the sample.

They should;

• Be enrolled at Top-Achievers Private School

• Be at the 10th Grade

• Be willing to participate

• Be 15 & 16 years old

• Have a curiosity in Choosing a Senior High School Strand

3.5 Data Gathering Procedure

To conduct the survey, the researchers of the study chose a questionnaire as the instrument

for collecting the data. A Questionnaire commonly includes Open-ended questions, closed-ended
questions, or a combination of both. In comparison to other research methods such as interviews,

the questionnaire provides more structure to any study, which can aid in the success of whatever

you're trying to discover an answer. (Cleave, 2021). In this study, the questionnaire was made

through a google form. Through this form, it became easier to reach the target audience since many

mediums can be used to relay it to them. With this, the respondents will have direct access to the

questionnaire. To ensure the quality of answers, the survey was open-timed for the respondents to

not be pressured and give them time to think thoroughly. The data are expected to be reliable since

it was answered directly by the chosen respondents, they answered based on their experience and

perspective, and are considered a primary source.

In the description of the questionnaire, it was stated that the answers will be strictly used

for research and educational purposes only. It also includes two parts; the first part includes the

data about the respondents, their name (optional), age, and gender. The second part includes the

questions that the researchers formulated based on the theories they’ve found and the problems

they want to be answered. The researchers used related questions to be able to achieve the

respective goal of their study. After the questionnaire has been made, the researchers made a group

chat with the chosen respondents, they introduced the topic to the respondents and gave them an

overview of the study then sent the google forms to be answered by the chosen grade 10 students.

After the respondents answered the questionnaire, the researchers were delighted and grateful for

their participation of the respondents and began analyzing the data collected.

3.6 Data Analysis Procedure

After gathering the questionnaires answered by the respondents, the researchers proceed

on analyzing the data gathered. Reading a huge number of transcripts in search of similarities and
differences, then identifying themes and constructing categories are all part of qualitative data

analysis. In this study, the Coding Method was used. In coding, the document browser is often

used. Desegregating textual data into segments, evaluating data similarities and differences, and

arranging conceptually related data in the relevant nodes are all part of coding. To do the coding

method, the researchers chose to use content analysis.

For this study, a total of five (5) students from grade 10 of Top Achievers Private School,

Inc. who answered the questionnaire were analyzed based on its contents. The researchers of the

study planned the methods to be used first and decided to base their steps on analysis from

Madelyan Ph.D. (2015), wherein a manual coding in inductive coding was used, it starts from

scratch and develops codes based on the qualitative data itself. Researchers do not have a set

codebook; all codes come from the survey results themselves.

The researchers read through the gathered data to get a sense of what it looks like. Then

they assigned your first set of codes. They assigned codes to words and phrases in each response

aid after the questionnaire was answered. This was the coding used to capture what the response

is about, allowing them to better analyze and summarize the survey's results. After that, they went

through the data line-by-line to code as much as possible. The codes were then more detailed in

this part. The researchers categorized the codes and figured out how they fit into the coding frame,

a hierarchical coding frame was used to see how codes are organized according to how they relate

to one another, and in this study, they categorized the answers into positive influences and negative

influences of the factors that were identified. Then they identified which themes come up the most

and compiled them.