Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

The research methods employed for the study are presented in this chapter. The
following research procedures are being described here: (a) research design; (b) study
respondents and population sample; (c) research instrument; (d) data collection process; and (e)
data analysis.

Research Design

The lived experiences of first-year college accountancy students who select the ABM
Strand were the subject of this study, and qualitative research was employed to precisely confirm
the truthfulness of the stated experiences. According to UTA Libraries, qualitative research
depends on personal experiences from people and asks "why" questions rather than "what"
questions about social issues. This study used interviews to help readers and students both
understand why the ABM strand is beneficial for accounting students.

Qualitative research also include gathering and evaluating non-numerical data. The goal
of qualitative research is to understand how people understand their experiences, either on their
own or in social situations, and to enable participants to explain what, why, or how they were
feeling or thinking at the time of the interview

Methodology highlighting the important contribution it may make to understanding the

interactions between individuals' employment and their sociocultural and physical environments.
The development of practical, occupationally focused initiatives to encourage community and
individual engagement can be supported by such evidence (Leadly, Jones, Hicking 2024).
Exploring difficult problems is a good fit for phenomenology, a potent research technique. We
will seek to inspire college scholars to take into account the usefulness of phenomenology when
addressing their research problems by fostering a deeper awareness of its nature and striving to
guarantee appropriate alignment between the particular research question and the researcher's
underlying philosophy. It is a research methodology that aims to capture the core of a
phenomenon by investigating it from the viewpoint of individuals who have encountered it.
Phenomenology seeks to explain the significance of this experience, taking into account both the
experience itself and its method of experience (Perspect Med Educ 2019).

Phenomenological researchers operate on the assumption that individuals interpret their

experiences using a universal structure or essence. To understand the core of the event being
studied, they interpret the participants' thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. To put it another way,
phenomenological research designs allow researchers to examine the perspectives of individuals
who have encountered an event in order to determine its universal character. This method is
often used to investigate lived experience, learn more about human thought processes, and
improve a researcher's understanding of a topic. Existential phenomenology, hermeneutic
phenomenology, and transcendental phenomenology are the three (3) categories of
phenomenological study design (Dovetail 2023). The first is to comprehend the experiences of
the audience from their point of view. The second is about giving experiences meaning from the
viewpoint of the audience. The third, on the other hand, focuses on how the phenomena
manifests itself on a larger, scientific scale in one's awareness.

Qualitative research methodology based on the idea that everything's universal essence
ultimately depends on how its audience perceives it. Phenomenological researchers document
and examine the attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of their target audience concerning the
subject of study. The opinions of the audience—those who have witnessed the phenomenon—are
the only ones that count. It should not matter what presumptions or impressions the researcher
has about the phenomenon.

One kind of qualitative research is phenomenology, which necessitates a thorough

comprehension of the audience's opinions and viewpoints regarding the topic you're studying.
Gaining understanding of a particular audience's experiences and emotions in connection to the
topic you're examining is the main goal of phenomenological research. It's a useful tool for
developing new hypotheses regarding audience experience in a particular, controlled setting,
raising awareness of the topic being investigated, and gaining insights from the audience. In
order to guarantee incisive and useful results, Dovetail (2023) lists the following four (4) features
of a phenomenological research design: (1) an emphasis on the audience's interpretation of
something. (2) A denotative focus on research insights; (3) An absence of researcher bias or
previous influence; and (4) Connecting objectivity with lived experiences. This guarantees
sufficient overlap between the audience and the topic under study to yield meaningful results.

Respondents of the Study

 Study participants were students who graduate in Accounting and Business
Management (ABM) strand to concentrate on accounting and their lived experiences in it. At
Ibayo Silangan, Naic, Cavite's Granby Colleges of Science and Technology, four (4) first-year
students were enrolled.

Research Instruments

In this study, interviews are used to collect the students' lived experiences. This was
done to avoid limiting or restricting the kids' capacity to share their life experiences, plans that
worked and those that didn't, laughter and tears, struggles and victories, falls and rises, and
significant choices. The purpose of the guide questions was to avoid interfering with the pupils'
common life experiences. The students' answers were in no way predetermined by these
questions.

Data Gathering Procedure

1. The principal was contacted to obtain approval for a letter of request.

2. The research was approved, and the instructor received letters attesting to this.

3. A number of interviews were done in order to guarantee honesty, consistency, response

reliability, and efficiency of the outcome, all while maintaining the interviewee's
confidentiality. There were no rewards or reinforcements given.

5. To determine which first-year students at Granby Colleges of Science and Technology

graduate from the ABM Strand, a preliminary semi-structured interview was conducted.
The encounters were insightful and pertinent to the research. To guarantee authenticity,
validity, and candor, the interviews were taped and then transcribed.

6. During the interview, which was both captured and transcribed, the selected respondent
who agreed to participate in the study was allowed to talk about their experiences in an
open and honest way.

7. The stories and narrative reflections were transcribed and then sent to the principal or
co-researcher for approval, validation, and assessment.
 8. The interviewee was free to pull out from the study at any moment if they felt there
were any hazards or had good reason to do so.

9. The interviewee's common experiences were categorized into themes and examined
using eidetic insight analysis.

References:

Subject and Course Guides: Quantitative and Qualitative Research: What is Qualitative

Research? (n.d.). https://libguides.uta.edu/quantitative_and_qualitative_research/qual

Sheldon, R. (2022, August 24). phenomenon. What Is.

https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/phenomenon#:~:text=A%20phenomenon%2C%20in%20a

%20scientific,the%20word%20in%20general%20usage.

Google Scholar. (n.d.-e).

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=tl&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=2024&q=methodology+&btnG=#d=g
s_qabs&t=1709915534060&u=%23p%3DYVvmot7Rob0J

Perspect Med Educ (2019)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6468135/#:~:text=Phenomenology%20is%20a%20for
m%20of,often%20intimidating%20to%20HPE%20researchers.

H, L. (2023, August 30). What is Phenomenological Research Design? — Delve. Delve.

https://delvetool.com/blog/phenomenology

Dovetail Editorial Team. (2023, February 7). What is Phenomenology in Qualitative Research?
https://dovetail.com/research/phenomenology-qualitative-research/