SHERYL D.

GALECIA, LPT

Research Proposal
Research Title
STUDENT BARRIERS
TO DISTANCE LEARNING IN BUKIDNON STATE
UNIVERSITY – BAUNGON CAMPUS
CHAPTER 1
 INTRODUCTION
 Studies have documented significant student’s and teacher’s
perception towards face-to-face and distance education. In local
context, both methods of teaching have been and are being practiced
for ages and just recently, respectively.

 This change is primarily designed to serve an off-campus population.

With the outgrowing changes that this pandemic has brought, there is a
need to be at par and cope with the transitions.

 Distance education has been implemented in alternative secondary

programs to help meet needs of the diverse learners in special
populations who may have limitations accessing traditional learning
environments (Donlon, 2008).
 INTRODUCTION
 The school curriculum is not an exemption of the challenging
transitions. Teachers attend webinars and other orientations that will
help them prepare the new normal.

 Secretary Leonor Briones noted that “teachers do need upskilling and

upgrading.”

 A great deal of evidence exists showing that no significant differences

should be expected regarding the effectiveness of well-designed online
learning compared with well-designed in-person learning (Clark, 1983;
Russell, 1999).
 INTRODUCTION
 To the extent that these students’ perceptions are negative regarding
their past, present, or future online learning experiences, the students’
perceptions may contribute to such outcomes as higher dropout rates
(Carr, 2000), low motivation of students to learn (Maltby & Whittle,
2000), and lower student satisfaction with the learning experience
(Kenny, 2003). Still, these outcomes are not true for all students, in all
situations, and at all times.

 House Bill 4553, as contained in Committee Report No. 280 entitled

Open Distance Learning Act, seeks to expand and further democratize
access to quality education in higher education through the promotion
and application of open learning as a philosophy of access to
educational services. The bill intends to implement distance education
as a system of delivering quality higher educational services in the
country.
 INTRODUCTION
 Distance learning in Philippine context is a challenge. According to
Evans & Lockee (2008), distance education does not offer any new or
better approaches to teaching and learning; it merely offers a different
context that provides an alternative approach. Thus, accordingly it is
not new or better but it is just another approach in another context to
cater the rising needs of the students.

 With rising inclusion of distance learning in schools, there are also

many barriers stemming from the implementation of online learning
(Hellrigel, 2016). These barriers to distance education can create
challenges for faculty and students (Irvin et al.,2010).
 INTRODUCTION
 Hayward-Wyzik, (2009) suggested several institutional barriers are
preventing faculty from delivering successful distance teaching, and it
is up to institutional leaders to find solutions on how to respond to
faculty’s perceptions on what institutional barriers are preventing
development and facilitation of distance learning courses.

 According to Hayward-Wyzik (2009), institutional barriers are often

produced through a combination of admissions problems, course
scheduling, policies, procedures, programs, registrations, and other
support
 INTRODUCTION

 Despite the aforementioned barriers, the relevance of education in the

lives of the students continues to prevail that is why the pioneers in the
field of education do not cease to find ways to continue the school year
despite the threats of the pandemic. Thus, this study is very relevant
nowadays to see what are the pitfalls of today’s distance learning and
apparently create solutions to the problems that will be discovered
along the process.
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The study aimed to answer the questions:

1. What are the barriers of students to distance learning?

2. Is there a relationship between barriers and student

performance?
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

This study is anchored on the concepts and views aligned with the Constructivist
theory and its teaching models. Murphy (1997) summarized 16 characteristics of
Constructivism.

1. Teachers serve in the role of guides, monitors, coaches, tutors and facilitators
2. Student problem-solving, higher-order thinking skills, and deep understanding
are emphasized;
3. Learning takes place in individual contexts and through social negotiation,
collaboration, and experience.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
On the other concept, Koohang (2009) adapted Murphy’s (1997)
characteristics into an advanced model of Constructivism in e-learning
environments.
The three components determined are:

1. Design of Learning Activities, which includes collaboration,

cooperation, multiple representations of ideas, and social negotiations;
2. Instructor’s Roles, which are mentoring, acknowledging, providing
feedback, and assessing student learning;
3. Learning Assessment, either conducted by the instructor, through
collaboration, or by the student himself.
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

 Educational technologies are used not just to control learning, but the
main purpose is to make the learning process easier by creating an
effective learning environment (Jackson, Jones, & Rodriguez, 2010;
Januszewski & Molenda, 2007).

A Constructivist model applied to educational technology would

encourage more creation within learning environments and avoid using
technologies to control learning (e.g., presenting information and
delivering drills and practice). Theoretically, technology is more useful
when it is used by students to identify a problem with the appropriate
tools for the purpose of supporting learning.
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

A Constructivist approach suggests that students bear the weight of

making meaning from course content and their own learning. The
literature suggests the role of the instructor as guide, mentor, facilitator,
and coach needs to be reassessed and better determined (Grundmann,
Wielbo, & Tebbett, 2010; Januszewski & Molenda, 2007; Zen, 2008).

 Based on these components of the Constructivist theory and the

specific nature of online courses and e-learning environments, three
areas that deserve special attention and which are addressed in this
literature review are; collaboration (i.e., between students and instructor
and students to other students), methods of content delivery, and
teaching approach models.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE

STUDENT PROFILE LEARNING OUTCOMES

 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

 Communication is an important part of any educational endeavor. Students

need to collaborate with their instructor and their peers in order to be
successful in an academic course (Brindley, Walti, & Blaschke, 2009; Chen,
Bennett, & Maton, 2008; Driscoll, Jicha, Hunt, Tichavsky, & Thompson,
2012).

 A course designer is responsible for determining the collaborative tools that

can be used for communication in an online course. In this section of the
literature review, distinct challenges to determining and arranging the
collaborative component of an online course are discussed, and possible
solutions are explored.
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
 Not every situation benefits from becoming an open discussion or collaboration
forum” (Cunningham & Leuf, 2001, p. 30 as cited in Cole, 2009). Virtual
environments have a number of options available for instruction and other
content and guidelines that need to be delivered. Content can be delivered
through a variety of ways using digital technologies. The platform used, whether
learning management system or website, may determine the extent to which each
can be utilized.

 There is no particular answer about what combination of methods of content

delivery works best for students. Experts recommend using various content
delivery methods to meet student expectations and make it possible to
implement different learning strategies (Brown, Brown, Fine, Luterbach, Sugar,
& Vinciguerra, 2009). Additionally, using a combination of technologies and
pedagogies to motivate students to learn is recommended (Brocato, B. R.,
Bonanno, A., & Ulbig, S. 2015; Zen, 2008)
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
 The instructor’s role in an online course includes activities related to setting up
the collaboration area, developing and disseminating clear instruction for task
completion, and facilitating learning activities during the course (Cho &
Rathbun, 2013). The initial role of the instructor is to provide students with clear
instructions and articulation of the tasks in a manner such that students know
their expectations and are prepared for the knowledge they are going to be
expected to learn. In response, students are expected to take control of their own
learning and use their previous experiences to complete course tasks (Stansfield,
McLellan, & Connolly, 2004).
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
 A need exists to examine the challenges students perceive, and what can be
done to meet student expectations.

 Thus, a need to define the real difficulties that students have in taking online
courses exists along with determining pedagogical approaches that can address
those difficulties and increase the likelihood of a successful distance teaching
and learning. This current research identifies and builds upon specific areas of
online education that students perceive to be unclear or ambiguous and thus
present barriers for their successful learning.
 SCOPE AND DELIMITATION
 The researcher will select and control the sample of this study and will
disseminate the google form through possible venue of communication to recruit
participants. This study is focused on college students of Bukidnon State
University – Baungon Campus.

 To control for potential bias, the researcher had multiple content area experts
evaluate the items used in the survey. Additionally, the sphere of online
education is not limited to a specific learning management system or technology.
This study encompasses many aspects of distance teaching and learning may it
be online or offline.

 The results should be inclusive to all students who take any forms of distance
learning such as online and modular approaches at the selected institution as
well as institutions with similar demographics, which increase the external
validity of this study.
CHAPTER 3
METHODS

The chapter presents the research procedure used in

collecting the necessary data for the present study. This
describes the research setting, respondents and sampling
procedure, research instruments, research protocol, data
gathering procedure, methods of data analysis , validity
and reliability of the instruments, statistical techniques,
the data source and the data gathering procedure. The
data were obtained with the use of google forms which
will be disseminated through social media platform,
specifically Facebook.
CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH SETTING

This study will be conducted within Bukidnon State University –

Baungon Campus located at Poblacion Imbatug, Baungon
Bukidnon in Northern Mindanao (Region X). This is a satellite
campus of Bukidnon State University – Malaybalay City. The
aforementioned satellite campus has 219 enrollees at present. 135
students of the population are enrolled in Public Administration
while the remaining 85 students are enrolled in Business
Administration Program.
 CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH DESIGN

This study seeks to answer the questions: What are the students’
barriers to distance learning? And Is there a relationship between
barriers and student performance? To answer this question, this study
will use qualitative design specifically survey research design.
Qualitative research studies were defined as social and subjective in
nature, deriving conclusions and detailed reports from human
perceptions and experiences (Creswell, 2013; Merriam, 2015). The
purpose of qualitative research is to focus on a particular phenomenon
in order to describe, interpret, verify, and evaluate data (Leedy &
Ormrod, 2010). Merriam (2009) described the purpose of qualitative
research as a way to understand the meaning of people’s experiences,
to understand their meanings in order to make sense of their world.
Also, qualitative research methods are more likely used in CTE topics
to assess, improve, and increase programming, as well as promote
 CHAPTER 3
Respondents and Sampling Procedure

According to one researcher, Berg (2009) suggested that when

considering a research site there should be reasonable size,
allowable entry, available appropriate target population, research
question(s) can be answered at the site, and research can be
conducted effectively. Criterion to qualify for participation in this
research study includes: currently enrolled in modular distance
learning students specifically at Bukidnon State University –
Baungon Campus.
 CHAPTER 3
Respondents and Sampling Procedure

The students are currently enrolled in Public and Business

Administration Programs in the said satellite campus. The total
population of the campus is 219 – 153 BPA students and 85 BSBA
students. With this population, the researcher will have at least
50% of the total student population as respondents. Specifically,
there will be 100 respondents – 50 students will be from the BPA
program while the remaining half will be from the BSBA
program. The respondents will be chosen using simple random
sampling. In this case, each individual will be chosen entirely by
chance and each member of the population has an equal chance,
or probability of being selected.
 CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS

The research instrument that will be used is in Google Forms.

Google Forms is a survey administration software that is included
in the Google Docs Editors software suite. It allows collecting
information from respondents through surveys. The collected
information can be automatically entered into a spreadsheet.
 CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS

The initial survey items will base from the main anchorage of this study which
are concepts and views aligned with the Constructivist theory and its teaching
models. The survey questions will mainly base on the concept of Koohang
(2009) who adapted Murphy’s (1997) characteristics into an advanced model of
Constructivism in e-learning environments. The three components determined
are: Design of Learning Activities, which includes collaboration, cooperation,
multiple representations of ideas, and social negotiations; Instructor’s Roles,
which are mentoring, acknowledging, providing feedback, and assessing
student learning; Learning Assessment, either conducted by the instructor,
through collaboration, or by the student himself. Thus, the concept of the
questions which will be constructed by the researcher will revolve on the
mentioned concepts.
 CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS

The response will be captured into an output file and imported

into SPSS™ (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences).
Respondents will rate constructed barriers based on the concepts
above on a 1–5 Likert scale. To ensure the reliability of the result,
the researcher will choose a well-trained and skilled moderator (or
facilitator). A good moderator will check personal bias and
expectations. Thus, the study will promote candid information and
neutrality from the research participants. Moving forward to its
validity, deep saturation will be done. After the initial 100
respondents, the study can be forwarded to larger groups.
 CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH PROTOCOL

This study mainly aims to enumerate the present barriers that the
students face during distance learning. The researcher made sure
to follow ethical procedures such as the dissemination of Survey
Consent Agreement where the respondents have fully agreed to
participate in the survey for the completion of the research. This
document is pertinent since the researcher is using data and
opinions which are considered private. Thus, the researcher of this
study will sustain the confidential information of the respondents
alongside the survey.
 CHAPTER 3
DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE

The data of this study will be gathered through Google Forms which is an
online survey administration software. Prior to disseminating the research
instrument, the researcher will ask permission from the Campus In-Charge to
push through the survey with consent from the administration. According to
Creswell (2013), the research question(s) should be asked in a strictly
subjective manner focusing on the perceptions and experiences of the
participants. Thus, the researcher made sure to follow this condition in data
gathering procedure. Prior to disseminating the research instrument, the
researcher will ask permission from the Campus In-Charge to push through the
survey with consent from the administration. The retrieval of the results of the
survey will be readily available under the responses section of the Google
Forms software.
 CHAPTER 3
METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS

The first research question aims to determine student barriers to distance

education. The purpose of this question is to explore any barriers all students
can have, regardless of their desire to take an online course or not. Moreover,
the stages of data analysis will be held. The researcher will gather the needed
data for the study. Once the data will be collected, the researcher will make sure
that it is well processed and organized for the analysis. Some of the data
gathered may be irrelevant to answering the problem of the research, thus the
data must undergo data cleaning. This phase will disregard duplicate records
and any available errors to retain its validity and reliability. Thereafter, the data
will be ready for analysis. During this phase, the researcher will use data
analysis tools and software which will help understand, interpret, and derive
conclusions based on the various conditions of the study.
 CHAPTER 3
VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF
INSTRUMENTS

To ensure the reliability of the instrument, trusted moderator will

check personal bias and expectations. In this way, the study will
produce candid information and neutrality from the research
participants. Moving forward to its validity, deep saturation will
be done. After the initial 100 respondents, the study can be
forwarded to larger groups which will increase the validity of the
instrument.
 CHAPTER 3
STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES

Two main statistical methods are used in data analysis:

descriptive statistics, which summarize data from a sample using
indexes such as the mean or standard deviation, and inferential
statistics, which draw conclusions from data that are subject to
random. The researcher will use descriptive statistics which is
concerned with two sets of properties of a distribution (sample or
population): central tendency (or location) seeks to characterize
the distribution's central or typical value, while dispersion (or
variability) characterizes the extent to which members of the
distribution depart from its center and each other.
REFERENCES
Baungon Province of Bukidnon PhilAtlas [online]. Available:
https://www.philatlas.com/mindanao/r10/bukidnon/baungon.html#:~:text=Baungon%20is%20a%20municipal
ity%20in,the%202015%20Census%20was%2034%2C336
.

Berge, Z. L. (1995). Facilitating computer conferencing: Recommendations from the field. Educational
Technology, 35(1), 22–30.

Berge, Z. L. 1998. [online]. Barriers to online teaching in post-secondary institutions. Online Journal of
Distance Learning Administration. Available: https://www.westga.edu/~distance/Berge12.html

Berge, Z. L., & Mrozowski, S. (2001). Review of research in distance education, 1990–1999. American
Journal of Distance Education, 15(3), 5–19.

Gellman-Danley, B., and M. Fetzner. 1998. [online]. Asking the really tough questions: Policy issues for
distance learning. Available: https://www.westga.edu/~distance/danley11.html

Koohang, A. (1989). A study of attitudes toward computers: Anxiety, confidence, liking, and perception of
usefulness. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 22(2), 137–150.

Koohang, A. (2009). A learner-centered model for blended learning design. International Journal of
Innovation and Learning, 6(1), 76-91.

Muilenburga, L. and Berge, Z. (2005) Student Barriers to Online Learning: A factor analytic study
[online]available:https
://www.researchgate.net/publication/247662298_Student_Barriers_to_Online_Learning_A_Factor_Analytic_