Chapter 2

METHODOLOGY

This section presents the assumptions and rationale for a quantitative design, type

of design used, research locale, respondents, research instruments utilized, data

gathering procedure, statistical tool and ethical considerations.

Research Design

There will one methodological framework that the researchers will employed in this

study: descripted correlational. According to Kowalczyk 2015, a correlation research

seeks for variable that connects with each other, so that when variable changes, the

research had an idea on how the other variable change as well. For instance, if the first

variable increases and the other variable increases as well then it will result to a positive

correlation. On the other hand, if the first variable increases while the other deceases

then it will result to a negative correlation. In, addition according to Prince and Oswald

2008, correlational studies involve testing null hypothesis to see if the relationship of the

two variables are statistically significant.

Comparative research, on the other hand, compares two group to draw

conclusions about them, as noted by Richardson 2015. Furthermore, this type of

quantitative design is mostly cross-cultural, comparing two separate people groups.

Research Locale

The research will be conducted within University of Mindanao, more specifically in

University of Mindanao Matina Campus, Davao City. Where the STEM Strand Students

are located and easy to find. It was easy to the researchers to conducted the research in

the said locale.

Research Respondents

The respondents of this study are the Senior High School students from STEM

Strand in University of Mindanao, Matina Campus, Davao City.

According to the statistical and technical team (2001), a statistical sample should

include 50-100 cases for each sample per sub-group to analyze. This is also supported

by Chassan (1979) which state that methodologists insists upon a minimum of 50-100

subjects. Thus, the researchers included 50 respondents in one strand.

Table 1 Distribution of Respondents on STEM Students

Strand Total Frequency Percentage

STEM 50 33.33%

Research Instrument

The major tool that will be used in the data gathering process was a survey

questionnaire. Each variable of the study will have a separate questionnaire.

 The survey queationnaire on anxiety, on the other hand, was designed by the

researchers. This consists of 3 indicators, cognitive anxiety, emotional anxiety and

academic anxiety. Each indicator has also ten questions.

The survey questionnaire will undergo validation by the chosen poll of experts.

This was to ensure that the survey qeustionnaires adapted and created by the

researchers arw appropriate, valid and reliable to the study.

The scoring guide in the analysis of the responses on the on the extent of Anxiety

and the Academic Performance are categorized into five levels. The scalea are as follows:

Range of Means Verbal Description Interpretation

The Likert scale was used in interpreting the data on the extent of Anxiety of the

STEM strand students

Range of Means Verbal Description Interpretation

4.20-5.00 Very High This indicates that

the extent of the Anxiety is

far high above the expected level

3.40-4.19 High This indicates that

the extent of the Anxiety is

above the expected level

2.60-3.39 Moderate This indicates that

the extent of the Anxiety is

 within the expected level

1.80-2.59 Low This indicates that

the extent of the Anxiety is

below the expected level

1.00-1.79 Very low This indicates that

the extent of the Anxiety is

far below to the expected level

Data Gathering Procedure

The following steps will be follow in the gathering of data;

1. Seeking permission to conduct the study. The researcher will seek

permission from the principals/deans of the students that will participates in

this study.

2. Administrations and distribution of the questionnaire. After the

approval of the heads or principals. The researchers will ask the

participants. Before they answer the questionnaires, the researchers again

willl seek consent to parents of the students to let their children participate

in the study. After the approval, the study commenced.

3. Retrieve of the questionnaire. the data will be retrieve, collect, taile,

tabulate, analyze, and interprete confidentially and accordingly through the

aid of the statistican.

 Statistical Treatment of the Data

The responses to the items of the questionnaire were tailed and recorded

accordingly. The statistical tools were utilized in the study are the following;

Mean. The statistical tool was used to determine the extent of the Anxiety

and the Academic Performance of the respondents in answer to sub-problems

1 and 2.

Person product-moment coefficient Correlation. This measure was

used to determine the extent of the Anxiety and the Academic Performance of

the STEM students in answer to sub-problem 3.

Coefficient of Determination. This statistical tool was used to determine

the percent of the Anxiety and Academic Perfomance to answer sub-problem

4.

Ethical Considerations

To address the issues on credibility on this research, the researchers made use

of Lincoln and Guba's (1985) truthworties and authenticity which has four creteria:

credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. Though Lincoln and Guba's

method is appicable for qualitative research, it has equivalence in quantitative studies,

internal validity, eternal validity, reliability and objectivity (Bryman, 2001) respectively. The

following paragraphs elucidate the processes of achieving each technique.

 Reliability, on the other hans, can also be achieved through the same way. The

researchers had made sure that the questionnaire items were connected with the

research questions. And it provided an accurate representation of the variables. With the

validation of the questionnaire and adaption of a survey qurstionnaire, the research can

therefore be reliable.

Merriam (as cited by Shenton, 2004: 1) noted that external validity or

transferability"is concerned with the extent yo which thr findings of one study can be

applied to other situations." To achieve it, the researchers ensured that sufficient

contextual information were provided to readers to relate the finding to their own position.

There was comprehensible and detailed explantion, guided with related literature. Tables

and graphs in the presentation of information . With this, future researchers could use this

study yo unlock new discoveries or strategies in connection with free voluntary reading or

skills in a different gruop of participants or in a different research method.

Lastly, auditing of the data were instituted through the use of audit trail, thus we

attained confirmability or objectively. The data that were collected by the researchers

were well kept, sorting the responses of each tribe. Colored sticky notes, pink, blue, were

attached subject. Futhermore, in answering the survey questionnaires, the researchers

shall provide the respondents with ballpoint pens to ensure that there were no attempts

of erasures in the parts of reseachers.

Another issue of ethics that the researchers faced was the assurance of respect

for persons, beneficence and justice, three core ptinciples in research ethics by Mack et

Al (2005). In achieving this, there was confidentially of the research respondents. They

and their parents were given consent forms for voluntary submission on the research.
Furthermore, their names on their consent forms were blackened completely using a

marker for confidentially putposes. It was also assumed that the participants did not have

any misgiving with regard to the data that gathered. If there were interviews to support

the findings of the study, pseudonyms were used for the participants. Whenever we

conducted research on people, the well-being of research participants must be the top

priority. The statement of the problem is always of secondary importance. This means

that if a choice must be made between doing harm to a participant and doing harm to the

research, it is the research that is sacrificed ( Mark et. Al, 2005).