Chapter 2

METHOD

This chapter presents a brief description of the general method of research employed in the study, the respondents of the study, the procedural steps followed in the conduct of the study, which includes research instruments, and the statistical treatment applied for the analysis and interpretation of data.

Research Design

This study made use of descriptive survey method. Descriptive-survey (Calmorin L, & Camorin M, 1995) refers to the method which collects detailed and factual information to describe existing phenomena. It describes systematically a situation or area of interest factually and accurately. It allows a researcher to carefully describe and understand behavior (http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~cslem/101/1-D.html, 2006).

Through this research, decision can be made for improving, maintaining, rejecting the focus to making it effective and efficient (Catane, 2000). Since the study described the characteristics and activism of Department of Education teachers in Region XI and the findings are the bases for educational policy formulation, the descriptive-survey method is the most appropriate to use. Through this research, educational policies can be formulated for improving the present educational system making it more effective and efficient.

Participants

The respondents of this study were the Department of Education teachers in Region XI teaching in elementary and secondary levels and are active members of different organized groups such as faculty clubs, associations, organization, and unions, could be in local, regional or national such as Alliance of Concerned Teachers in the Philippines (ACT),Kahugpungan sa mga Magtutudlo uf Kawani sa Edukasyon sa Mindanaw (KAMKEM), Davao City Public Elementary and Secondary Teachers’ Association (DCPESTA), Public Elementary Teachers’ Association (PETA), Panabo Educators’ Association (PEA), Tagum City Teachers Association, IGaCos Teachers’ Association, Digos Teachers Association. Respondents of the study are presently teaching in Davao City, Tagum City, Panabo City, Digos City, and IgaCos.

The researcher presents the frequency distribution of respondents in Table 1. As shown in Table 1, there are 8, 295 Department of Education teachers in Region XI, out of which 973 or 11.73 per cent participated in the study. Of these 973, there were 154 male and 819 female Department of Education teachers.
In the Division of Davao City there were 5,000 Department of Education teachers of which 614 or 12.28 per cent were respondents of the study. In of Tagum City Division, 106 or 10.84 per cent Department of Education teachers participated in the study. In the Division of Panabo City, out of 800 Department of Education teachers, 11.13 per cent or 106 were respondents of the study. The Division of Digos City, was represented by 100 or 10.89 per cent respondents while the Division of IGaCoS has 64 or 10.66 per cent Department of Education teachers as participants of the study.

Stratified random sampling with proportional allocation was used to obtain a sampling frame.
 

Table 1. Frequency Distribution of Respondents of the Study

Research Instruments

Questionnaires to generate data of the teachers’ characteristics and level of activism of Department of Education teachers were developed by the researcher for the purpose of the study. There were 30 items (Appendix E), which measured the teachers’ characteristics and 29 items which measured the level of activism of DepEd teachers (Appendix F).

Content validation was established by submitting the questionnaires to a panel of four experts who were chosen for their expertise (Appendix D). The clarity of language, presentation and organization of the topics, the suitability of the items, the adequacy of purpose, the attainment of purpose, the respondents- friendliness, and objectivity were the main points considered in the validation of the questionnaires. The over all rating obtained from the experts of four for the validation of the questionnaire was 4.536, which means excellent (Appendix C). After the items in the questionnaires were reviewed and validated, comments and suggestions from the jury of experts were considered and reflected in the final revision of the instruments.

The score obtained from the data of the questionnaires in the teachers’ characteristics and activism was subjected to statistical analysis. Reliability values of .92 and .90 were obtained for the questionnaire in teacher characteristics and activism respectively.

A 5-point scale developed by Likert was used to measure teachers’ characteristics and level of activism of the respondents. They were categorized from the highest to the lowest and the corresponding weight was from 5 to 1.

Legend for Teachers’ Characteristics

Scale Range Verbal Description
5 - 4.51 – 5.00 Very High Teacher Characteristics
4 - 3.51 – 4.50 High Teacher Characteristics
3 - 2.51 – 3.50 Moderately Teacher Characteristics
2 - 1.51 – 2.50 Low Teacher Characteristics
1 - 1.00 – 1.50 Very Low Teacher Characteristics

Legend for Level of Activism

Scale Range Verbal Description
5 - 4.51 – 5.00 Very High Teacher Activism
4 - 3.51 – 4.50 High Teacher Activism
3 - 2.51 – 3.50 Moderately Teacher Activism
2 - 1.51 – 2.50 Low Teacher Activism
1 - 1.0 – 1.50 Very Low Teacher Activism

The manifestations of their characteristics and in participation in activism were evaluated by the respondents using the following rating scale
5 – Strongly Agree – This describes characteristics and level of activism of Department of Education teacher embodied by the statement was always observed and manifested at all times by the respondents
4 – Agree – This indicates the characteristics and level of activism of Department of Education teacher embodied by the statement was often observed and manifested but not at all times by the respondents.
3 – Moderately Agree – this indicates the characteristics and level of activism of Department of Education teacher embodied by the statement was observed and manifested every now and then by the respondents.
2 – Disagree – This indicates characteristics and level of activism of Department of Education teacher embodied by the statement was observed and manifested once in a while by the respondents.
1 – Strongly Disagree – This indicates the characteristics and level of activism of Department of Education teacher embodied by the statement was never or almost never observed or manifested by the respondents.

Data Gathering Procedure

The following steps were observed in the gathering of data:

1. The first step was seeking permission to conduct the study through a letter address to the Region XI Regional Director Diamar Kadon. After the researcher got the approval, there was another letter sent to the Schools Division Superintendents in Davao City, in Tagum City, in Panabo City, in Digos City, and in IgaCoS. A copy of this letter is appended in this dissertation as Appendix A.
2. The researcher personally administered the research instrument to the respondents. She conferred and discussed with them the significance of the study and had accomplished the distribution of the instruments properly.
3. The respondents were given one week to accomplish the forms to prevent them from giving hasty responses. The researcher had gone from one school to another and one Division to another in collecting the accomplished questionnaires.
4. After the questionnaires were accomplished the results then were tallied and tabulated. These data would the bases of analysis and interpretation and would be the bases for reformulating educational policies.

Data Analysis

The responses on data collected were tallied, tabulated and interpreted using the numeric values assigned to the qualitative descriptions used in the questionnaires.
For valid and reliable interpretation of the data, the following statistical tools were used:

1. Weighted Mean. This is a measure of tendency which was used to describe the teachers’ characteristics and the level of activism of teachers to answer sub problems 1 and 2.

2. Pearson r. This was used to determine the significant relationship between the teacher’s characteristics and their level of activism in answer to sub-problem 3.

 

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Last modified: 06/11/06