Chapter 3 Research Methodology Our basic research plan was to conduct two independent surveys about how steel

framing or steel core houses is being adopted or accepted by the public and the building industry itself. We form two surveying teams that toured, observed and conducted interviews among the residents of the city. We chose two sample populations of 100 residents, one for each team. The first team toured the northern part of Manila and surveyed the type or kind of construction of the houses of 100 residents. The result is summarized in the table below: No. of residents 1. all-concrete house 2. timber house with sheet steel roofing 3. concrete-timber house with sheet steel roofing 27 32 41 ______________ Total : 100 residents It is shown that a majority of the residents (41) have been living in concrete-timber houses with sheet steel roofing, while 32 live in timber houses with sheet steel roofings, and the rest (27) reside in all-concrete houses. The second team toured the southern part of the city to find out who are willing to adopt or shift to a steel core house as a second home. Otherwise, we asked them what kind of house construction do they prefer. Whether steel core or frame, timber-frame, or concrete-all-around. The results are summarized below from a sample population of 100 residents.

Preferred Construction 1. Steel core/frame 2. Timber frame 3. Concrete-all-around

No. of residents 63 19 18 ________________ Total : 100 residents

The above survey was obtained after providing the residents with a brief orientation of the nature of the various types of building constructions and materials particularly with steel core/frame houses. Reference Book: Statistical Analysis Fourth Edition by: George A. Ferguson Instrumentation We have shown the residents about the benefits and advantages of the steel core/frame houses in terms of initial costs, maintenance costs, and durability as compared to the other types of building constructions. We have given them several fact sheets that give brief information about its advantageous features. Procedure and Time Frame Our target number of residents to be surveyed per day is 10 residents. Therefore the total time spent by each survey team is 10 days for a sample population of 100 residents. Analysis Plan The survey was conducted randomly in various neighborhoods. The plan was to acquire an as accurate as possible representation of the actual preference of the majority of homeowners in regard to their house construction. And it came out that most prefer the steel-core/frame houses because of its beneficial features and characteristics. Validity and Reliability Based on the surveys, the residents are mostly considering the criteria of durability,

safety and lower maintenance cost for their decision or preference to build a steelcore/frame house. For them, the initial cost aspect comes in second only, as they are counting on the long-term benefits of a steel-core/frame house. Assumptions We can fairly assume the correctness and accuracy of our research survey, as it was conducted randomly on a sizable population sample of 100 residents. The residents had come up with informed answers and decisions to our questions, as we have given them an understanding on the various types of existing and available home constructions, along with its advantages and disadvantages. Scope and Limitations the scope of the survey was limited to the city residents, conducted over a period of 10 days by two (2) teams who worked simultaneously but independently. Since two (2) types of survey were conducted, the first one on the existing types of house construction, and the second one on the individual preference of each resident, we can safely say that the research was fairly accurate.