CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter deals with the description of the research methodology being

used in the study. It discusses the Research Design, Research Participants, Role of

the Researcher, Data Sources, Data Collection Procedure, Data Analysis,

Trustworthiness of the Study and Ethical Consideration.

RESEARCH DESIGN

This study utilized the qualitative method of research using the

phenomenological approach. We sought to understand and determine the

‘different challenges of a student commuter who commutes everyday to and from

school. As researchers we believe that the best type of research that would help us

to answer the questions in our mind is the qualitative research.

Qualitative approach was principally concerned with gaining deep

understanding of people’s circumstances and beliefs, thus it allowed the

researchers to collect in-depth data which served the aim of this study.

The present study used the qualitative method of research. Qualitative

research is a type of social science research that collects and works with non-
numerical data and that seeks to interpret meaning from these data that help us

understand social life through the study of targeted populations or places (Ashley

2019). A qualitative approach is characterized by its aims which relate to

understanding social life and of its method which generate words, rather than

numbers, as the data for analysis. The qualitative approach is used to ensure that

the evidence obtained enable us to answer the initial question as unambiguously

as possible. It served as the blueprint for conducting the research that maximizes

control over factors that could interfere with the validity of the findings.

Phenomenology is an approach to qualitative research that focuses on the

commonality of a lived experience within a particular group. The fundamental

goal of the approach is to arrive at a description of the nature of the particular

phenomenon (Creswell, 2013). Emphasized that this design would look into the

multiple perspective of the situation and make generalizations of what is

something like. In this design, it depends almost exclusively on lengthy interviews

with carefully selected sample participants.

Phenomenological study is one that focuses on descriptions on what people

experience and how it is to experience what they have experienced.

Phenomenological inquiry describes about the commonalities between the

informants as they experience a phenomenon. It is important to be aware of

personal opinions that will be answered by the respondents since it will be useful
to the researchers in interpreting the data collected. Objectivity and subjectivity

of our data and acts should be balance. The objective is to interpret the respondents

answer to the questions that will be asked by the researchers and the subjective as

the background.

RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

The participants of this study was the students of NDC Tagum Foundation,

Incorporated. According to Laura J. Horn and Jennifer Berktold (2019),

approximately 86 percent of college and highschool students are defined

as commuter students, that is, students not living in school-owned housing. The

commuter student population is a diverse group, which encompasses full-time

students who live with their parents, part-time students who live in off-campus

apartments, parents with children at home, and full-time workers. Typically,

commuter students walk, ride bikes, take public transportation, or drive to campus

to go to classes. They often attend classes and then go home or to work, rarely

spending additional time outside of the classroom on campus.

ROLE OF THE RESEARCHER

The study was conducted by the researchers, Antonette Cesar, Shon Rovic

Felimon, Joven Langote and Carlo Pahay through the active cooperation of the

four of them. Parts of the roles as a member of the group are: disseminating

information to their co-researchers, distributing tasks, assigning objectives that

each member should follow, checking the members if the tasks assigned are partly

or already done, evaluating one’s condition during the research activities, asking

for each other’s opinions or ideas and above all, giving encouragement.

The in-depth interview was facilitated by the researchers. Field notes,

questions that was raised in the discussion and voice recording was taken,

facilitated and developed by their combined efforts.

DATA SOURCES

The sources of the data is the students of NDC-Tagum Foundation,

Incorporated who is capable to answer the questions in our research questionnaire.

DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE

In collecting data, we select and gather the students of NDC-Tagum

Foundation Incorporated according to our target number of participants. For

getting the participants approval to join the interview, we send them an inform

consent and encourage them to agree with the terms and let them sign it willingly.
Next, we find a place where the participants feel comfortable when the interview

will commence. Then, the chosen participants will be given an orientation about

the study and were asked to participate through a focus group discussion as a

means of data collection. The process will start with an introductory phase, in

which the interview welcomes the participants, outlines the purpose of the

discussion and sets the parameters of the interview in terms of length and

confidentially. Researcher explains why they record the interview and what sort

of technical issues in a group discussion. Finally, it is more essential when the

discussion is about personal views and experiences so that they can answer

properly.

DATA ANALYSIS

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is an approach to

psychological qualitative research with an idiographic focus, which means that it

aims to offer insights into how a given person, in a given context, make sense of a

given phenomenon. Usually these phenomena relate to experiences of some

personal significance, such as major life event, or the development of an important

relationship. Its has its theoretical origins in phenomenology and hermeneutics,

and key ideas from Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, and Maurice Merleu-

Ponty(2018) . IPA is one of several approaches to qualitative, phenomenological

psychology. It is distinct from other approaches, in part, because of its combination

of psychological, interpretative, and idiographic components. Data collective from

individuals who have experience the phenomenon through focus group

discussion and in-depth interviews. Next, is the phenomenological data analysis;

analysis: interviewing, highlighting “significance statements”, understanding

how the participants experienced the phenomenon and developing cluster of

meaning from these significant statements into description of what the

participants experience.

Lastly, from the structural and textual descriptions, the researchers then write a

composite description that presents the “essence” of the phenomenon, called

essential, invariant structure (or essence).

Trustworthiness of the Study

This research study is credible because the researchers are confident and

honest about the research studies findings.

This research study can be applied to other contexts with similar situations and

same phenomena. The researchers can use more information to prove that this

study is transferable in any situation and in any circumstances.

The findings of this study are based on the answers of the participants and not

from the personal opinions of the researchers that makes the study objective. To
show the conformability of the study, the researchers provide the data analysis to

prove that the researchers are not bias.

Credibility means the result of the research were believable from the perspective

of the participant in the research. Credibility was not after on the volume of data

gathered, but on the content of the information at hand. To address credibility, we

will be using three techniques. First, we’ll present the credibility of the data

gathered as intent of truthfully illustrating and knowing the facts which are

phenomenon in which the participants are included. Second, in designing the

research procedure, we will conduct a focus group discussion which will extract

the own ideas of family business owners. Third, we will deliberately ask the

informants to state their own standing and say on the research matter. Our

intention here is to create layers of data from each participant.

Dependability refers to the stability or consistency of the inquiry processes used

over time. A dependable study needs to be accurate and consistent. Thus, in this

study, we will be transparent in the methods that we will be using, report it in

details so that the future researchers may be able to get idea from this study.

Conformability refers to the degree to which the results could be confirmed

or corroborated by others. The researchers will document the procedures for

checking and rechecking the data throughout the study. In addition, we will

conduct a data audit that examines the data collection and analysis procedures

and makes judgements about the potential for bias or distortion.

Transferability is the degree to which the findings of this inquiry can apply or

transfer beyond the bounds of the project. This refers to the degree to which the

results of qualitative research can be generalized or transferred to other contexts

or settings. We will enhance the transferability of this study by doing a thorough

job of describing the research context and the assumptions that were central to the

research.

Ethical Consideration

Since the informants are the key contributor of this study, it is only right and

just to respect whatever opinions and views towards the research matter. Thus,

the establishment

of ethical consideration is a must in the realization of the study. We will make sure

that the informants accepted the invitation for interview on their own will and

without being compelled by anyone. The informants will be informed beforehand

on what the study is all about and asked for their permission to participate on it.
Furthermore, on the interview, we will make sure that they are not forced to share

their own opinions and ideas instead they are to be encouraged to tell what is

ought to be said for the fulfilment of our study. Nothing more, nothing less.