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Chapter III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter is in accordance to the research design that will be use in the selection and description of the respondents, description of the instrument will be use, gathering and statistical treatment of data.

Research Method Descriptive method will be use in this research that intend to fulfill the objective of this study. And, this study aim to determine the Level of Mastery in College Algebra of the selected freshmen students and the range of relationship to different variable factors.

The analytical survey through a mastery test will be use in this study and will serve as the main instrument. Its purpose is to assess the level of mastery, skills and knowledge of the selected respondents in College Algebra.

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Population and Sample size The freshmen students of Department of Natural Science of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in S.Y. 2007-2008, 1st semester will be the respondents of this study.

The researcher will use the slovens formula to establish the sample size be taken from the population of size N . This is given by

to

n=

N 1 + Ne 2

where

e n

= 0.05 is the assumed margin of error = sample size

N = population size

Sampling Technique The researcher will use the random sampling technique or lottery sampling technique to establish the sample from the population.

Instrumentation A modified standardized test will be adapted from the site Glencoe Online, received from http://www.glencoe.com/sec/math/studytools/cgi-bin/msgQuiz.php4?

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isbn=0-07-860390-0&chapter=2&stp=yes&headerFile=6&state=oh that will serve as the main instrument of this study.

The standardized test is a multiple-choice type of test composed of forty (40) items.

Each item has four (4) choices which the respondents will choose the best answer. If the respondent gets the correct response, he/she will be given one(1) point otherwise no points will be given. The test covers the concepts in College Algebra.

Personal related factors such as age, sex, school graduated from, type of school graduated from, will be included in the mastery test.

The Use of Table of Specification With the knowledge of the measurement and evaluation in teaching mathematics, the researcher will construct a table of specification with regards to the mastery test in order to achieve certain objectives, this objective is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the respondents in different areas of College Algebra such as the real number concept, algebraic expressions, operations, functions, etc.

Data Gathering Procedures The researchers, through a letter of request, will ask the permission of the Dean of College of Science, Polytechnic University of the Philippines to allow them to conduct the study. Likewise, the permission to administer the mastery test to the selected BS

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Physics and BS Chemistry freshmen from the chairperson of the Department of Natural Science. The researcher themselves with the help of some mathematics instructors will administer the test. Statistical Treatment of Data To describe the profile of respondents the researcher will use the relative frequency given by

P=

f X 100% n

where

P = relative frequency
f = frequency

= size of the class

These method will also be use to determine the fractions of respondents which respond correctly in each item and will serve as an assistance in determining the level of mastery in algebra in accordance to their profile.

And to measure the central tendency of scores, the researcher will use the formula

x=

fx
n

where

fx

= the sum of observed points

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= size of the class

In getting the variability of the set of observation points.

The formula for standard deviation was used.

s=

n fx 2 ( fx ) n( n 1)

The difference of two-means given by :

t=

x1 x 2 s1 ( n1 1) + s 2 ( n2 1) 1 1 + n1 + n2 2 n1 n2
2 2

where:

x1 , x 2 = sample means

s1 , s 2

= sample variances

n1 , n 2 = sample sizes

= t-value

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This was used to test if there are significant differences in the level of mastery of respondents when grouped according to their profile and assuming that

1 = 2

a = 0.05 . Thus. The critical region for the distribution is

{t | t < t

& t > t 2 } .

The formula for Pearson product given by:

r=

x y xy n ( y) ( x) y x n n
2 2 2

will be use to seek if there exist a significant relationship between two scale data namely math PUPCET result and grade result in the mastery exam (pre-test).

And the computed

will be transformed into statistics

t,

t =r

n 2 1 r 2

and the computed statistics

will be compared to the critical value of the

t -distribution

of 0.05 assumed level of significance and degrees of freedom equals value of

t >t 2 reject

n 2 . If absolute

H o otherwise accept H o .

If there exist a significant

relationship between two values there is a significant positive linear relationship if positive. And significant negative linear relationship if

is

is negative.

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Lastly, we will use the chi-squared given by:

x2 =

(E o )
1

where

o1 = observed value of a cell in the ith row, jth column

E = expected value where E = t i t j n

= sample space

this will be use to find if there exist a significant relationship between the level of mastery in college algebra and student profile which will represent a row and a column in a contingency table.

However, a

x 2 cannot be completed if there is a category in row or column in a

contingency table which has a total (in value) if so, delete that certain category or

merge with other category to continue with x 2 .

If

x 2 > x

with 0.05 assume level of

significance and degrees of freedom it.

( df ) = ( r 1)( c 1)

reject

H o otherwise accept

If there exist a significant relationship between a row and a column of a contingency table, a Cramer's between them.

will be use to find the (extent) strength of relationship

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v=

x2 n[ min ( r1 1, c 1) ]