1

2
W RITING
C HA PTE R 3

UNDERSTANDING DATA
AND WAYS TO SYSTEMATICALLY COLLECT IT
 The Learning Goals 3

Knowing Your Destination. Informing the Journey

choose appropriate quantitative research

design
describe sampling procedure and the
sample
construct an instrument and establish its
validity and reliability

plan data collection procedure

plan data analysis using statistics and

hypothesis testing (if appropriate);
 4

Determining the Sample Size

There are a few guidelines that we would
suggest with regard to the minimum number
of subjects needed. For descriptive studies,
we think a sample with a minimum number
of 100 is essential. For correlational studies,
a sample of at least 50 is deemed necessary
to establish the existence of a relationship.
For experimental studies, we recommend a
minimum of 30 individuals per group

Fraenkel & Wallen (2012)

 The Instrument
5

The Key to Finding the Answers

A survey questionnaire is a
1 This refers to the questionnaire
or data gathering tool to be
commonly used type of instrument in
research that lists questions about a
constructed, validated and topic with spaces for responses.
administered.
If researcher-made, it must be Yes/No Coding
2 tested for validity and
Do you consider
research to be
I use my phone during
class.
reliability. important? ___ 4 Always
Recognition ___ 3 Often
If adopted, the student should
3 indicate its description as to its
Which of the following
do you consider in
buying a phone?
___ 2 Seldom
___ 1 Never

items, scoring and ___ brand name Subjective

qualification. ___ price How do you feel when

4 The researcher must explain

its parts, and how the
___ specs
___ others, please
specify
you leave your phone
at home accidentally.

instrument will be validated. Completion TYPES of

The instrument to be used When I hear my phone
ring, I
QUESTIONS
should be appended. _____________________
 The Instrument
6

The Key to Finding the Answers

Instrument Design
A good questionnaire must
Name (Optional)
1 Contain different types of
questions: personal, attitudinal
____________________________
Age _________ Sex __ M __ F
or behavioral; sensitive Grade ___
questions (if applicable).
Use strategies for good
2 construction: uses clear
I am enthusiastic about being a
student
language, makes sure that
___ SA ____ A ____DA ____SD
answer options do not overlap; Validity is the ability of an instrument
posing questions that are to measure what it intends to
applicable to participants.
Valid and reliable. Underwent measure.
3 pilot testing to a small number
of individuals. Reliability refers to the consistency
of results.
 Please repeat the question.
7

Evaluating questions
Do you like cellphones?
Unclear, vague question Whenever the teacher is discussing in
Do you believe that students must front of the class and a phone rings
be allowed to use cellphones right in the middle of it, it can be
during class? distracting. Do you find the ringing of
a phone distracting enough to take
Do you believe cellphones and laptops you out of your focus?
must be allowed for use inside the Too long
classroom? Do you find ringing sounds of a
A combination of two questions phone distracting while in class?
Do you believe that laptops must
be allowed for use inside the Agree or disagree: The school should
classroom? not discontinue its ban of cellular
phones in class.
Do you consider a quadcore processor Double negatives
to be an important feature of a Do you agree that the school
cellphone? should continue banning phones
 The Instrument
8

Writing this section

What instruments will you use

College Students’ Social Media Use and 0 to gather data to answer your
Their Attention Span in Class 1 research questions? Describe
the instruments.
Specifically, this study shall seek answers to
the following questions: 0 Why did you choose these
1. What is the level of social media usage of instruments?
SHS students of CBI in terms of: 2
a. forms of social media; What are the major parts of
b. frequency of social media use; and 0 your instruments including
c. mode of social media use? the major variables and sub-
2. What is the attention span in class of SHS 3
variables to be measured?
students of CBI?
0
What rating scale will you
4 use?
 The Instrument
9

Writing this section

This study shall make use of two research

What instruments will you use
instruments to provide data on the variables being 0 to gather data to answer your
studied. A validated questionnaire will be used to
determine the respondents’ level of social media 1 research questions? Describe
use. To measure the respondents’ attention span in the instruments.
class, the researchers intend to use a mobile
application. These instruments are further 0 Why did you choose these
described in the succeeding paragraphs. 2 instruments?

Social Media Use Questionnaire. The purpose of

What are the major parts of
this questionnaire is to assess the respondents’ 0 your instruments including
level of social media use in terms of three factors: 3 the major variables and sub-
form of social media use, frequency of use, and variables to be measured?
mode of use. It was developed and tested for
validity and reliability by Cruz (2012) for his 0
What rating scale will you
research on the impact of social media usage on 4 use?
the academic performance of college students in
the Philippines. Aside from being recent, the
researchers have decided to use the instruments
 The Instrument
10

Writing this section

A cover letter addressed to the researchers is

attached to the questionnaire explaining the What instruments will you use
research, its rationale and purpose, and the
0 to gather data to answer your
general instructions on how to fill out the form. 1 research questions? Describe
The questionnaire is composed of four parts. the instruments.
Part one seeks to gather data regarding the
demographic profile of the respondents which 0 Why did you choose these
includes their sex, age, and course. Part two of 2 instruments?
the questionnaire lists down all available forms
of social media and instructs the respondent to What are the major parts of
check those which they use, as many as 0 your instruments including
applies. Part three seeks to determine how 3 the major variables and sub-
frequent the respondents use social media by variables to be measured?
asking them to rate their level of frequency to
10 statements. Possible responses are limited 0
What rating scale will you
to a five-point Likert scale: (5) Always, (4) 4 use?
Often; (3) Sometimes; (2) Seldom; (1) Never.
 The Intervention
11

What treatment?

How many groups are there? Describe

1 the group(s). If there are two, state the
similarities and differences.
Clearly and completely What will happen to each group in the
describe how the 2 experiment that you intend to do?
intervention will be Discuss the procedure step-by-step.
implemented, such that the Explain what each participant will do in
reader can replicate the 3 each step. Also, describe how long each
intervention. of these steps will take.
Describe what happens in
comparison group.
 Data Collection Procedure
12

Let others know step-by-step

The process for gathering the needed data in

Describe whose permission the study is described in the following steps.
will be sought and what 1. The researcher shall seek the permission
1 arrangements need to be
of the authors of the instruments that will
be adapted in this study.
made to administer 2. The researchers will secure permission of
instruments.
After all permissions have the college administration to obtain a list
of students from which the samples will be
been granted, discuss how selected. Also, a permission to conduct
the samples will be
2 contacted and explain the
data collection will be sought from the
concerned officials of the school.
process of administering the 3. The questionnaires shall be distributed to
the selected samples during one of their
questionnaires.
classes with a permission from the
facilitating professor and the note of
State how the
3 questionnaires will be
approval of the university.
4. Questionnaires shall be retrieved the same
retrieved. day as they were given to ensure a higher
return percentage of questionnaires.
Plan for Data Analysis 13

Putting Puzzle Pieces Together

This section indicates how the data will

be analyzed and reported; it should
specify the qualitative and/or
quantitative methods that will be used
in analyzing the data gathered for the
Describeresearch.
analysis to be done
1 for each research question,
following sequence in
Statement of Problem.
State if tests of hypotheses will
2 be done and for what purpose.

Add scoring system for

3 instruments.

Avoid giving formulas or

4 standard procedures for
statistical tools.
 Plan for Data Analysis
14

Putting Puzzle Pieces Together

This section indicates how the data will
be analyzed and reported; it should To answer the questions presented under the
specify the qualitative and/or Statement of the Problem, the following statistical
quantitative methods that will be used tools will be employed:
in analyzing the data gathered for the 1. Percentages will be used to present and
analyze data regarding the demographic
Describeresearch.
analysis to be done profile of the respondents.
1 for each research question, 2. Weighted mean will be computed to represent
following sequence in the responses of each respondent to the
Statement of Problem. questionnaire and their attention span score
State if tests of hypotheses will
2 be done and for what purpose.
while standard deviation will be used to
determine the degree of variability in these
values. This mean shall be interpreted as
Add scoring system for follows:
3 instruments. 3. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation
Coefficient will be used to determine the
degree of relationship between social media
Avoid giving formulas or
4 standard procedures for
use and attention span. The correlation
coefficient will be interpreted as follows (Dela
statistical tools. Cruz, 2005)
 15

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