CHAPTER-3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Data Gathering Procedure

The data for this research were collected using a survey questionnaire. The survey was created using suitable questions modified from related research and individual questions formed by the researcher. The survey was comprised of dichotomous questions, questions based on level of measurement, and filter or contingency questions, which were related to the participant’s perception regarding open space & disaster relief area in Las Piñas City. After the professor validated the questionnaire, these were distributed to the LGUs of Las Piñas City. The researchers assured confidentiality of their survey sheets since the identities are optional. The researchers also understood that people’s consciousness may also affect their honesty and effectiveness in answering the survey, and so, the researchers gave people the option of being anonymous. Participants were given time to respond and then the researchers collected the surveys the next day. There were no incentives offered for participating in the research.

Research Instrument

The instrument used was a researcher-made questionnaire checklist to gather the needed data. The questionnaire that was used in this study was designed to obtain information regarding open space & disaster relief area in Las Piñas City. Open-minded questions will be used to give the respondents the opportunity to give their responses and suggestions. The questionnaire prepared by the researchers was drawn out by based on readings, findings, previous studies, professional literature, published and unpublished thesis relevant to the study. In preparation of the instrument, the requirements in the designing of good data collection instrument were considered. For instance, statement describing the situations or issues pertaining was toned down to accommodate the knowledge preparedness of the respondents. In the end it encouraged open responses to sensitive issues at hand.

Statistical Treatment of Data

Statistical treatment of data is essential in order to make use of the data in the right form. Raw data collection is only one aspect of any experiment; the organization of data is equally important so that appropriate conclusions can be drawn. This is what statistical treatment of data is all about.

There are many techniques involved in statistics that treat data in the required manner. Statistical treatment of data is essential in all experiments, whether social, scientific or any other form. Statistical treatment of data greatly depends on the kind of experiment and the desired result from the experiment.

The best way to do this is through the measures of central tendencies like mean, median and mode. These help the researcher explain in short how the data are concentrated. Range, uncertainty and standard deviation help to understand the distribution of the data. Therefore two distributions with the same mean can have wildly different standard deviation, which shows how well the data points are concentrated around the mean.

Calculation Examples

To calculate median, consider the following example. Suppose we have the heights of different trees in a garden, and we need an “average” value for this. Say the heights in meters are 1.5, 6.9, 2.8, 1.8 and 2.3.

Arrange order. Arrange the numbers in either ascending or descending order, such as 1.5, 1.8, 2.3, 2.8 and 6.9. Choose middle value. Choose the value which is exactly in the middle of the order. 1.5, 1.8, 2.3, 2.8, 6.9

The median of this distribution is 2.3, which is the middle value, separating the lower half {1.5, 1.8} from the upper half {2.8, 6.9}.