THE CHANGING PHASES OF PROGRESSIVE STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS IN NEGROS OCCIDENTAL

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

OVERVIEW

This research was conducted in order to find out the struggles and the present day

relevance of Progressive Student Organizations in Negros Occidental, what are the presently

active progressive student groups, who are the active proponents, what particular field they

relatively pay attention to, how they strategize and execute their advocacies, and what concrete

and significant effects do they have on different sectorial groups. In order to answer these

research problems, the researchers obtained data from four tertiary institutions in Bacolod City

namely the University of St. La Salle, University of Negros Occidental Recoletos, West Negros

University, and Carlos Hildao Memorial State College. Specifically, two (2) % of the student

population of the four (4) schools were randomly selected to make up the sampling frame.

Selected participants will answer a questionnaire regarding the said topics. The researchers also

conducted focused group discussion (FGD), and one on one interviews with former and present

leaders with backgrounds coming from progressive student groups. Data gathered from this

research instrument are computed for interpretation. Along with primary data, the researchers

also made use of secondary resources from published literatures to support survey and interview

data.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The study revolved around the struggles and relevance of Progressive Student

Organizations in Bacolod and Negros Occidental. The researchers incorporated a descriptive

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THE CHANGING PHASES OF PROGRESSIVE STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS IN NEGROS OCCIDENTAL

type of investigation. The study described and trailed the past and present situations according to

the natural social phenomena that happened which includes the systems of improvisations that

were employed by different progressive student organizations. First, the researchers identified

the origins of these Progressive Student Organizations which included active proponents and

their corresponding components that they established. As to these groups’ current demographics,

demographics were compiled, gathered, and compared with their statistical (quantitatively and

qualitatively) data. In point of comparison to each other, the researchers further determined and

compared the roles of students, labor; and gender rights; issues, respectively. Lastly, for the

struggles faced by Progressive Student Organizations, the researchers identified the methods

used by these organizations procured, and plotted (or will procure and will plot) to advance their

advocacies and movements.

As to the relevance of the Progressive Student Organizations, the researchers identified

and quantified the impact of these student organizations to the student bodies. It will be then

further elaborated as to how they reacted/ react or even proactively responded/ respond to the

issues concerning social, political, and economic aspects of the said groups in the previous

paragraph. The relevance lastly was expanded by the benefits which were put into numbers/

ranks according to what the different sectorial groups have in return of the work did by various

Progressive Student Organizations.

PARTICIPANTS

This study encouraged any student participants from identified universities and colleges

in Bacolod City, namely the University of St. La Salle, University of Negros Occidental-

Recoletos, West Negros University and Carlos Hilado Memorial State College to take a survey.

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THE CHANGING PHASES OF PROGRESSIVE STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS IN NEGROS OCCIDENTAL

Other participants came from Progressive Student Organizations themselves, leaders and or

coordinators regardless if they are in or out of school.

In total, the researchers surveyed a minimum of 500 participants coming from the chosen

schools. Additionally, the researchers obtained data from all student government leaders from the

said institutions, and leaders of external progressive student groups.

Furthermore, these institutions were classified to represent the different social classes that

represent the people of Bacolod and Negros Occidental, namely the upper, middle, and lower

classes. These three (3) social class groups are well represented by the four (4) identified tertiary

academic institutions.

Lastly, the researchers conducted focused group discussions and one on one interviews

with prominent and active/ former progressive student group leaders.

INSTRUMENTS

The researchers used survey questionnaires in the response of the student bodies which

mostly are in the ordinal data as answers to the questions as to their ratings to describe the

relevance and impact of these Progressive Student Organizations to the student body. As to the

other sectorial organizations, and student governments and the Progressive Student

Organizations themselves, augmentations of interview questions through one-on-one interviews

and focused group discussions that cannot be verified solely by written questionnaires were

employed.

The instruments of the researchers are further interpreted through ordinal schemes from

the least to the highest according to how they will be doing it in actual demonstration. (e.g.: one

(1) to four (4) being 4 as the highest)

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THE CHANGING PHASES OF PROGRESSIVE STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS IN NEGROS OCCIDENTAL

DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS

The researchers processed the data through appropriate measurements and central

tendencies like deviations and variances of each data which were collated throughout the process

of taking the data from the samples. If the data were to be of a fairly symmetrical one, then the

mean, furthered weighted mean will be incorporated. On the other hand, when the data was more

likely to become skewed negatively or positively, then the researchers employed getting the

median of the data to describe the phenomena.

To compare, the researchers got the variance, correlational coefficients, and other

statistical formulas to interpret then the data. In analyzing qualitative data, a frequency

distribution table was taken into account.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

This part relatively regarded possible margin of errors the researchers underwent along

the process. First, the researchers, though with versatility into a broad study of political and

social concepts, were limited to what they basically were trained and educated to appropriately

and accurately the data in a most likely professional manner. The participants were identified as

a form of proposal, they were not required but were encouraged to participate in the study, thus

this set a limited implication of knowledge of data which in turn is a plausible cause for errors in

the said study. Lastly, the researchers tried to investigate for answers with considerations in

respecting the confidentiality of respondents.