In this chapter, the research methodology implemented for this study was explained in detail.

The research setting was described first, then the research design, participants, and sampling
procedure. It is followed by the research instruments and a discussion on the validity and
reliability of the instruments. The chapter then discusses the research protocol and data gathering
procedure that the researchers applied. It concludes the statistical techniques used in the
construction of the research methodology.

Research Setting

The researchers aimed to conduct this research study on Liceo de Cagayan University campuses,
where the researchers are currently enrolled. It would make it accessible to the researchers. The
university was located at Cagayan de Oro City and was nonsectarian. It was the second-largest
university in the city. It was suitable to conduct this research study in this area as it has a lot of
businesses and consumers all over the city where the university was situated.

Liceo de Cagayan University has three (3) campuses: the main campus, Rodolfo N. Pelaez
(RNP) campus, and the Paseo del Rio (PDR) campus. The main campus was at Rodolfo N.
Pelaez Blvd., Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro City, where the colleges and a part of the Senior High
School were located in the primary and administrative offices. The Rodolfo N. Pelaez (RNP)
campus was located at Calamansi Dr., Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City. It was where the pre-
school, grade school, junior high school, a part of senior high school, and a part of the College of
Education. Lastly, the Paseo del Rio (PDR) campus was the newest campus where the
paramedical colleges and a part of Senior High School are situated. It was located at the Rodelsa
Circle, Macasandig, Cagayan de Oro City.

Research Design

A descriptive-correlational research design was employed in this study. The descriptive research
approach was a primary research method that examines the situation in its current state.
Descriptive research involves the identification of attributes of a particular phenomenon based on
an observational basis or the exploration of the correlation between two or more phenomena
(Leedy and Ormrod, 2001). Through interpretation, the connection between several different
variables was established. In the correlational research design, the research examined the
differences between the two characteristics of the study group. Creswell (2002) defined
correlation as a statistical test to establish patterns for two variables. The statistical analysis of
the research question was conducted through a progression or sequence of calculations used by a
standard test for correlation. This strategy was ideal for the research study at hand, which
examined the attitudes and behaviors of consumers. The intent was to establish, confirm, or
validate relationships and develop generalizations that contribute to theory (Leedy and Ormrod,
2001, p. 102). This type of research allows the researchers to employ inquiry strategies such as
experimental and surveys and collect data on predetermined instruments that yield statistical
data.
Participants and Sampling Procedure

The target participants of this research study were students who are 18 years old and older of the
School of Business, Management and Accountancy of Liceo de Cagayan University. A minimum
of two hundred ninety-seven (297) students were randomly selected by simple random sampling.
A simple random sample is a method of selection that encompasses the variance of the
population into a smaller sub-group (Hayes, 2020). For this reason, these ages are the typical
consumers of society. A random procedure was used for selecting the participants in this study.
This technique was employed to ensure a relatively equal representation of the study's variables.
It was achieved by sending google forms which contain the survey questionnaire to people
within the city.

The Slovin's Formula (1960) was used to determine the sample size of the whole population. It
has a 95% level of confidence and a 5% margin of error. It ensured that the whole School of
Business, Management, and Accountancy was appropriately represented. The desired level of
precision, the estimated proportion of the attribute present in the population, and the desired
confidence level allowed calculating the ideal sample size. Considering the School of Business,
Management and Accountancy have several populations, calculating the needed sample size was
necessary to represent the whole population. The survey took 5-10 minutes and was answered at
the participants' convenient time. The survey questionnaires were also accessible through google
docs. The data was to be stored and kept in a flash drive and deleted after ten years.

Research Instruments

The researchers used survey questionnaires adapted from Nateeprachthaveechai, Woravut (2009)
as a tool for gathering data; this will serve as the basis of the study and the purposes of the study.
This questionnaire was answered by the selected participants who agreed to participate, which
provides linear and precise results. Whatever the results of this survey questionnaire were the
only basis of the study. The questionnaire consisted of four parts, (1) the socio-demographic
profile, (2) the consumer perception, (3) the consumers' behavior, attributes, and practices, and
(4) the online purchasing decision. The survey questionnaire was indicated in the appendix.

The first part consisted of nine (9) questions that included the socio-demographic profile of the
participants. It consisted of name, which was optional, sex, age, and experience on online
purchasing, digital experience, and digital voluntariness. The second part consisted of twelve
(12) questions that determine the consumers' perception of digital marketing. Among the twelve
questions, three (3) questions were for the performance expectancy variable, questions 4 and 5
were for effort expectancy, questions 6-8 were for social influence, and questions 9-12 were for
the facilitating conditions variable. The third part consisted of eleven (11) questions to determine
the consumers' behaviors, attitudes, and practices. Among these questions, the first three (3)
questions were intended for consumer behavior; questions numbers 4-8 are for consumer
attitudes, and questions 9-11 are for consumer practices. Lastly, the fourth part consisted of ten
(8) intended for the online purchasing decision of the consumers. Among these questions
included the first two (2) questions for the variable need recognition, questions 3-6 for
information research, questions 5 and 6 for evaluating alternatives, question 7 for the purchase
decision, and question 8 for post-purchase decision.

These four variables mentioned above, namely, "Performance Expectancy" (PE), "Effort
Expectancy" (EE), "Social Expectancy" (SE), and Facilitating Condition (FC) in Unified Theory
of Acceptance and Use of Technology was, recognized in order to have a better result of the
study (Venkatesh et al., 2003). In addition, the theory also included four moderating factors of
the independent variables, namely, gender, age, experience, and voluntariness. The utilization of
this model aimed to explain the user's intention for using the information system—digital
marketing, in the case of this study—and the resulting usage behavior.

The researchers adapted the 5-point Likert scale on all the questions, excluding the determination
of name, sex, gender, and experience on online purchasing. The Likert scale was designed to
measure people's attitudes, opinions, or perspectives (Salkind, 2016). This rating system was
used to evaluate the participants' responses to specific questions. The consumer's perception of
digital marketing was measured with a scale of (5) for strongly agree, (4) for agree, (3) for
neutral, (2) for disagree, and (1) for strongly disagree. The questionnaire was adapted and
modified to fit the current participants (Arbab, T., Hamaidi, H., & Gharakhani, M., 2020). A
pilot study was also conducted to verify the reliability of the used questions. The scoring scale
used the following:

Table 1

The Scoring Scale Used in the Study for the Interpretation of Data Gathered

Score

Scale

Verbal Description

Interpretation

4.50 – 5.00

Strongly Agree

Extremely Approve

3.50 – 4.49

Agree
Approve

2.50 – 3.49

Neutral

Neutral

1.50 – 2.49

Disagree

Disapprove

1.00 – 1.49

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disapprove

Validity and Reliability of the Instruments

The questionnaire was designed for a validation process on the instrument's accuracy. Thus, it
adapted the face and content validity as the researchers sought good outcomes from the
assessment. Face and content validity were introduced by McBurney (1994).

• Face validity evaluates the appearance of the questionnaire's feasibility, consistency,

• Content validity implies exploring how the content of assessment performs. It pertains to the
relevance of each questionnaire item related to the study.

In the validation process of this study, copies of the questionnaire and copies of the research
questions were given to selected participants. These participants went through the research
questions and the questionnaire carefully to ascertain the appropriateness and adequacy of the
instrument. The researcher preferred the Likert scale because, according to the Likert scale,
strongly agree assigns 4 points, agree 3 points, disagree 2 points, and strongly disagree 1 point.

A validated questionnaire was run through pilot testing to see if the study was accurate and
consistent. In order to have reliable results, the researchers used the Cronbach alpha test for
reliability to see if the coefficient was more than 0.70, which was an acceptable level. This
Cronbach alpha test examined the instrument quality.

Data Gathering Procedures

The sample in focus was the population of respondents currently a student of Liceo de Cagayan
to gather their perception on the utilization of digital marketing and its Liceo de Cagayan
University School of Business, Management and Accountancy 47 relationship towards their
purchasing decision. The online questionnaire link was distributed through various online
platforms due to the general community quarantine limitations and to accommodate a broader
range of respondents. This distribution method was also utilized because it is associated with
handling the data (Low et al.,2020). The online questionnaire sent to the respondents includes the
consent letter for the assurance of confidentiality on the respondents. More so, the study's
objectives were to be correctly relayed to the respondents.

The questionnaire was designed to take approximately 5–10 min to complete. Structured
questions are provided in the questionnaire to keep the consistency of choices and ease of
response. Orderly reminders were sent after the questionnaire link had been distributed to the
respondents to request a response in case someone overlooked or forgot the initial task. After the
respondents answered the questions, the researcher began analyzing the data gathered.

In conducting the study, the researchers observed the ethical guidelines set by the University
ethics review committee. The researchers asked permission from the Dean of the School of
Business, Management and Accountancy and from the Research Publication Office to conduct
the study. After the proposal defense, the researchers gathered all the suggestions or
recommendations of the panel and revised the research paper. Upon approval, the researchers
commenced with data gathering. The researchers provided online questionnaires through online
platforms; rest assured that their answers and the results gathered from the survey will be kept
confidential and their privacy. The questionnaires were evaluated with honesty and were only
used as the basis of the study.

Statistical Techniques

Statistical methods were adopted to analyze the data received through the questionnaire survey to
present the results in a meaningful way and reach an accurate conclusion. Ordinal scale
measurements were used for the data collected. The ordinal scale measurements ranged from
'strongly disagree' (SD) to 'strongly agree' (SD) on questions regarding digital marketing. Ordinal
scales provided good information about the order of choices, such as a customer satisfaction
survey (Onyango, 2016 & Najib Razali et al., 2014). The items in this scale were classified
according to the degree of occurrence of the variable in a question. The collected data were
analyzed using different techniques: Cronbach's alpha test, frequency description, descriptive
data analysis, and Pearson correlation coefficient.
Cronbach's alpha test was used to measure the internal consistency and reliability of the data
gathered. The value of alpha ranges from zero (0) to one (1), and a range from 0.58 to 0.95 was
the best range for reliability confirmation, whereas any value lower than 0.58 was not
satisfactory (Taber, 2018). In addition, frequency description was used to describe respondents'
profiles, such as age, gender, course, and demographics. It was further used for the respondent's
opinions and returned feedback on the digital marketing competencies and aspects present in the
given questionnaire. The choices were ranked accordingly to the level of perception of the
respondents. (Masis et al., 2017). In addition, descriptive data analyses were used to measure the
central tendency and variability, including measures such as mean and standard deviation. These
were used to describe the data's basic features regarding digital marketing in the selected
environment. Furthermore, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the
relationship between digital marketing and the participants' profile, digital marketing, and
consumer attributes. Mean score ranking and standard deviation were used to highlight the most
critical factors that drive the acceptance of digital marketing strategies (Khin et al., 2016).