Chapter III

Methodology

The methods that will be used to conduct the study “The Social Role of Mass

Media Communication” is to gather information through a survey questionnaire.

Our group will be using google forms to create a survey questionnaire and send the

questionnaire to the selected participants through a link. The participants of this study

are 10 SHS Humss Students from Cluster B from KCNHS. This study will be done in

the month of May 2023 for a period of 1 week. We chose this method so that it wont

be hard for the group to interview the participants and so that their opinions are

recorded to avoid research biases.

Research Design

To meet the objectives of this study, a qualitative research was held which is

ideal for small samples, while results are not quantifiable. In order to study the Social

role of mass media communication, the researchers used a phenomenological research

method to assess the participants' prior knowledge about The Social Role of Mass

Media Communication. It is a purposive process enabling the researchers to study,

gather, analyze, classify and tabulate data about a particular condition or

phenomenon, belief systems, processes, trends and cause and effect relationships and
then formulate conclusions and interpretations with or without the use of statistical

treatment.

Research Instrument

The instrument that was used is a semi-structured interview that was

transcribed and further analyzed to gather the desired data. The questionnaire was

constructed based on the researcher’s previous readings, related literature from

credible sources and published thesis that are relevant to the study. Statements were

designed, observing the format of a good collection instrument. Furthermore, the

questions were made in such a way that they will meet the level of knowledge,

preparedness, and elicit self-reflexivity in the participants. After each constructed

elements, there were probing questions related to the issue or topic to accommodate

format free views and opinions from the informants. This type of interview was

chosen to ensure the immediate response of the interviewee without pressure, to avoid

personal bias, as wells as to provide anonymity to the participants. The questionnaires

were submitted to the research adviser first for validation, before proceeding to the

actual interview.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers requested for approval prior to conducting the interview. After

the approval, the request letter was returned to the researchers. Participants from
Kidapawan City National High School were chosen following the criteria for

selection. To avoid distractions and disturbances, the vacant class times were utilized.

For the interview proper. In each question, the participants were given enough time to

answer and the freedom to express his/her thoughts, opinions and responses at will. A

semi-structure type of interview was used to obtain the needed data for the study. In

addition, all interviews were recorded as audio output and were written as well, to

ensure accuracy of information that was then transcribed. After gathering of the data,

the researchers studied all the information from the participants using thematic

content analysis - a type of qualitative data analysis method. Conclusions were drawn

based on the crucial results of the analysis, addressing the research problems of this

study.

Subjects of the study

The participants were 10 students of Kidapawan City National High School.

These students are in Grade 11 and are under the senior high school program of the K-

12 Curriculum, taking the HUMSS strand. There are within the age bracket of 15-17

years old. All participation in this survey was kept anonymous and confidential;

pseudonyms replaced the participant’s names to preserve anonymity.

Purposive sampling was utilized in choosing the Grade XI students who were

the participants of this study. The selection of these participants was based on a

strategy referred to as “purposeful selection”, in which, as cited by Dodge (2011,

p.51), denotes a deliberate selection strategy that chooses particular people and

settings which will provide information that cannot be obtained as well from other

options.

A set of criteria was followed in determining people who are fit and desired

for being this study’s participants The chosen participants should (1) be Grade 11

students, (2) be taking the HUMSS strand, (3) have prior knowledge about the social

role of mass media communication (4) have experienced the social role of mass media

communication prior to the interview. This selection criteria are based on each

participant’s potential to add to the understanding of the social role of mass media

communication.

Data Analysis and Procedure

To extract the large amount of rich textual data that was generated from the

semi-structured interviews with the participants and to further understand their

the following method of data analysis.

Thematic Content Analysis was performed in analyzing data and interpreting

information provided by the participants during the interview. It is a “research method

for the subjective interpretation of the content of text data through the systematic

classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns” (Hsich and

Shannon, 2005). The transcription of the interviews were read and reread to ascertain

that the researchers fully understood the participants’ responses and opinion. Brief

notes for every participant’s answer for every interview question were made when

relevant information is found. Though open coding, these notes were analyzed,

categorized, and sorted in a way that offers description in all information that are

needed: the participants’ (the topic/ and/ or from the research questions). With this

done, the researchers created a brief outline of all categories and their underlying

subcategories for each transcript These steps were repeated for all 10 interview

transcripts. Through axial coding, they were examined in detail and compared among

the 10 transcripts to find commonalities and differences. The researchers then

returned to the original transcriptions to ensure that all information has been obtained

and categorized properly. Through selective coding, a core category, perhaps the

participants’ overall knowledge about the social role of mass media communication,

was systematically related to other categories. The researchers went over the data

multiple times to ensure that they have done a thorough job in the data analysis.
Research Paradigm

Purposive Sampling

Participants

Prior experiences on
Prior experiences on The Roles of Mass Media The Social Role of
The Social Role of Mass Media
communication in the society
Mass Media Communication
Communication

Semi-structured

Transcription

Thematic Content Analysis

Communication

Figure 1 shows the Conceptual paradigm of the social role of mass media

communication. After determining the specific objectives of the research, related

literatures and theories are gathered to serve as additional basis of the study aside

from the prior knowledge of the researchers about the topic. With sufficient data from

credible sources at hand, the researchers did the process of purposive sampling

wherein the criteria of the selection was made, in order to assure that a participant's

profile is appropriate for the study. Through semi-structured interview, the essential

information from the participants consisting of their knowledge and experiences on

the roles of mass media communication in the society will be obtained Data will be

then transcribed and subjected to thorough analysis. The researchers will relate the

results to their previous readings, so that accurate conclusions to satisfy answers for
the research questions can be constructed At the end of the study. The social role of

mass media communication will be determined.