Chapter 2

Methodology

This part covers the methodology that was used in this qualitative

research. This includes methods and designs, role of the researcher, research

participants, data gathering procedures, data analysis, trustworthiness and

credibility and its ethical consideration.

Research Design

In this phenomenological and morphological research, this research

utilized the methodology of investigation on the different queries and challenges

in using the different languages used by the loiterers as a medium of

communication specifically in municipality of Sto.Tomas. This research is

qualitative in morphological study and one form of qualitative research is

phenomenological study. The researchers employed the use of phenomenology

as an approach in order to have better understanding and in-depth analysis of

loiterers experiences in using their language as a means of communication.

Morphological study is an approach to qualitative research that focuses on how

their languages are formed in communication and the commonality of a lived

experience within a particular group. The fundamental goal of the approach is

to arrive at a description of the nature of the particular phenomenon (Creswell,

2013). According to (Van Manen, 1990), the four aspects of 'lived experience' that

are of interest to phenomenologists are: lived space (spatiality), lived body

(corporeality), lived time (temporality) and lived human relations (relationality).

Interview was conducted to the respondents of the study, a group of individuals,

loiterers who are using their colloquial language as medium of their

communication with their peers. The interview attempts to answer the questions

given by the researchers. The Other form of data such as documents,

observations and art was also used. The data was then read and reread and

culled for like phrases and themes that are then grouped to form clusters of

meaning (Creswell, 2013). Through those processes the researchers

conceptualized the global meaning of an occurrence situation or experience and

come up with more profound understanding of the phenomenon.

This phenomenological approach described the live experiences of the

loiterers in using their conceptualize language as a medium of communication.

It focused into what common experiences the participants had encountered in

in using their language as medium of communication particularly with the issues

and challenges in using their languages based as a medium of communication

in communicating with their friend outside of their houses, how they cope with

the situation of being engaged in another language used in communication and

their insights they can share to the other loiterers using conceptualized language

as a medium of communication with the loiterers, the phenomenon under

investigation.

In this research, the researchers respectively asked permission to the

participants, explained the reasons of conducting an interview and the

limitations and delimitations of the said interview. The researchers have listened

and recorded anything the participants have said regarding to their experiences,
coping mechanisms and insights about their medium of communication as

loiterers.

In the In-depth Interview (IDI), a one on one interview wherein the key

informant answered the questions given to him/her. Focus-Grouped Discussion

(FGD) was also utilized wherein the key informants answered the same questions

through interaction or discussion with us, the researcher to find out the

commonalities with the diverse key informants.

The researchers have explored ideas about using the loiterers language as

a medium of communication. If we are going outside of our house, we can see

some of our neighbours who are staying outside of the house, some are staying

outside of the sari-sari store and also we heard their conversation in using their

language and sometime we hear unfamiliar words. There are lot of loiterers who

are using their languages as a medium of communication and how the loiterers

cope up with the changes in their language from the mother-tongue to colloquial

languages that they are using.

Role of the Researchers

The role of researchers in qualitative research is significant matter to be

reflected in the successful search of exploration of any social phenomenon. In

this study, the researchers are highly inclined and qualified to study this

investigation because we are also soon to be teachers, and we need to be sensitive

in hearing some of the unfamiliar words that we hear along the streets that the

loiterers are using. We need to know why they are using those words, what are

their experiences in using their language in order for us to be aware that there
is a language in the community that only the loiterers can use those language in

communicating with their peers.

The researchers were willing in give far-reaching time on collected data,

engage in data analysis, and wrote long passages by ourselves. In this study as

the researchers, the researchers played many roles such as interviewers,

transcribes, translators, and encoders. As interviewers, the researchers have

created harmonious relationship with the participants. Respect also shown to

each of them through the help of our porter for some introductions, and the

researchers asked them if they are willing to be their participants in their study.

The researchers used their personal sympathy to make the participants more

willing to tell their stories and experiences during the interview and observation.

Techniques were also applied that surely helped the researchers in conducting

the study. Inquisitive questions have asked based on their personal experiences

of the loiterers in using their language, then listening and thinking, then asking

more probing questions to get to deeper information and ideas that can help the

researchers in the study. The researchers have transcribed and encoded all the

recordings and interviews that researchers have conducted, translated correctly

and organized into English, a Standard English statement. Based on the concept

of Creswell, (2013), as researchers it is their duty to interpret the meaning of

hidden in data because the researchers are then main instruments for data

collection and analysis. In capturing the variety of phenomena within the

community, the researchers utilized multiple data collection methods as they

collect data over extensive periods within the field, which are then analysed
through both inductive and deductive reasoning. These were usually reported in

narrative, descriptive reports, which work to demonstrate the multiplicity of

research participant perspectives.

Research Participants

This section describes the participants and agreed the criteria for selection

and number of participants and method to be used in this study. One of the

most important tasks in this study is to know and identify the appropriate

participants because they are the very people who can best provide information

on their lived experiences, struggles, difficulties and their adjustments regarding

the phenomena under inquiry. The decision about selection was based on the

research questions and theoretical perspectives. The researches integrated

certain aspects of narrative approach within their own research. Despite the fact

that the researchers are not the single subject of the study, the use of narrative

approach seeks to explore the multiplex dimensions of self-creation, alternative

discourses, and the critique of social phenomena, as experienced by the self (see

also Muncey 2010). Events placed here were not necessarily chronological, but

were told through “restorying” – where experiences and narratives are analysed

and reorganized to make sense (see also Ollerenshaw and Creswell 2002), here

offered thematically and as ways to illuminate the nature of the field and

phenomena studied.

The researchers followed some criteria for selection of participants like the

type or nature of the phenomenon, suitable characteristics of the subjects and

theoretical perspectives. The informants of this study are (5) loiterers in Prk 10
fd rd # # Sto.Tomas, Davao del Norte, for in-depth interview and (5) loiterers in

Bagares area, Sto.Tomas, Davao del about what are their experiences in using

their language. Those (10) participants who participated during the interview

they had undergone varied experiences in speaking loiterers language as the

medium of communication. The researchers choose those participants because

they were the ones who are using their language in communicating with their

peers.

Moreover, the researchers choose ten (10) informants because these

numbers of participants are ideal in phenomenological and morphological study

and already sufficient to provide information with regards to this study.

Furthermore, having 10 interviews subjects for the study was arrived at based

on phenomenological and morphological inquiry and data saturation criterions.

According to Creswell (1998), phenomenology requires in-depth interviews from

3 to 13 subjects.

Data Gathering Procedure

The primary sources of data were the responses of the interviewee who

were the loiterers who use their conceptualized language as a medium of

communication specifically the loiterers from Bagares area, Sto.Tomas Davao del

Norte.

First, the participants were given an orientation about the study and were

asked to participate through a focus group interview as the means of data

collection.
 Second, the researchers themselves have conducted a one on one interview

on record to know the experiences of the loiterers in using such medium of

communication. This is to inform the effect of using the language based on the

loiterers view. The interview sessions for loiterers have closed and open ended

questions to allow the researchers to follow up points which needed elaboration

and to clarify questions that were misunderstood by the respondents (Mouly,

1978 as cited by Ndamba, 2008). Best and Khan (1993) stated that interviews

are particularly appropriate in getting responses from respondents.

Lastly, it is important to emphasize that the discussion was about the

personal views and experiences of the participants in using the loiterer’s

language as a medium of communication. Therefore there were no right or wrong

answers. It is necessary to emphasize that researchers are there to listen not

just to speak (Dornyei,2007).

This study was conducted on September 2018. Throughout the interview,

10 loiterers given the same questionnaire but were subjected to different time

and interviewed individually.

Data Analysis

The answers of the participants were analysed using thematic analysis.

Thematic analysis is a method of analysing and reporting pattern of themes with

a data (Boyatzis,1998,,Roulston, 2001). Using thematic analysis on this study

was very helpful because it is flexible and a useful research tool that can

probably grant a substantial and rich account of the data. As suggested by

Boyatzis, the researchers performed the following steps in analysing the data as
to mention; familiarized data, generated initial codes, searched for themes,

reviewed the themes, defined and named the themes and constructed the report.

Data reduction was used in analysing the data, which means deleting

unnecessary data and modifying them into a useful material for the study so

that many readers can easily understand it. In this method, the researchers

asked help of an expert, a data analyst, particularly in handling, sorting, and

organizing voluminous qualitative data for them to merge, manage, sort and

categorize data in the easiest way.

Trustworthiness

In conducting this qualitative research, the researchers have putted

account the responses of the informants, meticulously considered all the details

of the data, and checked all the transcriptions and the importance of the data

that relates to each other on their themes.

In establishing trustworthiness and credibility in the study, Creswell and

Miller (2000) suggested the choice of legitimacy of the procedures. The

discussions about trustworthiness were governed by the research lens and its

paradigm assumptions that can help the procedures in the study. The

researchers guaranteed that in this study, the result was determined by the

response of the interviewees. Credibility is an evaluation of whether or not the

research findings represent a “credible” conceptual interpretation of the data

drawn from the participant’s original data according to Lincoln and Guba (1985).

To address credibility, we used three techniques. First, the researchers

presented the credibility of the experiences as intent of truthfully illustrating and

knowing the facts which are phenomenon in which the participants were

included. Second, in designing the research procedure, the researchers

conducted an individual discussion as well as group discussion which extracted

ideas about the conceptual language of the loiterers. Third, the researchers have

interviewed (10) loiterers informants on what are those languages they’re using

and how they use it in daily communication with their peers and the adjustments

they undergone. The researchers intention here is to create sheets of data from

each participant.

Transferability is the degree to which the findings of this inquiry can apply or

transfer beyond the bounds of the project according to Lincoln and Guba (1985).

To address transferability in this study, the researchers have included in the

Appendix about several of the data analysis documents used to give answer to

the research question in order to gain admission to the possible inquiry. This

will give other researchers the facility to transfer the conclusions or

recommendation as bases of further study.

Dependability is an assessment of the quality of the integrated processes of data

collection, data analysis, and phenomenal explanation.

Conformability is a measure of how well the inquiry’s findings are supported by

the data collected according to Lincoln and Guba (1985). To address the issues

of dependability and conformability in this study, the researchers banked on an

audit trail of the participant’s responses wherein their identities were treated in

confidentially. After the audio tapes were transcribed, the text was given back to

the respondents for authentication and they asked to sign a verification form.
For conformability, the researchers asked the audit of the competent peer who

was Master of Applied Linguistic and Doctor of Education in Sto Tomas. After

the completion of our data analysis, the results in chapter four, and the

discussion in chapter five, our auditor assessed carefully our audit trail with

original transcripts from the interview, data analysis documents. The auditor

assessed the dependability and confirmability of the study by signing the

verification letter.

Ethical Considerations

The main concern of this study is to identify the language and the

sociolinguistic features of loiterers specifically in the Municipality of Sto.Tomas.,

since the participants are loiterers. Therefore, the researchers have to ensure

their safety and full protection so that they will not lose their trust that they gave

to the researchers. The researchers will be following two of the standards in

conducting this study as pointed by (Boyatzis, 1998; Mack 2005), these are the

following: respect, and consent.

Respect of the participants as the researchers, the researchers must respect the

participants personal terms in this research in order to maintain the friendship,

and trust among the participants and the researchers. Before the researchers

will conduct our study, they will ask the permission of the participants of the

said place where data collection belongs to. By this way, the researchers showed

respect for the individuals concern in the study.

Consent is another important way of showing respect to the participants during

the research. This is to let the participants to be aware on the purpose and
objectives of the research study that the researchers are going to conduct. We

will share to them and provide them for their approval. If they say “yes” this

means that they are already ready to be part of the research as the participants

and willing to undergo interviews with regards to the study. After then they will

be informed on what is the result and findings of the study.

Thus, these two standards in conducting the study pointed by (Mack 2005)

can be a great help for us to be successful in conducting this study.