Nikki M.

Barena

Possible Dissertation Topic:

Exploratory Factor Analysis on Perception of Middle-Income Consumers to

Architectural Services in Davao City

As a middle-income class in the Philippines comprises 46.8 percent of total household

in the Philippines based on the data of the Family Income and Expenditure Survey of

the Philippine Statistics. Their indicative range of monthly income (for a family size of 5

members) is between PHP 18,200 to PHP 109,200. The middle-class household also

tends to own their dwellings, about 74 percent reside in dwellings that they own. Their

purchasing capacity and demographics make them a good subject to answer the

questions such as "why many Filipinos are not familiar with an Architect's services?",

"why Filipinos would consult a contractor or an engineer in designing their homes?", and

"how a typical Filipino perceive the value of an Architect?". A mixed method exploratory

factor analysis approach will utilize in the conduct of this study. According to Creswell

(2013), it is a type of research wherein the researchers combine qualitative and

quantitative approaches, such as viewpoints, data collection, analysis, and inference

techniques for breadth and depth of understanding the study's corroboration. The

general purpose of mixed methods research of combining quantitative and qualitative

research components is to expand and strengthen the study's conclusion and include

the available literature. In the entire study, mixed methods will suppose to contribute

and respond to one's research question (Schoonenboom & Johnson, 2017). This study

will be conducted in Davao City, among its middle-class population. According to the

2015 study on the Middle Class in the Philippines by the World Bank, only 23.7% of the
population in the Philippines are economically stable who resides in Mindanao but in

Mindanao, specifically southern Mindanao, seven in every 10 households owned or

amortized the houses they occupied in the total of one million households. With the

limitation of the researcher, this study pose opportunities for further studies.