CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the study's different methods, including research

design, respondents, locale of the study, survey instrument, data gathering

procedure, sampling technique, and statistical treatment.

Research Design

This study will use descriptive and correlational research designs to

determine the significant relationship between the extent of the

communication competence of school heads and the level of work

performance in the digital era among secondary and elementary schools in

Lambayong, Division of Sultan Kudarat during the school year 2023-2024.

According to Bhandari (2021), a correlational research

design investigates relationships between variables without the researcher

controlling or manipulating them. Further, a correlation reflects the strength

and direction of the relationship between two (or more) variables. The

direction of a correlation can be either positive or negative. Correlational

research is ideal for gathering data quickly from natural settings. That helps

you generalize your findings to real-life situations in an externally valid way.

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Locale of the Study

This study will be conducted in the selected secondary and

elementary schools in Lambayong, Division of Sultan Kudarat, during the

school year 2023-2024. Lambayong, part of the Division of Sultan Kudarat,

represents a diverse educational landscape with a mix of secondary and

elementary schools. This diversity allows for a comprehensive exploration of

digital literacy and communication competence across different educational

levels, providing a more nuanced understanding of the challenges and

opportunities faced by school heads.

Hence, conducting the study in Lambayong ensures practicality and

accessibility for data collection. Proximity facilitates easier communication

with schools, school heads, and other stakeholders. It is crucial for ensuring a

smooth and efficient data collection process, contributing to the overall

success of the research (Creswell & Creswell, 2017).

See the map below. A map provides a visual representation of the

geographic locations of the selected schools. It allows for geospatial analysis,

enabling researchers to identify patterns, clusters, or trends related to digital

literacy, communication competence, and work performance across different

areas within Lambayong. By mapping the locations of the schools, the study

gains a contextual understanding of the educational landscape in

Lambayong. This spatial context may reveal correlations between the

schools' digital literacy levels, communication competence, and work

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performance with local factors such as infrastructure, community

demographics, and socioeconomic conditions.

Source: District Map of Lambayong (2022).

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Respondents of the Study

The study's respondents will be the selected school heads, teachers,

and stakeholders in secondary and elementary schools in Lambayong,

Division of Sultan Kudarat, during the school year 2023-2024. School heads

are pivotal in decision-making and policy implementation, while teachers are

directly involved in classroom activities. Stakeholders, including parents,

community members, and local authorities, contribute to the broader

educational environment. Including a diverse group of stakeholders ensures a

well-rounded understanding of digital literacy implications.

Table 1. Distribution of Respondents in the Study

Respondents Population Samples
Secondary School Heads 6 1
Elementary School Heads 28 3
Secondary Teachers 249 24
Elementary Teachers 424 42
Stakeholders 100 10
TOTAL 807 80

Sampling Technique

This study will employ stratified random sampling by proportional

allocation in selecting school heads, teachers, and stakeholders in

Lambayong. Stratified Random sampling with proportional allocation is a

widely recognized method for ensuring a representative selection of

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participants from different strata within a population (Creswell, 2014; Fowler

Jr, 2013).

This approach helps maintain the proportionality of subgroups within

the sample, thereby enhancing the generalizability of findings to the larger

population (Babbie, 2016; Trochim, 2006). By employing this technique, the

study aims to reduce bias and increase the accuracy of results by ensuring

adequate representation across various demographic or categorical variables

(Bryman, 2016; Neuman, 2014).

Data Gathering Instruments

This study will use a researcher-made survey questionnaire,

considering that no related studies are conducted in line with the topic. The

survey tool will be composed of three parts.

First is the extent of the Communication Competence of School Heads

in the Digital Era; second is the level of Work Performance of School Heads,

and this is the level of Organizational Communication Effectiveness. The

experts will validate the instrument to be crafted, and a reliability test will be

computed using Cronbach’s alpha. The following Likert scale shall also be

used in the survey:

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Table 2. Extent of the Communication Competence of School Heads

RATING RANGE OF VERBAL INTERPRETATION
MEANS DESCRIPTION
5 4.20-5.00 Agree Highly Competent

4 3.40-4.19 Fairly Agree Very Competent

3 2.60-3.39 Neutral Competent

2 1.80-2.59 Fairly Disagree Fairly Competent

1 1.00-1.79 Disagree Poor

Table 3. Level of Work Performance of School Heads

RATING RANGE OF VERBAL INTERPRETATION
MEANS DESCRIPTION
5 4.20-5.00 Agree Outstanding

4 3.40-4.19 Fairly Agree Very Satisfactory

3 2.60-3.39 Neutral Satisfactory

2 1.80-2.59 Fairly Disagree Fairly Satisfactory

1 1.00-1.79 Disagree Poor

Table 4. Organizational Communication Effectiveness

RATING RANGE OF VERBAL INTERPRETATION
MEANS DESCRIPTION
5 4.20-5.00 Agree Highly Effective

4 3.40-4.19 Fairly Agree Very Effective

3 2.60-3.39 Neutral Effective

2 1.80-2.59 Fairly Disagree Fairly Effective

1 1.00-1.79 Disagree Poor

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Data Gathering Procedure

In the entire data collection, the researcher will adhere to the existing

Graduate School (GS) protocol as provided in the Manual of Operations.

Upon application, the GS Dean will sign the permit authorizing the

researcher to undertake the necessary steps in conducting the study. Next, a

letter will be sent to the DepEd Division Office of Sultan Kudarat through the

School Division Superintendent, District Supervisors, and different school

heads on the request to undertake the study among the identified schools.

Once official consent is obtained, all concerned School Heads shall be

properly coordinated via separate letters attaching the approved request from

the Division Office.

The administration of survey questionnaires shall follow, and the

school shall do it. A coordinator or research assistant among schools will be

assigned to efficiently distribute and retrieve the tools. The latter will act as

the focal person and shall coordinate any concerns and updates to the

researcher. Hence, he or she shall be properly oriented by the researcher

about the nature and objectives of the study. All school heads, teachers, and

school stakeholders shall be provided with the questionnaire.

After the quantitative data are retrieved, the questionnaires will be

retrieved once answers are completed, which will be undertaken to provide an

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exact, accurate, and adequate explanation of the quantitative findings. The

procedure can be summarized according to the diagram shown in Figure 3.

Approval of the Sending Letter to Approval by the

GS Dean to
Conduct the the SDS of Sultan SDS on the
Study Kudarat Conduct of Study

Information Letter Distribution of Retrieval of

to Selected Survey Survey
School Heads Questionnaires Questionnaires

Validation/
Tabulation of
Evaluation of the Data Analysis
Data
Gathered Data

Interview and
Focus Group
Discussion for
Qualitative Phase

Figure 3. Flow Process of Data Gathering Procedure

Statistical Treatment

The study will utilize the descriptive correlational design. The variables

shall be measured using different statistical tools.

Mean and standard deviation will be used to determine the extent of

the Communication Competence of School Heads in the Digital Era, the level

of Work Performance of School Heads, and the level of Organizational

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Communication Effectiveness. According to Trochim and Donnelly (2008),

mean and standard deviation are fundamental descriptive statistical

measures that provide insights into the central tendency and variability of the

data.

Also, Pearson r Correlation will be used to determine the significant

relationship between the extent of the Communication Competence of School

Heads and their level of Work Performance in the Digital Era. Also, the

significant relationship between the extent of the Communication

Competence of School Heads, and their level of Organizational

Communication Effectiveness. Pearson correlation measures the strength

and direction of linear relationships between variables (Dancey & Reidy,

2017).