Data Collection Method - Assignment Example

DATA COLLECTION METHOD Different have different attitudes towards school and studying, in general. Some consider going to academic institutions as an unpleasant obligation. There are also students who strive to do well in school, thinking that this is their ticket to a better life in the future. A big part of the students' outlook is influenced by how their mind was conditioned while they were still young. If the thought that education is necessary for survival is instilled in the students' young minds, then more of them would be doing well in school or would be striving hard to excel. This is where good academic performance usually starts. However, as these students continue to blend with others or as they continue to dwell within the grounds of the academic institution, they encounter certain things that influence their thinking, their outlook and their attitude. In the case of academic performance, there are several factors that can affect students' attitude towards school. Some of these factors include peer pressure, family background or problems, school location or environment, the student's lifestyle and teachers, and other psychosocial reasons. There are also studies that show that ethnic differences can affect a students' attitude towards school. Professor Laurence Steinberg, in one of his publications, stated that ethnic differences causes students to have different beliefs or reactions regarding failing in school. Specifically, he cited Asians as believers that poor performance in school would have negative or unfavorable consequences. Furthermore, he explains the effect of peer pressure on a child. Results of his studies also show that a lot of American teens believe that people make fun of those who do well academically. This implies that they would rather not have high grades to avoid being laughed at. Majority of the students also expressed that they never talk about academics or school-related issues with their friends (Edsource Online, 1999). In relation to the gathered data and information, this paper proposes to have a more in-depth research on the other factors that affect a student's performance in school. However, specifically, this aims to find out whether "teacher factor" has a significant effect on a students' academic performance and his attitudes towards school. This teacher factor means how the teacher deals with the students, the teacher's manner of teaching, the teacher's professional and casual relationship with the students, and other relevant and significant elements that might have an impact on the students' performance. This study aims to answer the following questions: 1. What are the factors that can affect a students' academic performance 2. What are the examples of "teacher factor" that have significant effects on a student's performance In addition, at the end of this study, solutions on how to minimize the negative effect of "teacher factor" on students' performance should be provided. Since the research will tackle the different factors, particularly the "teacher factor", that affects students' performance in school, results will be beneficial to other students of different educational level. Through this research, students will learn about how to avoid being affected by such factors, and therefore, begin to develop a more positive outlook about school and help them excel in class. Aside from the students, this research will also be of help to educational institutions by providing them with relevant information on how to improve and develop better relationships among the teachers and the students. This research can also serve as a reference for future researchers. This is going to be a descriptive research which will involve male and female high school students as respondents. The sampling technique to be used will be random sampling. This research will make use of a questionnaire as the data collection method. This will allow the researcher to have a larger sample size and, therefore, obtain more reliable and accurate results. This method is also less costly and time-consuming than the personal interview. And since respondents will be left to answer on their own, any bias will be avoided. Before beginning the data collection, the researcher must formulate a set of questions that will extract answers related to "teacher factor" and its effect on a child's academic performance. This questionnaire will then be subject to validation by a panel of experts in the field to ensure that the answers obtained will be relevant to the problem. After the validation, the questionnaires will then be ready for distribution. A possible setting for the data collection will be to gather all the respondents in one room and let them answer altogether, however, independent of each other. Another option is to randomly hand out the questionnaires to the students who are available at that particular time. After collection, all data will be subject to analysis and interpretation. The data will, then, be tallied on a master data sheet for easier reference. Categorization of some information might be necessary for easier interpretation of results. WORKS CITED Edsource Online (1999). Peers, Parents and Schools: How They Affect Student Achievement. Retrieved March 16, 2007, from http://www.edsource.org/pub_edfct_peers.cfm QUESTIONNAIRE (Based on the Learning Climate Questionnaire) This questionnaire is divided into two parts. Part I contains questions regarding your personal information while Part II contains items that are related to your experience with your instructor, which will help us determine whether teachers have an effect on students' academic performance. Your responses are confidential. Please be honest and do not leave any item unanswered. I. Personal Information Name (optional): Age: Sex: School: Average/Grade: II. Modified Learning Climate Questionnaire 1. I feel that my instructor provides me choices and options, and makes himself available for consultation. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 2. I feel understood by my instructor. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 3. I am able to be open with my instructor during class. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 4. My instructor shows enthusiasm and confidence in my ability to do well in the course. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 5. I feel that my instructor accepts me. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 6. My instructor makes sure that I understand the goals of the course and what I need to do. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 7. My instructor encourages me to ask questions or express my opinion. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 8. I feel a lot of trust in my instructor. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 9. My instructor answers my questions fully and carefully. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 10. My instructor listens to how I would like to do things and is open to my suggestions. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 11. My instructor handles people's emotions very well. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 12. I feel that my instructor cares about me as a person. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 13. I don't feel very good about the way my instructor talks to me. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 14. My instructor tries to understand how I see things before suggesting a new way to do things. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree 15. I feel able to share my feelings with my instructor. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 strongly strongly disagree agree Scoring: Scores are calculated by averaging the individual item scores. However, before averaging the item scores, you must first "reverse" the score of item 13 (i.e., subtract the score on item 13 from 8 and use the result as the item score for this item--for example, the score of 3, when reversed would become 5). Higher average scores represent a higher level of perceived autonomy support or a positive response from the students regarding their instructor. Their individual scores will then be compared with their academic average. If the average score on the modified learning climate questionnaire is directly proportional to the academic grade, it is a confirmation that teachers have an effect on the students' academic performance. Read More