Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Everything that people enjoy nowadays is brought about

by research. It is a method that aims to preserve and

improve the quality of human life. Conducting a research

requires determination and effort. It must be thoroughly

done that it has the need to work in the library for a

number of hours each week. Researchers constantly come

across difficult circumstances in the course of the research

more than what they have expected. Concisely, there are

unexpected difficulties and problems (Trimmer, 1992) that

may lead to academic failures. Some of the perceived

difficulties in doing research according to Qasem (2019) are

as follows: difficulty in deciding the topic for research;

lack of good knowledge of the methodology; inability of

finding modern; specialized and related references; lack of

interest in research; lack of understanding of the subject

matter; lack of time, and research guiding.

TheDepEd Order Number 40, series of 2014 implemented the

Senior High School program in existing Junior High School

which covered all public and private schools nationwide. The

said program encloses the different tracks and strands which

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was followed by the schools in the District of Motiongin

order to produce prepared and equipped graduates with

practiced and enhanced skills developed and on the two year

schooling of the senior high school. Moreover, Practical

Research is one of the competencies encountered by the

students in the district to give more emphasis to the

Department of Education Memorandum Number 39, series of

2016, or the adoption of the enclosed Basic Education

Research Agenda which provides guidance toDepEd and its

stakeholders in the conduct of education research and in the

utilization of researchresults for planning, policy and

program development may it be on their eleventh grade and

twelfth grade in Senior High School pursuant to the Republic

Act Number 2067 also known as an Act to Integrate,

Coordinate, and Intensify Scientific and Technological

Research and Development and to Foster Invention.

In connection to this, with the advent of the 21 st

century learning where students and teachers actively engage

with information and communication technology in order to

attain objectives which are set to improve their skills in

formation processing and digital literacy, many educational

hubs like libraries, if not changed, are improved in order

to support digital literacy for the 21st century learning

environment. One innovation in this field is the inclusion

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of electronic library ore-library alongside with print

media. E-library makes use of ICT tools which is responsible

for providing instant access to connection of digitized

information, electronic information resources and services

with the aid of computer or telecommunication technologies.

It provides electronic and online resources for staff and

students which enhance educational development and provide

educational resources for effective teaching, learning and

research activities to be able to strengthen the Republic

Act 10533 also known as the act of enhancing Basic Education

System in the Philippines.

E-libraries are a worldwide thing. Some of the best

international collections are: International Children's

Digital Library,World Digital Library, and National Library

of Australia which has e-journals, subject guides, pictures

and other digital collections.

In the Philippines, the Department of Education with

other agencies collaborates in carrying out such efforts.

The Ambulong Elementary School in Batangas for an instance,

receives digital librarybeing the recipient of the project

BOOKS (Building, Organizing and Operating Libraries and

Knowledge-Based System)founded by the Pilipinas Shell

Foundation, Inc., (PSFI) in partnership with Department of

Science and Technology (DOST) Batangas and National

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Bookstore Foundation, Inc. (NBSFI), to encourage students to

read and broaden their knowledge. In the case of the

District of Motiong, the Senior High SchoolsComputer System

Servicing strand serves as the pioneering implementation in

the promotion of ICT.

According to Statista Research Department (2019) in

2017, 61 percent of the population in the Philippines were

using the internet. A report from Philippine Inquirer in

December 2018, the number of internet users in the country

has increased. The Social Weather Station (SWS) survey

conducted from September 15-23, 2018, disclosed that 41

percent of Filipnos are internet user.

The above data justify the news on CNN Philippines

published on February 2019, that Filipinos spend an average

of 10:02 hours a day on the internet. This also explains

Internet World Stats’ Top 20 countries internet users’

result where the Philippines ranked 12.

Unfortunately, in most public schools, like the schools

in the District of Motiong, the establishment of electronic

library is a very rare opportune despite of the high

internet consumption in the Philippines. It isundeniably

true that,ifstudents will have relevant knowledge and be

exposed to electronic libraries, they will be able to

proceed and continue with their studies and research

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activitiesoutside their schools. But not all students are in

the same welfare of self-reliance so they should be in

heedful observation and attention by teachers in order for

them to know more and excel especially in the practice of

using electronic libraries to formulate a research paper in

their practical research subject.

In relation to the above mentioned situations, the

researcher was motivated and challenged to undertake this

study in order to find out and justify the perceived

problems of Senior High School students on online research

as basis in the establishment of an Intervention Program

inthe District of Motiong for the improvement of their

academic performance.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimsto determine the perceived problems met

by Senior High School students on online research as basis

for an intervention program in the District of

Motiong,Schools Division of Division of Samar.

Specifically, it intends to answer the following

questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents

in terms of:

1.1. age and sex;

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1.2. track/strand;

1.3. grade in practical research (1st semester)

1.4. parents highest educational attainments;

1.5. parents occupation;

1.6. gross monthly family income;

2. What are the problems met by the respondents in

doing online research in terms of:

2.1. external (indirect related to respondents’

capabilities)

2.1.1. online researching;

2.1.2. availability of online references;

2.1.3. accessibility of online references; and

2.1.4. validity of online references

2.2. internal (direct related to respondents’

capabilities)

2.2.1. computer literacy; and

2.2.2. information literacy

2.3. problems on research

2.3.1. research skills

3. What is the academic performance of the student

respondents based on the mean grade during the first

semester?
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4. Is there a significant relationship between academic

performance and problems encountered in terms of the

identified area?

5. What implications will be included in the study?

6. What intervention program will be included in the study?

Hypotheses

Based on the formulated specific questions, the

following hypotheses are drawn and will be tested:

1. There is no significant relationship between the

academic performancesof the respondents to the

problems encountered in online research.

2. There is no significant relationship between the

factors affecting the respondents’ online research

capability in online research.

3. There is a relationship between the factors affecting

the respondents’ online research capability and

academic performance in Research

Theoretical Framework

This study is anchored on the following

theories:Grounded Theory by Glaser and Straus,Connectivity

Theoryby George Siemens, and Integration of Information

Technology to EducationTheory by Khalid Bingimlas.

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The Grounded Theory by Glaser and Straus, as cited by

Chun Tie et al. (2019:1-7),is a well-known methodology

employed in many research studies where qualitative and

quantitative data generation techniques can be used.

Grounded theory sets out to discover or construct theory

from data, systematically obtained and analysed using

comparative analysis.

In the words of Chun Tie et al. (2019:1-7),before

commencing any research study, the researcher must have a

solid understanding of the research process. A well-

developed outline of the study and an understanding of the

important considerations in designing and undertaking a

Grounded Theory study are essential if the goals of the

research are to be achieved. This connotes that grounded

theory suggests that theory emerges inductively from the

data.

Moreover,George Siemens in hisConnectivity Theory or

Connectivism as expounded by Duke et Al (2013:1-9),

highlighted that Technology influences all theoretical

viewpoints by providing techniques and unique instructional

methods. Connectivism offers that diversity through a

variety of networks, helping the new generations collaborate

to find solutions to an ever increasing number of questions.

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For Simens, learning is as an actionable knowledge

which can reside outside ourselves, and focused itself on

connecting specialized information sets, and the connections

that enable us to learn more are more important than our

current state of knowing.

Connectivity theory isanchored on the following

principles: Learning is a process of connecting specialized

nodes or information sources; Learning may reside in non-

human appliances; Nurturing and maintaining connections is

needed to facilitate continuous learning; Learning and

knowledge rest in diversity of opinions; Capacity to know

more is more critical than what is currently known; Ability

to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a

core skill; Currency-accurate, up-to-date knowledge is the

intent of all connectivist learning activities; Decision-

making itself is a learning process (Siemens, 2005:1).

Furthermore, Bingimlas’s theory on Integration of

Information Technology to Education emphasizes that, while

teachers tend to have a solid desire to integrate ICT into

education the foremost barriers were a lack of time,

confidence, competence, and access to resources.

Consequently, one of his suggestions is that reliable,

usable and accessible ICT resources, effective

implementation processes for teachers to successfully embed

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the use of digital curriculum resources into their teaching

practice, need to be aligned and integrated. Professional

development, sufficient time, and technical support need to

be provided to teachers. Further argumentation is that no

one component in itself is sufficient to provide good

teaching. However, the presence of all components increases

the possibility of integration of ICT in learning and

teaching (Bingimlas, 2009:235)

Research, as defined to be a complex process, does not

only require thorough understanding of the subject matter

but also awell-known methodology where qualitative and

quantitative data generation techniques can be used. The

theories mentioned herein undeniably suggest thattechnology

has played and continues to play an important role in the

development and expansion of education, most specifically in

the field of research.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework of the study

elucidating the working process to be undertaken.

The base reflects the research environment which is the

High Schools in the District of Motiongunder theSchools

Division of Samar and the respondents of the study, the

Senior High School students. The one-way headed arrow

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connecting the base and the next frame signifies the

progress of the study.

The first bigger frame enclosing student-respondents

profile reflects the variables of the study. The next lower

frame reflects the perceived problemsrelative to online

research of the senior high school students of the

respondent schools. The frame on the right side reflects the

academic performance of the students. As shown in the

schema, the three boxes are interconnected to one another

with arrows which imply that statistical analyses will be

applied in treating the variables.

Furthermore, the top box reflects the improved academic

performance of the Senior High School students in Research

based on the mean grade of the first semester.

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IMPROVED ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THE STUDENTS

INTERVENTION PROGRAM

FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY

STUDENT-RESPONDENTS PROFILE:
age and sex
grade level
track/strand
grade in practical research
(1st semester)
parents’ educational
attainment
parents’ occupation
F Gross Monthly Family Income F
ACADEMIC
E E
PERFORMANCE
E E
BASED ON THE
D D
MEAN GRADE OF
B B
PERCEIVED PROBLEM RELATIVE TO FIRST SEMESTER
A ONLINE RESEARCH A
C C
K online researching K
availability of online
references
accessibility of online
references
validity of online references
computer literacy
information literacy
research skills

CALAPI NHS MOTIONG NHS

DISTRICT OF MOTIONG, DIVISION OF SAMAR

Figure 1: The Conceptual Framework of the Study

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Significance of the Study

The researchers believe that the study will benefit the

following entities:

To the Students. This study will become a stairway for

them in the making of their research because of the ease of

finding sources online. It will galvanize their interest and

performance in the making of research and will motivate them

to work at an optimal rate at their own pace. This study

will create a vantage point for them in making future

researches. It will also give them better ideas of the

benefits acquired in using electronic libraries in

fulfilment of making a research.

To the Teachers. This will help them to become more

effective in facilitating the students in formulating their

research by integrating the use of electronic libraries to

the Senior High School subject Practical Research.

To the School Administrators.Findings of this study

will offer to the school administrators’ workable bases of

actions to be undertaken in order to enhance the academic

performance of the students.

To the DedEd key officials.The result of the study may

give significant insight to the DepEd officials to cater

To theFuture Researchers. This will aid them in the

elucidation of their future researches inclined with this

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study. In addition, it will also become a reference for the

subsequent studies concerning the use of electronic

libraries to research.

Scope and Delimitation

This study focused primarily on the foreseen problems

of senior high school students on online research as basis

for an intervention program. Calapi National High School and

Motiong National High School in the District of Motiong,

Schools Division of Samar is the research environment of the

study.

The investigation involves Senior High School students

as respondents.The focus of the study will be limited to the

following: profile of the student respondents in terms of

age and sex, grade level, track/strand, grade in practical

research during the 1st semester, parents’ educational

attainment, parents’ occupation, Gross Monthly Family

Income, and problems met relative to online research in

terms of online researching, availability of online

references, accessibility of online references, validity of

online references, computer literacy, information literacy,

and research skills.

Thisstudy will be conducted during the School Year

2019-2020.
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Definition of Terms

The following terms are herein conceptually and

operationally defined to facilitate better understanding of

the context of the study.

Academic Performance. This term represent the knowledge

and skills that students have mastered in a subject or a

course. It’s basically a measure of how well students have

performed in the various assessment items set for them based

on some educational criteria determined by educators (Yunlok

Lee, 2010).In this study, this refers to the grade of the

students in English for the 1st semester.

E- Library. is an electronic form of library on the

internet. It is a collection of documents such as books,

papers, images, sound files, and videos. Operationally, it

is used as a learning portal for the student to access in

finding electronic information.

Establishment.This word speaks of the act of starting

or creating something that will last a long

time(dictionary.cambridge.org 2019). In other words, this

denotes to the construction of something. In this study,

this word pertains to the crafting and launching of e-

library in Motiong District.

ICT.
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Information literacy.This term refers to the ability to

“recognize when information is needed and locate, evaluate,

and use effectively the needed information.” It describes a

set of abilities that enables an individual to acquire,

evaluate, and use information.Operationally, it refers to

the variable that will be measured in this study such that

how it is used by the student.

Online.This term refers tothe use of a computer to

communicate with other computers, or of or about a computer

that is connected to another

computer(dictionary.cambridge.org 2019). In this study, this

refers to the use of computer web in finding relevant

information in doing the Senior High School students’

Practical Research.

Problem.This term refers to a situation, person, or

thing that needs attention and needs to be dealt with or

solved (dictionary.cambridge.org 2019). In this study, this

denotes students’ encountered difficulties in doing online

research.

Research.Research is careful and organized study or

gathering of information about a specific topic

(yourdictionary.com, 2018). In this study, this term refers

to the cautious investigation and exploration of the

students-respondent about a certain topic.

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Senior High School.This terms refers to a secondary

school that students attend in the three or four highest

grades before college(yourdictionary.com,2018). In this

study, this refers to the secondary School of Motiong

National High School comprising of Grade 11 & 12.