Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter identified and has expounded on the basic methods, procedures,
designs, techniques, tools and instruments critical in molding the research study and
establishing the statistical significance and relevance of data collected. They were put
forward in the following segments: research design, respondents of the study,
instrumentation, data gathering procedure, and statistical treatment of data.
Research Design
This study utilized the descriptive type, non-experimental research design.
Descriptive research is a process of gathering, analyzing, classifying and tabulating
data about prevailing conditions, practices, beliefs, processes, trends, and cause-effect
relationships and then making adequate and accurate interpretation about such data.
This study dealt with one of the killer diseases among women the breast cancer.
In relation to the disease, the study focused its discussion on its social and emotional
effects and the extent by which they are affected by the disease and its treatment.
Furthermore, the study determined if the demographic profile of the breast cancer
patients influenced the extent of effect of the disease and its treatments.

Respondents of the Study

Two hospitals in Cavite province are considered as locale of the study. Following
are pertinent information about these hospitals.
Name of
Hospital

Cavite Medical Center

Divine Grace Medical Center

Address

Manila Road, Dalahican

Cavite City

By Pass Rd., Tejero Bacao,

Gen Trias Cavite

Date Established

1972

2006

Classification according
to level

Tertiary

Tertiary

Classification according
to services offered

General

General

41

100

Angelito de Lemos RN.,

CRN., MAN

Lynette Joy Purification RN

Number of Bed
Chief Nurse

The abovementioned hospitals are favored because of their accessibility and

researchers familiarity with them. It is also observed that they have enough number of
breast cancer patients who come for consultation, periodic checkups and treatments.
The respondentss were selected based on purposive sampling method.
Not too many will admit to being a breast cancer patient because of the stigma
attached to the disease. Hence, only 25 respondents make up the sample size or
proportionately 12 to 13 respondents per hospital.
Instrumentation
Primary data were obtained through the survey method. A survey form or
questionnaire served as the sole research instrument to be used in addressing the
specific problems of the study. An English questionnaire was prepared first. It was
translated to Filipino. The latter was used in the survey. The entire survey form was
prepared by the researchers themselves. The format is patterned using a personally
administered survey form.
The details about their demographic profile are disclosed by the respondents in
Part 1. The demographic variables involved are: age, marital status, highest educational
attainment, preoccupation, family economic status, major source of emotional support,

number of years diagnosed of having breast cancer, and type of treatments received.
The respondents checkmark the blank line opposite the desired answer.
The extent of effect by which the social and emotional aspects of the respondents
life are affected by breast cancer and its treatments is what Part 2 is all about. The
respondents express their assessment by way of encircling the number equivalent to a
scaled value, to wit:
5

Very strong

Strong

Moderate

Weak

No effect

To minimize the adverse effect of breast cancer and its treatments, some
adaptation strategies are practiced by the patients. The degree of effectiveness of the
adaptation strategies employed by them to cope with the social and emotional effects of
breast cancer and its treatments is the subject of Part 3 of the questionnaire. The
respondents reflect the degree of success of the adaptation strategies by encircling the
number equivalent to a scaled value, to boot:
5

Very highly effective

Very effective

Effective

Less effective

Not effective

Data Gathering Procedure

Collection of data immediately started upon approval of the thesis topic to support
related literature and studies requirements of the study. Major source of data will be the
results of the survey. The researchers initially draft the English and Filipino survey forms
and present them to the nursing research instructor, statistician and Filipino teacher for
comments, revision and validation.

The researchers wrote a letter request addressed to the Chief Nurse of each
hospital asking for permission to hold the survey. Firstly, the researchers run a pilot
survey. To serve as pretest respondents are 25 breast cancer patients, 12 came from
the Cavite Medical Center and 13 from Divine Grace Hospital. Once the results of the
pretest are validated for reliability, actual survey started.
The Filipino survey form were distributed personally. Since the questionnaire is
relatively short and the respondent may not be seen again, he or she was requested to
answer the form immediately. When all the properly accomplished survey forms are in,
the answers are tabulated and computed. Thereafter, analysis and interpretation of
processed data follows.
Statistical Treatment
The respondents answered to the questions in the survey form were subjected to
statistical tools to find out their relevance to the study. Frequency count and percentage
was applied to the distribution of the respondents according to demographic profile in
Part 1.
In Parts 2 and 3 concerning extent of effect and degree of effectiveness,
respectively, weighted mean will be used. Hypothetically, the mean scores will be
interpreted as follows:

Mean Range

Interpretation (Part 2)

Interpretation (Part 3)

4.51 5.00

Very strong

Highly effective

3.51 4.50

Strong

Very effective

2.51 3.50

Moderate

1.51 2.50

Weak

1.00 1.50

No effect

Effective
Less effective
Not effective

The null hypothesis of the study addressed specific problem no. 3 which inquires
into the significant correlation between the respondents demographic profile and the
extent by which they are affected socially and emotionally by breast cancer and its

treatments. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient or Pearson r will be the

statistical measure to be used to test the hypothesis.