Research Method RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methodology used in this study and also the research method, research respondents, settings, instruments, data analysis and research procedures. This study was conducted to find out the answers to the first problem question, how a set of Integrated English Instructional Materials for Concierge Personnel is designed.

3.1 Research Method

Based on the methodology used in this study, this research is Educational Research and Development RD study. It is a process used to develop and validate educational products 1 Borg and Gall, 1982: 772. The steps of this process are usually pertinent to the product to be developed, developing the product based on findings, fields testing it in the setting where it will be used eventually, and revising it to correct the deficiencies found in the field testing stage. According to Borg and Gall 1982: 775 the steps of this process are usually referred to as the RD cycle. Cates 1985 states that there are eleven steps in RD studies. The first step is identifying the product to be developed. This description includes an overall narrative of the proposed product, a tentative outline of what the product will include, how it will be used and most important a 1. T he term ‘ product’ includes not only material objects, such as textbooks, instructional film, and so forth but is also intended to refer to established procedures and processes such as method of teaching or a method for organizing instruction. 39 40 specific statement of the objectives of the product Borg and Gall 1982: 776. The second is reviewing the literature. A literature review is undertaken to collect research findings and other information pertinent to the planned development. One purpose of the literature review is to determine the state of knowledge in the area of concern Borg and Gall 1982: 776. The third step is planning the development program. The most important aspect of planning a research-based educational product is the statement of the specific objectives to be achieved by the product. The fourth step is developing a prototype of the product. The fifth step is conducting a preliminary field test. The purpose of the preliminary field test is to obtain an initial qualitative evaluation of the new educational product Borg and Gall 1982: 782. The sixth step is revising the product in keeping with the findings of the preliminary field test. Therefore, questionnaire and interview data should be obtained from all participants in the main field test. The seventh step is conducting a main field test. According to Borg and Gall 1982: 84 the primary purpose of the main field test, is to determine the success of the new product in meeting its objectives, and to collect information that can be used to improve the course in its next revision. The eighth step is revising the product in keeping with the findings of the main field test. The ninth step is conducting an operational field test, the purpose of operational field test is to determine whether an educational product is fully ready for use in the schools without the presence of the developer or staff Borg and Gall 1982: 784. The tenth step is revising the product in keeping with the 41 findings of the operational field test. In this step, all shortcomings and omissions have been corrected. The eleventh step is disseminating information of the product and setting up a distribution apparatus for making it available to potential users. Borg and Gall 1982: 786 states this stage as dissemination and implementation. Dissemination refers to the process of helping potential users become aware of RD product. Implementation refers to the process of helping the adopter of an RD product to use it in the way intended by the developers. The writer does not use all the RD cycle. The RD steps used in this research are identifying the product to be developed, reviewing the literature, planning the development program, developing the product, conducting a main field test, revising the product in keeping with findings of the main field test, making the final product revision. The writer identifying the product by selecting not only material objects, such as textbooks, instructional film, and so forth, but is also intended to refer to established procedures and processes such as method of teaching or a method for organizing instruction, how it will be used and most important a specific statement of the objectives of the product. Reviewing the literature not only taken to collect research findings and other information pertinent to the planned development but also to identify specific techniques to accomplish the goals. In order to help review the literature, the writer conducted a survey called pre-design survey. It was done before designing materials to get information about the learners’ interest. 42 The pre-design survey is conducted to collect as much information as possible from the learners about their necessities, lacks and wants Hutchinson, Waters and Breen, 1979:59. The pre-design survey was conducted in two ways; the first was distributing questionnaires and the second was interviewing the respondents. The result of questionnaires would be in the form of a presentation of the respondents’ answers and the interviews would be presented in the respondents’ opinion table. Based on the result of needs’ survey, the writer analyzed the data and made a list of what materials were needed by the learners and what they wanted to study. Then, from the result of the needs survey the researcher decided the objectives of the designed material. After reviewing the literature, the writer planning the development program by stating the objectives, made the syllabus and lesson plan. After that the writer developed the product in the form of designing the materials. This is the important stage in this study, where all materials are to be collected, chosen, mix and match with pictures and other supported materials based on the learner’s needs. After all materials are designed, the writer applied the designed materials to the learners based on their needs. Then, the writer conducts a main field, called post-design survey, by doing preliminary application. The purpose at this stage was to gather input in the form of criticism and suggestions academically and un- academically on the designed materials by distributing the materials to the 43 respondents and asking them to give an opinion about it. Then, it was used to adjust the material to create the final designed material. There were two steps conducted by the researcher in validating material in the post-design survey. The first was distributing questionnaires and interviewing the respondents who are not concierge personnel to obtain academics feedback of the content of the designed materials; it is about the grammar and layout. They were English lecturers, English teachers and students. Non-academics feedback came from concierge personnel to obtain real feedback, meaning to say, they were personnel who applied the materials. They were supposed to give input in the form of criticism and suggestions of the content of the designed materials whether it is fulfilling the concierge personnel’ needs or not. The second post-design survey is in the form of preliminary application for the concierge personnel to obtain the direct feedback in the form of learners’ response; they were active, positive response or passive, negative response. The result of the distributing questionnaires would be in the form of presentation of the respondents’ answers and interviews would be presented in the respondents’ opinion table. The last step is making the final product revision. The writer revised the designed materials based on the suggestion and critics from post-design survey. 3.2. Research Respondents 3.2.1