CHAPTER 3

Methods of Study and Sources of Data

Research Design

The study utilized a descriptive research design. The researcher described the

environmental conditions of Balumbato Elementary School with regard to noise, air,

water, and soil pollution. She used primary and secondary data based on the results of

laboratory analyses provided by the DENR-EMB and the Bureau of Soils and Water

Management. The causes of these environmental problems and their on the health of the

pupils as perceived by the respondents of the study were also identified.

Respondents of the Study

Four hundred twenty-one (421) respondents composed of two hundred (200)

parents, two hundred (200) pupils, and twenty-one (21) teachers, were chosen for this

study. The total population of the school was 728 but only 482 pupils in Grades III, IV,

V and VI were included in the stratified sampling. ( See Table 1 for the distribution of

pupil respondents according to grade levels.) Only the pupils from these grade levels

were included in the study because they could easily comprehend and answer the

questionnaire. Stratification was done to establish homogeneity within each group so

that clear differences between groups were determined1. e.g. Grades III & V afternoon

session and Grades IV & VI morning session. The lottery technique was used to choose

1
Divina M. Edralin, Business Research, Concepts, and Application, (Dela
Salle University, Manila, 2000), 69.

33
 34

the 200 pupil respondents. After the pupil respondents had been chosen, either of the

individual pupil’s parents was also requested to answer the questionnaire. All of the 21

teachers in Balumbato Elementary School, except the researcher, were also requested to

participate in the study.

To obtain the sample size, Sloven’s formula2 was used.

n = N

1 + Ne2

where:

N = population size;

E = 0.05 level of significance

n = 482
1+482 (.05) 2

n = 482
2.415

= 199.59
or 200 (sample pupils size)

2
 35

Table 1
Frequency and Percentage of Pupil Respondents
by Grade Level

GRADE LEVEL BOYS GIRLS TOTAL PERCENTAGE SAMPLE SIZE

III 59 58 117 24.3 49

IV 54 63 117 24.3 48
V 57 64 121 25.1 50
VI 52 75 127 26.3 53

Total 222 260 482 100% 200

Table 2 presents the number and percentage distribution of the respondents by

sex and category. Out of the 200 pupil respondents, 96 were male and 104 were female.

The respondent parents consisted of 32 males and 168 females, evidence that more

mothers are in touch with their children’s needs and concern about school. Among the

teacher respondents, three were male while 18 were female. All in all, 200 or 47.5% of

the respondents were pupils, 200 or 47.5% were their parents, and 21 or 5% were

teachers of Balumbato Elementary School.

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Table 2

Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents

by Sex and Category

RESPONDENTS MALE FEMALE NUMBER PERCENTAGE

Pupils 96 104 200 47.5

Parents 32 168 200 47.5
Teachers 3 18 21 5
Total
131 290 21 100%

The residences or locations of the respondents are presented in Table 3.

Baranggay Balumbato is situated in the boundaries of Quezon City and Caloocan City.

More than half ( 126 or 63%) of the pupil respondents and their parents were residents

of Barangay Balumbato in Quezon City, while 68 or 34% were living in Bagong

Barrio, Caloocan City. Only 3% of the pupils and their parents were living in Barangay

Baesa, also in Quezon City.

Among the respondents living in Bagong Barrio, 30 were residing in Teacher’s

Bliss Condominium, a low cost housing project for policemen and teachers provided by

the government. Residents of Balumbato live on Salazar Drive, along Quirino Ave.,

Caiña Drive, Gana Compound, Gonzales Drive, Maximina Drive, Leland Drive, Nipas

St., and Dimaano Compound which are adjacent or near the school. Some of them were

just renting their apartment houses because they were migrants from the provinces who

found Barangay Balumbato to be the residential area most accessible to their work.

Nine of the respondents were squatting under the Balintawak Bridge, while six were

living in Barangay Baesa, the barangay proximate to Balumbato. As a whole, 66 % of

 37

the pupil-respondents reside at Barangay Balumbato and Barangay Baesa, Q.C. and the

remaining 34 % at Bagong Barrio of Caloocan City.

Table 3

Number and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents

by Residence

PUPILS AND PARENT RESPONDENTS’ RESIDENCE F %

Barangay Balumbato, Quezon City 252 63

Barangay Baesa, Quezon City 12 3

Barangay Bagong Barrio, Caloocan City 16 34

Total 400 100%

Sources of Data

To be able to describe the environmental condition of Balumbato Elementary

School, primary data were gathered with the assistance of the Environmental Quality

Division-EMB-NCR3 and Regional staff and of the Bureau of Soils and Water

Management laboratories.

33
EQD-EMB-NCR. Acronym for Environmental Quality Division-
Environmental Management Bureau, National Capital Region.
 38

Standard references were used by the researcher to assess the noise, air, water

and soil qualities of the Barangay Balumbato. Among these references were the Noise

Pollution Control Regulations, the DENR Official Gazette, Air Quality Standards and

Rules and Regulations Relating to Air Pollution, the Philippine National Standards for

Drinking Water, and the General Guidelines for the Fertility Rating of Soils.

The other sources of data used in this study were: questionnaires, which were

administered to obtain the respondents’ common perception on the causes of these

environmental problems and their effects onthe health of the pupils; library research and

visits to various government agencies (DENR-EMB-NCR) Quezon City, NEDA-Pasig,

LLDA-Pasig, DOH-Manila, and RHU-Pulilan) which helped the writer to conceptualize

the research problem and contributed to the collection of related studies and literature;

and the Interviews which were very useful, particularly for the purpose of verifying

information. This was done in the gathering of information regarding current condition

of the environment and the historical backgrounds of the school and the locality.

However, no data were tabulated and interpreted relative to the interviews because no

interview guides were used.

Gathering of the Data

The researcher followed the following procedure in the gathering of data:

1. Permission to conduct the study was secured from the principal of Balumbato

Elementary School. This facilitated the gathering of information regarding the

names and addresses of the pupils and the names and occupations of the pupils’

parents from the teachers’ Form 1.

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2. With the help of the Barangay officials, the researcher made a formal request to

the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Director

(DENR-NCR) to provide the researcher a copy of the Stations General Air

Pollution Assessment 2000-2001. A request was also made by the researcher for

the testing of the existence of noise pollution, assumed to be caused by the

traffic or the operation of the factories in Barangay Balumbato. The sound in

Balumbato Elementary School’s vicinity was measured using a noise level

meter.

3. A formal letter of request was likewise sent to the Bureau of Soils and Water

Management Regional Director (BSWM Diliman, Quezon City) for a complete

water and soil analyses of the school’s water supply and topsoil. Samples of soil

and water were brought to their laboratory for examination.

4. Three sets of questionnaires were prepared for the three groups of respondent.

The objectives were to assess the environmental condition in Balumbato

Elementary School and to identify the effects of the environmental condition on

the health of the pupils. The questionnaires were referred to her thesis adviser

for correction and/or modification. The comments of the adviser served as basis

for its improvement and refinement. Five (5) copies of the questionnaire were

initially produced for the trial run. They were administered to five persons who

not involved in this study to determine if there were ambiguities in the

instrument. After some modifications, enough copies were reproduced for the

target respondents.
 40

5. The writer administered the questionnaires personally. The distribution and

retrieval of the accomplished questionnaires took all of two weeks. The

questionnaires for the pupil respondents were administered in their respective

classrooms during school hours to enable the researcher to explain the purpose

of the questionnaire and to be able to retrieve them immediately. The

questionnaires for their parents were given to the pupils who were instructed to

return them the following day. The questionnaires for the teachers were

distributed and retrieved personally by the researcher.

Laboratory Tests Used

To attain the objectives of the study, the following laboratory tests were used in

this study:

0Noise pollution.

The use of Sound Level Meter which measures noise in decibels (dB) was

facilitated by the EMB-NCR Air Quality Management Division staff. The

measurements were recorded between nine and ten o’clock in the morning. The

arithmetic median was taken at each assigned point. Point 1 was the gate of a paper

mill adjacent to the rear of Philippine Bed Mfg. Inc., facing the school gate. Point 2 was

the school playground; Point 3 was near Manchester Engineering and Manufacturing

Corp; Point 4 was the backstage near the Principal’s office; and Point 5 was behind the

two-story classroom building, very proximate to the wall of the Universal Steel

Smelting Inc Compound. Point 6 was beside the fishpond of the school; Point 7 was
 41

outside the school premises, and Point 8 was at Salazar Drive, near the Brick Glazing

and Hollow Blocks Factory, only stone’s throw away from the school.

The standards were applied to the arithmetic median of at least seven readings at

the point of maximum noise level.

1Air Pollution

The researcher utilized secondary data based on Stations General Air Pollution

Assessment Report (2000-2001). This was one of the limitations of the study since the

conduct of the test to determine the air quality in the area involved several constraints.

2Water Pollution

Water samples were obtained from the three main MWSS sources of drinking

water within the Balumbato Elementary School premises to determine whether the

water supply is safe for human consumption or not. Two methods were utilized for this

purpose.

0The PHC Method for rapid detection of coliform organisms. The

method is a screening test for fecal pollution based on the detection of

hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production, which is typical of these organisms.

4

Following the instructions of the Rural Health Unit Sanitary Inspector, the

bottles were filled with water from the taps and were allowed to stand at room

temperature for a period of between 24 and 48 hours with the caps on. If the solution

turns charcoal black, the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) producing bacteria

Philippine National Standards For Drinking Water, Department of Health, Manila,

4

1993.
 42

(coliform contamination) is indicated. This process was done for screening purposes

only.

The Multiple Tube Fermentation Technique (MTFT). This process

was done in the EMB laboratory. The process was used to

enumerate positive presumptive, confirmed and completed tests.

This technique gives the most probable number (MPN) of coliforms

present in a given sample.5 ( See Appendix A-3 for the Flow chart

process of MTFT.)

3Soil Pollution

Samples of soil were subjected to both physical and chemical analyses by the

Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) to determine its trace elements (Cu,

Zn, Mn, Fe) Electrical Conductivity (EC), Acidity (Ph), CaCo3, Sulfates, total Nitrogen,

and Free Iron Oxide. The General Guidelines for the Fertility Rating of Soils and the

Concentration Range of Micronutrients in Phil. Soils (DTPA Extraction)6 were used to

assess the chemical/physical characteristics of the soil. (Please refer to Appendix B).

Philippine Standard Methods for Air and Water Analysis, Human Settlement
5

Commission, EMB Central Office.

6
Interpretation of Chemical and Physical Soil Data for the USDA Soil
Taxonomy, Laboratory Information Paper No. 13 by F.O. Nachtergaele, (BSWM-
Q.C.).
 43

Statistical Techniques Used

The data that were obtained through the questionnaires were consolidated,

organized, and tabulated in distribution tables. The data were analyzed and interpreted

utilizing suitable statistical tools.

1. Percentage Technique. This was employed to show the relation of a part to the

whole. To compute the percentage desired, the number of respondents with the same

response was divided by the total number of respondents, then the quotient was

multiplied by 100; the product represented the percentage rate.

This can be illustrated in the formula thus:

N
%= PS x 100

where: PS = Number of respondents with the same response

N = total number of respondents

100 = constant

2. Ranking. This was used to show the relative position of information in the

series. The following steps in ranking were observed by the researcher:

a. The data were arranged from highest to lowest indicating their frequency

or frequencies.

b. The data were numbered consecutively until the last item is listed in the

series.

3. Mean. This is employed to show the totality of a group. The weighted mean

used by Dalcon, et al7 is defined as follows:

7
 44

WM = TWS

where: WM = weighted mean

TWS = total weighted score

N = the number of respondents

Interpretation of the Findings

The writer believes that consistency is a vital factor in the course of

interpretation.

To determine the causes of environmental condition in Balumbato Elementary

School, a five-point table of interpretation was evolved using an interval of twenty. It

may be noted that an item which was identified as the cause of a problem by at least

80% of the respondents was considered as a “very common” problem. Those identified

by 60% to 79% of the respondents were considered as “common” problems; and those

considered by 40% to 59% of the respondents were labeled as “moderate”. If an item

was identified by 20 % to 39 % of the respondents only, then it was labeled as a

“slight” problem. An item was not considered as a problem if only 19 % or less of the

respondents identified it.

The interpretation of the findings on the effects of the environmental conditions

on the health of the pupils also followed an interval of twenty. An effect that was known

to 80 % and more of the respondents was considered “very serious.” Those known to
 45

60% to 79% were considered “serious.” An effect was “alarming” when it was

identified by 40% to 59% respondents; “disturbing” when considered by 20 % to 39 %

of the respondents; and “less disturbing” when known to only 19% or less of the

respondents.