This study aimed to describe the phenomenology of text messaging. Specifically, this study identified the advantages and disadvantages of text messaging from the point of view of De La Salle University students. These advantages and disadvantages were further subdivided into three aspects: financial, psychosocial and academic. This study also intended to gauge the extent of importance of text messages and in usage of such device for the said college students.
The researchers made use of the descriptive research study. The interview method was used to gather information. This was to give the respondents the chance to answer at their own pace. It was through this method, that this study was able to gain wider range of information about text messaging. Basically, this study is descriptive in nature.
Subject Sampling
Respondents were chosen among students of De La Salle University. Their ages ranged from seventeen (17) to twenty-one (21) years old. From a university with a student population of above 15,000, the study yielded a total of twenty (20) interviewees. The researchers decided to limit the interviewees to twenty to ensure quality interviews instead of having quantity without quality. Each interviewee had to provide in-depth answers and elaborate on them. Due to time constraints, deadlines to meet and other academic requirements from other subjects, the researchers felt that twenty interviewees were enough to be able to give a general picture of the behavior they were researching on among the De La Salle University students. Equal number of males and females were chosen.
For this study, purposive sampling was used. The respondents have been owners of GSM cellular phones for more than one year. The one-year ownership criteria was set so that the respondents would have already adjusted well to the quirks of their cellular phones. The researchers asked for the respondents’ consent prior to participating in the said interview.
Instruments
A thorough interview guide was used as the main instrument in gathering necessary information about the effects or life changes brought about by text messaging to the twenty (20) college students of De La Salle University (see Appendix A). The questions in the interview were drawn from a standard guideline or protocol items designed to extract the advantages and disadvantages of text messaging. The interview guideline was composed of questions for which participants were encouraged to give a free flow of thought and conversation, therefore providing the study with as much information as needed. As it is, the interview utilized leading, open-ended, and direct questions. For validation purposes, the researchers initially submitted an outline of the interview and after approval, gave a list of questions to be asked. After the go-signal was given, the researchers proceeded to interview one male and one female respondent, both students of De La Salle University. After the interviews, the researchers made the necessary corrections to ensure further improvement and validity of the instrument. After examining the content of the interview, the researchers found their instrument, reliable. The researchers excluded the irrelevant questions and changed words to simpler terms which they observed were causing the participants difficulty in understanding its meaning.
Interviews were utilized because the researchers felt that it will give them a greater opportunity to gather more exhaustive information. The use of open-ended questions have made it easier for the researchers to probe and let the participants further explain their answers. The researchers’ probing skill then served as an essential factor in acquiring more accurate and detailed information. The interview process was conducted in an informal manner. This manner of interviewing has facilitated spontaneity and willingness for the participants in disclosing their answers and ideas to the questions.
Procedure
The first step taken by the researchers was to look for appropriate participants in De La Salle University who would fit the standard qualifications set by the researchers. The qualification standards are the following: a participant must be a student of De La Salle University, aged between seventeen to twenty-one years old, and must be a GSM cellular phone user for more than a year. The researchers, along with their friends, sought out respondents who fit the study’s criteria. During the actual day of the interview, the researchers introduced themselves as well as the topic and objectives of the study. To establish rapport and comfortability with the participants, the researchers engaged in friendly conversation mostly talking about current events. As soon as the researchers felt that the participants were already relaxed with their presence, the researchers asked consent from the interviewee with regard to the use of a cassette-recording device for the entire duration of the actual interview session. Upon their approval, the informal interview commenced. During the interview, questions were asked point-by-point making certain that all preferred questions were answered thoroughly. The researchers probed almost every question to let the participants describe further their responses. Ten to fifteen minutes was the average time spent for the interview. In effect, the researchers’ probing skills and sense of courtesy, encouraged the participants to further describe in detail their answers, played a vital role. In the end of the interview, the researchers were thankful for the participants’ willingness and ability to contribute to the study. As a sign of gratitude, the researchers gave out souvenirs of appreciation to the participants signaling the end of the interaction.
The researchers categorized the answers given by each participant into clusters. These were presented in both tabular and paragraph form. Presenting them in tables made it to appear more organized and therefore helped the researchers identify the highlights of the results. Thorough analyses based on the results were made.
Data Analysis
Data that were gathered by the researchers from the in-depth interview were analyzed qualitatively. Answers of each participant to the questions were categorized according to their benefits, advantages, disadvantages, problems, and coping mechanisms experienced as the questions themselves were dynamically arranged to elicit such answers. These, together with their corresponding frequencies were supplied in tabulated structure. In determining the highest frequencies of the answers, descriptive statistics was applied. Moreover, this gave a more organized presentation of data. This also provided the means enabling the researchers to easily analyze the highlights of the results. Findings of the study were then associated with related literature made in the beginning of the paper.
Methodological Limitations
The participants in this study are twenty (20) male and female De La Salle University students who are currently users of GSM cell phones. Therefore, the whole population of college students was not represented. Other schools were not included since the study focused on De La Salle University students only. In the course of the study, the researchers experienced difficulty in seeking participants who were willing to be part of the study. Reasons for unwillingness ranged from shyness, lack of time, preoccupation with schoolwork, among many others. In some of the interviews, there were subjects who gave short and vague answers. In order to clarify their answers, continuous probing of the researchers was done. In effect, there were instances when researchers appeared to be leading. The outcome of each interview was generally substantial and informative, although there were instances when participants do not directly answer the questions. This however was overcome by the researchers’ thorough repetition of the unanswered question. There were unavoidable interruptions, which disrupted their trend of thought like, cellular phone calls and text messages, and some greetings from participants’ friends and acquaintances as the interview sessions were done inside the university’s premises. As a result of the use of open-ended questions, there were no exact terms given by every participant to mean the same things, therefore making it hard for the researchers to think of a general term for all of the words used by the participants.
The main reason why this methodology was used was to elicit in-depth answers from the respondents instead of only checking the choices, which is a prevalent method in surveys. Another reason was to encourage the participants to elaborate on the effects of text messaging on their lives, based on the three aspects being studied, namely, psychosocial, academic and financial.
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