Method.docx

METHOD Research Design. This study applied qualitative research method to present the perceptions of BS Criminology students of FAITH on lowering the minimum age of criminal liability in the Philippines. It uses phenomenology since it aims to know the stand of BS criminology students in regards with the lowering age of criminal liability. Phenomenological study is the most appropriate method since it describes the perceptions of the criminology students of this phenomenon. In addition, phenomenological research gives emphasis to the criminology students’ perception about the juvenile crimes happening in the Philippines. It aims to know the meaning of a phenomenon and experience. Participants of the study. The researchers utilized a non-probability sampling. Particularly, purposeful sampling or also known as judgmental, selective sampling which is one of the commonly used in qualitative research. However, the researcher wishes to study a particular sample of persons or documents because of the sample’s usefulness. The research aimed to explain a phenomenon rather than making a generalization. Moreover, it also focuses on particular characteristics of a population that are of interest, which will enable to answer the research questions. Hence, the researchers decided to include criteria in order to identify the respondents of the study. The following criteria were formulated: 

A BS Criminology student of First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities.

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BS Criminology student who has a prior knowledge and background about lowering the age of criminal liability in the Philippines.

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BS Criminology student who is willing to share his/her perceptions towards the lowering the minimum age of criminal liability in the Philippines.

Having these set, fifteen (15) BS Criminology students manifested their intention to participate and were identified as respondents of this study. The following were the participants: 

Participant A is from BS Criminology who is a Future Police Officer

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Participant B is from BS Criminology who is a Future Corrections Officer

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Participant C is from BS Criminology who is a Future Loss Prevention Specialist

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Participant D is from BS Criminology who is a Future Police Officer

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Participant E is from BS Criminology who is a Future Forensic Science Technician

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Participant F is from BS Criminology who is a Future Police Officer

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Participant G is from BS Criminology who is a Future Detective

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Participant H is from BS Criminology who is a Future Probation and Community Control Officer

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Participant I is from BS Criminology who is a Future Security Specialist

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Participant J is from BS Criminology who is a Future Police Officer

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Participant K is from BS Criminology who is a Future Private Investigator

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Participant L is from BS Criminology who is a Future Prison Psychologist

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Participant M is from BS Criminology who is a Future Jury Consultant

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Participant N is from BS Criminology who is a Future Police Officer

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Participant O is from BS Criminology who is a Future Corrections Officer Instrumentation and Data Collection. The researchers primarily used one-on-one

interview as sole data collection strategy. The researchers consider the knowledge, availability, and the ability of the respondents in designing the questions. The questions for

the interview are (1) What is your perception on lowering the minimum age of criminal liability in the Philippines? (2) Why do you think Juvenile Crime is rampant in the Philippines? (3) Why do you think it’s important for this study to know your stand regarding the lowering age of criminal liable age? (4) If the law would be implemented, what do you think would be its favourable strength in controlling the Juvenile Crime Rates in the Philippines? (5) Could you describe the possible drawbacks penalizing these children in conflict with the law to their way of living and mental health development? The questions were self-constructed by the researchers and directly connected to the specific problem. In addition, the questions were practically connected to the topic of the study, focusing on the lowering of minimum liable age in the Philippines. The individual interview method performed, uses a favourable data gathering collected by recording of audio voices. According to Kalpesh (2013), audio recording gives an accurate summary of the interview as the all the answers were captured during the session and can thus accurately saved as reference of the interview. The researchers also prepared a formal letter of request to approve their data collection through interviewing of the respondents. The letter was address to FAITH (First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities) Colleges COPS Dean Dr. Tomas L. Cabrillas, teachers, and the respondents itself. The interview session was made pleasant so that data will be easily appreciated and understandable for the researchers. The process was also paired with active listening plan. Qualitative Data Analysis. Thorough description about the phenomenon concerning FAITH (First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities) BS Criminology Student’s Perceptions. The following steps represent Seidel process data analysis cited in Lewins and Taylor (2010):

1. Noticing 2. Collecting 3. Thinking These parts are interlinked and cyclical. The process of Seidel’s Phenomenological data analysis tends to generate a significant quantity of data that may include interview notes, transcripts, recordings, and other types of records that must be analysed. After the gathering of data, the researcher can then begin a deeper analysis of the data in an effort to organize the information, focus on a deeper understanding and pull out emerging themes.

FINDINGS This paper expounds the three found themes: Perceptions, Advantages and Disadvantages.