Inquiries, Investigations

and Immersion
Quarter 1 – Module 1:

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Brainstorming for Research Topics
Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners,
can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions,
exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by
step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each

SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you
need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of
the lesson. At the end of each module, you need to answer the post-test to self-
check your learning. Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We trust
that you will be honest in using these.

In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also
provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they
can best help you on your home-based learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part
of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and tests. And
read the instructions carefully before performing each task.

If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering the
tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.

Thank you.

What I Need to Know

You have learned the step-by-step procedure in writing a qualitative and
quantitative research in your previous subjects – Practical Research 1 and 2,
respectively. As a culminating activity, Inquiries, Investigations and
Immersion is designed to heighten your critical thinking and problem-solving
skills through conducting another meaningful study. This particular module
is designed to assist you in choosing a significant topic that will benefit your
area of interest.

After this module, you are expected to:

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 1. identify issues and ideas in respective track or strand;
2. formulate a suitable research topic related to a track or strand; and
3. write a research plan about the selected research topic.

What I Know
There are 15 words that are possible sources for a research topic hidden in
the wordsquare below. Words appear vertically, horizontally, diagonally,
backwards and forwards. Search for these words and write your answers on
your notebook.

T H E O R I E S D E E N X O N

I R X E S E A P R O B L E M S

N R P C I N T E R E S T H Q U

T Z E E D F H C G S U W V V A

U E R R I P H I L O S O P H Y

I R I U A X E A E L B B O A S

T M E T O D U L S E I S S O T

I H N A A R D I S S U E S U U

O G C R H C O Z O V I R D P D

N A E E N E D A N M I V C L I

O C S T C K D T S O W A N Q E

U A R I A N E I T E D T U C S

A T V L I O N O R E S I E A R

C D I S F U N N Z X E O E W Y

A P N O I T A S R E V N O C M

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 Lesson Brainstorming for
1 Research Topics

One of the most important considerations for every research is selecting a

research topic. A research topic serves as the basis of each research
undertaking. It directs how the research will be carried out.

A good researcher must carefully choose a topic that is doable and

significant to a certain discipline or field. Many researchers find selecting a
research topic a difficult task. Some do it through brainstorming or by
observing their surroundings.

In this module, you will be guided on how to easily choose a research topic
from your area of interest.

What’s In
Taking into consideration your experiences from your previous research
subjects, decide whether each sentence must be a criterion in choosing a
good research problem. On your notebook, write YES if the statement can be
considered as a criterion and NO if otherwise.

A research topic should…

1. be original.
2. be ambiguous.
3. fill in a research gap.
4. be costly and ambitious.
5. be general and not specific.
6. arouse intellectual curiosity.
7. be within the researcher’s interest.
8. make use of ineffective research instrument.
9. be completed beyond the given period of time.
10. be insignificant to the field of study or discipline.

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 What’s New
A common challenge when beginning to write a research paper is
determining how to narrow down your topic. To assist you in the selection
process, here are some guidelines given by Baraceros (2016:38-39):

1. INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT MATTER

Being interested in a topic is usually due to the richness of your
stock knowledge about it or because of its familiarity to you.
Curiosity about an issue/topic is one of the factors that
motivate a person to unravel the unknown in a topic. Thus, the
researcher’s interest increases the possibility of the success of
the study.

2. RICHNESS OF AVAILABLE SOURCES OR SUPPORTING

EVIDENCES

One of the things that you should do is to collect a lot of

information on your topic of interest. This enables you to find
evidences that would support your topic. You must ensure that
your sources come from a wide variety of literature such as
books, journal, periodicals, online articles, etc. Hence, going to
the library and surfing the internet are some of the activities
that you should do as a researcher.

3. TIMELINESS AND RELEVANCE OF THE TOPIC

Your topic should be relevant and timely. A topic is relevant if it
serves as an instrument in improving the society or if it answers
or solves current issues which are some of the reasons why
research is conducted
4. LIMITATIONS OF THE SUBJECT
Aside from your interest, you must also consider the
significance of the topic in your track and strand. Remember
that research is conducted to contribute something valuable to
a particular area or discipline.
5. PERSONAL RESOURCES
Prior to finalizing your chosen topic, you must assess your
research abilities as a student. You may do so by taking your
financial capability, health condition, personal qualifications
and trainings as a researcher, needed facilities and time
allotment into account. It is important that all of these aspects
are considered in order for you to guarantee the
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 accomplishment of your research.

What is It
Now that you have learned the considerations in formulating a research
problem, here are the steps that will guide you trim down your area of
interest.

1. Focus on your track, strand or area of specialization.

• For example:
HUMSS

2. Recall the specific area, lesson or issue in your respective

field or strand that has piqued or aroused your interest the
most.

• Public Speaking

3. Generate an unanswered question or an unresolved

problem from your chosen area or lesson.

• Why do people feel anxious when speaking in public?

4. Assess the question or problem based on the five guidelines

stated above.

• I'm interested in the topic.

• There are available sources of data.
• It is timely and relevant.
• It will contribute to my strand.
• It is doable considering my personal resources.

5. Write your research problem.

• Factors Affecting the Speaking Anxiety of Students

When formulating an effective research title, take the following guidelines
into consideration:

1. Indicate accurately the subject and scope of the study.

2. The title must be limited to 10 to 15 substantive words. Conjunctions
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 (and, but, because), prepositions (in, on, at) and articles (the, a, an) are
not counted.
3. Do not include analysis of, study of, an investigation of and the like.
4. The title must be in the phrase form.
5. Avoid title that gives too much information.

What’s More
A. Match the following descriptions in column A to their respective guidelines
in choosing a research topic in column B. Write the letter of the correct
answer on your notebook.

1. This refers to the researcher’s abilities, financial capacity, resources in terms of

instruments, facilities and time frame.
2. This refers to the social applicability and appropriateness of the topic to
the current situation.
3. This refers to an individual’s interest in a topic driven by his or her schema
about it.
4. This refers to the availability of needed resources as evidencor the topic.
5. This refers to the topic’s contribution to a particular field or discipline.
a. limitations of the subject b. personal resources
c. interest in the subject matter d. timeliness and relevance
e. richness of available resources or supporting evidences of appropriateness
f. intellectual ability
B. Arrange the following steps in correct sequence using numbers 1-5. Write
your answers on your notebook.

6. Write your research problem.

7. Generate an unanswered question or an unresolved problem from your
chosen area or lesson.
8. Recall the specific area, lesson or issue in your respective field that has
piqued your interest the most.
9. Assess the question or problem based on the five guidelines stated
above.
10. Focus on your track, strand or area of specialization.

C. Read each statement below carefully. On your notebook, put a if the

statement is correct and if otherwise.

11. The title must include the accurate scope of the study.
12. Choose a title that is a sentence than a phrase.
13. Very long titles are preferable than short ones.
14. If possible, titles must not exceed 15 substantive words.
15. Analysis of, A Study of, An Investigation and the like are not
encouraged.
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 What I Have Learned

Test your wits and complete the paragraphs below by sharing

your learnings from the previous discussions. Write your answers on your
notebook. (15 points)

When deciding on a research topic, there are guidelines that we must

follow. These are ______________, ______________, ______________,
______________, and ______________. These guidelines must be considered
because __________________________________.

The research topic must be simple and specific enough for us to

accomplish it with consideration of our limitations and within the given
period of time. To attain this, first we have to ________________________ and
then ________________________. After this, we must ________________________
to be followed by ________________________. To complete the procedure, we
can now ________________________.
Think of at least two specific research topics from the broad topics
listed below following the guidelines explained above. Write your
answers on your notebook. (5 points each)

Broad Topic: Online Selling

▪ Fingerprinting ▪ DNA
▪ Ethics and Genetics ▪ Insecticides
▪ Humans and Wildlife ▪ Export and Import ▪
▪ Malnutrition Intermittent Fasting ▪
▪ Psychology of Plastic Surgery ▪ Food Nutrition
Vaccines ▪ Privacy Issues
▪ Violence ▪ Mobile Games
▪ Racism ▪ Computer Literacy ▪
▪ Sex Education Online Selling
▪ Social Media ▪ Accounting System ▪
▪ Terrorism Marketing Strategies ▪
▪ Online Learning Technology and Business ▪
▪ Gender Roles Thermal Insulatio

For example:
Specific Topic: Influence of Internet Based Marketing Activities on Digital
Consumer’s Mind

1. Broad Topic: __________________________________________________________

Specific Topic: ________________________________________________________

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2. Broad Topic: __________________________________________________________
Specific Topic: ________________________________________________________

Assessment
A. Let us apply the five steps mentioned previously for you to arrive on your
specific research topic. Answer the following questions briefly on your
notebook. (2 points each)
STEPS IN SPECIFYING THE ANSWER
RESEARCH TOPIC

1. What is your track and strand?

2. What is the specific lesson or

issue in your track and strand that
has piqued your interest the most?

3. What is the unanswered question

or unresolved problem, or issue
involved in the lesson or issue?

4. Assess the question or • Is it within your interest?

problem based on the five Yes___No____
guidelines. • Are there available data,
resources and evidences
that will support the topic?
Yes___No____
• Is it timely and relevant?
Yes___No____
• Will it contribute to your track
and strand?
Yes___No____
• Is it within your personal
resources?
Yes___No____

5. If all of your answers are yes, then

write down your specific research
problem. If no, reevaluate your
research question or problem.

B. Based on the research problem that you have written above, write your
research plan by answering the following questions on the table below.
Answer briefly on your notebook. (2 points each)

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 RESEARCH PLAN

1. Research Problem:
(What is your research problem?)

2. Rationale:
(Why do you want to conduct this study?)

3. Significance:
(Why is it important to be conducted?)

4. Objective:
(What is your goal to achieve in this study?)

5. Method and Design: Respondents:

(Is it a quantitative or a (Who or what will be the source of
qualitative study?) your data?)

Sample Size:
(How many respondents does your
study need?)

Sampling Technique:
(How will you choose your respondents
or source of data?)

Additional Activities
Using the guidelines stated above, formulate a tentative research title based
on your chosen research problem in Assessment. Write your title on your
notebook. (15 points)
Research Title:
Problem:
Tentative
The checklist below will guide you in assessing the tentative title you have
written. However, the research title may still be changed along the course of
the study.
Self-Assessment Checklist YES NO

1. Is it original?

2. Is it concise?

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 3. Is it clear?

4. Is it specific?

5. Does it reflect the topic to be explored?

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Rubric for What I Have Learned
Criteria/ 5 3 1
Indicators Excellent/ Satisfactory Needs
Outstanding Improvement

Completeness of All of the Two sections None of the

answers sections were were sections were
answered unanswered answered

Quality of answers All of the Some of the None of the

responses responses responses
were were were
discussed discussed discussed
substantially substantially substantially
and and and
comprehensively comprehensively comprehensively

Appropriatene All of the Some of the None of the

ss of answers responses responses responses
correspond correspond corresponds
to the to the to the
needed needed needed
information information information
in all of the in some of in all of the
sections the sections
sections

Rubric for What I Can Do

Criteria/Indicators 5 3 1
Excellent/ Satisfactory Needs
Outstanding Improvement

Feasibility of The research The research The research

Research problem is problem is problem is
Problem practical and slightly completely
doable practical and impractical
may be and undoable

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 doable

Specificity of The research The research The research

Research problem problem is problem is
Problem uniquely slightly still broad
belongs to a ambiguous
specific area
of the topic

Timeliness The research The research The research

Relevance of problem is problem is problem is
Research highly slightly insignificant
Problem significant at significant at at the time
the time being the time being being

Rubric for Additional Activity

Criteria/ 15 POINTS
Indicators
Originalit Clarity Conciseness Specificit
y The title The title is The title is not y
is new clear and stuffy and dull The title
and straight but gives demonst
different forward. readers some rates
from what (4 points) idea at the outset elements
has of what the that
already research will point
been contain. out the
written (4 points) angle of
about. inquiry.
(4 points) (3
points)
S

TOTAL C

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