Practical Research 1

Quarter 3 – Module 3:
Identifying the Inquiry and Stating the Problem

What I need to know

Did you know that parachutes function only when opened? In the same manner your minds
work when unlocked. Research study is like you are planning to travel to a place you have not been
to and the question is where and how do you start. ? Where should you start a research? How do
you choose a topic? What far will it go and who will benefit from it. In research, you are inclining to
think in various stages that sorts out from the simplest to the most intricate thoughts. You are
beginning to perform what you want to research intending to know a new subject into higher levels
of thinking as you go through the several conditions. The quality of thinking and devotion you give
to your actions of choosing your research, identifying question, knowing the coverage and the
significance of your research study strongly determined the success of your research work.

This module will assist you in understanding the following lessons:

Lesson 1 Subject Matter of the Research

Lesson 2 Research Problems and Research Questions

Learning Objectives
After going through this module, you are expected to be able to:

1. design a research project related to the daily life

2. write a research title
3. describe the reasons for conducting the research
4. state research questions
5. indicate scope and delimitation of research
6. cite the benefits and beneficiaries of research
7. present written statement of the problem
 LESSON 1: The Subject Matter of the Research

Developing a good research topic may not be easy for you but it is an important skill. Your
teacher may assign you a particular topic but often requires you to choose a topic that interests you
.In this lesson you are given the guidelines in choosing a topic when you begin your research work.
These pointers will guide you in selecting a good topic. Other factors affecting in choosing and
writing your research are topics that need to be avoided this will help you focus clearly on your
subjects. Likewise the sources of information are important for you to know where your research
topic may come from.

What’s in?
In the previous lesson, you learned to illustrate the importance of qualitative research across
fields of inquiry .Research can be conducted in any field of knowledge .Whatever field you belong
you can freely choose the basic research approaches either the scientific ,naturalistic or mixed. The
areas of disciplines that are classified into soft and hard sciences assist you to understand where
you really fit. These will guide you into this next learning of designing a research project and writing
a research title.
What’s New?
I. What is a Research Title1?

1. The most important element that defines the research problem.

2. It is usually read first and the most read part of the research.
3. It contains the least words enough to describe the contents and the purpose of your research
paper.
4. It can be revised any and many times as the research develops and reach its final phase. It
becomes final on its final defence before the panel of judges.

❖ Elements of a Research Title

The research title does not need to be entertaining but informative.

A part of a research title has the following information:

1. The subject matter or topic to be investigated. (“What?”)
2. The place or locale where the research is to be conducted. (“Where?”)
3. The population like the respondents’ interviewees. (“Who”?)
4. The time period of the study during which the data are to be collected. (“When”?)

Example:

Subject matter: The teaching of English

Place or locale: in the high schools of Province A
Time period: during the school year 1989-1990
Population: as perceived by teachers and students

Subject matter: The effects of the use of cell phones on the academic performance
Population to senior high school students
Place or locale: at Department of Education
Time period: during the first semester, school year 2018-2019
II. Rules in Choosing a Research Topic1

1. Interest in the subject matter. Interest in a subject drives you to research, investigate, or inquire
about it with full motivation, enthusiasm, and energy.

2. Availability of information. Information will serve as evidence to support your claims about your
subject matter from varied forms of literature like books, journals, and newspapers, among others,
is a part and parcel of any research work.

What to include in the investigation of the available materials?

a. Update and authority of the materials.
b. Copyright dates of the materials? Are they new or old?
c. Expert or qualification of the writers of reading materials about your topic
3. Timeliness and relevance of the topic.

How relevant is the topic?

a. It yields results that are useful in society
b. Related to the present. (Except for pure or historical research)
4. Limitations on the subject. Connect your choice with course requirements. You need to decide on
one topic to finish your course.

5. Personal resources. Do an assessment on your research abilities in terms of your financial

standing, health condition, mental capacity, needed facilities, and time schedule to enable you to
complete your research. You have to raise an amount of money needed to spend on questionnaire
printing and interview trips.

III. Research Topics to be avoided1

1. Controversial topics.
It depends more on the writer’s opinion leading to biases. Facts cannot support
this topic.

2. Highly technical subjects.

Not advisable for beginners as these topics require an advanced study, technical knowledge, and
skills.

3. Hard-to-investigate subjects.
Happens if there are no available reading materials about it and if such materials are not up-to-date.

4. Too broad subjects.

It prevents you from to focus on the subject matter of the paper.
Narrow down or limit the subject to eliminate the problem.

5. Too narrow subjects.

Subjects that are so limited where an extensive searching is necessary.
 6. Vague subjects.
Titles beginning with indefinite adjectives such as several, many, some, etc., as in “Some
Remarkable Traits of a Filipino” or “Several People’s Comments on the RH Law,” are vague enough
to decrease the readers’ interests and curiosity.

IV. Sources of Research Topics1

1. Mass media communication – press (newspapers, ads, TV, radio, films, etc.)

2. Books, Internet, peer-reviewed journals, government publications.

3. Professional periodicals like College English Language Teaching Forum, English

Forum, the Economist, Academia, Business Circle, Law Review, etc.

4. General periodicals such as Readers’ Digest, Women’s Magazine, Panorama

Magazine, Time Magazine, World Mission Magazine, etc.

5. Previous reading assignments in your other subjects

6. Work experience – clues to a researchable topic from full-time or part-time jobs, OJT (on-the-job
training) experience, fieldwork, etc.

LESSON 2: The Research Problem and Research Question

Having a problem makes you anxious that pushes you to exert efforts on finding a solution.
There will be doubts that you are uncertain of your solutions thus conducting a research is the best
thing to do. Doing a research always begins with a problem which points you to a topic to look out.
Getting the background and establishing your research question that causes the problem is a hint
to start knowing what your problem is all about In this lesson you have to study the concept of
research problems and research questions including its scope and delimitation, cite the significance.

What’s in?
In the previous lesson, you learned to how to choose research topics and write a title.
Following those rules and what to avoid had guide you to create a good topic for your research. You
have the sources of research topics which you can use to find a researchable topic. Even your work
experiences can be a clue to a research topic which relates to daily life situations.

What’s New?
I.An Overview of the Research Problem and Research Question

Chapter I of the research paper is called The Problem and Its Background (sometimes also called
The Introduction)

❖ It is composed of the following sections:

1) Background of the Study,
2) Statement of the Problem,
3) Scope and Delimitation, and
4) Significance of the Study.
Others have sections such as Objectives of the Study, Hypotheses but these will not be considered
in this lesson

What is a research problem?

❖ The Research Problem (According to Calderon & Gonzales,1993)

A problem is “any significant, perplexing, and challenging situation, real or artificial, the solution of
which requires reflexive thinking”. In research, it is known as the research topic or research title.

An illustration showing the description between a research topic, research problem, purpose
statement and research question.

General
A research topic is the Topic: Distance Learning
broad subject matter
of the study
Research Problem:
A research problem is
a general issue or Lack of learners knowledge
concern about the about distance in distance
research that narrow education .
the topic.

A purpose of the study Purpose Statement:

used to address the
problem. To study why learners do not
attend distance education
A research question classes in a community college
narrows the purpose
into specific questions
that the researcher Research Questions:
would like to answer
Does the use of website
in the study
Specific technology in the classroom
deter learners from enrolling in a
distant education class?
A. Background of the Study

❖ Purpose of background of the study

a. The general definition of the topic/problem area
b. Historical basis for the existence of the problem
c. Efforts made towards addressing similar challenges
d. How the efforts failed to be realized hence the need for your study

❖ Contents of the background of the study:

a. Presentation of the problem. Describe the existence of an unsatisfactory condition or a
problem that needs a solution.
b. Historical background of the problem - Give the historical background of the
problem, if applicable.
 c. Geographical conditions of the study locale - If applicable, describe the
geographical location of the study.
d. Rationale of the study - Give the reason(s) why the study should be conducted.

Example:
In 2004, the researcher migrated to the Philippines to accompany her spouse who was at
the time studying at the Adventist Institute for International Advanced Studies (AIIAS) in
Silang, Cavite. They discovered the study opportunities and were motivated by the quality
of education and low school fees being offered. They visited several colleges and
universities to collect pamphlets and sent them back to Vanuatu for educational awareness.
The Ni-Vanuatus became aware and decided to send students to study in the Philippines.
The first two schools to receive Vanuatu students were AMA Computer College in
Dasmariñas, Cavite and Air Link Aviation College in Paranaque City. The researcher came
to know
❖ Cavite
The Do’s andState University
Don’ts (CvSU)
of Writing in 2009Background
a Research and transferred
Studyfrom
1 AMA.
(Ngwele, March 2011)

(Ngwele, March 2011)

Do‘s! Don’ts!
✓ Explain the importance of your o Write a background that is too long
research topic or short
✓ Talk about the main o Be ambiguous in your writing,
developments and missing links disorganized and discuss
and gaps in your research area unrelated subjects.
✓ Focus on the relevant aspects of o Forget the reader may not be
your study explaining how it will familiar with the details of your
lead to the progress of scientific work.
knowledge.
✓ Engage your findings in a o Elaborate on your background
chronological findings literature
✓ Articulate your ideas in a clear o Forget to provide a historical
and concise manner perspective
✓ Engage the readers by building o Forget to check your target
a story around the central theme journal’s instruction for presenting
of your research the study background

B.Statement of the Problem

(Purpose Statement and Research Questions)

A series of questions used in researching the topic.

It is composed of
1. The general statement of the problem (the purpose statement) and
2. The specific sub-problems or sub-questions (or research questions).

❖ Guidelines in Writing the Statement of the Problem

(According to Calderon & Gonzales,1993)

1. The general statement of the problem and the research questions should be formulated first
before conducting the research.
2. Research questions should be stated in the interrogative and each should be clear to avoid
confusion.

3 Each research question should be researchable separately from the other questions and must be
based upon known facts and phenomena which is accessible to the researcher.

4. Answers to each research question can be interpreted apart from the answers to the other specific
questions and must contribute to the development of the whole research study.

5. The summary of the answers to all the specific questions will give a complete development of the
entire study.

6. The number of research questions should be enough to cover the development of the whole
research study.
Example:

This research aims to develop an evaluation model of a web-based tool used in

test administration for Grade 11 and 12 students. (Leanillo, 2016)

Specifically it aims to answer the following questions:

1. What are the commonly used web-based tools used in test administration?
2. How are these web-based test tools evaluated?
3. How could evaluation model be designed for web-based test administration?
IV.Sco and Delimitation of Research

C.Scope and Delimitation of the Study1

❖ Scope of a Study

It is the coverage of the research to be explored which includes the facts and theories about the
subject

Example:

A research study on the impact of social networking on the attitude of senior high school learners.

It is not possible to cover all aspects of the selected subject. The scope will have to be restricted to
a specific section of the target population over a specified duration.

In the above-cited study, a group of 40 learners in senior high school at one particular school would
be an ideal coverage to study their attitude for five months.

These would form the next parameter.

❖ Delimitation of a Study
It limits the scope and outlines the boundaries of the study.
These limitations include the following:

1. Sample size.
a. The research design and method will determine whether if it is small or large sample size.
b. The sample size will determine the quality of data and the relationships that will be
identified among the variables.
2. Lack of available and/or reliable data.
This will limit the scope of analysis and the ability of the researcher to determine
meaningful trends and relationships among the data.
3. Lack of prior studies.
This will limit the effectiveness of the literature review and initial understanding of the
research.
4. Chosen data collection method.
The quality of data collected must be clear to avoid erroneous answers from the
respondents.
5. Nature of the information collected.
Researcher should not rely on pre-existing data.
6. Access.
The amount and quality of available data will depend on the ability of the researcher to
access people, organizations, libraries, and documents.
7. Time period.
It is advisable to select a research problem and design
8. Bias.
The researcher should be aware of his or her personal biases .
9. Language.
This may have an effect on data collection, especially if the researcher is involved with
respondents that speak a variety of languages.

When writing the paper, the researcher should ensure that any delimitation factor is noted
down at the introduction, discussion, and conclusion sections. He or she should clarify why the study
included and excluded some delimitation.

D.Significance of the Study

❖ The significance of the study discuss the purpose that the research will serve to society, the
country, the government, the institution or agency concerned, the curriculum planners and
developers, and the research community.
❖ Describes the contribution of the study to the existing body of knowledge.
It could be the following:
a. A form of new knowledge in the field,
b. A validation of the major findings of other studies,
c. A verification of the validity of findings in a different population,
d. Analysis of trends over time, and validation of other findings using different methodologies.
❖ The researcher must identify specifically the beneficiaries who will directly gain from the
results of the study mentioning them in the paper according to the significance of the result.
The specific benefits must also be enumerated and explained if necessary.
Example:

The Effects of Computer-assisted Instruction in the Performance of Students in Asian History and Civilization (Cuenca,
2008)

The findings of the study may provide deeper insights on how teaching can be made easier and more
meaningful by the use of computer-aided instruction. The study determined the significant effects of slide presentation
in instruction, a form of computer instruction on the performance of the students in the subjects Asian History and
Civilization.

To the students, the results may serve as an inspiration for them to continuously improve their skills in using
computers because they will realize the comfort that computer skills offer in complying with the requirements of major
subjects in the coming years.

To the administrators, the results may serve as a guide in the program-planning and implementation of the
IT department so that they can be of great help to the teachers of the university.

To the teachers, the results may serve as an eye opener for those who are not comfortable on the use of
computers in their class lesson presentations. The findings of this study may encourage more of them to apply
computer-aided instruction in teaching.

II. Presenting Written Statement of the Problem

The following sections compose the presentation of the written statement of the problem

1. Introduction
States briefly the background of the study and identifies the rationale of the research problem.

It begins with a general statement of the problem, outlines the specific problem or issue within
the existing literature.

2. Statement of the Problem

States clearly the purposes or interest of the study, poses specific questions about research
problem.

3. Scope and Delimitation

Sets the boundaries and parameters of the study, narrows the scope of the inquiry.

4. Significance of the Study

Shows the benefits of the study to address issues and l problems, in improving economic and
health conditions or even finding solutions to problems encountered in daily life.
ACTIVITY: KINDLY WRITE YOUR ANSWERS ON A YELLOW PAD PAPER.
PART 1: From that chosen research study as your proposal, formulate the following:

A. Introduction of your study by filling out the space provided.

1. Proposed Study_________________________________________________

2. What is the rationale or the background study of your chosen problem?

3. Describe the setting of where your study is to be conducted.

4. Enumerate the terms or concepts that need to be defined or described to you and to the
reader.

5. Provide at least three related literatures as references for the concept of your study.

6. Determine the significance of your chosen problem.

7. What is the general objective of the study?

8. Who will be the beneficiaries? What will be their benefits to receive after the problem is solved
or the research is finish?