WRITING CHAPTER 1 OF THE PAPER

Chapter 1 includes only the introduction, the statement of the problem, the scope and
limitations, the definitions of terms, and the research procedure.
Chapter 2 presents, analyzes and interprets the data gathered, and Chapter 3 gives the
summary of the findings, conclusions and recommendations.
Introduction
The introduction discusses four relevant ideas, namely: the topic or subject matter of the
research, the importance of the topic, the reason for choosing the topic, and the purpose of
the study.
Statement of the Problem
State the purpose of the research and then enumerate the research questions or
subproblems that the study intends to answer. Take note that the general problem contained
in the research title cannot be a subproblem, as was erroneously done in this example:
Title: Common Grammar Errors Committed by _____ in Composition Writing.
The purpose of this research is to assess the common grammar errors committed by the
______ in composition writing. Specifically, this study will look into the following subproblems:
Subproblem 1. What are the common grammar errors committed in composition writing?
Correction:
errors, as:

Grammar errors should have been categorized into types/ kinds of grammar
errors in unity in number.
unity in tenses, etc.

Scope and Limitations

This part of Chapter 1 points out what is included or covered by the investigation and what
is not. In terms of what, the researcher should explain clearly the specific topic covered by
the study and which are not. In terms of who/whom, the researcher should identify who are
involved in the research and who are not. In terms of where and where, the writer should
indicate definitely the locale and the time covered by the research.
Some phrases/ expressions you may use to express the scope and limitations of the study
are:
The study focused only on, or included only
The study involved only
The coverage of the study was
The study was limited to
The researcher had no intention of
There was no attempt to
The investigation was not concerned with
Definition of Terms
This part of your paper should not be treated as a mini-glossary. Only terms used in the title
and the variables pertaining to the topic and other words that have special or operational
meanings should be included; impressive, unfamiliar words used in the course of explaining
are not included in the Definition of Terms.
Two ways of defining a term are by universal definition and by operational definition.

The universal definition is the dictionary meaning. It is the academic meaning of a

word and is understood by almost everybody.

The operational definition is based on how the word is used in the study.

Research Procedure
Research Design
The methods of research are generally categorized as descriptive, historical, and
experimental. The historical method deals with what was; the experimental method, with
what will be; and the descriptive method, with what is.
Respondents
Respondents are the individuals from whom data or information will be taken; in other
words, they are the ones who will answer the questionnaire or fill out the checklist.
Research Instruments
Research instruments are devices or tools, which the researcher uses to gather the
respondents opinions/answers.
The most common types of research instruments are used in descriptive survey are the
questionnaire checklist, the interview list, and the observation list.
Data-Gathering Procedure
This is the most crucial part of the research because the quality and the quantity of data
gathered will determine the validity of the research results.