Practical Research 1

Identifying the Inquiry

and Stating the Problem

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 Research Title

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A research title prefaces the study by
providing a summary of the main idea
and is usually short and concise and
represents all the relevant elements
of the study at the same time.
A research title should have the following
characteristics:
1. It should summarize the main idea of the paper.
2. It should be a concise statement of the main topic.
3. It should include the major variables of the research study.
4. It should be self-explanatory.
5. It should describe or imply the participants of the study.
In general, the researcher should avoid using
words that serve no useful purpose and can
mislead indexers. Words such as “methods,”
“results,” and “investigations” should not appear
in the title. In many cases, the general problem
of the research or even the specific question that
the researcher intends to answer, when rewritten
in a statement form, can serve as the title.
 Research Problem

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The research problem states the area of concern of the
research paper whether it is a circumstance needing
development, a difficulty requiring attention, or an
inquiry necessitating an answer. This section sets the
direction of the research study as it provides the
foundation for the research hypothesis and defines
what kind of research study is suitable to address the
problem. However, it is important to note that this
section should only state the problem and not preface
or suggest a solution for it.
Sources of Research Problems
Research problems can be commonly based from circumstances with
the following characteristics:

1. It conveys a feeling of discomfort or difficulty.

2. It has a perceived difficulty in broad subjects
such as family affairs, home management, and
leadership system.
Sources of Research Problems
3. It displays a gap between theory and practice:
what is said by the elders and what the
students see and observe.
4. It utilizes a procedure requiring technologically
advanced equipment.
Sources of Research Problems
5. It involves the experience of any
kind of individual.
6. It shows some kind of pattern or
trend.
Sources of Research Problems
7. It makes use of literature reviews, continuous readings,
and past studies. These readings can lead a student to
a topic, and its scope and clues for further studies. The
repetition of a prior research study in a different setting
and time is called replication.
8. It relates to an individual’s curiosity and interest.
 Considerations in
Formulating the
Research Problem

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 CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
External Criteria

1. Novelty – This refers to the practical

value of the problem due to its “newness”
in the field of inquiry.
 CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
External Criteria

2. Availability of subjects – This refers to the people with

the desired capability and willingness to participate in the
study. The sample of the study participants must be
representative enough to ensure reliability and validity of
the results.
CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
External Criteria

3. Support of the academic community – This refers to the

assistance given by the members of the institution, like the
principal, teachers, staff, students, and the parents, in the
gathering of data and defraying the cost of the study. Permission
of those concerned for the participation in the study of staff
members, children, the aged, and the mentally challenged should
be secured.
.
CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
External Criteria

4. Availability and adequacy of facilities and

equipment – Devices such as computers, and
telephones used in undertaking the study must
be considered.
CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
External Criteria

5. Ethical considerations – These include the

avoidance of research problems that pose
unethical demands on the part of the research
participants.
.
 CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
Internal Criteria

1. Experience, training, and qualifications of

the researcher – These constitute the
researcher’s knowledge and expertise as a
result of experience and study.
 CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
Internal Criteria

2. Motivation, interest, intellectual curiosity,

and perceptiveness of the researcher –
These are essential attitudes that bring
anticipated satisfaction or enjoyment in the
completion of research tasks.
CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
Internal Criteria

3. Time factor – This considers the fact

that studies must be pursued within a
given time frame.
CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
Internal Criteria

4. Costs and returns – These factors matter in choosing

a research problem. Research is an expensive
undertaking. The amount of funding needed, after all,
depends on the size of the sample, the place where the
research is to be conducted, the treatment of data, and
the kind of research design.
CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
Internal Criteria

5. Hazards, penalties, and handicaps –

These depend upon the researcher’s
physical and intellectual capacity and
moral judgment.
BEGINNING OF THE RESEARCH
The first chapter of the research paper is entitled “The Problem” or “The
Problem and Its Background.” Its purpose is to introduce the problem
and clarify important variables, its delimitations, and its significance to
the field of study. It has the following essential elements:
1. Introduction
2. Statement of the problem
3. Scope and delimitation
4. Significance of the study
It should also be noted that the researcher has to
introduce the different elements of the first chapter
by giving a brief description of each element, so
that the reader knows what to expect from the
chapter.
Example
This chapter presents the different essential elements: the introduction,
which contains the rationale (an explanation of the reasons for the
conduct of the research); the review of literature and statistical
foundation; the statement of the general and specific problems; the
scope and delimitation which identifies the major variables, sub-
variables and the indicators; the significance of the study which
enumerates the beneficiaries of the study and the corresponding
benefits each will receive; and lastly, the notations.
Introduction
The introduction is important in establishing the cognitive
setting of the research. It has the following elements:

1. Rationalization of the need to research on the problem

2. Clarification of the important terminologies for the reader to
easily understand what the research is about
3. Establishment of the degree of seriousness of the problem
which prompted the researcher to look for solutions.
The following questions can aid the researcher in formulating
the introduction:

1. What is the rationale of the problem?

As a Grade 12 student, Arjohn David, experienced
some difficulties in performing well because of various factors
such as the attitude of his teachers as well as their teaching
methods, the absence of laboratory facilities, and inadequacy
of books in the library. He is having difficulties in his quizzes
and class performance.
The following questions can aid the researcher in formulating
the introduction:

2. What is the setting of the problem?

Puting Capunitan Elementary School is one of the barrio
schools in Orion, Bataan where most enrollees are from
disadvantaged families whose immediate ancestors are
either laborers or fisher folks. This school is one of the
schools with poorly performing students in their division
according to the Department of Education.
The following questions can aid the researcher in
formulating the introduction:
3. What is the basic literature foundation of the study?
As teaching is considered to be a complex activity (Medley, as cited in Iqbal,
1996), the scholars and researchers in the field of education have since long
been exploring into and analyzing the teaching phenomenon. Teaching is an
arrangement and manipulation of a situation in which a learner tries to
overcome the learning problems. Teaching is also a multidimensional set of
activities intended to facilitate learning (Torrington et al., 2003). However, it is
universally recognized that teachers’ instructional performance plays a key role
in students’ learning and academic achievement (Panda and Mohanty, 2003).
The following questions can aid the researcher in
formulating the introduction:
4. How serious is the chosen research problem?
Based on the DepEd Division Memo series 2012,
among the 12 schools with the most poorly
performing students, Puting Capunitan Elementary
Schools ranked 12th.
The following questions can aid the researcher in
formulating the introduction:
5. What is the general objective of the problem?
With the abovementioned scenario and situations, it is the
main objective of the researcher to determine the common
reasons of the poor performance of the students.
Therefore, the research findings on that objective become
the basis of an intervention program for school
effectiveness.
 Statement of the
Problem
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Writing the General Problem in a Qualitative Study
In the book Principles of Qualitative Research: Designing a Qualitative Study,
Creswell and Clark (2014) provide the following criteria in writing the
purpose statement:

It should use single and not compound sentences.

It should clearly express the purpose of the study.
It should include the central phenomenon.
It should use qualitative words, e.g., explore, discover, and explain.
It should identify the participants in the study.
It should state the research site.
Example
The overall objective of this phenomenological study is to describe the
intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies of school principals,
and their relationship to the school effectiveness in the Division of
Bataan for the school year 2001-2002. The result is used as a
basis for an intervention program (Cristobal, 2003). Here,
intrapersonal is the school managers’ own self-concept and
personality while interpersonal is their communication and
expressions in dealing with subordinates.
The general problem is followed by an enumeration of the specific
problems. These problems are usually stated as questions that the
researcher seeks to answer. Therefore, the specific problems must
meet the following criteria:

They must be in question form.

They must define the population and the samples of
the study (respondents).
They must identify the variables being studied.
According to Creswell and Clark (2014), there are two
types of research questions. These are as follows:

Central questions – These are the most general

questions that can be asked.
Sub-questions – These questions subdivide the central
question into more specific topical questions and are
only limited in number.
Central question script
a. “What is the meaning of/what does it mean to (central
phenomenon)?”

Examples:
i. What is the meaning of intrapersonal competencies?
ii. What does it mean to differentiate the customs and traditions of Aetas to
those of the locals?
iii. What does it mean to characterize the study habits of the top 10 students
of the class?
Central question script
b. “How would (participants) describe (central
phenomenon)?”
Examples:
i. How would school managers describe intrapersonal competencies?
ii. How would the Aetas and locals of Zambales differentiate their customs
and traditions?
iii. How would the top ten high school students characterize their general
study habits?
Sub-question script
“What (aspect) does (participant) engage in as a (central
phenomenon)?”
Examples:
a. What level of self-concept does the school managers engage in as a
characteristic of interpersonal competencies?
b. What nature of practices do the Aetas and locals of Zambales engage in as
a part of their customs and traditions?
c. What kind of preparation does the top 10 high school students engage in as
an indicator of their general study habits?
TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Non-researchable questions – These are questions of
value and are answerable by yes or no.
Examples:
1. Should all mothers breastfeed their babies?
2. Should high school teachers be watchful over their Grade 7 students?
3. Should the schools offering different majors in senior high schools require their
students to have a mandatory review before taking the National Assessment
Exam?
4. Do all head teachers have a master’s degree?
5. Are family members helping their children in reviewing their lessons?
TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Researchable questions – These are questions of opinions, perceptions, or
policy that are raised to accumulate data. Formulating a clear, significant
question prepares the researcher for subsequent decision-making on
research design, data collection, and data analysis.
Examples:
1. What are the common preparations done by Grade 7 students during their first days in school?
2. How do senior high school students respond to their Math teacher?
3. What are the study habits of students who are poorly performing?
4. What is the relationship of the attitudes of the adviser to the classroom behavior of Grade 9
students?
5. How do the officers of the Parent-Teacher Community Association assist in the improvement of
school facilities?
Dickoff et. al (as cited by Wilson, 1989)
provide further classification to research
questions.
These are as follows:
Factor-isolating questions
– These ask the question “What is this?”
These questions are sometimes called
factor-naming questions because they
isolate, categorize, describe, or name
factors and situations.
Examples:
a. What is the profile of school principals in terms of the following?
i. Age
ii. Management experience
iii. Civil status
b. What are the levels of competencies of school principals as
described by their respective teachers and themselves in terms of
the following?
i. Intrapersonal
ii. Interpersonal
Factor-relating questions
– These ask the question “What is happening
here?” The goal of these questions is to
determine the relationship among factors that
have been identified.
Examples
a. What is the relationship of the level of performance of
the senior high school teachers to the OJT
performance of the students enrolled in the business
track of Saint Paul School of Professional Studies?

b. How does the performance level of volleyball teams of

boys differ to that of the girls?
Situation-relating questions
– These questions ask the question “What will
happen if...?” These questions usually yield
hypotheses testing or experimental study
designs in which the researcher manipulates
the variables to see what will happen.
Examples
a. What are the effects of computer-learning
assisted methods of teaching to the interest
level of the sophomores to their history
subjects?
b. How significantly different is the performance of
the call center agents who are well rested than
those who are not?
Situation-producing questions
– These ask the question “How can I make it
happen?” These questions establish explicit
goals for actions, develop plans or
prescriptions to achieve goals, and specify the
conditions under which these goals will be
accomplished.
Examples
a. Based on the findings, what human relation intervention
program can be adopted to enhance or improve
effectiveness of existing teaching methods?
b. What faculty development activities can be sponsored by
the PTCA to improve the performance of graduating
students in the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT)?
 Scope and Delimitation
of Research

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Setting the Scope of the Study
The scope of the study is determined primarily by
the selection of variables that the research study
will focus on. Defining the scope of the research
requires the careful selection of variables that will
be investigated, as well as the attributes that will
define and measure these variables.
Attributes are important elements of a
variable. It refers to the value
assigned to a specific variable.
A variable refers to any characteristic that can
have different values or traits that may vary
across research participants. Variables are
measured, controlled, and manipulated by the
researcher.
Variables have the following important characteristics:
Dependence – this refers to how the variable is
considered in a cause-and-effect relationship.
Independent variables are those characteristics
that are changed, manipulated, or selected by the
researcher. Dependent variables, on the other
hand, are those that change because of changes
to the independent variable.
Variables have the following important characteristics:

Mutually exclusive – this means that a

participant or respondent cannot possess
two attributes of a variable.
Variables have the following important characteristics:
Exhaustive – this means that the researcher
should consider all possible attributes of a
certain variable. In identifying the possible
responses of the participants to survey
questions, the researcher must identify all
possible answers or reactions.
Kinds of Variables
Continuous variables – variables that may have
an infinite number of values and may vary
widely among the research participants.
Examples include age and weight.
Kinds of Variables
Discrete variables – variables that have
specific limits to their value. Examples
include income, number of children, or
years of employment.
Kinds of Variables
Categorical variables – these cannot be expressed
in numbers but are given in non-quantitative,
descriptive terms. Examples include civil status
(single, married, widowed), and educational
achievement (high school graduate, college
graduate, post-graduate).
DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The delimitation of the study describes the various
limitations that arose during the design and
conduct of the study. These include the
characteristics of the research design and
methodology that affected or influenced the
findings of the study.
The following may be the possible limitations that may arise from the
research design and methodology:

Sample size. The research design and

methodology will determine whether the
research will have a small or large sample size.
The sample size will determine the quality of
data and the relationships that will be identified
among the variables.
The following may be the possible limitations that may arise from the
research design and methodology:

Lack of available and/or reliable data. Missing

and unreliable data will limit the scope of
analysis and the ability of the researcher to
determine meaningful trends and relationships
among the data.
The following may be the possible limitations that may arise from the
research design and methodology:

Lack of prior studies. This will limit the

effetiveness of the literature review and may
limit the initial understanding of the research
problem. This, however, can be a basis for
identifying avenues for further research.
The following may be the possible limitations that may arise from the
research design and methodology:

Chosen data collection method. Limitations in

the data collection instrument may affect the
quality of data collected. Unclear or vague
questions in a questionnaire will result to
unclear or erroneous answers from the
respondents.
The following may be the possible limitations that may arise from the
research design and methodology:

Nature of the information collected. Relying on

pre-existing data may impose limits on the
researcher as he or she can no longer clarify
certain data. Self-reported data have the risk of
being false and cannot be easily verified.
 Significance of the
Study
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Significance of the study should clearly 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.
The researcher also has to identify the beneficiaries who
will directly gain from the results of the study. In
identifying the beneficiaries, the researcher should be
specific in mentioning them in the paper. The specific
benefits must also be enumerated and explained if
necessary. It is also important that the beneficiaries
should be listed according to the significance of the
study’s results to them.