11

Practical Research
1
Quarter 3 – Module 3:
Identifying the Inquiry and Stating the
Problem
ii
 What I Need to Know

This module focuses on identifying the inquiry and stating the

problem. Specifically, it will guide you to discover range of research topics in
the area of inquiry, the value of research in the area of interest, the
specificity and feasibility of the problem posed.

Learning Competencies

At the end of this module, you are expected to

1. Design a research project related to daily life

2. Write a research title
3. Provide the justifications/reasons for conducting the research
4. State research question
5. Indicate scope and delimitation of research
6. Cite benefits and beneficiaries of research
7. Present written statement of the problem

What is It

Research is categorized into qualitative approach, quantitative

approach and mixed method approach (Creswell, 2003). In selecting a
suitable approach to apply in research, there are some criterions to be
taking into consideration, for example, nature of research problem, purpose
of project, availability of resources such as time and financial, sensitivity of
the issue on hand, discipline of study, and researcher's personal
experiences, skills, interest and attitudes, to list a few (Grover, 2015)
Developing a good research topic may not be easy for you but it is an
important skill as a Senior High Students. You may choose your own
particular topic that arouses your interests to develop a qualitative research
study. In this module you are given the guidelines in choosing a topic and
when you begin your research work as compiled by Barbour (2014). These
pointers will guide you in selecting a good topic, avoiding other factors
affecting in choosing and writing your research, and focusing clearly on your
subject. Moreover, you will be guided where your sources of information
should come from (Barbour, R. 2014).

How to start a research study?

You can start your study by considering the following (Barbour, R.

2014):

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 defense before the
panel of judges.
Note: The research title does not need to be entertaining but informative.

Research Problem: The need to have a safer, comfortable, and healthful walk
or transfer of students from place to place in the School Campus (Name of
your school)
Research Topic: The construction of a covered Pathway in the School
Campus (Name of your school)
General Question: What kind of covered path should the School Campus
construct? (Name of your school)

Specific Questions:

1. What materials are needed for the construction of the covered

pathway in the School Campus? (Name of your school)
2. What roofing material is appropriate for the covered path?
3. In what way can the covered pathway link all buildings in the
campus?
4. What is the width and height of the covered path?
5. How can the covered path realize green architecture?
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”?)
Rules in Choosing a Research Topic

1. Interest in the subject matter. An 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
a. How relevant is the chosen topic? The topic should be 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.

Research Topics to be avoided in developing your study

1. Any controversial topics because it depends more on the writer’s

opinion leading to biases. Facts cannot support this topic.
2. Highly technical subjects are not advisable for beginners as these
topics require an advanced study, technical knowledge, and skills.
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects that happens if there are no available
reading materials about it and if such materials are not up-to-date.
4. Too broad subjects that prevent 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 that are so limited where an extensive searching
is necessary.
6. Vague subjects. The subject/focus of the study should be specific

Sources of Research Topics

 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, work experience
– clues to a researchable topic from full-time or part-time jobs,
experience, fieldwork, etc.
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
Cristobal, & Cristobal, (2016) have mounted together the following few
pointers in writing Scope and Delimitation of the Study.

What is the 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 study on the influence 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.
What is the Delimitation of a Study?

Delimitation 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
preexisting 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 must focus only to the problem, should be
neutral and avoid 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.
Presenting Written Statement of the Problem
The following sections compose the presentation of the written
statement of the problem (Barbour, R. 2014):

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. It 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. It shows the benefits of the study to address
issues and problems, in improving economic and health conditions or
even finding solutions to problems encountered in daily life.