Inquiry is a learning process that motivates you to obtain knowledge or information about

people, things, places, or events. You do this by investigating or asking questions about something
you are inquisitive about.
It requires you to collect data, meaning, facts, and information about the object of your inquiry,
and examine such data carefully. In your analysis, you execute varied thinking strategies that range
from lower-order to higher-order thinking skills such as inferential, critical, integrative, and creative
thinking.
Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) is a student-centered approach where learners explore
questions, investigate problems, and construct meaning through active engagement. Instead of
receiving information passively, students participate in discovery, ask questions, gather and analyze
data, draw conclusions, and communicate their understanding.
In this approach, the teacher acts as a facilitator, guiding students’ curiosity and helping them
identify deeper questions about the world around them. Learning becomes active, reflective, and
meaningful, because students create their own understanding rather than merely memorizing facts.

Foundation of inquiry
IBL gets its support from these three educational theories serving its foundation: John Dewey's
theory of connected experiences for exploratory and reflective thinking; Lev Vygotsky's Zone of
proximal Development, and Jerome Bruner's theory on learners' varied world perceptions for their
own interpretative thinking of people and things around them.

What is research?
Research is a process of executing various mental acts for discovering and examining facts
and information to prove the accuracy or truthfulness of your claims or conclusions about the topic of
your research. Research requires you to inquire or investigate about your chosen research topic by
asking questions that will make you engage yourself in top-level thinking strategies of interpreting,
analyzing, synthesizing, criticizing, appreciating, or creating to enable you to discover truths about the
many things you tend to wonder about the topic of your research work. (Litchman 2013)
Research is analogous to inquiry, in that, both involve investigation of something through
questioning. However, the meaning of research is more complicated than inquiry because it does not
center mainly on raising questions about the topic, but also on carrying out a particular order of
research stages. Each stage of the research process is not an individual task because the knowledge
you obtain through each stage comes not only from yourself but other people as well. Thus, similar to
inquiry, research involves cooperative learning.

Characteristics of research
1. Accuracy. It must give correct or accurate data, which the footnotes, notes, and bibliographical
entries should honestly and appropriately documented or acknowledged.
2. Objectiveness. It must deal with facts, not with mere opinions arising from assumptions,
generalizations, predictions, or conclusions.
3. Timeliness. It must work on a topic that is fresh, new, and interesting to the present society.
4. Relevance. Its topic must be instrumental in improving society or in solving problems affecting the
lives of people in a community.
5. Clarity. It must succeed in expressing its central point or discoveries by using simple, direct,
concise, and correct language.
6. Systematic. It must take place in an organized or orderly manner.

Types of research
1. Based on Application of Research Method- Is the research applied to theoretical or practical
issues? If it deals with concepts, principles, or abstract things, it is a pure research. This type of re-
search aims to increase your knowledge about something.
However, if your intention is to apply your chosen research to societal problems or issues, finding
ways to make positive changes in society, you call your research, applied research.
2. Based on Purpose of the Research- Depending on your objective or goal in conducting research,
you do any of these types of research: descriptive, correlational, explanatory, exploratory, or action.

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH- This type of research aims at defining or giving a verbal portrayal or
picture of a person, thing, event, group, situation, etc. This is liable to repeated research because its
topic relates itself only to a certain period or a limited number of years. Based on the results of your
descriptive studies about a subject, you develop the inclination of conducting further studies on such
topic.
CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH- A correlational research shows relationships or connectedness of
two factors, circumstances, or agents called variables that affect the research. It is only concerned in
indicating the existence of a relationship, not the causes and ways of the development of such
relationship.

EXPLANATORY RESEARCH- This type of research elaborates or explains not just the reasons
behind the relationship of two factors, but also the ways by which such relationship exists.

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH- An exploratory research's purpose is to find out how reasonable or

possible it is to conduct a research study on a certain topic. Here, you will discover ideas on topics
that could trigger your interest in conducting research studies.

ACTION RESEARCH- This type of research studies an ongoing practice of a school, organization,
community, or institution for the purpose of obtaining results that will bring improvements in the
system.

Qualitative research requires non-numerical data, which means that the research uses words
rather than numbers to express the results, the inquiry, or investigation about people's thoughts,
beliefs, feelings, views, and lifestyles regarding the object of the study. These opinionated answers
from people are not measurable; so, verbal language is the right way to express your findings in a
qualitative research.
Meanwhile, quantitative research involves measurement of data. Thus, it presents research
findings referring to the number or frequency of something in numerical forms (i.e., using
percentages, fractions, numbers).
The data you deal with in research are either primary or secondary data. Primary data are
obtained through direct observation or contact with people, objects, artifacts, paintings, etc. Primary
data are new and original information resulting from your sensory experience. However, if such data
have already been written about or reported on and are available for reading purposes, they exist as
secondary data.

Approaches to research
The first is the scientific or positive approach, in which you discover and measure information
as well as observe and control variables in an impersonal manner. It allows control of variables. The
data gathering techniques appropriate for this approach are structured interviews, questionnaires,
and observational checklists. Data given by these techniques are expressed through numbers, which
means that this method is suitable for quantitative research.
The second approach is the naturalistic approach. In contrast to the scientific approach that
uses numbers to express data, the naturalistic approach uses words. This research approach directs
you to deal with qualitative data that speak of how people behave toward their surroundings. These
are non-numerical data that express truths about the way people perceive or understand the world.
Combining these two approaches in designing your research leads you to the third one, called
triangulation approach. In this case, you are free to gather and analyze data using multiple methods,
allowing you to combine or mix up research approaches, research types, data gathering, and data
analysis techniques. Triangulation approach gives you the opportunity to view every angle of the
research from different perspectives. (Badke 2012; Silverman 2013)

What is a Qualitative Research?

Qualitative research is a type of scientific research that seeks to understand phenomena from
a subjective, human-centered perspective. Instead of focusing on numbers, statistics, or numerical
data (like quantitative research does), qualitative research focuses on experiences, meanings,
behaviors, and social contexts.
It aims to answer questions like:
“Why do people behave in a certain way?”
“How do individuals perceive a particular situation or experience?”
“What meanings do people attach to their experiences?”

Types of Qualitative Research

1. Case Study- A case study is a type of qualitative research that involves an in-depth, detailed
examination of a single subject such as a person, group, event, program, organization, class, or
situation. Instead of gathering data from many respondents, a case study focuses deeply on one case
to understand it thoroughly.
2. Ethnography- Ethnography is a type of qualitative research that involves studying people, groups,
or cultures in their natural environment to understand their behaviors, beliefs, interactions, and way of
life.
3. Phenomenology- Phenomenology is a qualitative research design that explores and describes the
lived experiences of individuals about a particular phenomenon.
It seeks to understand how people experience, interpret, and give meaning to a certain event,
situation, or condition in their everyday lives.
4. Content and Discourse Analysis- Content analysis is a method of quantitative research that
requires an analysis or examination of the substance or content of the mode of communication
(letters, books, journals, photos, video recordings, SMS, online messages, emails, audio-visual
materials, etc.) used by a person, group, organization, or any institution in communicating.
A study of language structures used in the medium of communication to discover the effects of
sociological, cultural, institutional, and ideological factors on the content makes it a discourse
analysis. In studying the content or structures of the material, you need a question or a set of
questions to guide you in your analysis.
5. Historical Analysis- Historical analysis is a research method used to study past events, ideas,
people, and social conditions to understand how and why they happened and what their impact is on
the present. It involves collecting, examining, and interpreting historical documents, records, artifacts,
and other evidence to build a clear picture of the past.
6. Grounded Theory- Grounded theory takes place when you discover a new theory to underlie your
study at the time of data collection and analysis. Through your observation on your subjects, you will
happen to find a theory that applies to your current study. Interview, observation, and documentary
analysis are the data gathering techniques for this type of qualitative research.

Writing a Good Research Title

1. Specify the Qualitative Approach (optional but helpful)- Mention the type of study when appropriate:
Phenomenology, Case Study, Ethnography, Grounded Theory, etc.
2. Identify the Central Phenomenon- Determine what experience, process, or issue your study
explores.
Examples: “lived experiences,” “perceptions,” “challenges,” “coping strategies.”
3. Clarify the Participants / Population- Indicate who is being studied.
Example: students, teachers, parents, community leaders, patients.
4. Include the Context or Setting- Mention where the study takes place if it is important.
Example: rural schools, barangays, public hospitals, classrooms.
5. Use Clear and Descriptive Language- Avoid jargon, vague phrases, or overly long titles. Make the
reader immediately understand what the study is about.
6. Reflect the Purpose of the Study- A good qualitative title often shows exploration, understanding, or
description.
Common verbs/phrases:
“Exploring…”
“Understanding…”
“Describing…”
“Examining…”
“Identifying…”
7. Keep It Concise Yet Complete- Usually 10–15 words is ideal. Enough detail without being too long.
8. Avoid Ambiguous or Quantitative Words- Do not use “effects,” “influence,” “impact,” “relationship,”
or statistics-based terms. These belong to quantitative studies.

Parts of a Research Title

A research title is an essential component of a research paper because it gives readers a clear
idea of what the study is about. A well-written research title is specific, concise, and informative. It
usually contains several important parts that help define the focus and scope of the study.
1. Subject or Main Topic- The subject or main topic is the core of the research title. It tells what the
study is about. This part identifies the issue, phenomenon, or concept being investigated. For
example, words like reading comprehension, students’ motivation, or climate change awareness
indicate the main focus of the research.
2. Variables or Key Concepts- In many studies, especially quantitative research, the title includes the
main variables. These are the factors being studied or examined for a relationship or effect. Including
variables helps readers understand what is being measured or compared. In qualitative research, this
part may focus on key concepts or experiences rather than variables.
 In research, especially in quantitative studies, variables are important elements that show what
is being studied and how different factors are related. Two main types of variables commonly found in
a research title are the independent variable and the dependent variable. Including these variables in
a research title helps readers easily understand the direction and focus of the study.
The independent variable is the factor that is changed, controlled, or selected by the
researcher. It is considered the cause or influence in the study. The researcher examines how this
variable affects another variable. Common examples of independent variables include teaching
strategies, study habits, instructional materials, or learning environments.
The dependent variable is the outcome or result being measured in the study. It depends on
the independent variable. This variable shows the effect or response caused by changes in the
independent variable. Examples of dependent variables include academic performance, reading
comprehension, motivation, or test scores.
In a research title, the independent variable usually comes first, followed by the dependent
variable, often connected by phrases such as “effect of,” “relationship between,” or “influence of.” This
structure clearly shows what factor is being studied and what outcome is being measured.
3. Participants or Respondents- This part identifies who is involved in the study. It may refer to
students, teachers, parents, or community members. Including the participants helps clarify the
population of the research and makes the title more specific.
4. Locale or Setting of the Study- The locale indicates where the study is conducted. This could be a
school, community, institution, or geographical area. Stating the setting helps readers understand the
context of the research and its limitations.
5. Research Design (Optional)- Some research titles include the research design, such as descriptive
study, case study, phenomenological study, or correlational study. This part is more common in
qualitative research and helps readers immediately recognize the approach used in the study.

Statement of the Problem/SOP/Problem Statement

The statement of a problem defines and describes the research hypothesis or question(s), along with
the broad method that will be used to solve the problem.

A well-formulated statement of the problem sets the stage for the rest of our study, including how we
will address the problem and any anticipated outcomes or answers.

Once you have very clearly laid out the core issue, problem or question that you're investigating,
you'll have a much sharper focus for conducting and writing up the rest of your study.
A clear and straightforward statement will also inform and impress your reader in grasping the issues
that your proposed project will address.

In research, the statement of the problem clearly explains what the study aims to investigate. It is
usually divided into two parts: the general problem and the specific problems.
The general problem is a broad statement that presents the main issue or concern of the study. It
summarizes the overall focus of the research and is usually written as a single question. The general
problem guides the entire study and reflects the research title.
The specific problems are detailed questions derived from the general problem. They break down the
main issue into smaller, more focused aspects that the research will answer. These are usually
written as numbered questions.