DESIGNING A RESEARCH PROJECT RELATED TO DAILY LIFE

Designing a research is similar to making a house, car, bag, dress, cake, etc. which needs appropriate materials
and necessary process or steps to follow.
Then, you have to consider whether what you intend to make or invent has significance to you as a person. Otherwise,
your efforts will not be put to use.
In designing your qualitative research, you have to consider whether the topic you have chosen is relevant to you as a
learner, as a constituent in your barangay, and as a citizen of this country. Therefore, the first question you should
answer is, “What is the issue, phenomenon or problem in my school, at home, and in the community that needs my
special attention by conducting a research?”
Examples:
1. In School Based on observation, what are the issues and problems I encounter inside the classroom? Is it the lesson,
teachers, learners’ attitude and hindrances to graduation?
2. At Home Considering my life on a daily basis, what are the things that bother me at home?
3. In the Community What are the usual complaints of my neighbor regarding ordinances, practices and activities in the
barangay? Or, what are the situations in my community that need to be improved?

Once you have decided on area where you can focus on, you need to remember the design of the qualitative
research you will venture into.
Design of Qualitative Research Qualitative research is an emergent design which means that it emerges as you make
ongoing decisions about what you have learned. As a design, qualitative research requires researcher’s decision-making
like how to gather data, from where and whom to collect, when to gather, and for how long is the process will be. To
have a holistic picture of qualitative research project, you have to remember that in deciding on a topic, you have to
consider the kind and the field it belongs, as well as its relevance to your daily life.

WRITING A RESEARCH TITLE

Guidelines in Choosing a Topic
1. Interest in the subject matter You are interested about the topic because you have experienced it.
2. Availability of information It is important that when you decide on a topic, sources of information are available.
3. Timeliness and relevance of the topic The topic you have chosen can be of significance to the community.
4. Limitations on the subject Sometimes, topic is limited to what the teacher suggests. An example of this is when the
teacher asks the entire class to focus on COVID-19 pandemic, then you have no freedom to explore other topics aside
from what is given.
5. Personal resources Consider also if you can finish the research in terms of your intellectual and financial physical
capabilities.1
Topics to be Avoided
1. Controversial topics Avoid highly opinionated topics.
2. Highly technical subjects Too technical topics requires expertise. If you don’t have enough knowledge about it, then
look for another one.
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects Unavailability of reading materials and materials that are not updated make the subject
hard to investigate.
4. Too broad subjects You lack focus if you deal with broad topics. The remedy is to narrow it down.
5. Too narrow subject Some subjects are too narrow that extensive and thorough reading are required. 6. Vague
subjects Titles that start with indefinite adjectives such as several, many, some, etc., make the topic vague.

Sources of Research Topics

1. Mass media communication-television, newspaper, ads, radio, films, etc.
2. Books, internet, journals, government publications
3. Professional periodicals- specialized periodicals in different fields
4. General periodicals- Reader’s Digest, Time Magazine, Women’s Magazine, etc.
5. Previous readings 6. Work experience
How to Narrow Down a Topic
1. You can narrow down the topic by exploring and extending the explanation of a theory.
2. Talk over ideas with people who know research.
3. Focus on specific group. Ex: Students, Mothers, Teachers
4. Define the aim or desired outcome of the study. a. Is the study exploratory, explanatory, or descriptive? b. Is the study
applied or basic?

Before deciding on your topic, ask:

1. What areas are not yet explored that I want to investigate?
2. Is my research useful to me, to my school, to my family and to my community?

Remember, a research study must be significant enough to make it worth your efforts as the researcher. Example of a
Broad Topic Narrowed Down to Specific One
General Concept: Early Pregnancy
Narrow: Early Pregnancy among Senior High School Students
Narrow: Prevention of Early Pregnancy among Senior High School Students

Now, we will tackle how you will formulate your research title.
⮚ Research title is the most important element of your research as it clearly expresses the problem to be explored.
⮚ A research title capsulizes the main thought or idea of the whole research paper. It also reflects the variables under
study.
⮚ It is expressed in few words possible and just enough to describe the contents and the purpose of your research.
⮚ It needs to be informative.
⮚ It contains the:
● What: the subject matter or topic to be investigated
● Where: place or locale where the research is to be conducted
● Who: the participants of respondents of the study
● When: the time period of the conduct of the study
In qualitative research, it is not necessary to complete the data on what, where, who, and when in the title. Consider the
research titles below.
● Study Habits of Senior High School Students in Public Schools of Bukidnon
● Understanding the Academic Journey of Senior High School Students
● The Pulse of the People on the Leadership Style of President Rodrigo R. Duterte
● Phenomenology of Pioneering Senior High School Students in Private Schools
● Body Tattoo: Is it an Art?

FORMULATING RESEARCH QUESTIONS, SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY,

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY, STATING THE PROBLEM
In the previous lesson, you have learned how to design a research project and identify topics based on your
interests. You are also introduced to some red flags in choosing a topic in order for you to avoid them.
Further, the following are the important concepts that you need to remember from the previous lesson: ⮚ Qualitative
research is an inquiry process of understanding a social or human problem based on building a complex holistic picture
formed with words, reporting detailed views of informants and conducted in a natural setting (Creswell, 1994).
⮚ Participant Observation, Observation, In-depth interviewing , Focus Group Interviewing , Content Analysis ,
Narratology and Films are the kinds of data utilized for Qualitative Research
⮚ A research title capsulizes the main thought or idea of the whole research paper. It also reflects the variables under
study

Formulating Research Questions

The questions that you ask in your research will determine the data that you want to have, answer, and specify .
Hence, it is a crucial stage to attain your research objective. Research questions help writers focus their research by
providing a path through the research and writing process. You should ask a question about an issue that you are
genuinely curious and/or passionate about. The question you ask should be developed for the discipline you are
studying. A question directed towards Literature, for instance, is different from an appropriate one in Mathematics to
Biology.

Let’s get into the details A research question is an answerable inquiry into a specific concern or issue.
It is the initial step in a research project. The research question is the first active step in the research project. Let us use
this metaphor--the research project is a house. Your data collection forms the walls, and your hypothesis that guides
your data collection is the foundation. So, what is the research question? It is the ground beneath the foundation. It is
what everything in a research project is built on. Without a question, you can't have a hypothesis. Without the
hypothesis, you won't know how to study what you're interested in. A research question forms the base of where you
are going, so we have to write a good research question. If your foundation is built on something shifty, like a house built
on sand, then everything following that will be about correcting that initial issue instead of on making an awesome
home/research project.
Writing a Research Question
Writing a good research question means you have something you want to study. Let's say you're interested in the effects
of television. We will examine the steps and then look at how you could write a research question.
✔ Specify your specific concern or issue
✔ Decide what you want to know about the specific concern or issue
✔ Turn what you want to know and the specific concern into a question
✔ Ensure that the question is answerable
✔ Check to make sure the question is not too broad or too narrow
✔ This is the basic process in writing a research question. Writing a good question will result in a better research project.
A research question should be (from the Writing Center of George Mason University):
✔ Clear. It provides enough specifics that one’s audience can easily understand its purpose without needing additional
explanation.
✔ Focused. It is narrow enough that it can be answered thoroughly in the space the writing task allows. ✔ Concise. It is
expressed in the fewest possible words.
✔ Complex. It is not answerable with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but rather requires synthesis and analysis of ideas and
sources prior to composition of an answer.
✔ Arguable. Its potential answers are open to debate rather than accepted facts.

Writing the Thesis Statement

Every paper you write should have a main point, a main idea, or central message. The argument(s) you make in
your paper should reflect this main idea. The sentence that captures your position on this main idea is what we call a
thesis statement. Focused: What is the most significant effect of glacial melting on the lives of penguins in Antarctica?.
A thesis statement focuses your ideas into one or two sentences. It should present the topic of your paper and also
make a comment about your position in relation to the topic. Your thesis statement should tell your reader what the
paper is about and also help guide your writing and keep your argument focused.
You should provide a thesis early in your essay -- in the introduction, or in longer essays in the second paragraph
-- in order to establish your position and give your reader a sense of direction.
 Tips in Writing Clear Thesis: Your thesis statement is no exception to your writing: it needs to be as clear as
possible. By being as clear as possible in your thesis statement, you will make sure that your reader understands exactly
what you mean. Tip: In order to be as clear as possible in your writing:
✔Unless you're writing a technical report, avoid technical language. Always avoid jargon, unless you are confident your
audience will be familiar with it.
✔Avoid vague words such as "interesting,” "negative, "exciting,” "unusual," and "difficult."
✔Avoid abstract words such as "society," “values,” or “culture.”

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION THE SCOPE OF YOUR STUDY

The scope of study in your research paper contains the explanation of what information or subject is being
analyzed. It is followed by an explanation of the limitation of the research. Research usually limited in scope by sample
size, time and geographic area; while the delimitation of study is the description of the scope of study.
It will explain why definite aspects of a subject were chosen and why other were excluded. It also mentions the
research method used as well as the certain theories applied to the data.

YOUR STUDY AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

Writing a research paper has its purpose-- may it be for you (as a researcher) or even for others. That is why, you
need to identify the key reason/s why you are taking a step forward and make your query into a formal writing. In this
stage, your ‘WHYs’ and ‘HOWs’ will be answered and explained. Before taking this step, read the following notes:

Tips in Writing the Significance of the Study (Regoniel, 2015) A. Refer to the statement of the problem
Your problem statement can guide you in identifying the specific contribution of your study. You can do this by
observing a one-to-one correspondence between the statement of the problem and the significance of the study.
For example, if you ask the question ‘Is there a significant relationship between the teacher’s teaching style and
the students’ long quiz scores in Mathematics?’ then the contribution of your research would probably be a teaching
style or styles that can help students perform better in Mathematics. Your research will demonstrate that teaching style
really works. That could be a groundbreaking approach that will change the way teachers teach Mathematics which
students are hesitant of.
B. Write from general to specific contribution Write the significance of the study by looking into the general
contribution of your study, such as its importance to society as a whole, then proceed downwards--towards its
contribution to individuals and that may include yourself as a researcher. You start off broadly then taper off gradually to
a specific group or person.

Sample Significance of the Study

Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will underscore to the benefit of society considering that mathematics play an important
role in science and technologies today. The greater demand for graduates with Mathematics background justifies the
need for more effective, life changing teaching approaches. Thus, schools that apply the recommended approach
derived from the results of this study will be able to train students better. Administrators will be guided on what
should be emphasized by teachers in the school curriculum to improve students’ performance in Mathematics. For
the researcher, the study will help them uncover critical areas in the educational process that many researchers were
not able to explore. Thus, a new theory on learning mathematics may be arrived at.