Practical Research 1
Quarter 1-Module 3:
Identifying the Inquiry and
Stating the Problem Related
to Daily Life
Learning Objectives:
After studying this module, you will be able to:
a. Identify the steps in designing a research
project;
b. Determine the guidelines in writing a research
title;
c. Craft a research project related to daily life;
and
LESSON 3:
FORMULATING RESEARCH
QUESTIONS, SCOPE
AND DELIMITATION OF THE
STUDY, SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY, STATING THE
PROBLEM
⚬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
Formulating Research Questions
The questions that you ask in your
research will determine the data that you
want to have, answer, and specify in Chapter
IV. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Take a look
at the
example
Sentence 1
How should social networking sites
address the harm they cause?
Sentence 2
What action should social
networking sites like MySpace and
Facebook take to protect users’
personal information and privacy?
Sentence 1 (unclear)
How should social networking sites
address the harm they cause?
Sentence 2 (clear)
What action should social
networking sites like MySpace and
Facebook take to protect users’
personal information and privacy?
The unclear version of
this question doesn’t
specify which social
networking sites unlike
the clear version.
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.
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
Tips in order to
write a successful
thesis statement
• Avoid burying a great thesis
statement in the middle of
a paragraph or late in the
paper.
• Be as clear and as
specific as possible;
avoid vague words.
• Indicate the point of your
paper but avoid sentence
structures like, “The point of
my paper is…”
Example on how to improve your thesis
• Original thesis:
There are serious objections to today's horror
movies.
• Revised thesis:
Because modern cinematic techniques have
allowed filmmakers to get more graphic, horror
flicks have desensitized young American viewers
to violence.
The pornographic violence in
"bloodbath" slasher movies
degrades both men and women.
Today's slasher movies fail to
deliver the emotional catharsis
that 1930s horror films did.
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.
Tips 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
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.
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
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.
Thank
You!