Hard is not impossible.

- Anonymous-

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JMJamago © January 2014
Value of Research to People
1. improves quality of life (FNS, etc.)
2. improves & up-builds instruction
3. improves decision-making
4. improves policy-making
5. improves people’s competence
6. satisfies people’s needs
7. reduces burden of work
8. has deep-seated psychological effects
9. improves the export of food products
10. responds to economic recovery, rehabilitation, poverty reduction,
development, etc.
11. trains people to be responsive to needs to society, etc.
JMJamago © January 2014
What are the (prime) Objectives of Research?
1 Review or synthesize existing knowledge
2 Investigate existing situations or problems
3 Provide solutions to problems
4 Explore and analyze more general issues
5 Construct or create new procedures or systems
6 Explain new phenomenon
7 Generate new knowledge
8 Or a combination of any of the above
(Collis & Hussey, 2003)
JMJamago © January 2014
 What to research? What to study?
How to identify a researchable problem?

JMJamago © January 2014

What could be a researchable problem?
o A problem exists in the locality or country, no known
(definite) solutions yet
 E.g. most street children commit crime
o Probable solutions are not yet tested
 E.g. rehab/development programs based on agri-life & healthy
diet
o Probable solutions can be tested using statistical
methods & techniques
 E.g. feeding program based on set meals for a duration

JMJamago © January 2014

What could be a researchable problem?

o An observed phenomenon requires scientific

investigation to arrive at precise answers/explanation
o Paddy rice in Bangladesh & Thailand have critical amounts of
arsenic. How about in the Philippines? Myanmar?
o Serious needs/problems of the people where it
demands research
o Child soldiers in Mindanao. Most are kids of poor families who
are severely malnourished as babies until toddler stage. Would
feeding programs reduce the statistics of child soldiers? Would
the use of biofortified crops in these feeding programs be
effective to reduce the numbers by 50%?
JMJamago © January 2014
 Characteristics of a Researcher (5 & more)
1. Intellectual curiosity = undertakes deep thinking, inquisitive
of the things around him/her, keen to gather info, to
understand or to address societal concerns
2. Prudence = careful, efficient, economical
3. Healthy criticism = have some skepticism (or doubtfulness),
always wants to prove the veracity (truth) of findings & result
4. Intellectual honesty = honest to collect/gather data or facts to
arrive at honest results & recommendations
5. Intellectual creativity = resourceful, productive, enjoys
challenges, innovative (especially in his/her methodologies) to
create new & better products
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3 Types of Research
(In education)

1 Historical Research
2 Descriptive Research
3 Experimental Research

JMJamago © January 2014

 1 Historical Research
focuses on what was; to test the
truthfulness of reports made by
others; use of primary &
secondary data sources
o Primary data = original
documents or artifacts
o Secondary data = reports made
by others

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JMJamago © January 2014
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JMJamago © January 2014
Historical Research
 Review of Literature
 Read many papers (print, electronic, talk to experts, etc.)
 What is the story behind the problem you wish to solve?
 What are the causes of the problem?
 What had been done before? What did they do? What were
successful? What were not successful?
 What were not done before? (gaps)
 Synthesize your findings into your RoL (organized, the story
of your chosen problem)

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JMJamago © January 2014
1 Historical Research
2 Descriptive Research (vs. Analytical R.)
• describes & interprets what is; fact-finding, surveys,
• concerned with conditions or relations that exist,
• opinions that are held, processes that are going on,
• effects that are evident, observed, researcher has no control
over the variables
• trends that are developing, etc.;
• focuses on the present but draws inputs from the past to relate
to current phenomena
• Example 1: finding out what are the new emerging pests & diseases in
upland rice ecosystems in Bukidnon in the changing climate
• Example 2: finding out what are the weed species that may show some
resistance to RR herbicide in farmlands that use this chemica
JMJamago © January 2014
 https://formasigenbiougm.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/picture4.jpg
(GARLIC, Allium sativum)

Lectures © JMJamago. 2nd Sem., 2014-2015. Central Mindanao University.

1 Historical Research
2 Descriptive Research
3 Experimental Research (lab, field, both)
deals with what can/may be (the effects); researcher
manipulates one or more independent variables &
observes for variations in the dependent variable(s)
 Independent variable = factor that is measured, manipulated
or selected by researcher to determine its relationship to an
observed phenomenon
 Dependent variable = factor which is observed, measured to
determine effect(s) of the independent variable
JMJamago © January 2014
 Independent variable = examples
fertilizer levels mulching techniques
seeding rates fertilizer combinations
crop varieties weed management
planting distances duration of moisture stress

 Dependent variable = examples

PGD – assessed through
days to germination days to flowering
seedling vigor days to maturity
plant height seed or grain yield/leaf yield
tuber yield/bean yield/root yield

JMJamago © January 2014

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JMJamago © January 2014
 Experimental research - relies on experience or observation
 data-based research, coming up with conclusions verified by
observation or experiment;
 others call it experimental type of research - necessary to get at
facts firsthand,
 researcher needs a working hypothesis, gathers data/facts to
prove or disprove the hypothesis;
 sets up experimental designs, researcher has control over
variables under study
 appropriate when proof is sought that certain variables affect
other variables in some way
 To test hypotheses & to discover new relationships

JMJamago © January 2014

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content/uploads/2014/10/SS611B-American-Giant-HybridW.jpg

http://www.ediblewildfood.com/images/sunflower-
pictures/sunflower.jpg

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Other Types of Research
1 Basic or fundamental research – mainly concerned with
generalizations & with formulation of a theory; “gathering knowledge
for knowledge’s sake is termed ‘pure’ or ‘basic’ research”
2 Applied (action) research - aims at finding a solution for an
immediate problem facing a society or an industrial/business
organization,
3 Exploratory or formulative research - to gain familiarity with a
phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it
4 Diagnostic research - to determine the frequency with which
something occurs, or with which it is associated with something
else
5 Predictive research – to determine future conditions in order to
prepare for such events
JMJamago © January 2014
Other Types of Research (2)
6 Qualitative research – concerned with qualitative phenomenon,
i.e., phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind. E.g. when
we are interested in investigating the reasons for human
behavior (i.e., why people think or do certain things); ‘Motivation
Research’, a type of QL research  aims at discovering
underlying motives & desires, using in depth interviews for the
purpose
7 Quantitative research – based on measurement of quantity or
amount; applicable to phenomena that can be expressed in
terms of quantity

JMJamago © January 2014

Other Types of Research (3)
 Conceptual research – related to some abstract idea(s) or theory;
generally used by philosophers & thinkers to develop new
concepts or to reinterpret existing ones;

JMJamago © January 2014

Your Weekend Assignment/Practice
1 Start asking questions in crop production.
2 Write/list all your questions in a separate small notebook.
3 Choose three questions which you like the best.
4 Discuss these with your friend(s) or housemate(s).
5 Pick one of the questions which you think still was answered
unsatisfactorily.
6 If this becomes your researchable question, what type of
research would you like to do to answer this question?

JMJamago © January 2014

 “Chinese Lantern Plant”

#WoW

“Excellence is not an act, it is a habit.

It needs to be practiced daily.”
- paraphrased from Aristotle-
A Second Green Revolution
(Tweaking Photosynthesis)
Drs. Steve Long & Don Ort, UIUC