Practical Research 1

RESEARCH TITLE

A research title prefaces the study by providing a summary of the main idea and is usually short and concise.
A research title should have the following characteristics:

-It should summarize the main idea of the paper.

-It should be a concise statement of the main topic.

-It should include the major variables of the research study.

-It should be self-explanatory.

-It should describe or imply the participants of the study.

In general, the researcher should avoid using words that serve no useful purpose and can mislead indexers.
Words such as “methods,” “results,” and “investigations” should not appear in the title. In many cases, the
general problem of the research or even the specific question that the researcher intends to answer, when
rewritten in a statement form, can serve as the title.

RESEARCH PROBLEM

The research problem states the area of concern of the research paper whether it is a circumstance needing
development, a difficulty requiring attention, or an inquiry necessitating an answer. This section sets the
direction of the research study as it provides the foundation for the research hypothesis and defines what kind
of research study is suitable to address the problem. However, it is important to note that this section should
only state the problem and not preface or suggest a solution for it.

Sources of Research Problems

Research problems may be derived in almost any kind of setting such as hospitals or clinics, schools,
offices, homes, or any part of the community. Research problems can be commonly based from circumstances
with the following characteristics:

-It conveys a feeling of discomfort or difficulty.

-It has a perceived difficulty in broad subjects such as family affairs, home management, and leadership
system.

-It displays a gap between theory and practice: what is said by the elders and what the students see and
observe.
-It utilizes a procedure requiring technologically advanced equipment.
-It involves the experience of any kind of individual.
-It shows some kind of pattern or trend.
-It makes use of literature reviews, continuous readings, and past studies. These readings can lead a student
to a topic, and its scope and clues for further studies. The repetition of a prior research study in a different
setting and time is called replication.
 -It relates to an individual’s curiosity and interest.

Furthermore, a discerned problem is said to be researchable when the following criteria are met:

A. Solutions are available but not yet tested and not yet known by the practitioner to the subjects to be
studied. The entire cost of the study must be estimated—the travel expenses when meeting with the
respondents, purchase costs of the instruments to be used, and expenses incurred in encoding the results.
B. External support is also an essential element to look into when determining whether a research is
feasible or not.

C. The innovative quality of the topic should still be considered. A review of literature and studies ensures
that solutions are yet to be proposed for the problem, thus showing the need to conduct the stud

D. When the given answers or solutions, as well as the possible results, are seemingly untested or are
factually contradictory with each other.

E. A phenomenon requiring an explanation has occurred.

F. There are several possible and plausible explanations for the existence of an undesirable condition.

CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

In the book A Research Guide in Nursing Education, Barrientos-Tan (1997) discusses the different criteria
for choosing a problem for research. These are as follows:

External Criteria

Novelty – This refers to the practical value of the problem due to its “newness” in the field of inquiry.

Availability of subjects – This refers to the people with the desired capability and willingness to
participate in the study. The sample of the study participants must be representative enough to ensure
reliability and validity of the results.

Support of the academic community – This refers to the assistance given by the members of the
institution, like the principal, teachers, staff, students, and the parents, in the gathering of data and
defraying the cost of the study. Permission of those concerned for the participation in the study of staff
members, children, the aged, and the mentally challenged should be secured.

Availability and adequacy of facilities and equipment – Devices such as computers, and telephones
used in undertaking the study must be considered.

Ethical considerations – These include the avoidance of research problems that pose unethical demands
on the part of the research participants.

Internal Criteria

Experience, training, and qualifications of the researcher – These constitute the researcher’s
knowledge and expertise as a result of experience and study.
 Motivation, interest, intellectual curiosity, and perceptiveness of the researcher – These are essential
attitudes that bring anticipated satisfaction or enjoyment in the completion of research tasks.

Time factor – This considers the fact that studies must be pursued within a given time frame.

Costs and returns – These factors matter in choosing a research problem. Research is an expensive
undertaking. The amount of funding needed, after all, depends on the size of the sample, the place where
the research is to be conducted, the treatment of data, and the kind of research design.

Hazards, penalties, and handicaps – These depend upon the researcher’s physical and intellectual
capacity and moral judgment.

CHOOSING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

Researchers should also be aware of the following factors in determining their research problem and topic:

The feasibility of the research study is a very important consideration in choosing the problem.

The time needed to conduct the study must be measured and its setting should be defined and located. The
researcher must have ready access to the relevant materials

BEGINNING OF THE RESEARCH

The first chapter of the research paper is entitled “The Problem” or “The Problem and Its Background.” Its
purpose is to introduce the problem and clarify important variables, its delimitations, and its significance to
the field of study. It has the following essential elements:

I. Introduction

II. Statement of the problem

III. Scope and delimitation

IV. Significance of the study

Notes:

It should also be noted that the researcher has to introduce the different elements of the first chapter by
giving a brief description of each element, so that the reader knows what to expect from the chapter.

Example:

This chapter presents the different essential elements: the introduction, which contains the rationale (an
explanation of the reasons for the conduct of the research); the review of literature and statistical
foundation; the statement of the general and specific problems; the scope and delimitation which identifies
 the major variables, sub-variables and the indicators; the significance of the study which enumerates the
beneficiaries of the study and the corresponding benefits each will receive; and lastly, the notations.

I. INTRODUCTION

The introduction is important in establishing the cognitive setting of the research. It has the following
elements:

a. Rationalization of the need to research on the problem

b. Clarification of the important terminologies for the reader to easily understand what the research is
about
c. Establishment of the degree of seriousness of the problem which prompted the researcher to look for
solutions

The following questions can aid the researcher in formulating the introduction:

1. What is the rationale of the problem? This question is answered by sharing the reasons why the
researcher decided to look for solutions to the problem. A rationale may include the narration of personal
experiences, a description of an article read, a scene witnessed a news heard, or a theory that needs to be
clarified. The researcher should describe the existing and prevailing problem based on his or her
experience. The scope may be local, national, or international. Ideally, the rationale can start from a global
perspective to a more personal one.

Example:

As a Grade 12 student, Arjohn David, experienced some difficulties in performing well because of
various factors such as the attitude of his teachers as well as their teaching methods, the absence of
laboratory facilities, and inadequacy of books in the library. He is having difficulties in his quizzes and
class performance.

2. What is the setting of the problem? The setting forms part of the delimitation of the study. It
defines the geographic boundaries and certain demographic characteristics of the research. This describes
the place where the research was conducted, since the setting has a significant bearing on the variables
being studied. In the description of the setting, its distinctive characteristics must be highlighted.

Example:

Puting Capunitan Elementary School is one of the barrio schools in Orion, Bataan where most enrollees
are from disadvantaged families whose immediate ancestors are either laborers or fisher folks. This school
is one of the schools with poorly performing students in their division according to the Department of
Education.

3. What is the basic literature foundation of the study? This is different from the review of the
related theories, conceptual literature, and research literature. This part seeks to provide the researcher
clarity on the terms or variables used in the study. The terms and variables must be clear to the researcher
for an easy understanding of the readers. As such, sufficient background can assist the investigator in
determining the boundaries of the study. This part is derived from different literature sources. The use of
various references is crucial in this part of the first chapter.
 Example:

As teaching is considered to be a complex activity (Medley, as cited in Iqbal, 1996), the scholars and
researchers in the field of education have since long been exploring into and analyzing the teaching
phenomenon. Teaching is an arrangement and manipulation of a situation in which a learner tries to
overcome the learning problems. Teaching is also a multidimensional set of activities intended to facilitate
learning (Torrington et al., 2003). However, it is universally recognized that teachers’ instructional
performance plays a key role in students’ learning and academic achievement (Panda and Mohanty, 2003)

4. How serious is the chosen research problem? The researcher is tasked to identify the intensity and
magnitude of the problem. When the gravity of the problem has already been described, he or she may then
gauge the kind of action to be used to identify the problem. In most cases, the researcher at this point looks
for statistical or quantitative evidence to assess the significance of the problem at hand.

Example:

Based on the DepEd Division Memo series 2012, among the 12 schools with the most poorly
performing students, Puting Capunitan Elementary Schools ranked 12th.

5. What is the general objective of the problem? This is the general statement of the problem or the
major tasks of the researcher to discharge and should also be the basis of the enumerated statements of
specific problems.

Example:

With the abovementioned scenario and situations, it is the main objective of the researcher to determine
the common reasons of the poor performance of the students. Therefore, the research findings on that
objective become the basis of an intervention program for school effectiveness.

6. What is the overall purpose of the problem? It is important to note that the researcher must be
totally aware of the purpose of the research problem. He or she must fully understand the implications of
the resulting findings of the study.

Example:

This is mainly for the purpose of letting the students acquire the needed competencies before graduation
and enabling the school to perform better in the Regional Achievement Examinations.

Introduction Sample:

Predictors of Students’ Performance in Chemistry Laboratory of Selected Private Schools

(Estrella, 2009)

Rationale

Experimenting is one of the tasks in a science class. No science course is ever complete unless each
student has been given the opportunity to conduct an experiment. It opens opportunities to students to be
exposed to hands-on activities where they discover the answers to their scientific queries. Laboratory
activity requires students to use many of the other scientific process skills like observation, measurements,
inference, prediction, and generalization.
 All levels of students from primary, secondary, and tertiary levels conduct laboratory activities. It is a
well-known fact that college students taking up professional courses cannot do away with science as one of
their basic subjects. However, it has been observed that students still find difficulties even in identifying
common laboratory apparatus and following simple procedures. This is despite the fact that they have been
already exposed to science activities during their high school years.

Setting of the problem

To cite, they have Integrated Science in their first year, Biology in their second year, Chemistry in third
year, and Physics in their fourth year. It is therefore, expected that they are already familiar with the basics
in science experiment. However, this is not the case. Most of the time, the teacher repeats simple laboratory
procedures, whereby, it must be explained properly “to the letter,” and all the observations would lead the
teacher to teach the “ABCs” of doing a laboratory activity so that they can perform it correctly. In addition,
the teacher would have to orient the students on the basic and the most commonly used laboratory apparatus.

Literature foundation

However, as cited by Cuyegkeng (2008), in the Philippine educational system, one of the most disturbing
problems is the poor achievement of Filipino students in the areas of science and technology. Educators
agree that one of the major causes of this problem has to do with the method of facilitating the learning of
science concepts, processes, and poor laboratory practices inside the classroom. Somehow, this indicates
that the current methods do not fully develop the skills of both students and teachers. Also, Puno (2005),
citing specific issues concerning higher education, mentioned that academic excellence must be viewed in
terms of excellence in practical or applied learning theories. Application of these theories and concepts will
make the learner a productive member of society. It is not the quantity of knowledge but more importantly
how much of these knowledge can be put to good use. We need graduates whose lives will be full of action
and not merely have heads which are just full of facts.

Seriousness of the problem

Earlier studies show that one of the problems of students, in general, is the failure to connect the chemistry
principles they have learned in class with the problems in the real world. They fail to appreciate chemistry
concepts and draw connections between them, because chemistry is usually presented as a very theoretical,
abstract body of knowledge. This is especially true if the teacher is not properly trained, which is often the
sad plight of Philippine secondary schools. Coupled with poor learning facilities and materials, the result is a
failure in science education.

All these ideas point to the significance of learning by doing. For this reason, it is viewed that in studying
science, students may not only be more on theories but application as well. There are many experiments that
may be conducted and performed in any science unit of study, and yet conducting them may not be that
effective and the mark of knowledge is absent.

General objective

At present, the researcher, as a college instructor, is experiencing the abovementioned scenario in science
education. If not dealt with properly, it might result to poor performance in science laboratory activities. It is
in this light that this research was conducted to determine the factors affecting the student’s performance in
Chemistry laboratory.
General purpose

To improve the performance of science instructors, which will result to improved student performance in
achievement examinations and a positive impact on school effectiveness

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

After the investigator has clarified the rationale, identified the degree of seriousness of the problem,
provided the literature review, and set the overall objective, the formulation of the heart of the thesis—the
statement of the general and the specific problems—must be done. The opening paragraph of this section
contains the general problem of the study.

Writing the General Problem in a Qualitative Study

In the book Principles of Qualitative Research: Designing a Qualitative Study, Creswell and Clark (2014)
provide the following criteria in writing the purpose statement:

a) It should use single and not compound sentences.

b) It should clearly express the purpose of the study.

c) It should include the central phenomenon.

d) It should use qualitative words, e.g., explore, discover, and explain.

e) It should identify the participants in the study.

f) It should state the research site.

A sample pattern for the purpose statement is provided below.

The purpose of this (narrative, phenomenological, grounded theory, ethnographic, case) is to

(understand, describe, develop, discover) the (central phenomenon of the study) for (the participants) at
(the site). At this stage in the research, the (central phenomenon) will be generally defined as (a general
definition of the central concept) (Creswell and Clark, 2014).

Below are some examples of a general problem.

Example 1:

The overall objective of this phenomenological study is to describe the intrapersonal and interpersonal
competencies of school principals, and their relationship to the school effectiveness in the Division of
Bataan for the school year 2001-2002. The result is used as a basis for an intervention program (Cristobal,
2003). Here, intrapersonal is the school managers’ own self-concept and personality while interpersonal is
their communication and expressions in dealing with subordinates’

Example 2:
 The objective of this ethnographic study is to differentiate the customs and traditions of the Aetas
and the locals of Zambales enrolled in Olongapo National City High School for the school year 2014-
2015. In this research, the customs and traditions are defined as their practices in the celebration of feasts.

Example 3:

The objective of this grounded theory study is to characterize the general study habits of the high school
students that belong to the top ten of the class. The study habits are concentrated on the student’s
preparation before attending classes daily.

The general problem is followed by an enumeration of the specific problems. These problems are usually
stated as questions that the researcher seeks to answer. Therefore, the specific problems must meet the
following criteria:

a. They must be in question form.

b. They must define the population and the samples of the study (respondents).

c. They must identify the variables being studied.

According to Creswell and Clark (2014), there are two types of research questions. These are as follows:

1. Central questions – These are the most general questions that can be asked.

2. Sub-questions – These questions subdivide the central question into more specific topical questions and
are only limited in number.

Creswell and Clark (2014) also provide some guidelines in formulating the research question:

1. The question should begin with words such as “how” or “what”.

2. The readers should be informed of the information that will be discovered, generated, explored,
identified, or described in the study.

3. The question “What happened?” should be asked to help craft the description.

4. The question “What was the meaning to people of what happened?” should be asked to understand the
results.

5. The question “What happened over time?” should be asked to explore the process.

In addition, Cresswell and Clark (2004) also provide the following scripts as a guide in designing qualitative
central and sub-questions:

Central question script

a. “What is the meaning of/what does it mean to (central phenomenon)?”

Examples:
 What is the meaning of intrapersonal competencies?

What does it mean to differentiate the customs and traditions of Aetas to those of the locals?

What does it mean to characterize the study habits of the top 10 students of the class?

b. “How would (participants) describe (central phenomenon)?”

Examples:

How would school managers describe intrapersonal competencies?

How would the Aetas and locals of Zambales differentiate their customs and traditions?

How would the top ten high school students characterize their general study habits?

Sub-question script

“What (aspect) does (participant) engage in as a (central phenomenon)?”

Examples:

What level of self-concept does the school managers engage in as a characteristic of interpersonal
competencies?

What nature of practices do the Aetas and locals of Zambales engage in as a part of their customs and
traditions?

What kind of preparation does the top 10 high school students engage in as an indicator of their general
study habits?

TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In general, there are two types of questions formulated in research. These are as follows:

1. Non-researchable questions – These are questions of value and are answerable by yes or no.

Examples:

Should all mothers breastfeed their babies?

Should high school teachers be watchful over their Grade 7 students?

Should the schools offering different majors in senior high schools require their students to have a
mandatory review before taking the National Assessment Exam?

Do all head teachers have a master’s degree?

Are family members helping their children in reviewing their lessons?

 2. Researchable questions – These are questions of opinions, perceptions, or policy that are raised to
accumulate data. Formulating a clear, significant question prepares the researcher for subsequent decision-
making on research design, data collection, and data analysis.

Examples:

What are the common preparations done by Grade 7 students during their first days in school?

How do senior high school students respond to their Math teacher?

What are the study habits of students who are poorly performing?

What is the relationship of the attitudes of the adviser to the classroom behavior of Grade 9 students?

How do the officers of the Parent-Teacher Community Association assist in the improvement of school
facilities?

Dickoff et. al (as cited by Wilson, 1989) provide further classification to research questions. These are as
follows:

I. Factor-isolating questions – These ask the question “What is this?” These questions are sometimes called
factor-naming questions because they isolate, categorize, describe, or name factors and situations.

Examples:

1. What is the profile of school principals in terms of the following?

A. Age
B. Management experience

C. Civil status

2. What are the levels of competencies of school principals as described by their respective teachers and
themselves in terms of the following?

A. Intrapersonal

B. Interpersonal

II. Factor-relating questions – These ask the question “What is happening here?” The goal of these
questions is to determine the relationship among factors that have been identified.

Examples:

1. What is the relationship of the level of performance of the senior high school teachers to the OJT
performance of the students enrolled in the business track of Saint Paul School of Professional Studies?

2. How does the performance level of volleyball teams of boys differ to that of the girls?
III. Situation-relating questions – These questions ask the question “What will happen if...?” These
questions usually yield hypotheses testing or experimental study designs in which the researcher manipulates
the variables to see what will happen.

Examples:

1. What are the effects of computer-learning assisted methods of teaching to the interest level of the
sophomores to their history subjects?

2. How significantly different is the performance of the call center agents who are well rested than those
who are not?
IV. Situation-producing questions – These ask the question “How can I make it happen?” These questions
establish explicit goals for actions, develop plans or prescriptions to achieve goals, and specify the
conditions under which these goals will be accomplished.

Examples:

1. Based on the findings, what human relation intervention program can be adopted to enhance or
improve effectiveness of existing teaching methods?

2. What faculty development activities can be sponsored by the PTCA to improve the performance of
graduating students in the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT)?