CLARET COLLEGE OF ISABELA

P.O. Box 8692 Roxas Avenue, Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 Philippines

Name:_____________________________ Date: _________________________

Grade/Section: ______________________ Output No.:____________________
Subject: PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2
Stating Research Questions
(LESSON/OUTPUT TITLE)
Lesson Objectives:

The learners will be able to…

a. Describe the major types and purposes of research questions

b. Determine the importance research questions in the clarification the
problems/inquiry
c. State research questions to specify the focus of research problems.

Values Integration:

Truth- to develop the art of questioning which will help the researcher gain clarification about
the true and relevant problems/inquiry of the chosen research study/project.

Explain:

The research questions that a researcher formulates gives the research the focus, as well as
guide the appropriacy of the decisions to make. It also expresses clearly the specific direction or
focus of your research problem or inquiry.

The basic purposes of research across disciplines include identification, description,

exploration, prediction and control. Research question in quantitative research asks about the
relation between two or more variables.

Research purpose pertains to the intent or objective of the study. The table below compares the
types of questions for each purpose of research in quantitative research.

Purpose Types of questions in Quantitative Research

Identification
Description How prevalent is the phenomenon?

How often does the phenomenon occur?

What are the characteristics of the

phenomenon?
exploration What factors are related to the phenomenon?

What are the antecedents of the phenomenon?

Explanation What are the measurable associations between
phenomena?

What factors cause the phenomenon?

Does the theory explain the phenomenon?

Prediction and control What will happen if we alter a phenomenon
 or introduce an intervention?

If phenomenon X occurs, will phenomenon Y

follow?

How can we make the phenomenon happen,

or alter its nature or prevalence?

Can the occurrence of the phenomenon be

controlled?
(Source: Polit, D.F., 2006)

Layder (2013) social research problems are not the same things as “topics” or “areas of interests.
They are not equivalent of the so-called social problems like poverty, unemployment, social
inequality and so on. Research problems address issues about social organizations, social
processes and social behavior.

Types of Research Questions

1. Problem questions- are general and explanatory and have a crucial influence in the form
and content of topic questions.
2. Topic questions- are specific and descriptive

Six key Problem questions (Layder)

1. How are a person’s self-identity, feelings, ideas and attitudes related to his or her
social environment?
2. How do people influence each other’s behavior in social interaction either “face-to-
face” or “mediated” through texts, emails, mobiles, and so on?
3. How do social settings (such as schools, universities, families, factories, companies,
hospitals, and so on) influence the behavior of those operating within them?
4. How is social behavior influenced by: (a) social class, ethnicity, gender, age,
neighborhood, region, or politics; (b) cultural values, expectations and institutions
(including the media)?
5. How does power influence human behavior and social activity?
6. How does the passage of time influence social behavior?

Examples of Topic question

TOPIC: Friendship or Romantic Relationships

1. How are friendships formed? Or why do couples become romantically attached?

2. Are you more interested in the way individuals experience friendship or romantic
attachment?
3. Are you interested in the way friendships or romantic relationships develop through
interaction?
4. Do you want to know more about families, neighborhoods or schools affect the
friendship and romantic choices that people make?
5. How are romantic relationships influenced by the power balance between partners?
NOTE: The design of a research project hinges on the development and honing of research
questions (both problem and topic varieties) a good amount of time and effort should give
over to deciding what they are before doing an actual research. After this essential first step
in research design, you will be in a position to decide what kind of data sample you need
(how many and what kinds of people, events or documents). The third step, choosing the
methods and strategies of data collections, will follow from this, as well as the fourth step,
choosing the best way of analyzing the data.

REFERENCES: PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2 (pp. 34-36)

RESEARCH METHODS AND THESIS WRITING (pp. 20-21)

 CLARET COLLEGE OF ISABELA
P.O. Box 8692 Roxas Avenue, Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 Philippines

Name:_____________________________ Date: _________________________

Grade/Section: ______________________ Output No.:____________________

Stating the Research Questions

(LESSON/OUTPUT TITLE)

EXTEND AND ELABORATE

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Direction(s): Write the similarities and differences of TOPIC QUESTION and PROBLEM
QUESTION through a venn diagram.

VENN DIAGRAM sample:

TOPIC PROBLEM

Differences Similarities Differences

EVALUATION:

“State the Research Questions”

Direction(s): Based from your research title, construct both problem and topic question.

RESEARCH TITLE:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

TOPIC QUESTIONS:

PROBLEM QUESTIONS:

STAY SAFE….
GOD BLESS