SETTING THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study is determined primarily by the selection of variables that the research study will
focus on. Defining the scope of the research requires the careful selection of variables that will be investigated, as
well as the attributes that will define and measure these variables.
A variable refers to any characteristic that can have different values or traits that may vary across research
participants. Variables are measured, controlled, and manipulated by the researcher. Examples include age,
gender, height, and weight. Based on the research problem, the researcher identifies the possible variables that
will be investigated to address the problem.
Attributes are important elements of a variable. It refers to the value assigned to a specific variable. For
example, if the researcher focuses on gender as a significant variable in the study, he or she then identifies male
and female as attributes of gender. The variable agreement may have the following attributes - strongly agree,
agree, disagree, and strongly disagree.

Variables have the following important characteristics:

1. Dependence - this refers to how the variable is considered in a cause-and-effect relationship.
Independent variables are those characteristics that are changed, manipulated, or selected by the
researcher. Dependent variables, on the other hand, are those that change because of changes to the
independent variable.
For example, in a study that investigates the use of computer-aided teaching instruction on student
performance, the independent variable is teaching instruction as the researcher chooses to implement
computer-aided teaching in the classrooms. The dependent variable, therefore, is student performance as
it is expected to change in
reaction to the introduction of computer-aided teaching.
2. Mutually exclusive - this means that a participant or respondent cannot possess two attributes of a
variable. For instance, a person cannot be both male and female.
3. Exhaustive - this means that the researcher should consider all possible attributes of a certain variable. In
identifying the possible responses of the participants to survey questions, the researcher must identify all
possible answers or reactions. In reality, considering all possible attributes and including them in the
research study is a difficult and almost impossible task. Therefore, selecting the most relevant attributes
for each variable is part of setting the scope of the study.

Kinds of Variables
1. Continuous variables - variables that may have an infinite number of values and may vary widely among
the research participants. Examples include age and weight.
2. Discrete variables - variables that have specific limits to their value. Examples include income, number of
children, or years of employment.
3. Categorical variables - these cannot be expressed in numbers but are given in non-quantitative,
descriptive terms. Examples include civil status (single, married, widowed), and educational achievement
(high school graduate, college graduate, post-graduate)

DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The delimitation of the study describes the various limitations that arose during the design and conduct of
the study. These include the characteristics of the research design and methodology that affected or influenced
the findings of the study. These limitations are constraints on certain aspects of the research, such as the
interpretation of data and the applicability and usefulness of the results and findings. The limitations of the study
are defined primarily by the scope of the study. While the scope of the study defines the variables that are the
focus of the research, the delimitation of the study identifies the other variables that were not considered for the
study. The limitations that are identified are only those that are significant or may have had an impact on the
findings of the study. For instance, in the study on the effect of computer-aided teaching on student performance,
the researcher only focused on students in a specific school. Therefore, one limitation of the study would be that
the findings and conclusions are applicable to the particular school that was selected and may not apply to other
schools in the country. The characteristics of chosen
respondents, as well as the time period and place where the research was done, are major variables that define
the scope and delimitation of a research.

The following may be the possible limitations that may arise from the research design and
methodology
1. Sample size. The research design and methodology will determine whether the research will have a small
or large sample size. The sample size will determine the quality of data and the relationships that will be
identified among the variables.
2. Lack of available and/or reliable data. Missing and unreliable data will limit the scope of analysis and the
ability of the researcher to determine meaningful trends and relationships among the data.
3. Lack of prior studies. This will limit the effectiveness of the literature review and may limit the initial
understanding of the research problem. This, however, can be a basis for identifying avenues for further
research.
4. Chosen data collection method Limitations in the data collection instrument may affect the quality of data
collected. Unclear or vague questions in a questionnaire will result to unclear or erroneous answers from
the respondents. The method employed in data collection may also affect the quality of the data. For
example, the researcher may have conducted an interview or survey at a time the respondents may be
busy or preoccupied there may be a possibility that the respondents may not have accomplished the
survey form or answered the question thoroughly and the responses given may have been vague.
5. Nature of the information collected. Relying on preexisting data may impose limits on the researcher as
he or she can no longer clarify certain data. Self-reported data have the risk of being false and cannot be
easily verified.

Apart from the design and methodology, the characteristics of the researcher and the limits that he or she
experiences in the conduct of the research will also give rise to limitations. These are as follows:

1. Access The amount and quality of data will depend on the ability of the researcher to access people,
organizations, libraries, and documents that can provide him or her the best available data.
2. Time period. The length of time devoted to the study will affect almost all aspects of the research. It is
advisable to select a research problem and design that gives way to a more manageable time period.
3. Bias. This refers to a way of viewing a certain thing, issue, or idea, and may be influenced by the
researcher's background. The researcher, therefore, should be aware of his or her personal biases and
how these affect the conduct of the research. Biases may affect the way the researcher states and defines
the research problem, the selection of research design and methodology, the variables chosen, data
collection methods, and the interpretation of data.
4. Language. This may have an effect on data collection, especially if the researcher is involved with
respondents that speak a variety of languages. This is especially a challenge in studies that involve
documents that are written in different languages.

It is important to state the limitations of the study in detailed but concise terms. The researcher should also
explain why such limitations arose in the conduct of the study and provide a reason why these could not be
overcome by the research method employed. The impact of the limitation on the data collected, as well as its
effects on the interpretation and analysis, should also be
assessed. The limitations can also lead to further research, and the researcher should include methods.