LESSON 4: CONCEPTUALIZING RESEARCH TITLE AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what
everybody else has thought.
-Albert Szent Gyorgyi

How does one develop a research title? Does it come

from a personal experience or observed situation?
Could a research title spring from reading the literature
and recommendations of previous studies? Does it also
emanate from the call of the government, other
organizations, and funding agencies?
Do titles reflect concepts or constructs? What happens
to a research if the concepts are vague and
immeasurable?
Is it essential that concepts to be studied are observed
and measured? These are few questions that are to be examined in this lesson
on problem conceptualization. Enjoy your mental journey as you navigate the
concepts in this lesson

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Define construct, measures, and operational definition;

2. Identify valuable sources of research problems;
3. Develop a research title based on a situation; and
4. Construct statements of the problem based on a developed research title.

LET’S RECALL

Do This!

What would be the best quantitative or qualitative measure to the following

variables or constructs? For example: The variable academic performance may
be measured through Grade Weighted Average (GWA) taken from the report
card. Also, it may be measured through the academic awards received.
No. Variables/Constructs Answer
1 Reading comprehension
2 Teaching satisfaction
 3 Decision-making
4 Intercultural communication
5 Test anxiety
6 Social interaction
7 Study habits
8 School ability
9 School motivation
10 Poverty

LET’S LEARN

Definition of Concepts or Constructs

Concepts otherwise known as constructs are the things to be investigated in
any study. In fact, all researches start from a clear and measurable construct as
it is the end product of problem conceptualization. Normally, concepts are
expressed in words or symbols that depict a meaningful whole or a complex
set of events or ideas. For a research to be understood, its concept must be
clear in terms of its operational definition and measure. Operational definition
refers to how a concept is used in the study while a measure is the index or
yardstick of the concept. Consider the following situation as an example.
If you want to study the involvement of parents to their children’s modular
learning, the construct is parental involvement. The operational definition of
this construct is the extent to which parents assist their children in completing
their tasks in the module. One of the measures may be the number of hours
that parents allocate to perform this activity.

Concept Check:
Examine the title below and determine its constructs.

“Implementation of Alternative Learning System (ALS) Program and Its Graduates’ Performance and Employabili

Sources of Research Problems

Where does research problem come from? Usually, students experience the
problem of having no “problem” in a research class. They have difficulty
choosing what to study or if they have one, it may not be interesting and
relevant or it may just be a duplication of previous studies. So as not to
experience the

2
same dilemma, the wide-ranging sources of problems for investigation are the
following:
1. Personal Experience – Your day-to-day experiences (direct or indirect)
may be a good source of meaningful problems for investigation. These
situations may have sparked your interest and curiosity to explore answers
to something you cannot explain. For example, why do some of you prefer
face-to-face instruction over virtual learning? What are your difficulties in
virtual learning? From this personal experience, you can now create a
research problem on this matter.
2. Reading relevant literature – Your literature reviews from journal
articles and books are rich sources of identifying and selecting a research
problem. The extent to which you read studies on a specific topic may
expose you to knowledge gaps. This may pertain to lack of empirical
studies or conflicting findings of previous researchers about a topic.
Significantly, the recommendations of previous studies may offer
opportunities for parallel or new research undertakings in your own
context or environment.

3. Interviewing Practitioners
– Practitioners in the field
(e.g. teachers,
administrators, local
government officials) are
valuable sources of
problems for investigation.
Your formal or information
discourses with them may
provide new directions and
insight as to areas needing
investigation in their field.
They may also identify
practical and real-world
problems as well as strategies https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%
and approaches which are left unexplored or ignored by academicians.
4. Research agenda of government and non-government agencies – The
government thrusts and priority areas provide a development roadmap of
researchable topics for investigation. All of these are geared towards
enhancing social services to ensure quality life among communities. Some
examples of these thrusts are the reduction of teenage pregnancy,
eradication of extreme hunger and poverty as well as the promotion of
universal primary education, and environmental sustainability.

Developing the Statement of the Problem

Once the constructs are properly laid, you can now start developing your
statement of the problem (SOP). The SOP presents the general and specific
questions for investigation in a study. Let’s examine the following sample
below:
 Title College Readiness of Filipino K-12 Graduates: Insights from
a Criterion-Referenced Test
General This study seeks to document the college readiness of
SOP Filipino K-12 graduates in response to the call of the
Philippine
Congress to examine the quality of the K-12 graduates.
Specific Specifically, the study sought to:
SOP in 1. determine the college readiness of K-12 graduates as
declarative revealed by the CRT results;
statements 2. assess the college readiness of the K-12 graduates in the
seven learning areas of the CRT;
3. determine the differentials in the college readiness of the
K-12 graduates by campus assignment; and
4. ascertain the concurrent validity of the CRT in relation to
a College Admission Test (CAT).
Specific Specifically, the study answered the following questions:
SOP in 1. What is the college readiness of K-12 graduates as
interrogative revealed by the CRT results?
statements 2. What is the college readiness of the K-12 graduates in the
seven learning areas of the CRT;
3. Is there a significant difference in the college readiness of
the K-12 graduates by campus assignment; and
4. Does the CRT possess a concurrent validity in relation to
a College Admission Test (CAT)?

In formulating the SOP, you must: (a) effectively introduce the reader to the
significance of the study to be investigated; (b) clearly place the study into a
particular context and state the
boundaries of the investigation;
(c) substantially provide the
framework in presenting and
discussing the results of the
study; and (d) always ensure
that they are specific,
measurable, attainable, results-
oriented and time bound
(SMART).
After developing the SOP, a significant reflection to ask is the question: So
What? Asking this question allows you to examine whether your study
contributes to existing body of knowledge and whether it is relevant to the call
of the time. Also, reflecting on this question shows your commitment to
scientific inquiry – that you carefully thought of the study which is significant
to your field.
Concept Check:
Using the foregoing sample of SOP on college readiness, complete the table below by indicating the required ans

Identify the possible sources of

the research problem
Examine the key concepts of
the study
Identify the significance of the
study
Determine the context of the
study
Ascertain the expected results
of the study
Identify the measures and
boundaries of the study

Conceptualizing a Research Title

One of the most difficult or challenging tasks in research writing is title

formulation. For some, the crafting of a research title is best made after having
developed the SOP. This makes an easy and logical formulation of a good title
considering that the constructs, measures, and boundaries have been mapped
out. Here are some guidelines which could help you make your research title
interesting, attractive, and focused.
1. Ensure that the title predicts the content of the research paper using
descriptive or action phrases rather than a sentence.
2. Present the major constructs or critical keywords of the study (e.g.
Academic Profile and College Readiness of Filipino K-12 Graduates).
3. Make it simple and brief as it must be condensed in not more than 12
words.
4. Refrain from using chemical formula (e.g. H2O, CH4), roman
numerals (e.g., III, IX, etc.), semi-colon, abbreviations (e.g. CSU),
acronym (e.g. CA, which denotes cancer), uncommon words (e.g.
altmetric scoring), vague terms, obvious or non-specific openings with a
conjunction (e.g., “Report on”, “An Analysis of”; “A Study on” “An
Experimental Investigation of”).
5. Formulate several titles and select the best that conveys the uniqueness of
the study.
Concept Check: Read carefully the research titles below. Improve it following the guidelines for an effective title

1. A Study on Effectiveness of PBL in Teaching Mathematics

2. Teenage Pregnancy: Social Media Exposure and Poverty Among CSU Students

LET’S PRACTICE

Try This! Situation Analysis

A school located in a far-flung barrio is beset with the following
challenges: (1) low National Achievement Test (NAT) result, (2) high drop-
out rate, (3) frequent absenteeism and tardiness, and (4) high incidence of
bullying. Due to these situations, the school principal organized a meeting
with the teachers purposely to address the problems. However, the solutions
must be empirically-based to ensure the development of effective
interventions.
Considering this scenario, develop a research title and three statement
of the problem along the research title. Write your answer on the space
provided.
Research Title:

Statement of the Problem:

1.

2.

3.
 LET’S ASSESS

Check This!
Directions: Write T if the statement is True and F if it is False on the space
provided before each item.

(This part will be answered in LENS individually next week.)