University of the Philippines Los Baños

College of Development Communication

DEVC 195
Introduction to Communication Research
First Semester, 2020-2021

Exercise 1: Looking for a Topic, Writing the Background, and

the Significance of the Study

Introduction
The first thing to do in any research project is to find potential topics where the research
problem will be based. Lesson 3 discussed how to find, choose, and justify devcom research
topic. This exercise would allow you to apply what you have learned in that lesson.

After zeroing-in on your chosen topic, you have to start writing the introductory part of the
capsule proposal. Writing the introduction can help you outline the scope of the research
and assert its significance. In other words, the introduction can be your means to further
concretize your research topic and communicate to your readers why your study is relevant
and important, especially in the context of development communication scholarship and
practice.

Nevertheless, before writing your introduction, it is important to make a preliminary

research about your topic. This will help you ground your research into existing
development contexts, and define the communication areas that you want to study.

This exercise is divided in four parts. The first part requires you to do first level RRL in order
to find a good research topic. The second part requires you to do second level RRL in order
to refine the topic. The third part requires you to use what you have researched to write the
background of the study part of your capsule proposal. The last part asks you to write the
significance of the study, or the practical application of the topic that you want to pursue.

Objective
At the end of this exercise, you should be able to write the background and significance of
your study. Specifically, you should be able to:
1. Identify at least three potential devcom research topic
2. Finalize a research topic for Devc 195’s capsule proposal
3. Write the background of the study by discussing the following:
a. context of the research
b. baseline information and other relevant literature
c. the communication dimension of the topic
4. Write the significance of the study

  Exercises
College of Development Communication
University of the Philippines Los Baños
Introduction to Communication Research
DEVC 195
   2

What to do:
Part 1
1. Based on what you have learned in Lesson 3, list at least three potential research
topics that you may want to work on for your capsule proposal, and in Devc 200.
Schedule a consultation with me within the week (except during weekends) or until
early next week so that I could approve the topic. Identify whether what you want to
pursue is a basic or an applied research.

2. Based on the research topic that I approve (I may approve more than one), read at
least two works (journal articles, books, news, reports, government bulletin,
commentaries, etc.) related to the social phenomenon you want to study. You can
log-in using your OpenAthens account to access UPLB’s learning resources.

3. As you read related literature, reflect on the following questions:

a. Is your topic related to any emerging or present social problem or issue?
b. What are the social, political, economic, or cultural contexts in which you can
ground your research?
c. Does your topic address any development concern or agenda?
d. What are the communication dimensions of your topic?
e. Does your topic follow the principles of development communication?

Part 2
4. Based on what you have read about the topic, schedule a consultation with me to
further discuss your topic/s. The goal is to refine and finalize the research topic that
you may want to work on for the capsule proposal.

5. Once we have discussed the topics, you may want to schedule a consultation with
your thesis adviser (this is optional). If you decide to consult him/ her, take note
that this is only a preliminary consultation, and you don’t have to finalize everything
at this point. The goals here are the following: (1) inform your adviser about the
topics that you want to do in Devc 200; and (2) seek preliminary advice from him/
her on how you could further refine the potential research problem.

6. If your adviser is amenable to your proposed topic, start building your related
literatures. In this phase, the aim now is to refine the topic and look for possible
research gaps. So you have to read more related literatures that are accessible to
you. Start to make sense, analyze, and synthesize the literatures for possible input
for your capsule proposal.

Part 3
7. Based on what you have read so far, you can now write the background of your
study. You can cite baseline data, reports, or other literature to set the background
of your research and to introduce your research topic. Of course, you can use what

  Exercises
College of Development Communication
University of the Philippines Los Baños
Introduction to Communication Research
DEVC 195
   3

you have researched to write concisely the context of your study. This should answer
the question: “Why is there a need to study the topic? Why is it important?” The
context of the study and the research gaps may be briefly discussed here. Limit your
draft to 1-2 pages only.

Part 4
8. Next, think about the significance of your study. You can situate your reflection on
the possible contribution of your research in the following areas:
a. Social issue or development agenda
b. Policymaking or governance
c. Development communication theory and/or practice
d. Development communication instruction and research
e. Other areas, like individual development, media, organization, education, etc.

9. Your reflections above can help you brainstorm and organize your discussion for the
Significance of the Study. This part should answer the question: “What can the
research contribute to development communication as a discipline and the field of
practice?” Limit your draft to 1-2 pages only.

10. Edit and revise your discussions and compile it into a single file (4 pages at most,
excluding Bibliography). Write concisely but clearly, just enough to convince me that
you know what you are talking about. You may use subheadings to improve the
structure and readability of your output. Please follow the guidelines below:
a. Arial 11pt, or Times New Roman 12pt
b. 1.5 Spacing
c. 1 inch margin in every side
d. APA 6th of 7th Edition for both in-text and out-text citations

11. Online learners may upload their output to our shared folder. Offline learners, on the
other hand, may send it via courier service.

Outputs, Activities, and Deadlines

Outputs and Activities Deadline
Part 1:
List of at least 3 potential research topics and initial
consultation with Sir Garry Until 2 October 2020
Part 2:
Consultation with Sir Garry to finalize topic Until 9 October 2020
Optional consultation with your thesis adviser Until 16 October 2020
Parts 3 and 4:
Writing the Background of the Study and the
Significance of the Study; submission of Exercise 1 Until 23 October 2020

  Exercises
College of Development Communication
University of the Philippines Los Baños
Introduction to Communication Research
DEVC 195
   4

Academic Integrity
As a student of the University of the Philippines, I pledge to act ethically and uphold the
value of honor and excellence.

I understand that suspected misconduct on given exercises/ assignments will be reported to

the appropriate office and if established, will result in disciplinary action in accordance with
University rules, policies and procedures. I may work with others only to the extent allowed
by the Instructor.

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  Exercises
College of Development Communication
University of the Philippines Los Baños
Introduction to Communication Research
DEVC 195