CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Start with your background of the study. What is the research all about?

Tell your readers about it. Start with your narrative hook (1st paragraph), then

followed by the problematic scenarios (2nd to 4th paragraphs), then end with

the objectives of the study (5th paragraph). The background of the study

should not be more than (maximum) 3 pages.

Purpose of the Study

Present in this section why this study was made, and why is it

important that it must be researched about. Include here the topic’s

timeliness and relevance in the school and today’s society.

Theoretical Lens

The theoretical lens will be the foundation as to how you will look at

your study, and help evaluate your research problem and research questions.

You have to explain what the theory/principle/concept is about and state why is

this an appropriate lens for your study (1st paragraph). Then, you have to discuss

how this is related to your topic by stating how it will be used in your study (2nd

paragraph).

For example, if you conduct a study on employee engagement and opt to

use Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs as your theoretical foundation,

discussing the fulfillment of the needs as outlined in Maslow’s theory will help you

establish what his theory is and why is it relevant to you research. Once that is

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done, you can discuss how the fulfillment of needs (based on Maslow) relates to

motivation in employees and how your study will use Maslow’s theory to evaluate

and address your identified problem (Statistics Solutions, 2018).

Research Questions

The 3 questions which you want your research to answer. Open the

section with the general statement (e.g. this study seeks to …: )

1. The first research question is about experiences/perspectives/opinions

of the participants.

2. The second research question is about challenges/struggles of the

participants.

3. The third research question is about insights/realizations of the

participants.

Importance of the Study

Open this section by reiterating the overall objective of the study, and

connect this to what general benefit that others may get from this. Identify at least

three (3) specific beneficiaries as well as the benefits that they can get from your

study. Start from specific groups of people to general institutions. The format for

listing the beneficiaries and your explanation will be:

Beneficiary 1. Place your explanation here. Each beneficiary will be listed

in paragraph form along with your explanation as to what the benefits that they

can get.

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 Beneficiary 2. Place your explanation here. Each beneficiary will be listed

in paragraph form along with your explanation as to what the benefits that they

can get.

Beneficiary 3. Place your explanation here. Each beneficiary will be listed

in paragraph form along with your explanation as to what the benefits that they

can get.

Scope and Delimitation

The 1st paragraph is about the scope of your study. The scope would refer

to what are included in your study, the things that your study will deal with. You

can start with phrases such as “The coverage of this study…” or “this study is

focused on…”

The 2nd paragraph is about the delimitation of your study, the limits of your

study, or what are not included in your inquiry. Here you will also describe the

weaknesses of your study. You can use the phrase “this study does not cover…”

Definition of Terms

Here, you will have to define key terms of your study. There are two ways

which you will do this – conceptually or operationally. Conceptual definitions are

those that come from the literature or dictionaries. Operational definitions are

those that are given by the researcher and how this term was used in the study.

Organization of the Study

1st paragraph: Restate once again the overall objective of the study

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 2nd to 6th paragraphs: a short overview of each chapter. It does not

necessarily have to be in 5 sentences, but should present a clear picture as to

what the content of each chapter is.