Module 3.

Conceptualizing a Research Study

Introduction
How to conceptualize a research study, write a title for your research, the statement of the
problem, and the background of the study, identify the variables involved in the research and
formulate a hypothesis is the focus of this chapter.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the Module, students are expected to:
1. Conceptualize a research study
2. Write a research title that describes what the study is all about
3. Write a statement of the problem
4. Write an appropriate background of the study
5. Identify the independent and dependent variables
6. Formulate a hypothesis

 A very difficult aspect of research is how to develop an idea for the research project. The
research process has three (3) phases: conceptual phase, empirical phase and
interpretative phase.
 Conceptual phase is the process that determines which questions are to be addressed by
the research and how research procedures are to be used as tools in finding the answers to
these questions.
 Conceptualization involves bringing together several considerations to identify a good
research idea – answerable research question that is worth answering.
 Components of this process include (1) conducting a thorough search of the peer-
reviewed literature (2) finding a research mentor and other collaborator (3) considering
methodology and study design, and (4) assessing feasibility (Jain, Lindley & Rosen,
2013).

Research Topics
Research is a systematic process. The first step in research is identifying a topic.
Research topic broadly defines the area of research. They are not the same as the title of the
research study.
Moyer (2011) gives these tips on conceptualizing a research topic:
1. Finding your focus
 2. What are the gaps in the literature?
3. Where to start?
4. Refining research topics
5. Questions to ask yourself
Introduction to Research Problem, Purpose, Questions
1. A research problem is considered a professional situation in need of improvement,
change or solution. Research problem is the “why”.
2. The research purpose is the goal or interest of the study.
3. Research questions are specific questions that relate to the intent of the study.
4. A hypothesis is a statement that makes a specific prediction between one or two variables
in a population then tested.

Writing the Research Title

Basic Questions to Ask about the Research Title
 Does the title describe what the study is all about?
 Does the title contain high specificity?
 Is the title academically phrased? Is it verbose?
 Does the title conform to the twelve (12) substantive word requirement of the American
Psychological Association (APA)?
Writing an Introduction
An introduction answers the following questions:
 What is the problem?
 Why is it a problem?
 How should it be solved?
 Why should it be solved?
 What is the purpose of the study?
Stating the Problem
 It is the researcher’s guide during the research process. It articulates and analyses the
“questions” which the research wants to answer.
 The problem statement is divided into the major or main problem and the minor or sub-
problems. The major or main problem is the verbalization of the specific “questions”
which the research wants to answer. It can be in interrogative or declarative form.
Interrogative: What is the process of developing a motor oil pump?
Declarative: This study aims to develop a motor oil pump and determine its acceptability.
 Statement of the Problem is a concise description of the issues that need to be addressed by
the researcher.
Writing the Background of the Study
a. What is the purpose of the background of the study?
The purpose of a background of a study is to prove the relevance of the research. Thus,
according to the University of Sydney, it includes:

 A review of the area being researched

 Current information surrounding the issue
 Previous studies on the issue
 Relevant history on the issue
 History and background information on the problem

b. Why do a background of study?

 Apart from gaining general knowledge of the topic area, you can determine the
current state of knowledge to become familiar with current research.
 Once you have a general idea for a research, the next step is to visit the library to
gather background of that idea you identified.

c. How do you write a background of the study?

1. Conduct a primary research at the beginning stages of formulating a thesis.
2. Visit your library, the internet (Philippine E-journals, Google Scholar,
Mendeley.com, research gate, academia, PubMed, etc.) to find primary sources e.g.
books and peer-reviewed journals.
3. Read the information and develop a research question of thesis statement that will
guide your research. Always make sure to cite the source of the information or each
note so you don’t forget where the place of information came from.
4. Write a thesis statement or research question. Think about what you have read and
look to issues, problems or solutions that others have found and determine your own
opinion or stance on the issue.
5. Complete your research using your thesis statement and research question as your
guide.
6. Create five (5) separate sections covering the key issues, major findings and
controversies that surround your thesis as well as sections that provide an evaluation
and conclusion.
7. Conclude by identifying and further study what needs to be done in the area or
provide possible solutions to the issue that haven’t been considered befrore.
8. Revise and edit your background study.
Formulating the Hypothesis
What is a hypothesis?
It is a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables. A
hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction about what you expect to happen in your
study (Black & Champions, 1976)

A hypothesis (plural, hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon.

Hypothesis consists of independent and dependent variables. The dependent variables is
the outcome you are interested in studying (the effect). The independent variable is the
variable that is producing a change in the dependent variable (the cause).

Read and answer the examples below:

There is no significant relationship between use of modules and grades of pupils.
What is the dependent variable?___________________________________
What is the independent variable?__________________________________

A hypothesis is not a final answer, but rather a proposal to be tested and evaluated.
Why do we need to hypothesize?
A research hypothesis is a specific statement of expected outcomes of an experiment It
includes who the subjects are, the experimental conditions and the statistical test to be applied.
 Quantitative research involves formulating a hypothesis to address the research
problem.
 Hypotheses that suggest a causal relationship involve at least one independent
variable which is presumed to affect another.
 An independent variable is one whose value is manipulated by the researcher or
experiment. An independent variable is a variable whose value is presumed to
change as a result of changes in the independent variable.

Characteristics of a Good Research Hypothesis

1. Logical
2. Testable
3. Refutable
The Null Hypothesis
 It is a statement about the population or populations being examined that always state that
there is no effect, no change, or no relationship. Generally, the null hypothesis says that
nothing happened.

 The null hypothesis is exactly the opposite of the research hypothesis. The research
hypothesis says that the treatment does have an effect, and the null hypothesis says that
the treatment has an effect.

 The goal of the research study is to gather enough evidence to demonstrate convincingly
that the treatment really does have an effect. The purpose of the hypothesis test is to
evaluate the evidence. The test determines whether the results of the research study are
sufficient to reject the null hypothesis and justify that the treatment has no effect.
 Activity 1
Name_____________________________________ Score_______________
Course & Year_____________________________ Date________________

Directions: Read the research titles below. Does each title provide answer to basic questions
about writing a research title? Explain.

1. “Development and Acceptability of An Industrial Motor Control System Trainer”

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

2. “Consumers’ Awareness and Acceptability of Products Guaranteeing Instant Results:

Downy Isang Banlaw (One Rinse) and Knorr Rice Mate”

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

3. “Production and Marketing of Body Soap Using Banana Peel and Egg Shell as Additive”

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
 Activity 2
Name_____________________________________ Score_______________
Course & Year_____________________________ Date________________

Directions: Read the research introduction below and answer the questions that follow.
Nutritive value and acceptability of bread fortified with moringa seed powder
Bread is one of the most important staple foods and the most widely consumed non-
indigenous food in Nigeria (Shittu et al.,2007). It is the favorites of children and adults,
regardless of their socioeconomic class.

Bread may be served in various forms; it could be eaten as a snack, or used as an

ingredient in other culinary preparations. Bread is a baked product produced from wheat flour.
There are different varieties of bread depending on shape, weight, crust hard-ness, crumb cell
structure, softness and colour (Collins, 1995).Bread is a high energy food, rich in carbohydrate
and fat (Amehet al., 2013) but low in other nutrients such as protein, mineral sand vitamin
(Young, 2001). In order to increase the nutritional composition of bread, many studies have
investigated the poten-tials of substituting wheat flour with other flour (Olaoye et al.,2006;
Oyeku et al., 2008; Ade-Omowaye et al., 2008; Adeleke and Odedeji, 2010; Sanful and Darko,
2010; Abdelghafor et al.,2011; Onuegbu et al., 2013; Udofia et al., 2013; Igbabul et al.,2014;
Nwosu et al., 2014). Bread has been produced from blends of wheat, maize and orange fleshed
sweet potato (Igbabul et al.,2014), wheat and un-defatted rice bran (Ameh et al., 2013), wheatand
tilapia fish (Adeleke and Odedeji, 2010), wheat, plantain and soybean flour (Olaoye et al., 2006),
and wheat and tigernut flour (Ade-Omowaye et al., 2008).

Moringa oleifera also called ‘‘miracle plant” is one of the most recently cultivated plants
in West African regions. The plant is entirely edible from leaves to roots. Moringa seeds contain
significant sources of minerals (calcium, phosphorus and iron) and vitamins (A, B and C). It is
rich in protein but low in fat and carbohydrates (Price, 2000; Olushola, 2006). It is not only rich
in nutritional content but also has some medicinal properties (Price,2000; Olushola, 2006). The
use of moringa leave powder for foodfortification has been reported by many studies (Arise et
al.,2014; Haneen, 2015; Abioye and Aka, 2015; Nour and Ibrahim,
2016).
However, the protein, fat and mineral (especially magnesium) content of moringa seed
has been reported to be significantly higher than that of moringa leave (Gopalakrishnanb et
al.,2016). Thus, fortification of wheat flour with moringa seed powder could therefore
significantly improve the nutritional quality of wheat moringa composite flour. Thus, the
objective of this study is to determine the effect of moringa seed powder fortification on the
proximate, mineral and vitamin A content of bread.
 1. What is the problem?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

2. How should it be solved?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

3. Why should it be solved?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

4. What is the purpose of the study?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 Activity 3
Name_____________________________________ Score_______________
Course & Year_____________________________ Date________________

Directions: Read the following statement of the problem and answer the questions that follow.

Statement of the Problem

The main purpose of this research study was to design, construct and evaluate the acceptability of
a Multi-purpose Drafting Table in order to help address the problem of inadequate instructional tools and
equipment at Reina Mercedes Vocational and Industrial School, particularly in Drafting Technology.

Specifically, this study sought answers to the following questions:

1. What is the process involved in the design and construction of the proposed Multi-purpose
Drafting Table?

2. What is the level of acceptability of the Multi-purpose Drafting Table as evaluated by Industry
Experts, Technical Vocational Education (TVE) Teachers and Senior and Junior Drafting
students, in terms of:
a. Design and construction;
a. Functionality;
b. Comfort;
c. Durability;
d. Safety; and
e. Instructional applicability?

3. Is there a significant difference in the evaluation of the three groups of respondents as to the
acceptability of the Multi-purpose Drafting Table?

4. What are further improvements that can be made to the developed Multi-purpose Drafting
Table?

1. What is the main problem?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

2. What are the minor or specific problems?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
 ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) adopted

On line lecture and/or presentation of output via video conference/ Google classroom.

Assessment Task
Present a research topic. Write an appropriate title for it and a short background of the
study. Moreover, write a hypothesis.

References

Almeida, A. B., Gaerlan, A. A., & Manly, N. E. (2016). Research Fundamentals from Concept
to Output. Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines: Adriana Printing Co. Inc.
Calderon, Jose F. and Gonzales, Expectacion C. Methods of Research and Thesis Writing. Mandaluyong
City, Manila, Phil. National Book Store. 2013

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. (2019). Research Design (5th ed.). SAGE.