Unit 3: Formulating a Research Problem

Lesson 3
Setting the Scope and
Limitation of a Qualitative
Research
Practical Research 1
Senior High School Applied - Academic
What do you
think are
the
purposes of
building a
fence
around a
house?

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Learning
Objective Indicate the scope, limitations, and
At the end of the delimitations of the study.
lesson, you should
be able to do the
following:

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 Identify the following:
Everyday ● A general purpose for
experiences conducting the study
of local ● Sample population or people
farmers in who are the subjects of the
Nueva Ecija study
● Possible duration of the study

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 ● Controllable and uncontrollable
factors may affect how any
Scope, research study is conducted. It
is better to identify these
Limitation,
factors ahead of time to define
and
the coverage of the study and
Delimitation avoid or minimize difficulties
during the conduct of research
(Ballenger2004).

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 ● This section is usually part of the
Scope, introductory part of a study.
Limitation, ● This part of the research tackles
and the boundaries or restrictions
Delimitation that can affect the flow in
conducting the research study.

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 Scope

● Describes the coverage of the study

● Indicates general boundaries of the study

● Serves as the basis when setting up the

delimitations of the study

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 Scope
Consider the following:
● The general purpose of your study - This can
be answered by going back to the statement of the
research problem and the research question.

● The population involved in the study - These

are the people who qualify as participants for
observation or as sources for data collection.
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 Scope
● Time element and duration of the study -
Any study has to be time-bound. Indicating the
duration of the study helps in setting boundaries in
terms of data collection and analysis.

● Topics or ideas covered in the study – Based

on the general research problem, the scope of the
study can also elaborate on more specific topics or
ideas that are part of the discussion.
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 Scope
● Geographical details - In some studies,
geographical boundaries are important in
providing a spatial perspective of the topic for the
reader. These geographical boundaries may also
reflect the scope of data collection.
● Theories and methods involved - Identifying
theories and methods that will be used in the study
can help set up the theoretical and methodological
framework of the study.
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 Limitation

Refers to uncontrollable factors that can

affect the process of conducting the study,
specifically on the part of the methodology and
results

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 Limitation
Methodological limitations can include the
following:

● required number of participants

● sufficiency of references to support claims
● data collection
● measurement
● technique limitations
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 Limitation

Personal limitations include the following:

● language barriers
● time constraints
● biases
● financial or budgetary limitations

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 Delimitation

Boundaries that the researcher sets up based

on the identified scope and limitations

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 Delimitation

This section commonly identifies the following:

● specific population
● specific time limit for conducting the research
● topics and ideas that will be included or excluded
● specific geographical locations of the observations
● specific theories and methods to be used

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 Population
Scope Delimitation

Rice farmers in Central Rice farmers in

Luzon selected areas in
Nueva Ecija, Central
Luzon

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 Time Element and Duration
Scope Delimitation

Elections in the 2004, 2010, and 2016

postwar period presidential elections

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 Topics or Ideas Covered
Scope Delimitation

Occurrence of Occurrence and effects

typhoons of super typhoons (e.g.,
Haiyan or Yolanda)

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 Geographical Details
Scope Delimitation

Poverty in urban Poverty in selected

spaces cities in Metro Manila

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 Theories and Methods
Scope Delimitation

Use of qualitative Use of specific

methods instead of qualitative research
quantitative or mixed methods such as
methods interviews and focus
group discussions only

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Example of Scope and Delimitations
Title: Students’ Perception on the HUMSS Strand under the K-12 Basic
Education Program

Scope and Delimitations

The purpose of this study is to determine the students’ perception
on the HUMSS strand under the K-12 Basic Education Program.
It will be conducted among the Grade 11 HUMSS students of the
Lyceum of Tuao, Inc. for the Second Semester of School Year 2022-2023.
The researchers will use narrative study approach and utilize a
questionnaire to determine the students’ perception about HUMSS strand.

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 Bibliography

Ballenger, Bruce P. The Curious Researcher: A Guide to Writing Research Papers. 4th
ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2004.

Lester, James D., and James D. Lester. Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide.
9th ed. New York: Longman, 1999.

MacArthur, Charles A., Steve Graham, and Jill Fitzgerald, eds. Handbook of Writing
Research. New York: Guilford Press, 2006.

Walker, Melissa. Writing Research Papers: A Norton Guide. 3rd ed. New York: WW
Norton & Company, Inc., 1993.

Wolcott, Harry F. Writing up Qualitative Research. 3rd ed. California: SAGE

Publications, 2008.

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