LESSON 9
FORMULATING RESEARCH QUESTIONS, SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY,
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY, STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Background of the Study
It serves as the introduction of the study.
It includes the reason why you want to conduct a research about the topic you have chosen.
Purpose of the Study/ Research Objectives
Research is not simply done for compliance – it has different purposes. These
are some of the salient purposes of research:
1) It is a tool to build knowledge and to broaden learning.
2) It is a means to solve problems.
3) It is a tool to explore social issues.
4) It helps us understand ourselves.
5) It is a tool to promote opportunities.
Statement of the Problem
After the researcher has clearly presented the rationale of the problem, the formulation of the
targeted and well-defined problem must follow. This well-defined problem is commonly
pertained to the “Statement of the Problem.” Stating clearly the problem can make the
vagueness of the study be clarified.
Writing the Problem Statement in a Qualitative Research
In formulating the problem statement in a research paper, there are two types of problems
which should be considered. These are the general problem and the specific problems.
General problem pertains to the opening paragraph that gives specific details on other
essential elements which are the purpose, major variables, participants, setting, and time
coverage of the study. The said elements serve as a guide in order to properly formulate the
general problem. Cristobal and Cristobal (2017) from their book Practical Research 1 for
Senior High School presented guidelines in the writing of the general problem. These are as
follows:
1. The general problem should clearly state the main task/s of the researcher.
2. The general problem should present the major variable/s related to the phenomenon to be
investigated.
3. The general problem should identify the participants of the study.
4. The general problem should state the research setting as well as the time period of the
study.
5. The general problem may indicate the intended output of the study such as an intervention
program, module, policies, etc.
to determine - main task
functions, emojis, online communication - major variables
grade 11 students - participants
Lamao National High School - setting
school year 2019-2020 - time period
learning content presentation strategy - intended output
After formulating the general problem of a study, enumeration of its specific problems should
follow. Unlike the general problem which is stated in a declarative form, the specific problems
are stated as questions. These formulated questions, moreover, should all be anchored on
the general problem. With this, the researcher will be guided on how he/she will seek an
answer to the problem.
In addition, the researcher must also know that a specific question to be formulated must be a
researchable question, that is, it should begin with words such as “what” and “how.” In this
case, the researcher may be able to solicit responses which can ensure detailed data
necessary to the study. Non-researchable questions, as in, those which are answerable by
“yes” or “no” should be avoided.
Examples of non-researchable and researchable questions are presented below.
Non-Researchable Questions:
1. Do the participants use social media platforms for their communication purposes?
2. Are the participants using emojis in their online communication?
3. Can the participants understand the meaning of emojis used in conversations?
4. Will the emojis be used for a language content learning presentation strategy?
Researchable Questions:
1. What are the most frequently used emojis by the participants in the corpus?
2. What are the pragmatic functions of emojis in the corpus?
3. How do multiple emojis affect the meaning of the discourse?
4. What learning content presentation strategy can be proposed based on the results of the
study?
The research question is one of the most important parts of your research project, thesis or Example Significance of the Study
dissertation. It will guide you in which information to search, data to be collected, and how you’re going Title of the Study: The Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction in the
to design your writing process. Performance of Students in Asian History and Civilization (Cuenca,2008)

The findings of this study may provide deeper insights on how teaching can be made easier and more meaningful by
All research questions should be: the use of computer-aided instruction. The study determined the significant effects of slide presentation in instruction, a form of
Focused Feasible computer instruction on the performance of the students in the subjects Asian History and Civilization.
Specific Complex
To the students, the results may serve as an inspiration for them to continuously improve their skills in using computers because
Researchable Relevant they will realize the comfort that computer skills offer in complying with the requirements of major subjects in the coming years.

Example of Statement of the Problem To the administrators, the results may serve as a guide in the program-planning and implementation of the IT department so that
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of social media to the academic performance of Grade 11 students of they can be of great help to the teachers of the university.
Tabaco National High School S.Y. 2020-2021. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:
1. What are the social media platforms used by the respondents? To the teachers, the results may serve as an eye opener for those who are not comfortable on the use of computers in their
2. What are the positive effects of social media in the academic performance of Grade 11 students of Tabaco National High class lesson presentations. The findings of this study may encourage more of them to apply computer-aided instruction in
School S.Y. 2020-2021? teaching.
3. What are the positive effects of social media in the academic performance of Grade 11 students of Tabaco National High
School S.Y. 2020-2021? To the future researchers, this research can be a source of another study or can be replicated using additional variables in
another locale or setting, or with different respondents. The findings of this study can also serve as a reference of another
research.
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
Scope and Delimitation of study are two elements of a research paper that inform the reader what
information is included in the research and explain why the author chose that information. Although
scope and delimitation explain the way a study is limited, this information adds credibility to research.
(Reference. Com, 2017)

How to Indicate the “Scope and Delimitation of Study”

Start with any of these sample phrases that express the scope of the study:
1. The coverage of this study….
2. The study consists of….
3. The study covers the…
4. This study is focused on…

Scope and Delimitation Examples from Actual Studies

Title of the Study: Experiences of Reaction and Coping of Filipino Fathers and Mothers: During and After a National Disaster
(Casal, I.J.,Chingkoe, J.C., Gonzales, K.J., Tan, M.V., 2015)

The study covers individual experiences and coping of Filipino fathers and mothers. It will focus on individuals who were affected
by natural disasters, specifically those affected by floods due to typhoons: Ondoy and Habagat, because they believed that these
typhoons had the most significant impact on people’s lives. The severity of the impact of these typhoons was so tragic that the
research participants were able to instinctively recall information and their experiences that happened during those events. This
research focused on the perspective of fathers and mothers. Another limitation of this research was the area covered wherein
the researchers focused only on Filipino participants who resided in the National Capital Region (NCR) during and after the
typhoons struck.

Significance of the Study

It states the importance of the study. Definition of Terms
It identifies the beneficiaries of the study and how they will be benefited. It operationally defines terms used in the study. How each keyword is defined based on the
study? (sometimes, it is found in the second chapter)