• Fabrication is the act of inventing
or making data and then
Ethics in Research
• Ethics is a set of moral principles
that distinguish between
acceptable and unacceptable
behavior.
• Research ethics establishes the
moral integrity of the researcher.
• Ethics ensures that the findings
of a research study are valid and
trustworthy.
• Subjects should be treated with
respect and should be informed
about their rights as
interviewees.
• Subjects should be informed that
the nature of their participation is
voluntary and that they can
withdraw their participation
anytime.
• The response of interviewees
should be kept confidential.
• Researchers must avoid
committing various forms of
research misconduct such as
plagiarism, fabrication, and
falsification of results.
• Plagiarism is the act of copying
another person’s work, ideas, or
words without appropriate
acknowledgement of the original
source.
• Falsification is the act of
maneuvering data in such a way
that another person will be
inclined to believe that said data
is true and correct.
reporting it as true.
Types of Qualitative Research
1. Ethnography (derived from
anthropology; used to be
concerned with ethnic groups
and minorities; ethnographic
parameters include tribal,
religious, geographical, and
shared experiences)
- Lifestyle of the Mangyans in Mindoro
- Origin and Foundation of the
Religious Beliefs of the Members of
Jehovah’s Witnesses
2. Phenomenology (study of
phenomena involving human
events, situations, concepts
experiences, or needs; aims to
investigate the personal
experiences of individuals; allows
the grouping of individuals
according to the similarities, and
differences)
- Attributes of Gifted Children
- Nurturing of World-class Athletes
3. Narrative Research (narrates the
life experiences of an individual
as told to the researcher or
gathered by the researcher from
available documents or materials)
4. Grounded Theory (generates
theories that are “grounded” in
data from the field, arising from
the actions, interactions, and
social processes undertaken by
the participants; employed if no
available theory to explain a
particular phenomenon or
process)
- Exploring the Phenomenal Success of
Filipino-Chinese
 5. Case Study (presents a detailed
analysis of a specific issue using
a specific case or multiple cases
within the bounded system;
seeks to find answers to why
such thing occurs to the
subject/respondent; multiple
sources of information such as
interviews, collection of
documents, observations, audio-
visual resources, among other
things)
- Learning Lessons from Patients with
X Syndrome
Given the following list of research
problems, what would be the most
suitable qualitative research approach to
employ for each?
1. Mobile Clinic in Barrios: A
Prospect of a one-stop health
care center
2. The effects of having mentally
challenged child on single
parents
3. The role of pets in the speedy
recovery of children with cancer
4. Developing a primary health
service for the Manobo tribe
Stages in the Conduct of a Qualitative
Research
1. Identification of the phenomenon
to be studied
The research question specifies the
following information:
1. What specific phenomenon will
be examined by the research
study?
2. What particular outcome are you
expecting from such study?
3. Which group of people or sector
will participate in or benefit from
the research study?
Stages in the Conduct of a Qualitative
Research
1. Identification of the phenomenon
to be studied
2. Development of a theoretical
framework
• A theoretical framework is
constructed from established
theories and serves as the
foundation of the study.
3. Identification of the participants
in the study
4. Data collection
5. Data analysis
6. Disseminating the results of the
study
Some Examples of Possible Topics in
which the Qualitative Approach can be
Applied:
1. Iron contents of Momordica
charantia leaves
2. Aling Berta: A Pinay Centenarian
3. Electrical Wirings of a Korean car
4. Microorganisms in a stagnant
river
5. Single parents’ views about the
K-12 Curriculum
 6. FEU Alabang Grade 12 Teachers’
Questioning Techniques
7. Medicinal Elements of Papaya
Leaves
8. Historical Development of
Tagalized English Novels
9. The Nature of African Swine Flu
10. Badjao Wedding Rites
Research Rundowns >Intro > Writing
Research Questions
- This review is a collection of views
and advice on composing research
questions from problem statements.
It mostly reads as a list of tips and
suggestions.
A research question is the fundamental
core of a research project, study, or
review of literature. It focuses the study,
determines the methodology, and guides
all stages of inquiry, analysis, and
reporting.
Research question
- begins with a research problem, an
issue someone would like to know
more about or a situation that needs
to be changed or addressed, such as:
✓ Areas of concern
✓ Conditions that could be
improved
✓ Difficulties that need to be
eliminated
✓ Questions seeking answers
Research problem
- leads to a hypothesis (H) and/or
research question (RQ)
Questions should in some way. . .
✓ Be worth investigating
✓ Contribute knowledge & value to
the field
✓ Improve educational practice
✓ Improve the human condition
Characteristics of a good research
question:
✓ The question is feasible.
✓ The question is clear.
✓ The question is significant.
✓ The question is ethical.
From Research Problem to Research
Questions and Purpose
Step 1. Draft a research
question/hypothesis.
Example: What effects did 9/11/01 have
on the future plans of students who were
high school seniors at the time of the
terrorist attacks?
Example (measurable) Questions: Did
seniors consider enlisting in the military
as a result of the attacks?, Did seniors
consider colleges closer to home as a
result?
Step 2. Draft a purpose statement.
Example: The purpose of this study is to
determine the effects of the 9/11/01
tragedy on the future plans of high
school seniors.
Step 3. Revise and rewrite the research
question/hypothesis.
Example: What is the association
between 9/11/01 and future plans of
high school seniors?
Step 4. Revise and rewrite the research
question/hypothesis.
Example: Purpose Statement
(Declarative): The purpose of this study
is to explore the association between
9/11/01 and future plans of high school
seniors.
Operationalize
- Notice that the above research
question suggested an association or
a relationship. When composing your
own, it is helpful to determine which
variables you would like to
understand, and then word your
question in such a way as to suggest
how you will test your question. This
is called operationalizing, referring to
the actions, processes, or operations
used to measure or identify variables.
❖ Finally, you will want to be
specific about whom you are
studying. Using my example
above, “students” is not specific,
so I might revise to public high
school seniors in the Midwest.
Expanding Simple Research Questions
- You can expand your question by
introducing additional variables or
characteristics. We call these
connecting, mediating, or moderating
variables.
Example: What is the relationship
between 9/11/01 and enlisting in the
military?
Variables I might introduce to expand
the question include:
• Demographics
(gender/age/ethnicity/religious
preference)
• Geographic location
• Parent’s educational level
• Role of parent Student’s
/parent’s political affiliation
Common Errors
• The Nobel Laureate (taking on
your life’s work)
Example: The Effects of 9/11/01 on K-
12 students
• The term paper (taking on too
little)
Example: How many high school seniors
enlisted in the military prior to 2002
graduation?
• The Black Hole (taking on too
much)
Example: The Effects of 9/11/01 on High
School Seniors A Few Good Wording
Tips*.
1. When a relationship is expected
among a certain type of subject,
reference the population.
Example: Among young children,
there is a positive relationship
between level of psychomotor
coordination and degree of self-
esteem.
2. Make RQs and Hs as specific and
succinct as possible.
OK: Administrators who provide wellness
programs for their employees project
positive effectiveness.
Better: Administrators who provide
wellness programs for their employees
receive higher employee ratings on
selected leadership qualities than
administrators who do not provide
wellness programs.
3. Avoid words or terms that do not
add to the meaning of RQs and
Hs.
Rather than: Among elementary school
teachers, those who are teaching in year-
round schools will report having higher
morale than those who are teaching in
elementary schools that follow a more
traditional school-year schedule.
Try: Among elementary school teachers,
those who teach in year-round schools
have higher morale than those who
teach on a traditional schedule.
4. Stick to what will be studied, not
implications or your value
judgments.
Rather than: Religion is good for society.
Try: Regular attendance at religious
services is inversely associated with
cheating behavior while taking classroom
tests.
5. Name the variables in the order
in which they occur or will be
measured.
Example. There is a positive relationship
between College Board Scholastic
Aptitude Test scores and first-semester
grades earned in college.
6. Avoid the words significant or
significance.
7. Avoid using the word “prove.”
8. Avoid using two different terms
to refer to the same variable.
*Note: “Wording” examples are
attributed to Dr. Kathy Haywood, UMSL