INQUIRIES, INVESTIGATIONS AND IMMERSION 2023

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Identifying the Inquiry and Stating the Problem
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
A research problem (statement of the problem or problem statement) is an area of concern where there
is a gap in the knowledge base needed for professional purposes. A research problem may come from:
 Social issues – topics can be from the social and political arena
 Existing theories – research aims to develop and test theories
 Folklores – beliefs can be right or wrong
 Brainstorming – it is a key in finding new techniques and new questions that the researchers are very
curious of
 Consultation with experts – experts can help give more knowledge on what they have experienced in the
past
 Exposure to field situations – these can help the researchers get a variety of experiences in the field
 Personal and practical experiences – day-to-day experiences can be a good source of creating a
research problem
 Critical appraisal of literature – these may come from books and articles which may trigger the
researcher’s curiosity
 Questions seeking answers – these may refer to area of concern to improve or eliminate difficulties

GUIDE FOR SELECTING A GOOD RESEARCH PROBLEM

It should add more to the body of knowledge in a specific area. It should serve a
Significant
purpose in the area of knowledge.
Every research has to be unique and the problem should be new. The researcher
Original
must possess an innovative knowledge on a topic.
It could help if the research is appropriate or not. It would help if the study could be
Feasible
carried out.
There are some problems that are very ambiguous and somehow unsolvable, for
Researchable
example: the existence of God.
Current More researchers would be interested in the study if it is based on current problems.
The study must be fascinating to the researcher so that it is conducted with full
Interesting
enthusiasm.
Ethical The research question is anchored on a morally good perspective.

Possible topics appropriate for quantitative research (but not limited to the following):
Field or Broader topic of Examples
Discipline interest
Awareness, knowledge, - Level of Awareness of Public Utility Vehicles on the
Traffic
and attitudes New Traffic Scheme being implemented in EDSA
management
- Traffic Enforcers’ Level of Knowledge on Traffic
Science
Management Safety System
Mental and emotional - The Effects of father’s absence due to foreign
Psychology health conditions employment on the level of psycho-emotional health
condition of adolescent left behind in the country.
Job satisfaction and job - The Association between the Level of Job
Business
performance Satisfaction and Level of Job Performance of BPO
Management
Employees in Makati City
Impact on learning - Examining the Pre-test and Post-test results of a new
Education learning technique introduced in the traditional
educational system
Saleability of a product - Comparing the Salability of the Company’s Product in
Marketing
a New Package versus those in the Old Package
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Survey on the win - Top 3 Peoples’ Perception on who can best lead the
Political Science ability of presidential country
candidates
Trend Analysis - Examining the increase or decrease in the population
of the country from 1990 to 2015
Demography
- Comparing the profile of the teenage group (13-17) in
the country in 1990 and 2010
Impact Analysis - Examining the social impact pf a new development
Sociology program introduced in selected communities in
southern Luzon

RESEARCH TOPICS TO BE AVOIDED

1. Controversial Topics. These are topics that depend greatly on writer’s opinion, which may tend to be
biased or prejudicial. Facts cannot support topics like these.
*CONTROVERSIAL MEANS CAUSING TOO MUCH ARGUMENT OR DISCUSSIONS
2. Highly Technical Subjects. For beginners, researching on topics that require an advanced study,
technical knowledge, and vast experience is a very difficult task.
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects. A subject is hard to investigate if there are no available reading materials
about it and if such materials are not up-to-date.
4. Too broad subjects. This will prevent the researcher from giving a concentrated or an in-depth analysis
of the subject matter. The remedy is to narrow down or limit the topic to a smaller one.
5. Too narrow subjects. These subjects are so limited or specific. An extensive or thorough searching or
reading for information about these is necessary.
6. Vague subjects. This will prevent you from having a clear focus on your paper. Titles beginning with
indefinite adjectives such as several, many, some, etc. are vague enough to decrease the readers’
interests and curiosity. E.g., “Some Remarkable Traits of a Filipino” “Several People’s Comments on HR
Law”
*VAGUE MEANS UNCLEAR
WRITING THE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM (SOP)
The Statement of the problem is the focal point of the research. It should clearly state the main problem,
written in declarative statement. It shows major variables to be examined by the study and the relation of the
variables to be examined by the study and the relations of the variables that the study intends to study.

Examples of SOP in a quantitative research:

1) The study aims to determine the relations between the adolescents’ usage pattern of social media and
their level of school performance.
2) The study aims to ascertain the association between the adolescents’ usage pattern of social media and
their level of sociability in school.
3) The study aims to describe the usage pattern of social media of male and female adolescents and its
associations with their level of self-esteem.
4) The study aims to compare the usage pattern of social media of male and female adolescents and its
relations with their involvement in school activities.

WRITING THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS (RQs)

The problem statement presents the focal point of the study. To answer the problem statement, specific
research questions need to be formulated to breakdown the data needed.
Example:
Statement of the problem
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The study aims to determine the relations between the adolescent’s usage pattern of social media and
their level of school performance.

RQ 1: What is the usage pattern of social media of adolescent based on the following;
1.1 types of gadgets they used,
1.2 Web sites or applications accessed,
1.3 Reasons for accessing the web sites applications,
1.4 Frequency of use of social media in a week,

RQ 2: What is their level of academic performance in terms of their:

2.1 exam results,
2.2 participation in classroom activities,
2.3 submission of requirements (assignments and projects, and
2.4 tardiness and absences

RQ 3: What is the relation between the adolescents’ usage pattern of social media and their level of school
performance?

To know if the research questions support the problem statement, they should be able to:
1. Ask questions that guide the researcher to get the data needed to answer the hypothesis
2. Be able to help find results and conclusions
3. Have a valid significance in relation to the study

Research questions should provide answers that explain, describe, identify, predict, or qualify conclusions
for the research (Brink, 1994)

RESEARCH TITLE
A research title should be short, sharp and describes what your research is about.

Five Characteristics of a good title (Lipton, 1998)

 Informative- Identify one or two main points in the research to communicate to the audience; a good
title is capable of conveying those points. Be as specific as possible.
 Accurate- the title should be truthful about the contents of the paper.
 Clear- The audience should not have to think about what the title means.
 Concise- Short titles are instantly recognizable and jump off the page.
 Attention commanding- Think of a title that can catch the eye and the interest of the reader.