PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1

Lesson 2
IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH IN DAILY LIVES

CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH (Cristobal & Cristobal, 2017)

1. Research should be systematic.
- The researcher needs to carry out a series of interrelated steps in conducting the
study. Such procedure must follow a well-planned, sequential, and organized
structure from beginning to end.
- The research paper is divided into macrosystem and microsystem. The former refers
to different chapters labeled with main headings, while the latter consists of various
elements detailing the contents of each part.

2. Research should be objective.

- The researcher needs to present information that are purely based on truths. It
should always be anchored on the factual basis in which the research work is
founded, thus being free from any bias or personal opinion.

3. Research should be feasible.

- The researcher needs to consider the possibility and practicality of conducting the
proposed study. All significant factors like time, budget and access to resources
must be analyzed to determine if the research can actually be done.

4. Research should be empirical.

- The researcher needs to employ appropriate methods, either quantitatively or
qualitatively, to produce evidence-based information. They can be drawn from
concrete experimentation, direct or indirect observation, and verifiable experience.

5. Research should be clear.

- The researcher needs to use comprehensible language to present information and
convey explanation throughout the research process. The factors to be
manipulated, measured, or described in the study, also known as variables, must
be clarified using literature from published and unpublished materials. They should
be explained well from the introductory part of the research paper to ensure a
deeper understanding of the study to be conducted.

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Research process is a systematic manner in which the researcher approaches his/her area
of study to produce knowledge that the community will consider to be worthwhile within the
field (Rao, 2017). Understanding such process is an important step towards executing any
study. The following table shows the five phases of the research process along with their
definition (Whittemore & Melkus, 2008).

Research Phase Definition

Identifying the problem, reviewing the literature, formulating the
Conceptual Phase hypothesis, developing the research framework, and
determining the research purpose and objective.
Design and Planning Selecting a research design, developing study procedures, and
Phase determining the sampling and data collection plan.
Empirical Phase Collecting data and preparing data for analysis.
Analytic Phase Analyzing data, interpreting the results, and making conclusions.
Communicating results to appropriate audience and utilizing
Dissemination Phase
the findings.
 Now, here’s the simplified flow of the significant steps you need to take in conducting a
study as presented by Rao (2017):
1. Define the research problem.
- To begin your research, you must look at a significant real-life problem. Factors like
area of interest, availability of fund, socio-economic significance of the study, and
the safety measures to be undertaken should be considered in finding and defining
the research problem.
The researcher identifies English language proficiency as a problem of aspiring maritime
students in qualifying for admission to prestigious maritime institutions.

2. Review the literature.

- Read various publications or surf the internet to become aware of the previous
works already done about the chosen topic. You may utilize different resources like
science books, magazines, journals, newspapers, or even on the internet.
The researcher reviews previous studies conducted about English language proficiency
and the experienced difficulties of aspiring maritime students.

3. Formulate hypothesis.
- A hypothesis is a theoretical statement in solving a logical relationship between
variables. It should be based on the problem being solved.
The researcher hypothesizes that the implementation of English-Only Policy (EOP) in the
classroom can improve the English language proficiency of Pre-Baccalaureate Maritime
students.

4. Prepare the research design.

- Identify what is the best means to collect and analyze data in the study to clarify
and improve the research problem, purpose, and questions.
The researcher uses an experimental design on exploring the experiences of the students
in implementing EOP.

5. Collect data.
- Use an appropriate data collection method to elicit the needed information.
The researcher collects data through interview and focus group discussion.

6. Analyze data.
- Utilize strategies and methods that make sense of the data to answer the research
problem.
The researcher analyzes the data by drawing patterns and themes from the generated
data.

7. Interpret and report the findings.

- Put the information in perspective and present the solution to the proposed
problem based on the findings of the investigation.
The researcher interprets and reports the findings based on the collected and analyzed
data to solve the research problem.
IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS IN RESEARCH
Resnik (2015), in his article, “What is Ethics in Research & Why is it important?”, as cited by
Cristobal & Cristobal (2017), enumerates the following reasons why it is important to follow
ethical principles in writing and conducting research:
1. It promotes the aims of research.
- Ethics guides the researchers in obtaining knowledge, truth, and avoidance of error
by prohibiting fabrication, falsification, and misrepresentation of research data.

2. It upholds values that are essential to collaborative work.

- Many researchers who are working in different disciplines and institutions cooperate
and coordinate to accomplish particular research. With ethics in mind, they also
maintain trust, accountability, mutual respect, and fairness.

3. It ensures that researchers can be held accountable to the public.

- Ethical norms guarantee the public that researchers are deemed responsible for
committing any form of research misconduct.

4. It builds public support for research.

- People express and lend their support by all means if they can trust the quality and
integrity of research.

5. It promotes a variety of moral and social values.

- Ethical principles help the researcher avoid practices that can adversely harm the
research subjects and the community. Thus, it encourages social responsibility,
human rights, animal welfare, compliance with the law, and public health and
safety.

ETHICAL CODES AND POLICIES FOR RESEARCH

Cristobal & Cristobal (2017), in their book, “Practical Research 1 for Senior High School”, lists
the following ethical codes and policies that the researcher needs to consider in conducting
a study:
1. Honesty
- The researcher should strive to truthfully report data in whatever form of
communication all throughout the study.

2. Objectivity
- The researcher should avoid being biased. The study should not be influenced by
his/her personal motives, beliefs, and opinions.

3. Integrity
- The researcher should establish credibility through the consistency of his/her
thought and action. He/she should act with sincerity especially on keeping
agreements.

4. Care
- The researcher should never neglect even the smallest detail of the study. All
information should be critically examined. Records of research activities should be
properly and securely kept.

5. Openness
- The researcher should be willing to accept criticisms and new ideas for the
betterment of the study. Research results and findings should be shared to the
public.
6. Respect for intellectual property
- The researcher should not plagiarize. Credit should be given to who or where it is
due. All authors cited and sources used in the study should be properly
acknowledged.
- Plagiarism refers to the act of illegally using another person’s ideas, works, processes,
and results. Thus, it constitutes claiming an intellectual property as one’s own that
can be penalized through Republic Act 8293 known as the Intellectual Property
Code of the Philippines.

7. Confidentiality
- The researcher should take steps to protect all confidential communications or
documents from being discovered by others.

8. Responsible publication
- The researcher should ensure that his/her work is clear, honest, complete, accurate,
and balanced, thus avoiding wasteful and duplicate publication. It should likewise
refrain from selective, misleading, or ambiguous reporting.

9. Responsible mentoring
- The researcher should teach responsible conduct of research and share
professional knowledge and skills especially to new or less experienced researchers.

10. Respect for colleagues

- The researcher should show courtesy to his/her colleagues by treating them equally
and fairly.

11. Social responsibility

- The researcher should promote social good by working for the best interests and
benefits of the environment and society as a whole.

12. Non-discrimination
- The researcher should not discriminate based on sex, race, ethnicity, or any factor
relating to scientific competence and integrity. Thus, research should be open to
all people or entities who will participate in research.

13. Competence
- The researcher should possess necessary knowledge and skills in conducting a study.
He/she should be equipped with a sense of professionalism and expertise to ensure
competent results.

14. Legality
- The researcher should know and abide by relevant laws, institutional and
government policies concerning the legal conduct of research.

15. Human Subject Protection

- The researcher should protect human lives by preventing and minimizing harms and
risks. He/she should always uphold the human dignity, privacy, and autonomy of
human subjects to be used in the study.
RIGHTS OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
In every aspect of life, rights and responsibilities are inseparably linked to one another. This
means that both the researcher and the participant have necessary obligations to perform as
a prerequisite of their privileges in conducting research. According to Trochim (2006), Smith
(2003) and Polit (2006), the following are some of the rights of research participants, as cited
by Cristobal & Cristobal (2017):
1. Voluntary participation
- The research participants must be given the privilege to exercise their free will
whether to participate or not. They have the right to refuse involvement in the study.
Thus, any person should not be forced to take part in any research undertaking.

2. Informed consent
- The research participants must be provided with sufficient information about the
procedures and risks involved in the research. It serves as an initial guide on why
and how the study will be conducted. Hence, the researcher must ensure that they
fully understood and agreed upon the study.

3. Risk of harm
- The research participants must be protected from any type of harm whether it may
be physical, psychological, social, or economic. The researcher must avoid,
prevent, or minimize threats especially when they are exposed and engaged in
invasive and risky procedures.

4. Confidentiality
- The research participants must be assured of their privacy particularly on personal
information. The researcher must secure that all information disclosed by them will
not be used without authorized access.

5. Anonymity
- The research participants must remain anonymous or unidentified throughout the
study even to the researchers themselves. They have the right to keep their identities
secret as they participate especially in case-sensitive studies.