Reviewer in Practical Research 1

1. The Seven Steps of the Research Process

Step 1. Define and develop your topic (Research Problem).

Step 2. Find background information about your chosen topic (Review of Related Literature).

Step 3. Plan your research design including your sample (Methodology).

Step 4. Gather necessary data using open ended questions (for qualitative research) and closed-
ended questionnaire or paper pencil test questionnaire (for quantitative research) (Data Gathering
Activities).

Step 5. Process and analyze data using thematic analysis (for qualitative research) and statistical
tools (for quantitative research).

Step 6. Formulate new insights gained (for qualitative research) conclusions (for quantitative
research) and recommendations.

Step 7. Define new problem.

2. Ethics in Research

Research ethics are guidelines for the responsible conduct of research which educates and monitors
researchers to ensure high standard. It promotes the aim of research, such as expanding knowledge
and supports the values required for collaborative work, such as mutual respect and fairness.

1. Informed Consent. This is required to secure in order protect the rights of the participants in your
study. Inform your participants about the criteria set for choosing them as informants and the
schedule of one-on-one interview at the convenient time they are available. Participation to the
study will be completely voluntary.

2. Honesty. It report data, results, methods and procedures, and publication status. Do not
fabricate, falsify and misrepresent the data.

3. Objectivity. Avoid bias in experimental design, data analysis, data interpretation, peer review,
personnel decisions, grant writing, expert testimony, and other aspects of research.

4. Integrity. Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for consistency of thought
and action.

5. Carefulness. Avoid careless errors and negligence; carefully and critically examine your work and
the work of peers. Keep good records of research activities.

6. Openness. Share data, results, ideas, tools and resources. Be open to criticism and new ideas.

7. Respect for Intellectual Property. Honor patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and other
forms of intellectual property. Do not use published or unpublished data, methods, or results
without permission. Give credit where credit is due. Never plagiarize, fabricate and falsify.

8. Confidentiality. Protect confidential communications, such as papers or grants submitted for

publication, personnel records, trade or military secrets, and patient records.
9. Responsible Mentoring. Help to educate, mentor, and advise others. Promote their welfare and
allow them to make their own decisions.

10. Responsible Publication. Publish in order to advance research and scholarship, not to advance
your own career. Avoid wasteful and duplicative publication.

11. Respect for Colleagues. Respect your colleagues' opinion, treat them fairly and do not outsmart
others.

12. Social responsibility. Strive to promote social acceptance and prevent or mitigate social harms
through research, public education, and advocacy.

13. Non-discrimination. Avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the basis of sex, race,
ethnicity, or other factors that are not related to their scientific competence and integrity.

14. Competence. Maintain and improve your own professional competence and expertise through
lifelong education and learning; take steps to promote competence in science as a whole.

15. Legality. Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and government policies.

16. Animal Care. Show proper respect and care for animals when using them in research. Do not
conduct unnecessary or poorly designed animal experiments.

17. Human Subjects protection. When conducting a research on human subjects, minimize harms
and risks and maximize benefits; respect human dignity, privacy, and anonymity.

3. Phases of Research Process

I. Conceptual Phase- formulating problem, finding RRL, defining theoretical framework, formulating
hypothesis

II. Design & Planning Phase- Selecting research design, identifying the respondents

III. Empirical Phase - Collecting / gathering data

IV. Analytical Phase- analyzing data, interpreting results

V. Dissemination Phase- findings and conclusion, peer-review process

4. Types of Qualitative Research

1. Case Study – Long time study of a person, group, organization or situation and an empirical inquiry
that investigates current phenomenon.

Example: "Teenage Pregnancy in the Public High Schools"

2. Ethnography- a study of a particular cultural group.

Example: "Cultural Awareness and Integration of Peace Education in the Indigenous Peoples (IP)
Communities"

3. Phenomenology- "live-experienced" of a phenomenon.

Example: "Life without Gadget"

4. Content Analysis- is a research technique that analyzes the modes of communication such as
letters, e-mails etc.

5. Discourse Analysis- is the study of social life, understood through analysis of language it includes
face-to-face talk, non-verbal interaction, images and symbols.

Materials for Discourse Analysis include books, newspapers, periodicals, brochures and
advertisements.

5. Historical Analysis- is a qualitative method where there is an examining of past events to draw
conclusions and make predictions about the future.

Example: "The Impact of Ferdinand Marcos' Speech"

6. Grounded Theory- takes place when there is a discovery of new theory which underlies your study
at the time of data collection and analysis.

Example: "The Story Behind the Migration of Christians from Visayas and Luzon to Mindanao"

7. Narrative Report - designed to present things or events that have happened in the past through a
logical progression of the relevant information. The main purpose of a narrative report is to present
a factual depiction of what has occurred.

Example: "Vocabulary Building of Students through Proper Solid Waste Management"

Example: "A Discourse Analysis on the Impact of Modern Technologies on Communication"

8. Biography- is the study of an individual's life and struggles and how they reflect cultural themes of
the society. It deals with an interesting story found in documents and archival materials. It is
concerned with the reconstruction of life histories and the constitution of meaning based on
biographical narratives and documents.

9. Action Research- is a classroom-based or school-based research seeks transformative change

through the process of taking action and doing research, which are linked together by critical
reflection. This type of research is commonly conducted by the teachers to give solutions to the
existing problems to improve students' academic performance and positive attitudes.

5. Strengths and Weakness of Qualitative Research

Strengths

1. It adopts a naturalistic approach to its subject matter.

2. Promotes a full understanding of human behavior/personality traits in their natural setting.

3. It is instrumental for positive societal changes.

4. It engenders respect for people's individuality.

5. it's a way of understanding & interpreting social interactions.

6. Increases researcher's interests in the study.

7. Offers multiple ways of acquiring and examining knowledge about something.

Weaknesses

1. It involves a lot of researcher's subjectivity in data analysis.

2. It is hard to know the validity/reliability of the data.

3. It is open-ended questions yield “data overload” that requires long-time analysis.

4. It is time-consuming.

5. It involves several processes, whose results greatly depend on the researcher's views or
interpretations.