West Visayas State University – Calinog Campus

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

WRITING CHAPTER 1
Introduction to the Study
by Prof. Peter Raymond S. Castro
 Chapter 1 contains the
following parts:
 Background, Theoretical, and
Conceptual Framework of the Study
Statement of the Problem and
Hypotheses
 Definition of Terms
 Significance of the Study
 Delimitation of the Study
 Background of the Study

 presents the historical perspective of

the problem;
 discusses information about the issue
at hand; and
explains the rationale behind the
selection of the problem and the
variables involved.
 Theoretical and Conceptual
Frameworks of the Study
 cites theories relevant to the investigation and
connects this/these theory/ies to the objective of
the study (theoretical framework)
 presents the researcher’s assumption regarding
the relationships among the variables; and
presents a schematic diagram (research
paradigm) illustrating the researchers’
perception of the relationships among the
variables in the investigation. (conceptual
framework)
Statement of the Problem and
Hypotheses

 states the general and the specific

problems which the investigation aims
to answer;
presents the assumptions concerning
the relationships among the variables.
 Statement of the Problem and
Hypotheses
The General Statement of the Problem contains the following
information:
The research method;
The purpose/objective of the investigation;
The independent variable/s;
The dependent variable/s;
The venue/locale of the investigation;
The date (school year, fiscal year, etc.) when the study
was conducted.
 Statement of the Problem and
Hypotheses
Example (general statement of the problem):
This study aimed to determine the relationship
between the amount of smoking and alcohol
consumption and the academic achievement of
teacher education students of the West Visayas
State University – Calinog Campus during the
school year 2012 - 2013.
 Statement of the Problem and
Hypotheses
Specific Problems: How many descriptive
specific questions are needed?
Answer: As many as the number of
independent and dependent variables; the
is true for inferential specific questions,
except in correlation studies where one
question pertinent to the relationship
between the IV and the DV is added.
 Statement of the Problem and
Hypotheses
Examples (specific descriptive problems):
1. What is the amount of smoking among the
respondents as an entire group and when
classified according to the categories of sex?
2. What is the alcohol consumption level of the
respondents as an entire group and when
classified according to the categories of sex?
3. What is the academic achievement of the
respondents as an entire group and when
classified according to sex?
 Statement of the Problem and
Hypotheses
Examples of specific inferential questions:
4. Is there a significant difference in the
amount of smoking among the
respondents classified according to the
categories of sex?
5. Is there a significant difference in the
alcohol consumption level among the
respondents classified according to the
categories of sex?
 Statement of the Problem and
Hypotheses
How many hypotheses?
 As many as there are inferential questions.
- Are there significant differences in the
academic achievements of the respondents
classified according to sex and section?
- There are no significant differences in the
academic achievements of the respondents
classified according to sex and section.
 Definition of Terms

 presents the conceptual and the operational

definition of the important terms used in the
investigation
- Conceptual definition refers to ‘borrowed
definition’; taken from other reference
materials
- Operational definition is the actual,
functional, or working definition of the term;
it is how the term is actually used in the
study.
 Definition of Terms

Example:
Academic Achievement. According to
Ramos (2011), academic achievement
refers to… or… This term refers to the…
(Ramos, 2011). (Conceptual definition).
 Definition of Terms
In this study, academic achievement
refers to the respondents’ Grade Point
Average (GPA) during the previous
semester. Moreover, the respondents’
academic achievement is classified as
poor, moderately satisfactory,
satisfactory, very satisfactory, and
outstanding. (operational definition)
 Definition of Terms
Note:
 Only the important terms, notably the
independent, the moderator/antecedent, and
the dependent variables, are to be defined.
 Entries are arranged in alphabetical order.
 The term to be defined is set in italics followed
by a period.
 Each term is paragraph indented.
 Definitions should be complete sentences (S +V
structure).
 Definition of Terms

 The conceptual definition of a term is its

definition ‘borrowed’ from another
reference (dictionary, encyclopedia, other
thesis, etc. It is necessary to cite the
material from where the definition is
taken (examples: Webster’s Unabridged
Dictionary, 2001; Smith, Wesson, Colt, &
Kalashnikov, 2008).
 Definition of Terms

 The operational definition of a term is

referred to as its ‘working’ definition or
how the term actually functions or is
used in the study.
 If necessary, it also includes the
classifications or descriptions of data
gathered pertaining to the variables.
 
 Significance of the Study
 states the importance of the study, the
benefits that may be derived from the
findings, the individuals or groups of
individuals that may benefit from the
findings and in what way/s these
individuals or groups may find the results
useful.
 The entries are usually arranged in a
descending order of importance.
 Delimitation of the Study
 The part contains details on the
limitations and coverage of the
investigation regarding…
- the research method used
- the purpose of the investigation
- the number (population or sample
size) and nature of the
respondents,
 
 
 Delimitation of the Study
 
  - the venue and the time of the
investigation
- the sampling method (if any)
- the instrument, and
the statistical tools.
 
 
 
 
West Visayas State University – Calinog
Campus
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

WRITING CHAPTER 2
Review Of Related
Literature
 Review of Related Literature
 contains citations, excerpts, and other materials
relevant to the investigation
 The contents are arranged by topic or
chronologically.
 includes a summary which contains the
highlights or salient points of the materials
cited.
 The titles of the main topics are centered while
those of the subtopics are written flush with the
left-hand margin.
 Review of Related Literature
In-text parenthetical citations:
 The APA (American Psychological
Association) style is used in writing the in-
text parenthetical citations.
The APA style requires the use of
parenthetical citations within the text of a
paper to document quotes, paraphrases,
summaries, and other sources used.
 Review of Related Literature
In-text parenthetical citations:
 These references refer to the entries on
the References list at the end of the paper
and take the place of footnotes.
All authors of books or other references
actually used in the text must appear in
the references list; and all authors listed in
the References must have been cited in
the text.
 Review of Related Literature
In-text parenthetical citations:
 Basic form
- Rogers (1994) compared reaction times…
- A recent study of reaction times (Rogers, 1994)
found…
 Quotation. Author’s last name, year of publication,
and page number included.
- Baym (1993) concludes that journalists “must speak in
a voice that is both institutional and representational,
hierarchical as well as relational…” (p. 111).
 Review of Related Literature
In-text parenthetical citations:
 Two authors. Include both.
- Wellek and Warren (1992) insisted
that…
- A study on the comparative
performances of males and females
(Wellek & Warren, 1992) concluded…
 Review of Related Literature
In-text parenthetical citations:
 Three to five authors. Include all authors the first
time the citation is made.
- Washington, Adams, Kennedy, Reagan, and
Lincoln (2000) noted…
 In subsequent citations name the first author
only followed by ‘et al’…
- Washington et al. (2000) further stated
that…
 Review of Related Literature
In-text parenthetical citations:
 Six or more authors. Mention only the first
author followed by ‘et al’.
- Miller et al. (2001) demonstrated…
 Corporate author. Use the full name the first
time; use abbreviation (acronym) in subsequent
citations.
- The National Institute of Mental Health
[NIMH] (1991) revealed… NIMH further
enumerated…
 Review of Related Literature
In-text parenthetical citations:
 No author. Punctuate the first title words as in the
reference list.
- On free care, a study finds (1982, p. 115)…
- The book College Bound Seniors (1979) noted…
 Multiple works on the same topic by several
authors
Several studies (Balda, 1980; Kamil, 1988;
Pepperbert & Funk, 1990) produced…
 Review of Related Literature
In-text parenthetical citations:
 Multiple works by an author in one year. Assign
letters to each citation to distinguish them. The
letters must also be used in the reference list
- (Johnson, 1991a, 1991b, 1991c).
Specific pages
Cheek and Buss (1981, p. 32) emphasized…
 Review of Related Literature
In-text parenthetical citations:
 Secondary source citing a primary source.
Name both; include only the secondary
source (Coltheart) in the references list.
- Seidenberg and McClelland’s study, as
cited in Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins &
Haller (1993), revealed…
 Review of Related Literature

In-text parenthetical citations:

 World Wide Web site (but not a specific
document). Provide the address. No entry in
the references list is needed.
- … the findings are inconclusive
(http://www.apa.org)
 Review of Related Literature

 There should at least be five references

(books, theses, wire) used.
 Using materials published more than 15
years earlier (except textbooks) as
reference is discouraged.
 In this chapter, citations from ‘Wikipedia’
are not considered reliable and should be
avoided.
 References
Sample Bibliography: APA Reference List
Format (2013). Retrieved February 26,
2014, from http://www.apastyle.org

Research Policies and Guidelines: Format

and Style (2013). Calinog, Iloilo: West
Visayas State University – Calinog Campus.