CHAPTER 2:

The Research Problem

 Topic outline
1. Definition
2. Elements of a Research Problem
3. Guideline in the Selection of a Research Problem or Topic
4. The Title
5. Statement of the Problem
6. Assumptions
7. Hypotheses
DEFINITION
PROBLEM
 is any significant, perplexing and challenging situation,
real or artificial, the solution of which requires reflective
thinking;
 a perplexing situation after it has been translated onto a
question or series pf questions that help determine the
direction of subsequent inquiry.
 ELEMENTS OF A
RESEARCH PROBLEM
ELEMENTS of a RESEARCH PROBLEM
1. Aim or Purpose of the problem for investigation
2. The subject matter or topic to be investigated.
3. The place or locale where the research is to be conducted.
4. The period or time of the study during which the data are
to be gathered.
5. Population or universe from whom the data are to be
collected.
Example: (Research Problem)
To determine the status of teaching science in the high schools
of Province A during the school year 1989-1990.

Aim or Purpose : To determine the status of

Subject Matter or Topic : The teaching of science
Place or Locale : In the high schools of Province A
Period or Time : During the school year 1989-1990.
Population : The respondents are implied to be
either the teachers or the pupils or
both.
Remember:
In formulating the Title of a Research Inquiry, the
aim is usually omitted and sometimes the population
is not also included. In the above example, the title is
“The Teaching of Science in the High Schools of
Province A During the School Year 1989-1990.”
 Guidelines in the Selection of a
Research Problem or Topic
Two Factors in the Selection of Topic
External Criteria
-It involves how the topic is important for the field, availability
of both data and data collection methods and the administration
is cooperative or not.

Personal Criteria
- It means research own interest, time and cost.
Guidelines or Criteria for Selection of
Research problem
◦ Personal Inclination
- if the researcher has personal interest in the topic, he/she would select
that problem for his research work.

Resources Availability
- A researcher will see the resources available like Money, time,
accommodation and transport are available to the selection
place, then the selection of the problem is easy.
 Relative Importance
- the importance of the problem also play a vital role in the selection
of research problem, then the research tends toward the selection of
the problem.

Researcher Knowledge
-Wisdom and experience of an investigation is required for well
collection of research data.
Practicality
-Practical usefulness of the problem is the main motivation of
research to attend it.

Time-lines of the problem

-it depends on the time which we have to complete research
work.

Data Availability
- if the desire data is available to the researcher then the problem
would be selected.
Urgency
- is a pinpoint in the way of the selection of research problem,
must be given priority because the immediate solution can benefit
the people.

Feasibility
- Is also an important factor for the researcher qualification,
training and experience should match the problem.

Area Culture
- which the researcher conducts research is also responsible for
the selection of problem.
 Characteristics of Research Problem
1.Research topic must be very clear and easy to understand it
should not distract people.
2. If the topic is well define is the only way to the successful
research.
3. Easy language is the key to success. Use technical words if
necessary otherwise focus of simplicity.
4. Research title should be according to the rules of titling.
5. While selecting research topic current importance of a
researcher should also be consider.
 The Title
The title summarizes the main
idea or ideas of your study.
A good title contains the
fewest possible words that
adequately describe the
contents and/or purpose of
your research paper.
 Guidelines in writing the title:
1. Generally, the title is formulated before the start of the research
work.
2. It must contain the subject matter of the study, the locale of the
study, the population involved, and the period when the data were gathered
or will be gathered.
3. It must be broad enough top include all aspects of the subject matter
studied or to be studied.
4. It must be as brief and concise as possible.
5. Avoid using the terms “An Analysis of”, “A Study of”, “An Investigation
of”, and the like. All these things are understood to have been done or to
be done when a research is conducted.
6. If the title contains more than one line, it must be written like an
inverted pyramid, all words in capital letters.
Example of a complete title:
“THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN
THE HIGH SCHOOLS OF
PROVINCE A AS PERCEIVED BY
THE SCIENCE TEACHERS AND
STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR 1989 – 1990”
The contents as required by
Guidelines No. 2 are:
a. Subject Matter – The teaching of
science;
b. Locale of the Study – High schools of
Province A;
c. Population involved – The Science
teachers and students; and
d. Period of the study – School year
1989 – 1990
A brief and concise form of the title
and a better one follows:
“THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS OF
PROVINCE A”
◦ It will be noted that the population, the science
teachers and students as well as the period of the
study, 1989 – 1990, are omitted when writing the
second form but they have to be mentioned in the
scope and delimination of the study. It will be
noted also that the title, though brief and
simplified, is broad enough to include all possible
aspects of the subject matter. The central theme,
which is the teaching of science, is also very
clear.
 Remember:
According to rhetoric scholars Hairston and Keene,
making a good title for a paper involves ensuring that
the title of the research accomplishes four goals as
mentioned below:
It should predict the content of the research paper.
It should be interesting to the reader.
It should reflect the tone of the writing.
It should contain important keywords that will make it
easier to be located during a keyword search.
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Guidelines in formulating the general problem and the specific subproblems or
specific questions. These are also the characteristics of specific questions:

1. The general statement of the problem and the specific

subproblems/questions should be formulated first before
conducting research.
(before anything else, state first the statement)
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
2. It is customary to state specific subproblems in the
interrogative form. Hence, subproblems are called specific
question.

(The specific subproblems should be answerable)

 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
3. Each specific question must be clear and unequivocal,
that is, it has only one meaning. It must not have dual
meaning.

(Questions must be clear and is easily understood)

 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
4. Each specific question is researchable apart from the
other questions, that is, answers to each specific question
can be found even without considering the other
questions.

(The specific questions should be answerable without even

answering/considering the other questions)
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
5. Each specific questions must be based upon known facts
and phenomena. Besides data from such known facts and
phenomena must be accessible to make the specific
question researchable.

(The general and specific questions MUST BE FACTUAL. It

should be based on facts alone)
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
6. The answer to each specific question can be interpreted
apart from the answers to other specific questions.

(The answers to each specific question SHOULD STAND

ALONE. It should be understandable without even
considering other questions and answers)
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
7. Answers to each specific questions must contribute to
the development of the whole research problem or topic.

(The answers to each specific question should directly

contribute to the research problem)
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
8. Summing up the answers to all specific question will give
a complete development of the entire study.

(All the answers from the specific questions when

summarize, should be able to contribute to development of
the study)
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
9.The number of specific questions should be enough to cover
the development of the whole research problem or study.

REMEMBER: Before writing down the specific questions, determine first the
different aspects of the research problem to be studied and then for each aspect
make one specific question with subquestions if there is a need.
If the research topic is the teaching of science the different aspects
may be the following:

a. Qualifications of the teachers, especially the educational;

b. Methods and strategies of teaching used and their level of effectiveness;
c. Facilities available, instructional and non-instructional and their adequacy;
d. Adequacy of supervisory assistance axtended to teachers;
e. Comparison between the perceptions of the teachers and students
f. Problems encountered by the teachers in teaching science;
g. Proposals to solve or help solve the problems;
h. Implications of the study to the teaching of science.
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
10.There should be a general statement of the problem and
then this should be broken up into as many subproblems or
specific questions as necessary.

EXAMPLE:
This study was aconducted to investigate all aspects of the teaching of science
in the high schools of Province A during the school year 1989-1990 as perceived
by the science teachers and students.
Specifically, the study attempted to answer the following questions :
a. How qualified are the teachers handling science in the high schools of Province A?
b. How effective are the methods and strategies used by the teachers in teaching science?
c. How adequate are the instructional as well as the non-instructional facilities for the teaching of
science?
d. How adequate are the forms of supervisory assistance extended to the teachers relative to the
teaching of science?
e. Is there any significant difference between the perceptions of the teachers and those of the
students concerning the different aspects in the teaching of science?
f. What problems are being encountered by the teachers of science?
g. What suggestions are offered by the teachers and students to improve the teaching of science?
f. What are the implications of the findings to the teaching of science?
 ASSUMPTIONS
is a self-evident truth which is based upon a known fact or phenomenon.

Oftentimes, especially in descriptive and historical researches, Assumptions are not

especially expressed but left implicit, that is, they are unwritten. Generally, every specific
question is implicitly based upon an assumption. If there is no assumption, expressed or
implicit, there can be no specific question.
Examples
1. Specific question: How qualified are the teachers handling science?
Implicit (unwritten) assumption: There are certain qualifications that one should possess before
he can teach science.
2. Specific question: How adequate are the facilities that a school should acquire before it can
offer science as a subject?
Implicit assumption: There are certain required facilities that a school should acquire before it
can offer science as a subject
3. Specific question: How effective are the methods used in the teaching of science?
Implicit assumption: There are certain methods that are effective in the teaching of science.
Guidelines in the use of basic assumptions
1. You cannot assume the value of your study. Such an argument should have been made under
the section, significance of the study.
2. You cannot assume the reliability of the instruments you propose to use in your research.
Such as rationale and defense should be made under methodology.
3. You cannot assume the validity of basic data. Validity is established under methodology.
4. You cannot assume that your population is typical. This point is to be made under
methodology.
5. An assumption is not tested, neither is it defended not argued.
 HYPOTHESES
A hypotheses is a tentative
conclusion or answer to a specific
question raised at the beginning of
the investigation. It is an educated
guess about the answer to a specific
question.
Two Forms of Hypotheses
 Guidelines in the Formulation
of Explicit Hypotheses
The following are the guidelines in the formulation of explicit hypotheses:
1. In experimental investigations, hypotheses have to be explicit, they have to be expressed.
They have to be expressed also in comparative and correlational studies.
2. In descriptive and historical investigations, hypotheses are seldom expressed if not entirely
absent. The subproblems or specific questions raised before the start of the investigation
and stated under the statement of the problem serve as the hypotheses. (Good and Scates,
pp.220-221)
3. Hypotheses are usually stated in null form because testing a null hypothesis is easier than a
hypothesis in the operational form.
4. Hypotheses are formulated from the specific questions upon which they are based.
Examples:
1. Question: Is there any significant difference between the perceptions of the teachers and those of the
students concerning the different aspects in the teaching of Science?
Operational Hypotheses: There is a significant difference between the perceptions of the teachers and
those of the students concerning the different aspects in the teaching of Science.
Null Hypotheses: There is no significant difference between the perceptions of the teachers and those of
the students concerning the different aspects in the teaching of Science.

2. Question: Is there any significant difference between the effectiveness of the inductive method and
that of the deductive method in the teaching of Science?
Operational Hypotheses: There is a significant difference between the effectiveness of the inductive
method and that of the deductive method in the teaching of Science.
Null Hypotheses: There is no significant difference between the effectiveness of the inductive method
and that of the deductive method in the teaching of Science.
 Purposes, Functions and Importance of
Hypotheses or Specific Questions
Hypotheses (specific questions) perform important functions in research such as
the following:
1. They help the researcher in designing his study: what methods, research
instruments, sampling design, and statistical treatments to use what data to
gather, etc.
2. They serve as bases for determining assumptions.
3. They serve as bases for determining the relevance of data.
4. They serve as bases for the explanation or discussion about the data
gathered.
5. They help or guide the researcher in consolidating his findings and in
formulating his conclusions. Generally, findings and conclusions are answers
to the hypotheses or specific questions raised at the start of the investigation.
Evaluation

1. How is a problem known to be a research problem?

2. What are the elements of a research problem?
3. How is good research problem selected? What are the
guidelines in selecting a research problem?
4. How is the title of a research problem formulated?
5. How are the general and specific questions of a
research problem formulated?
6. Why are assumptions and hypotheses important in
research? What functions do they serve? How are
they formulated? Are hypotheses always explicit
Prepared by:
1. Adela Ganaden Balmes
2. Aileen Gamier Bartolome
3. Airalyn Arpia Cabague
4. Fernando
5. Aileen Hernandez Fernando
6. April Dominique Ramos
7. Catherine Cueto
8. Donabel Gutierrez Casabuena
9. Flora Grace Tesorero Santillan