THE INTRODUCTION

Most Essential Learning Competencies

• indicates scope and delimitation of research;
• cites benefits and beneficiaries of research;
• presents written statement of the problem
Beginning of the Research
 The first chapter of the research paper is entitled “The Problem” or
“The Problem and Its Background.” Its purpose is to introduce the
problem and clarify important variables, its delimitations, and its
significance to the field of study. It has the following essential
elements:
 Introduction
 Statement of the problem
 Scope and delimitation
 Significance of the study
 Notes in Chapter I
Introduction
 The first chapter of the research paper is entitled “The Problem” or
“The Problem and Its Background.” Its purpose is to introduce the
problem and clarify important variables, its delimitations, and its
significance to the field of study. It has the following essential
elements:
 Introduction
 Statement of the problem
 Scope and delimitation
 Significance of the study
 Notes in Chapter I
Introduction
 The introduction is important in establishing the cognitive
setting of the research. It has the following elements:
 Rationalization of the need to research on the problem
 Clarification of the important terminologies for the reader to
easily understand what the research is about
 Establishment of the degree of seriousness of the problem which
prompted the researcher to look for solutions
Introduction
 The following questions can aid the researcher in
formulating the introduction:
 What is the rationale of the problem?
 What is the setting of the problem?
 What is the basic literature foundation of the study?
 How serious is the chosen research problem?
 What is the general objective of the problem?
 What is the overall purpose of the problem?
Statement of the Problem
 After the investigator has clarified the rationale,
identified the degree of seriousness of the problem,
provided the literature review, and set the overall
objective, the formulation of the heart of the thesis—the
statement of the general and the specific problems—must
be done. The opening paragraph of this section contains
the general problem of the study.
Statement of the Problem
 Writing the General Problem in a Qualitative Study
 In the book Principles of Qualitative Research: Designing a Qualitative Study,
Creswell and Clark (2014) provide the following criteria in writing the
purpose statement:
 It should use single and not compound sentences.
It should clearly express the purpose of the study.
It should include the central phenomenon.
It should use qualitative words, e.g., explore, discover, and explain.
It should identify the participants in the study.
It should state the research site.
Statement of the Problem
 A sample pattern for the purpose statement is provided
below.
 The purpose of this (narrative, phenomenological, grounded
theory, ethnographic, case) is to (understand, describe, develop,
discover) the (central phenomenon of the study) for (the
participants) at (the site). At this stage in the research, the
(central phenomenon) will be generally defined as (a general
definition of the central concept) (Creswell and Clark, 2014).
Statement of the Problem
 A sample pattern for the purpose statement is provided
below.
 The purpose of this (narrative, phenomenological, grounded
theory, ethnographic, case) is to (understand, describe, develop,
discover) the (central phenomenon of the study) for (the
participants) at (the site). At this stage in the research, the
(central phenomenon) will be generally defined as (a general
definition of the central concept) (Creswell and Clark, 2014).
Statement of the Problem
 The general problem is followed by an enumeration of the
specific problems. These problems are usually stated as
questions that the researcher seeks to answer. Therefore,
the specific problems must meet the following criteria:
 They must be in question form.
 They must define the population and the samples of the study
(respondents).
 They must identify the variables being studied.
Statement of the Problem
 TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS
 Non-researchable questions – These are questions of value and are
answerable by yes or no.
 Examples:
 Should all mothers breastfeed their babies?
 Should high school teachers be watchful over their Grade 7 students?
 Should the schools offering different majors in senior high schools
require their students to have a mandatory review before taking the
National Assessment Exam?
 Do all head teachers have a master’s degree?
 Are family members helping their children in reviewing their lessons?
Statement of the Problem
 TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS
 Researchable questions – These are questions of opinions, perceptions, or
policy that are raised to accumulate data. Formulating a clear, significant
question prepares the researcher for subsequent decision-making on
research design, data collection, and data analysis.
 Examples:
 What are the common preparations done by Grade 7 students during
their first days in school?
 How do senior high school students respond to their Math teacher?
 What are the study habits of students who are poorly performing?
 What is the relationship of the attitudes of the adviser to the
classroom behavior of Grade 9 students?
 How do the officers of the Parent-Teacher Community Association
assist in the improvement of school facilities?
Statement of the Problem
Dickoff et. al (as cited by Wilson, 1989) provide further
classification to research questions. These are as follows:
 Factor-isolating questions
 Factor-relating questions
 Situation-relating questions
 Situation-producing questions
Statement of the Problem
 Factor-isolating questions – These ask the question “What is this?”
These questions are sometimes called factor-naming questions because
they isolate, categorize, describe, or name factors and situations.
 Examples:
a. What is the profile of school principals in terms of the following?
Age
Management experience
Civil status
b. are the levels of competencies of school principals as described by
their respective teachers and themselves in terms of the following?
Intrapersonal
Interpersonal
Statement of the Problem
 Factor-relating questions – These ask the question “What is
happening here?” The goal of these questions is to determine
the relationship among factors that have been identified.
 Examples:
 What is the relationship of the level of performance of the senior high
school teachers to the OJT performance of the students enrolled in the
business track of Saint Paul School of Professional Studies?
 How does the performance level of volleyball teams of boys differ to
that of the girls?
Statement of the Problem
 Situation-relating questions – These questions ask the
question “What will happen if...?” These questions usually
yield hypotheses testing or experimental study designs in
which the researcher manipulates the variables to see what
will happen.
 Examples:
 What are the effects of computer-learning assisted methods of
teaching to the interest level of the sophomores to their history
subjects?
 How significantly different is the performance of the call center agents
who are well rested than those who are not?
Statement of the Problem
 Situation-producing questions – These ask the question
“How can I make it happen?” These questions establish
explicit goals for actions, develop plans or prescriptions to
achieve goals, and specify the conditions under which these
goals will be accomplished.
 Examples:
 Based on the findings, what human relation intervention program can
be adopted to enhance or improve effectiveness of existing teaching
methods?
 What faculty development activities can be sponsored by the PTCA to
improve the performance of graduating students in the UP College
Admission Test (UPCAT)?
Scope and Delimitation of the
Study
 The scope of the study is determined primarily by the
selection of variables that the research study will focus on.
Defining the scope of the research requires the careful
selection of variables that will be investigated, as well as the
attributes that will define and measure these variables.
 A variable refers to any characteristic that can have different values or
traits that may vary across research participants. Variables are
measured, controlled, and manipulated by the researcher.  
 Attributes are important elements of a variable. It refers to the value
assigned to a specific variable.
Scope and Delimitation of the
Study
 The delimitation of the study identifies and describes
the limitations encountered by the study. The limitations of
the study may arise from the research design and
methodology and the specific limitations encountered by the
researcher in the conduct of the study.
Scope and Delimitation of the
Study
 The following may be the possible limitations that may arise from the
research design and methodology:
 Sample size 
 Lack of available and/or reliable data.
 Lack of prior studies
 Chosen data collection method
 Nature of the information collected
Scope and Delimitation of the
Study
 Apart from the design and methodology, the characteristics of the
researcher and the limits that he or she experiences in the conduct of
the research will also give rise to limitations. These are as follows:
 Access
 Time period 
 Bias 
 Language 
Significance of the Study
 Research is a very noble undertaking if it makes significant
contributions to the community or the academic field or discipline
where the researcher is affiliated with. That is why the significance of
the study should clearly discuss the purpose that the research will
serve to society, the country, the government, the institution or agency
concerned, the curriculum planners and developers, and the research
community. This section describes the contribution of the study to the
existing body of knowledge. It could be in the form of new knowledge in
the field, a confirmation of the major findings of other studies,
verification of the validity of findings in a different population, analysis
of trends over time, and validation of other findings using different
methodologies.
Significance of the Study
 The researcher also has to identify the beneficiaries who will directly
gain from the results of the study. In identifying the beneficiaries, the
researcher should be specific in mentioning them in the paper. The
specific benefits must also be enumerated and explained if necessary. It
is also important that the beneficiaries should be listed according to the
significance of the study’s results to them.
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