WRITING THE

BACKGROUND
OF YOUR
STUDY
 Most Essential Learning
Competency (MELC):

Describe the background

of research
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
• It is an important part of the research paper that
provides the context and purpose of the study.
• It contains the rationale, the key problem statement,
and a brief overview of research questions that are
addressed in the rest of the paper.
• Overview of your topic (i.e. What do you want readers
to know about concerning your topic?)
BASIC STRUCTURE
1. Overview of the Study
• The section should start with an overview of the study,
i.e., what is the main area of focus?
• For example, if the research deals with the problem
of customer satisfaction with a brand, then start with
the importance of customer satisfaction today,
followed by the relevance of the brand in question.
Cite the sources and avoid plagiarizing text.
2. Key data or statistics
• Introduce some key statistics pertaining to the main
problem.
• For instance, for a research on the attrition problem
in the information technology industry, talk about the
% of people who quit top 5 IT-services companies last
year, and the overall attrition rate in the country.
This part needs the most number of references, so
cite every figure or statistic.
4. Gaps that need to be addressed
• Explain what is lacking in the existing research.
Bring focus on the main problem head-on. This
section is brief, only about 400-500 words. This
section does not need references.
5. Significance of addressing the
gap:
• Establish the importance of the research. For
this, remember the 5 Ws and H: who, what,
when, where, why, and how. This section too is
brief, i.e. 400-500 words. This section does not
need references.
6. Methodological approach to
addressing the gap:
• Lastly, explain how is the goal of the study will
be achieved. What methodology is employed?
Keep this section brief because there is a
separate chapter for explaining this in detail.
 Writing the
Background of
the Study
using the
Funnel
Structure
 Other considerations
• 2 to 4 –page discussion
• content must be arranged in deductive
approach (macro-micro, general-specific)
• Information must start with personal ideas to
be supported with related literature and/or
studies
• Proper citation must be observed for cited
information
Group Activity:
Directions: Develop at least a two-page Background of the Study for your chosen study. Print it on a
short bond paper in the format below:

Font: Times New Roman, size 12

Spacing: double
Margin: Normal: Left – 1.5”, Top, Right, & Bottom- 1”
Alignment: Justified Text

Research topic: _________________________________________________________________________________

Research title: _________________________________________________________________________________

Background of the Study

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Submitted by:

Names
Grade & Section