PRACTICAL

RESEARCH II
Ms. Enna Lorraine M. Custodio
ATTENDANCE &
REMINDERS
Learning from Other and
Reviewing the Literature
Lesson 5
What is Conceptual Framework?
• It is a graphical presentation of your concepts or ideas on the
basic structure or components of your research as well as on the
relationships of these elements with one another. It is a graph or
non-prose material, specifically, a schematic diagram that shows
a well-ordered element of the research. Giving a carefully
constructed arrangement of the components of your study,
conceptual framework is a broad outline or plan to give shape to
your research (Shields et. al, 2013).
What are the Purposes of Conceptual
Framework?
• 1. Keeps research on track.
• 2. Provides clear links from the literature to the research goals
and questions.
• 3. Helps the researcher to see clearly the variables of the study.
• 4. Clarifies concepts and propose relationships among concepts.
A Sample Conceptual Framework
• Research Problem or Topic: Enhancing Body Weight of a Senior High School
student through Balance diet.

The above sample shows that the Body weight of a senior high school student can be enhanced
through balance diet. The Balance diet can be achieved by eating variety of fruits, vegetables,
drinking plenty of fluids and the like.
Quality Assessment Checklist
• Make sure that when you develop a conceptual framework the
following are achieved.
Defining Conceptual Framework
 A theoretical framework is founded on the theories already developed over an
area over a long period of time having a robust historical background while
the conceptual framework is used in a new researchable area. In fact, both
explain the future course of the research study justifying the research
enterprise with the aim to make sure that the findings are more meaningful,
acceptable and generalizable.
Defining Conceptual Framework
 1. Familiarize yourself with the objective of the conceptual framework.
 2. Base the contents of the conceptual framework on your own
understanding of the elements and of the relationships of the research
features.
 3. See to it that all aspects of the conceptual framework are related to the
objective of the research.
 4. Let others read your conceptual framework for comments or feedback for
improvement purposes.
Try it!
ATTENDANCE &
REMINDERS
Defining Terms
 1. Familiarize yourself with the objective of the conceptual framework.
 2. Base the contents of the conceptual framework on your own
understanding of the elements and of the relationships of the research
features.
 3. See to it that all aspects of the conceptual framework are related to the
objective of the research.
 4. Let others read your conceptual framework for comments or feedback for
improvement purposes.
Defining Operationally
 An operational definition of a variable describes:
 • What is observed.
 • What is measured.

 These definitions are written quantitatively using:

 • length, width, height, etc.
 • time
 • distance
 • temperature
 • numerical value of something
Defining Operationally
To gain a better understanding of what an operational definition is, consider
the following example:
Senior High School researchers are interested to conduct a research in
sports medicine and exercise physiology study the effects of various variables
on a person's endurance. Each researcher might decide on a different way of
measuring this variable. For example, if an experiment was conducted to test
the effects of Vitamin E on endurance, the dependent variable being the
person's endurance, might be operationally defined in ways such as:
 • The distance a person could run without stopping.
 • The number of hours a person could stay awake.
 • The number of jumping jacks a person could do before getting tired.
Language of Research
 Every outstanding research contains terms or words that sometimes cannot
understand by the readers. There are variables that are used in the study
that is not familiar with the readers and it may lead to misconception or
misinterpretation. Operational definition allows the researchers to describe in
a specific way what they mean when they use a certain term.
 For non-researchers, unless they purposely read books on research, the
language of research appears as jargon. Jargons are terms considered as
technical because these are commonly used only by people belonging to the
same field of specialization. Exclusively used by specific set of person, like
engineers, doctors, lawyers, architects, or businessman, among others, these
terms do not sound familiar or understandable to ordinary persons in society
(Shields et.al, 2013).
What Is Operational Definition?
 An operational definition is a detailed specification of how one would go
about measuring a given variable. Operational definitions can range from
very simple and straightforward to quite complex, depending on the nature of
the variable and the needs of the researcher. Operational definitions should
be tied to the theoretical constructs under study. The theory behind the
research often clarifies the nature of the variables involved and, therefore,
would guide the development of operational definitions that would tap the
critical variables (Grazanio, 2013).
 Operational definition is making the concept or the thing meaningful by
specifying the way your research should measure such concept. It defines the
basic concept through the operation used or research activity involved to
measure the concept.
Guidelines in Giving Operational
Definitions
 1. Have a clear understanding of the concept focused on by your study before
you begin defining such concept operationally.
 2. Base your operational definition on the concept under study.
 3. Express your operational definition in only one sentence.
 4. Let the operational definition explain the measurement of variables clearly.
 5. Construct an operational definition that other researchers can understand,
assess, and repeat in other research studies.
Examples of Operational Definitions
 1. Defining Temperature
 ➢ Theoretical/Conceptual Definition: Temperature is a heat flowing between
infinite reservoirs.
 ➢ Operational Definition: Temperature is defined in relation to operations
with gas thermometer.
 2. Defining Anger
 ➢ Theoretical/Conceptual Definition: Anger is intangible; not directly
measured by observation.
 ➢ Operational Definition: Anger is defined basing from the facial expressions,
vocabulary, or voice tone to measure anger.
Try it!
ATTENDANCE &
REMINDERS
Research Hypothesis
 Categories of Hypothesis
 There are two categories of hypotheses: null hypotheses and alternative
hypotheses. A null hypotheses symbolized by Ho, which states the absence of
relationship between the independent and dependent variables. It is therefore
a statement to disprove the fact that the independent variable (treatment,
intervention, or condition) has an effect on the dependent variable. The
opposite of null hypothesis is the alternative hypothesis. Symbolized by Hi,
the alternative states the relationship between the independent and
dependent variables and the fact that the first affects the second (Morgan,
2014; Thomas, 2013).
Types of Hypotheses
Choosing which type of hypothesis to use depends solely on you, the
researcher. It does not mean however, that choosing one of the following types
of hypotheses makes you come out with the best hypothesis because no type of
hypotheses is superior to any hypothesis (Badke, 2014).

 1. Theory-driven vs. Data-driven hypotheses

A hypothesis that is based on existing theory to explain the relationship of

variables and the effects of one variable on the other variables is theory driven.
But if it is based on the finding of previous research studies, it is a data-driven
hypothesis.
Types of Hypotheses
 2. Directional (one-tailed) vs. Non-directional (two-tailed) hypotheses

Directional hypotheses state the relationship of two variables as well as of the

relationship of these variables.Non-directional (two-tailed) hypotheses, on the
other hand, state the relationship of variables but not on direction of the
relationship.

3. Descriptive vs. Causal Hypotheses

A statement specifying the relationship between two variables due to the
influence of something is a descriptive hypotheses; due to cause-effect
relationship, it is a causal hypothesis. True experimental or quasi-
experimental research such as correlation study uses causal hypotheses; non-
experimental research uses descriptive hypotheses.
What is Hypothesis?
 A hypothesis is a tentative explanation or an answer to a question about
variables, their relationships, and other facts involved in research. A research
always end up with a result. However you are free to hypothesize meaning, to
infer, propose, or guess about factual things related to the research. A
hypothesis has to be tested through analytical investigation to prove how true
or false it is (Creswell, 2014; Rusell, 2013).
Purposes of Hypotheses
 1. They guide you on which aspect of the research to focus on. 2. They
provide opportunities to prove the relationship between variables. 3. They
give the right direction of the research. 4. They outline your thoughts on your
manner of summarizing the result and of explaining the conclusions. 5. They
push for an empirical study to prove the existence of relationship of variables
and the effects of independent variable on the dependent variable.
A hypothesis should always:
 • Explain what you expect to happen
 • Be clear and understandable
 • Be testable
 • Be measurable
 • And contain an independent and dependent variable
The Difference Between a Research
Question and a Hypothesis
 The difference is quite clear. One is a question that you, as a researcher,
intend to answer. The other is a statement that you will either prove or
disprove.
 Many topics lend themselves equally well to either a research question or a
hypothesis. Here are some examples:

 Topic 1
 Hypothesis: ‘While people may use the internet to search for flights, they
prefer to make their reservations or purchases via a travel agent’
 Research question: ‘Do people use the internet to collect information about
flights but still prefer to use travel agents to make their reservations?’
Guidelines in Formulating
Hypotheses
 1. Express your hypotheses in a declarative sentence.
 2. Support your hypotheses with ideas based on theories, known facts,
previous studies, or your own experience and wisdom.
 3. Establish a logical relationship between the hypotheses and the research
problem.
 4. Have your hypotheses predict the nature of relationship between or among
variables.
 5. Ascertain the possibility of having some means of testing, analyzing, and
investigating your hypotheses.
 6. Avoid wordiness by using clear, exact, or specific language in stating the
hypotheses.
ATTENDANCE &
REMINDERS
Review of Literature
 RRL is an important component of research regardless of the type of
research. Be it qualitative or quantitative research, you spend time and effort
in reviewing related literature. Reviewing related literature is one major
activity in research that makes you examine or study again concepts or ideas
related to your research that people managed to publish in books, journals,
or other reading materials in the past.
Review of Literature
 A review of related literature is the process of collecting, selecting, and
reading books, journals, reports, abstracts, and other reference materials.
The following information may be collected:
1. Background information about the problem and related concepts.
2. Theories that explain the existence of the problem and the possible
connection between certain factors and the problem.
3. Data that confirms the existence and seriousness of the problem.
4. General and specific findings of studies related to the problem.
5. Recommendations for further study given in related studies.
Why Review Literature?
 1. To find out the connection of your research to the current conditions or
situations of the world.
 2. To know more about theories or concepts underlying your research and to
learn from them with respect to your own research study.
 3. To discover the relation of your research with previous research studies.
 4. To obtain information on the accuracy or relevance of your research
studies.
 5. To familiarize yourself with technical terms related to your research.
What Materials to Review?
 1. General References

Examples are indexes, reviews and abstracts

 2. Primary Sources

Examples are researches found on published journals.

 3. Secondary Sources

Publications where authors cite the works of others. Examples are books,
encyclopedias. Secondary sources are good references for overview of the
problem.
RRL in Quantitative Research
 You have learned that there are two basic methods of reviewing related
literature: traditional and systematic review. Traditional is for qualitative
research while systematic is for quantitative research. Systematic review, ‘a
question-driven methodology’ is used by quantitative researchers who begin
their research work by asking questions-one big question that states the
main problem of the research and a set of sub-questions that deal with
specific aspects of the research. Qualitative research likewise begins with
research questions, but these are open- ended and subjective questions, in
contrast to quantitative questions that aim at obtaining exact, specific, and
objective answers whose origin or sources are easy to trace (Ridly, 2012).
Steps in Conducting a Systematic
Review
 Systematic review of related literature happens through the following
sequential steps:
 1. Clarifying the research questions
 2. Panning the research based on your understanding of the research
questions
 3. Searching for literature
 4. Listing criteria for considering the values forms of knowledge collected
Meta-Analysis in Quantitative
Research
 Meta-analysis is a kind of review of related literature in which you re-examine
and combine the results of two or more statistics studies for coming out with
a grand total to indicate stronger effects of the research outcome. Putting the
results together making them appear as on result work to strengthen
whatever impact the independent variable has on the dependent variable.
In-text Citation and Referencing
Style
 All reading materials related to your research offer different concepts, ideas,
or information belonging to other people. Having honesty, respect, or
courtesy to the owners of these varied forms of knowledge as well as
gratefulness for their valuable All reading materials related to your research
offer different concepts, ideas, or information belonging to other people.
Having honesty, respect, or courtesy to the owners of these varied forms of
knowledge as well as gratefulness for their valuable.
 In-text citations are used each time you quote, paraphrase or refer to a
source in the body of your paper. The in-text citation directs the reader to the
correct entry in the reference list or bibliography.
In-text Citation and Referencing
Style
 Referring to authors within the main body of the paper is called Citation or
In-text Citation; at the end of the paper, it is called Bibliography or
References. The two most commonly used referencing styles are the MLA
(Modern Language Association) and the APA (American Psychological
Association). But mostly Government schools in La Union like DMMMSU
used APA format same as private schools like LORMA and SLC.
In-text Citation and Referencing
Style
 The following table shows you how these two referencing styles differ in some
aspects.
Differences between APA and MLA
Examples:
Differences between APA and MLA
Examples:
Differences between APA and MLA
Examples:
Differences between APA and MLA
Examples:
Differences between APA and MLA
Examples:
Try it!
Literature Review Worksheet
1. Introduction: What is the topic of my literature review?
 Example: COVID-19 cases in the Philippines

2. Topic sentence:
 Example: The number of mortalities in the Philippines is directly related to the Age of
the patients

3. My source (works to be read, analyzed and cited) this can be taken from magazines,
newspapers, books, online resources etc.:
Example: “The Effect of Age on Mortality in Patients With COVID-19: A Meta-Analysis
With 611,583 Subjects (July 2020).”Journal of American Medical Directors Association.
Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525861020304412
Literature Review Worksheet
4. Body:
What are the main points/arguments of my sources? How are these points
supported?
 Example: Source 1: American Doctors Association found out that the meta-
analysis of currently available data suggests a determinant effect of age on
mortality of COVID19 patients with a relevant threshold on age >50 and
especially >60.

Similarities in (comparing) two or more of the articles:

 Example: ADA, UK researchers and fox found out that the mortality rate is
correlated to the age of patients.
Literature Review Worksheet
5. Conclusion: Summarizing
Example: This literature review was conducted to analyze opposing
perspectives on gun laws and gun ownership in the United States.