Lesson 1:

Nature of
Inquiry and
Research
Prepared by Mary Jean P. Banga, LPT
 Terminology for Today
Valid
• well-grounded or justifiable
• based on sound reasoning or information.
Reliable
• giving the same result on successive trials
• worthy of one’s trust.
Nature of Inquiry and Research
• The development of the society from its simple to
complex state will reveal the varied problems
faced by human kind.
Nature of Inquiry and Research
• To acquire knowledge and to continuously evaluate
its accuracy and usefulness requires a well-planned
and systematic procedure on which research has
been devised to meet this need.
Nature of Inquiry
 Seeking for
truth,
information
or knowledge
INQUIR
Y
Active
Problem
solving learning
technique Process
When process of inquiry begin?
• With gathering information
and data through applying
the various human senses.
• In analyzing, varied thinking
strategies are used. (lower-
order to higher-order
thinking skills)
When process of inquiry begins?
• These are top-level thinking
strategies that are ought to
perform in discovering and
understanding the object of
inquiry.
 Benefits of Inquiry
1. Widens learners’ vocabulary.
2. Increases social awareness
and cultural knowledge.
3. Encourages higher-order
thinking strategies.
4. Facilitates problem-solving
acts.
Nature of Research
 process of
gathering data
or information
to solve a
RESEARC specific
H problem
a purposive,
systematic
and scientific
process
 Importance of Research
1. A tool for building knowledge and efficient
learning.
2. Means to understand various issues.
3. An aid to business success.
4. A way to prove lies and support truths.
5. A seed to sharing valuable information
6. Nourish and exercise for mind
 Importance of Research to Man
• Research has improved
the quality of life.
• It improves education.
• Has satisfied man’s needs
and quest for knowledge.
• it reduced the burden of
work.
Salient Characteristics of Research
1. Empirical
2. Logical
3. Cyclical
4. Analytical/Mathematical
5. Reliable/Dependable
 Salient Characteristics of Research
1. Empirical
• it is something based on first-hand information, on
experience, facts, and unquestionable evidence.
• It is never based on opinions and it becomes a source
of knowledge that people can refer to.
 Salient Characteristics of Research
2. Logical
• it follows a process, there are specific stages that a
researcher must follow so that the research will
become valid producing reliable results.
3. Cyclical
• it starts with a problem and ends with another
problem
 Salient Characteristics of Research
4. Analytical/Mathematical
• a researcher has to analyze data to come up with the
meaning of the collected information. With numerical
data as primary information and statistical analysis it
makes it highly mathematical.
 Salient Characteristics of Research
5. Reliable/Dependable
• being based on own experience and incontestable
information, produce valid and reliable results.
Ethics of Research
How can a research
project be ethical?
Function of Ethics
• Norms promote the aims of research such as
knowledge, truth and evidence.
• Ethical standards promote the values that are
essential to collaborative work such as trust,
accountability, mutual respect and fairness.
Ethical Principles
1. Informed Consent
2. Assent (Minor as Respondents)
3. Protection from Mental and Physical Harm
4. Confidentiality, Anonymity, and the Concept
of Privacy
5. Referencing
Other Ethical Principles
• Honesty • Legality
• Objectivity • Social Responsibility
• Integrity
• Carefulness
• Respect for Intellectual
Property
• Confidentiality
• Non- Discrimination
Qualitative and
Quantitative
Research
 Qualitative Research Quantitative Research
Main data = Descriptions Main data = Numbers
Research tools: observation, interview, Research tools: test, checklist questionnaire,
group discussions, documentary analysis survey

Population: Based on the design, no Population: Uses sampling technique, the

required number more respondents the better

Uses the actual responses of the subjects Uses the quantitative representation of the
in the interpretation, taken individually subjects in the interpretation, take as one

Treatment of data: thematic Treatment of data: statistical

Uses IMFAD format Uses IMRAD format
Introduction Introduction
Method and Procedures Method and Procedures
Findings and Discussions Results and Discussion
Example
Situation:
• There is a French Café
located in a very high
and busy city.
• The Café is specialized
in high quality cakes.
Example
Problem: Decreasing Sales
• The owner would like to
find out what is consumers
want.
Question:
• How could the café find out
what the costumers want?
 Qualitative Research Quantitative Research
Focus Group Interviews Questionnaire
Set of answer option to choose
between
1 on 1 In-depth Interview Experiment
How many new cakes sold?
Observe Costumer Behavior Observation
How many enter/walk past in the
store?
 The answers in questions will help the owner to find out the
costumers want.
Characteristics
Qualitative and
Quantitative
Research
 Qualitative Research
• Open-ended Questions
• Cannot be quantified
(Counted)
• Uncovers motivations, feelings
and preferences
• Uncovers in-depth information
• Relatively low- cost
• Not representative
interpretation, subjective.
Quantitative Research
• Close-ended Questions
• Can be quantified (Counted)
• Predefined answer options
• Can be representative and
objective
• Relatively costly
• Can’t uncover in-depth/
detailed response.
Q&A
Week 1 Learning Task 1:
Directions: Answer the following questions
briefly and concisely.
1. What is the importance of research?
2. Discuss the goal of research.
3. Why is research important to your course?
4. How can I be an ethical researcher? Be
specific.