RESEARCH PROBLEM

LEARNING COMPETENCY:
Develop a research problem/question.

LEARNING COMPETENCY:
1. Identify questions either good scientific or poorly worded
questions.
2. Develop research questions based on interesting topics.
3. Create potential research questions based on the topics
provided.
SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS
• A scientific query is a question that can lead to a
hypothesis and help us answer (or find out) the
explanation for any observation.
• Asking a scientific question is part of the scientific
process
• There are certain characteristics of a good science
problem.
 Real answers
 Testable
 inference that is falsifiable
SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS

• Scientists ask many questions.

• These questions come as scientists observe the
world around them.
• Some questions are scientific, and others are
not.
 QUESTIONS

NON-
SCIENTIFIC
SCIENTIFIC
• NON-SCIENTIFIC - When A question has different
answers depending on whom you ask.
 Is the pond big or small?
 Is she beautiful?

• SCIENTIFIC - questions that can be tested and evaluated

using defined steps and calculation methods.

 How fertilizers affect the growth of plants?

 What type of water will dissolve the ice faster?
TESTABLE QUESTIONS

 At what temperature does water boil?

 Does the planet Venus have phases like the moon?

 If we change the amount of water, how does it affect the

growth of the okra plant?

 What happens to the growth of a plant if we change the type

of fertilizer being used?
Tips on Asking Good Scientific Questions

 Begin by asking several questions about a topic.

 Eliminate questions that cannot be answered by direct
observation or by gathering evidence.
 Break broad questions into smaller questions that can be
investigated one at a time.
 Word questions in a way that allows them to be answered by
an experiment.
Tips on Asking Good Scientific Questions

 Here are some good ways to begin scientific questions:

 “What is the relationship between . . . ?”

 “What factors cause . . . ?”
 “What is the effect of . . . ?”
Developing a Strong Research Question

• A good research question is essential to guide

your research paper, project, or thesis.

• It pinpoints exactly what you want to find out

and gives your work a clear focus and purpose.
Developing a Strong Research Question
• All research questions should be:
 Focused on a single problem or issue.
 Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources.

 Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints.

 Specific enough to answer thoroughly.
 Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or
thesis.

 Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly.

How To Write A Research Question
• The process of developing your research question follows
several steps:
 Choose a broad topic
 Do some preliminary reading to find out about topical debates and
issues
 Narrow down a specific topic that you want to focus on
 Identify a practical or theoretical research problem that you will
address.
 When you have a clearly-defined problem, you need to formulate
one or more questions.
DEVELOPING A RESEARCH QUESTION
1. DEFINE THE TOPIC AREA
 In a sentence or two, describe your broad topic or area of
research. (Example: “Smoking cessation.”)
2. DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM
 In a sentence or two, describe a problem that could be addressed in
your topic or area of research.
 (Example: “Smokers often relapse because of complex physical and
psychological factors.”)
3. SPECIFY THE GAP & JUSTIFY THE INVESTIGATION
 What is unknown or unresolved? Why should we bother
investigating it? (Example: We don’t know what combination of
physical and psychological factors is most often associated with
smoking relapse.)
DEVELOPING A RESEARCH QUESTION

4. CREATE THE RESEARCH QUESTION

 Brainstorm as many questions as you can think of that relate to

your research topic/problem/gap.

 Try starting questions with what, why, when, where, who, and
how; in general, avoid questions that will result in only “yes” or
“no” answers.
DEVELOPING A RESEARCH QUESTION
4. CREATE THE RESEARCH QUESTION

 Draft a primary question: Do you see one main question emerging

from the list above? If not, try doing some additional reading or
thinking, or talk to your teacher or an expert (Example: How do the
physiological and psychological effects of smoking make it
difficult for young adults to quit smoking?)

 Draft secondary research questions: What information do you need

to gather to answer your primary question? (Example: Before we
can answer the question of “how” physiological and psychological
effects make it difficult to quit smoking, we need to identify what
the key effects are.)
 RESEARCH PROBLEM RESEARCH QUESTION
The teachers at school X do What practical
not have the skills to recognize techniques can teachers at
or properly guide gifted school X use to better identify
children in the classroom. and guide gifted children?
TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• Both qualitative and quantitative research requires

research questions.

• The kind of question you use depends on what you want to

find out about and the type of research you want to do. It
will shape your research design.
 TYPE OF FORMULATION
RESEARCH
Descriptive What are the characteristics of X?
Research
Comparative What are the differences and similarities between X and Y?
Research
Correlational What is the relationship between variable X and variable Y?
Research
Exploratory What are the main factors in X?
Research What is the role of Y in Z?
 TYPE OF FORMULATION
RESEARCH
Explanatory Does X have an effect on Y?
Research What is the impact of Y on Z?
What are the causes of X?
Evaluation What are the advantages and disadvantages of X?
Research How well does Y work?
How effective or desirable is Z?
Action How can X be achieved?
Research What are the most effective strategies to improve Y?