Formulating the

Research Questions
• Research questions are important
components of your research which help
define the research problem of your study.

• They indicate specific concerns related to

your research problem that your study also
intends to answer. They are classified into
general and specific types.
• Once the problem is identified in
quantitative studies, researchers
state a more specific research
question, statement, and/or
hypothesis that sets the stage for
the study.
• It is in these questions and
statements that researchers
specify the nature of the
variables, the logic of the
design, and sometimes, an
indication of the population.
• Once the problem is identified in
quantitative studies, researchers
state a more specific research
question, statement, and/or
hypothesis that sets the stage for
the study.
The question format is preferred because it is simple and direct.
Psychologically, it orients the researcher to the immediate task: to
develop a design to answer the question. Research questions may be
descriptive questions, relationship questions, or difference
questions. Each type of question implies a different design (Figure 3.5)
 Descriptive Questions

Studies using descriptions typically use frequencies,

percentages, averages, total scores, graphs, and other indicators
of how much or how frequently something has occurred. There are
no comparisons or correlations, and often there are no independent
variables.

• What is the achievement level of fourth-grade students on the

state accountability test?
• What are parents’ beliefs about the best way to redraw school
boundaries?
• What do teachers perceive to be the area in which they would like
training for professional development?
 Nonexperimental Relationship Questions: Differences and
Correlations

• Correlational research is interested in finding out the

relationships among two or more variables. However, it
only establishes mere association and not causal
relationships.

In most quantitative studies, the purpose goes beyond

description to examine relationships among variables. The
term relationship is used extensively. It refers to how one
variable relates to another.
 Nonexperimental Relationship Questions: Differences and
Correlations

• Nonexperimental relationship questions include two types.

One type analyzes differences or comparisons between
groups of subjects.

Examples:

Do sixth-grade students have stronger motivation than fifth-grade

students? What differences exist in the motivation of students across
grade level? both of these questions there is an implied relationship
between grade level and motivation. That is, can stronger student
motivation be predicted by knowing the grade level?
 Nonexperimental Relationship Questions: Differences and
Correlations

Excerpt 3.13 the authors indicate that grade level is the

independent variable in a relationship study that examines
differences in student attitudes.
 Nonexperimental Relationship Questions: Differences and
Correlations

• A second, more common type of nonexperimental relationship

question uses a correlational procedure rather than differences
between groups.

• This typically is done with two continuous variables—for

example, socioeconomic status, achievement, self-concept,
attitudes.

• The intent is to measure the relationship with a correlation

coefficient. Often the stated purpose is to predict one variable
from another.
 Nonexperimental Relationship Questions: Differences and
Correlations

• To what extent do preservice ratings during student teaching

predict teaching effectiveness?
• Do preschool aptitude test scores predict achievement in
kindergarten and first grade?
• What is the predictive relationship between first-semester
grades of college students and retention?
• Do SAT scores predict success in college?
• The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between
socioeconomic status and achievement of students attending rural
high schools.
Wr i t i n g t h e S c o p e a n d
Delimitation
• The Scope specifies the coverage of
your study such as variables, population
or participant, and timeline.
• defines where and when the study is conducted
and who are the subjects/ respondents

• deals with the extent of the study to be

conducted
• Delimitation describe the boundaries
that the researcher have set for the
study

• these are choices made by the

researcher which should be
mentioned in the study
Delimitations

• things that you are not doing as a

researcher (and why you have chosen
not to do them);

• literature you will not review (and why

not);
 Limitation Delimitation
shortcoming, condition or The boundary of the
influence that cannot be research study arising from
controlled by the researcher the researcher’s decision of
that places restrictions on what to exclude
his/her methodology and
conclusions

Key word: weakness Key word: boundary

The components of the scope and delimitation include (but are
not limited to) the following :

1.Topic of the study

What are the variables to be included
and excluded?
The components of the scope and delimitation include (but are
not limited to) the following :

2. Objectives of the study and the issues it

will address

Why are you doing this study?

The components of the scope and delimitation include (but are
not limited to) the following :

3. • Time frame in which the study will be

conducted

When are you going to conduct this

study?
The components of the scope and delimitation include (but are
not limited to) the following :

5. The locale or area where the study will

be conducted

Where are you going to gather your

data?
The components of the scope and delimitation include (but are
not limited to) the following :

5. The locale or area where the study will

be conducted

Where are you going to gather your

data?
The components of the scope and delimitation include (but are
not limited to) the following :

5. Method and Research Instruments.

How are going to collect the data?

The scope and delimitation of the
study must not be set merely for the
sake of writing them. You must make
sure that there are reasons for the
inclusion and exclusion of some
variables. These reasons vary
depending on the nature of the study.
For example, you may choose to delimit the participants
to a particular city/community due to a large population.
You may also choose to limit the objectives your study
will accomplish due to time constraints. You may use the
following phrases when writing this section:

This study covers... This study focuses on... The

coverage of this study... This study is limited to...
This study does not cover..