NOTES

PRACTICAL
RESEARCH 2
a. Describes Background of Research (CS_RS12-Id-e-4)
b. Presents written statement of the problem (CS_RS12-If-j-8)

WEEK 4

DR. DIOMAR C. CAMAONGAY

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 RESEARCH BACKGROUND

Research background is the introduction section of a research paper. It needs to be written with
special care since it establishes the impression of the readers towards the research. It reveals the issue
or concern directing to the research by giving information about the problem. This information may have
something to do with the condition, context, or construct of the problem. A research problem is the
issue or concern that creates the necessity to conduct the research study. Therefore, points in the
research background needs to be strong so that audiences can feel the need for investigation.
Creswell (2014) suggested a model in writing a research introduction which is coined as THE
DIFICIENCIES MODEL OF AN INTRODUCTION. This approach in writing an introduction requires
researchers to find gaps or unresolved issues existing in the literature or research readings. The
following are the elements of the model which you may follow in writing your research background or
introduction:
1. State the research problem
2. Review studies that have addressed the problem
3. Indicate deficiencies in the studies
4. Advance the significance of the study for particular audiences
5. State the purpose statement

To help you understand the abovementioned elements, the author simplified them into questions
that you may answer to build up your research background section of your research paper.
1. What is the problem that you are trying to address?
2. What are the constructs in the problem that the audiences need to understand? How do you
define them?
3. What do other studies and literature say about the problem?
4. What are the deficiencies or issues in the studies or literature that leads to your problem?
5. Who will take significant of your research?
6. Why do you have to address the problem?

STATING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

The research problem is the issue or concern you are trying to address in your research. This
may not sprout necessarily from readings or literature. You may address problems in your study that
come from observation. However, it gives more strength to your research background if you can provide
baseline data as to the reason of the existence of your research problem. Baseline data are the results
of measurement before conducting a research study. Therefore, include baseline data as the
established reason of the emergence of your research problem.
Another important matter to be considered in stating your research problem as the first part of
your introduction is to define the constructs of your problem. Construct is the broad concept or topic in
your study. For example, if your research problem involves the mismanagement of time by the students,
time management is the construct that you must elucidate so that audience would know what it means
and how it is related in your study.

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REVIEWING STUDIES THAT HAVE ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM
In the next part of your research background or introduction, you have to review studies that
have addressed the problem or at least attempted to do so. There is no standard rule as to the number
of studies that you have to review. It depends if you think that you already have covered the majority
or the entire studies pertaining to finding solution to the problem at hand. For the sake if this research
endeavor, let us say that you will have to review at least three studies: one international study, one
national study, and one local study.
In case there is no local study finding solution to the problem at hand, you may consider having
two national studies in addition to one international study. This is to give additional strength to your
research background that the problem at hand is experienced worldwide if not nationwide. With the
absence of studies finding solution to the problem at hand doe to its uniqueness, you may consider
finding literature that talks about the problem. This literature is not necessarily research articles. It may
be articles from magazines, books, or journals.

DEFICIENCIES IN THE STUDY

Deficiency means the lack or inadequacy of solution to the problem. After reviewing studies that
have addressed the problem or at least attempted to do so, you have to point out the deficiencies in
the studies or literature you have reviewed. These deficiencies may have been caused by the design,
methodology, or external threats or factors affecting the result of the study causing to unresolve
problem. These deficiencies are to be addressed by your research study. In some manner, problems
may have been resolved by the researches or literature you have reviewed. Therefore, you may
consider replicating the methodology used in their study to see if it applies to the same problem in your
locality.
In a simple way of speaking, deficiencies are the gaps or issues encountered or contained in the
studies or literature you have reviewed. It is important to point them out to strengthen the baseline
leading to conveying the need of research.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

In this part of your research background, you have to itemize the people, group of people, or
institutions that may take advantage or significant of your study and how they will be able to experience
it. Through this, they will be interested in reading your research paper. Your study will be appealing to
them since it suggests or provide ways in addressing their problem or relating to it.

PURPOSE STATEMENT
Purpose statement is the expression of the intent or goal of your research work. In general
sense, your goal is to address the problem. However, there must be a specific objective that you would
like to achieve in addressing the problem. For example, you would like to correlate if malnutrition has
an effect to the class participation of the junior high school students in your school. Instead of saying
that your goal is to address the problem in malnutrition among junior high school students in your
school, you have to state the specific objective leading to this solution. This is because addressing the
malnutrition may require you to perform a very large scale action research or many research endeavors
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before fulfilling it. Therefore, state the specific objective instead of the broad one. It is noteworthy to
state the specific goal of your research study in the research background section so that the audience
will have the idea what outcome they will get by the end of the research study.
In qualitative research, the purpose statement can be discussed by the researcher in a separate
section. In quantitative research, the statement of the problem is used instead. The purpose of the
research study may be reiterated in the statement of the problem section. So, the research background
provides the researcher an avenue to explain the purpose of the research study—how it exists and a
glance of how it will be done. It will be discussed like a taste of a frosting on a cake. It means that you
will discuss briefly how the purpose of your research will be achieved. We say “discuss briefly” because
the thorough discussion will be done in the methodology section of your research paper.

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 STATING RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Research question in an investigative research are the specifically topical questions that one
must resolve to achieve research objective or test the research hypothesis. Take into consideration the
lines printed in bold in the example on the next page.

This study aims to cross compare the relationship of the extent of Facebook
utilization and the academic performance of the Grade 12 Computer Systems
Servicing (CSS) students of the Schools Division of Toledo City.
Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:
1. What is the extent of Facebook utilization of the Grade 12 CSS
students during the school year 2017-2018 when grouped by
school and by location?
2. What is the final average rating of Grade 12 CSS students
during the school year 2017-2018?
3. Is there a significant relationship between the extent of
Facebook utilization and the final general average of the
Grade 12 students?
4. Is there a significant difference with the extent of Facebook
utilization among the Grade 12 CSS students when grouped
by school and by location?

The lines printed in bold are the research questions in the study of Alferez, V. J., et al (2018) in
their research entitled Facebook Utilization and Students’ Performance.

Considerations in Creating the Research Questions

1. OBSERVABLE

Take note that there are some questions that require the researcher to be the one to observe
people, things, or phenomena. These questions do not need a respondent to answer a
questionnaire. Instead, researcher is the one who fills up a questionnaire that entails his expertise
as he or she is observing. Example of this question is shown below.

What is the degree of corrosion when the carbon steel plate is soaked to the following aquatic
situations:
a. sea water;
b. rain water; and
c. river water?

This type of question requires observation of the researcher by which he or she takes note
the progress of the study trough time.

2. COUNTABLE AND MEASURABLE

Above other considerations, research questions are deemed to arrive at answers that are
quantifiable since this course revolves around quantitative research. Therefore, it is essential that
you know what level of variable you are expecting your research question will give you—either
discrete or continuous. Furthermore, you also know what kind of statistical treatment you are going
to apply—either descriptive or inferential. Look at the example on the next page.

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 What is the profile of the waiter-respondents in terms of:
a. Number of years as waiter in the company;
b. Total number of years as waiter;
c. Salary bracket;
d. Age;
e. Educational qualification; and
f. Distance of home to workplace?

The type of research question presented above is important in some researches when the
study needs to compare or to find relationship between or among other variables in the study. This
research question gives discrete variables—either nominal or categorical. That makes the answer
of this question countable. In another sense, countable has a slight difference with measurable.
Measurable entails you to use an instrument to know how big or intense something that is hard to
count by hand. Look at the other example below.

What is the index of happiness of the waiter-respondents regarding their current

job in the company?

Index of happiness cannot be simply counted by hand. A researcher may use an existing
formula or may come up with his or her own procedure in knowing the index of happiness. In this
sense, happiness may not be counted, but it can be measured. Researcher may use a questionnaire
that allow waiter-respondents to answer how happy they are in their present job.

3. VERIFIABLE

One of the most important things in research is the establishment of truth and accuracy.
Therefore, research questions are thought to be verifiable which means that their answers must be
true and accurate. If not, the search for an answer to the research goal is forfeited. Furthermore,
the research question must not be bias of what you are trying to prove in your study. Remember
that you are searching for fact to find out the real answer, not fact to support what you believe is
true. Therefore, research questions need to be fact-finding instead of coercive. This can be done
by using accurate and neutral words. Also, state the research questions clearly and completely to
avoid confusion in the mind of the readers and of the future researchers who may replicate the
procedure of your study someday. Look at the example below.

Is Samsung S20 Ultra faster than iPhone 11 Pro Max?

This kind of research question seems to give the readers the impression that the researcher
is trying to prove that the first mentioned model is better than the latter one. To turn this question
into fact-finding one, the question may be revised into the example on the next page.

Is there a significant difference in speed between SamsungS20 Ultra and iPhone 11 Pro
Max?

Through this type of questioning, the reader finds out neutral and the focal point of the
question turns to the difference of the speed of the two models rather than which one is better.

4. FOCUSED LEADING TO FULFILLING THE MAIN OBJECTIVE

In quantitative research, answers to research questions do not just need to be quantifiable.

They must also contribute to be focused on the topic and its main objective. This means that all
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questions must contribute to achieving the main objective of the study. You ask what is relevant to
the topic only. Look at the example below.

Title of Research Study: Extent of Facebook Utilization and Academic Performance of the
Grade 12 Animation Students

1. What is the profile of the students in terms of sex and learning style?
2. What is the academic performance of the students?
3. What is the extent of Facebook utilization of the students?
4. Is there a significant relationship between the extent of Facebook utilization and the
academic performance of the grade 12 Animation students?

If you are going to take a loot at the title, it states extent of Facebook utilization and academic
performance. So, it is assumed that this research aims to find the kind or extent of relationship
between the two variables. Question number one in the example solicits the age and learning style
of the students. This talks another variables which are the sex and learning styles of the students
that are not part of the main objective of this research. Therefore, this research question may be
omitted. However, if this research question contributes to the relationship of the two variables in
such sex and learning styles may be treated as intervening variables affecting the relationship of
extent of Facebook utilization and academic performance of the students, then, you may include
the research question. Furthermore, discuss its relevance in your paper.

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“ Difference of opinion leads to inquiry,

and inquiry to the truth.

― Thomas Jefferson
”