INTRODUCTION readers.

As such, sufficient background can

assist the investigator in determining the
The introduction is important in establishing the boundaries of the study
cognitive setting of the research. It has the following - This part is derived from different literature
elements: sources.
1. Rationalization of the need to research on the - The use of various references is crucial in this
problem part of the first chapter.
2. Clarification of the important terminologies for the EXAMPLE:
reader to easily understand what the research is
As teaching is considered to be a complex activity
about (Medley, as cited in Iqbal, 1996), the scholars and researchers
3. Establishment of the degree of seriousness of the in the field of education have since long been exploring into
problem which prompted the researcher to look for and analyzing the teaching phenomenon. Teaching is an
solutions. arrangement and manipulation of a situation in which a learner
tries to overcome the learning problems. Teaching is also a
The following questions can aid the researcher in multidimensional set of activities intended to facilitate learning
formulating the introduction: (Torrington et al., 2003). However, it is universally recognized
that teachers’ instructional performance plays a key role in
1. What is the rationale of the problem? students’ learning and academic achievement (Panda and
- This question is answered by sharing the Mohanty, 2003).
reasons why the researcher decided to look for
solutions to the problem. 4. How serious is the chosen research
- A rationale may include the narration of problem?
personal experiences, a description of an - The researcher is tasked to identify the
intensity and magnitude of the problem.
article read, a scene witnessed, a news heard,
- When the gravity of the problem has already
or a theory that needs to be clarified.
been described, he or she may then gauge the
- The researcher should describe the existing
kind of action to be used to identify the
and prevailing problem based on his or her
problem.
experience.
- In most cases, the researcher at this point
- The researcher should describe the existing
looks for statistical or quantitative evidence to
and prevailing problem based on his or her
assess the significance of the problem at hand.
experience.
EXAMPLE:
EXAMPLE:
Based on the DepEd Division Memo series 2012,
As a Grade 12 student, Arjohn David, experienced among the 12 schools with the most poorly performing
some difficulties in performing well because of various students, Puting Capunitan Elementary Schools ranked 12th.
factors such as the attitude of his teachers as well as their
teaching methods, the absence of laboratory facilities, and
inadequacy of books in the library. He is having difficulties 5. What is the general objective of the
in his quizzes and class performance. problem?
- This is the general statement of the problem
or the major tasks of the researcher to
2. What is the setting of the problem? discharge and should also be the basis of the
- The setting forms part of the delimitation of enumerated statements of specific problems.
the study.
- It defines the geographic boundaries and EXAMPLE:
certain demographic characteristics of the
research. With the abovementioned scenario and situations,
it is the main objective of the researcher to determine the
- This describes the place where the research
common reasons of the poor performance of the students.
was conducted, since the setting has a Therefore, the research findings on that objective become
significant bearing on the variables being the basis of an intervention program for school
studied. effectiveness.
- In the description of the setting, its distinctive
characteristics must be highlighted. 6. What is the overall purpose of the
problem?
EXAMPLE:
- It is important to note that the researcher
As a Grade 12 student, Arjohn David, experienced must be totally aware of the purpose of the
some difficulties in performing well because of various factors research problem. He or she must fully
such as the attitude of his teachers as well as their teaching understand the implications of the resulting
methods, the absence of laboratory facilities, and inadequacy findings of the study.
of books in the library. He is having difficulties in his quizzes
and class performance. EXAMPLE:
This is mainly for the purpose of letting the
3. What is the basic literature foundation of students acquire the needed competencies before
the study? graduation and enabling the school to perform better in the
- This is different from the review of the related Regional Achievement Examinations.
theories, conceptual literature, and research
literature.
- This part seeks to provide the researcher
clarity on the terms or variables used in the
study.
- The terms and variables must be clear to the
researcher for an easy understanding of the
 Introduction Sample:

Predictors of Students’ Performance in Chemistry Laboratory of Selected Private Schools (Estrella,

2009)

Rationale

Experimenting is one of the tasks in a science class. No science course is ever complete unless each
student has been given the opportunity to conduct an experiment. It opens opportunities to students to be
exposed to hands-on activities where they discover the answers to their scientific queries. Laboratory activity
requires students to use many of the other scientific process skills like observation, measurements, inference,
prediction, and generalization. All levels of students from primary, secondary, and tertiary levels conduct
laboratory activities. It is a well-known fact that college students taking up professional courses cannot do away
with science as one of their basic subjects. However, it has been observed that students still find difficulties even
in identifying common laboratory apparatus and following simple procedures. This is despite the fact that they
have been already exposed to science activities during their high school years.

Setting of the problem

To cite, they have Integrated Science in their first year, Biology in their second year, Chemistry in third
year, and Physics in their fourth year. It is therefore, expected that they are already familiar with the basics in
science experiment. However, this is not the case. Most of the time, the teacher repeats simple laboratory
procedures, whereby, it must be explained properly “to the letter,” and all the observations would lead the teacher
to teach the “ABCs” of doing a laboratory activity so that they can perform it correctly. In addition, the teacher
would have to orient the students on the basic and the most commonly used laboratory apparatus.

Literature foundation

However, as cited by Cuyegkeng (2008), in the Philippine educational system, one of the most disturbing
problems is the poor achievement of Filipino students in the areas of science and technology. Educators agree
that one of the major causes of this problem has to do with the method of facilitating the learning of science
concepts, processes, and poor laboratory practices inside the classroom. Somehow, this indicates that the current
methods do not fully develop the skills of both students and teachers. Also, Puno (2005), citing specific issues
concerning higher education, mentioned that academic excellence must be viewed in terms of excellence in
practical or applied learning theories. Application of these theories and concepts will make the learner a
productive member of society. It is not the quantity of knowledge but more importantly how much of these
knowledge can be put to good use. We need graduates whose lives will be full of action and not merely have heads
which are just full of facts.

Seriousness of the problem

Earlier studies show that one of the problems of students, in general, is the failure to connect the
chemistry principles they have learned in class with the problems in the real world. They fail to appreciate
chemistry concepts and draw connections between them, because chemistry is usually presented as a very
theoretical, abstract body of knowledge. This is especially true if the teacher is not properly trained, which is often
the sad plight of Philippine secondary schools. Coupled with poor learning facilities and materials, the result is a
failure in science education. All these ideas point to the significance of learning by doing. For this reason, it is
viewed that in studying science, students may not only be more on theories but application as well. There are
many experiments that may be conducted and performed in any science unit of study, and yet conducting them
may not be that effective and the mark of knowledge is absent.

General objective
At present, the researcher, as a college instructor, is experiencing the abovementioned scenario in science
education. If not dealt with properly, it might result to poor performance in science laboratory activities. It is in
this light that this research was conducted to determine the factors affecting the student’s performance in
Chemistry laboratory.

General purpose
To improve the performance of science instructors, which will result to improved student performance in
achievement examinations and a positive impact on school effectiveness