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Practical Research 2
(Quantitative Research)

Quarter 3 – Module 4:
Stating the Research Problem
and its Fundamental Elements

Department of Education • Republic of the Philippines

Practical Research 2 – Grade 12
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 3 – Module 4: Stating the Research Problem and its Fundamental
Elements
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Schools Division Office – Malabon City:

Dr. Mauro C. De Gulan, SDS
Dr. Cynthia D. Ayles, ASDS

DEVELOPMENT TEAM OF THE MODULE

Author: MR. LOWELL G. ALFONSO

Editor: MR. EDMUN T. ANDRADE/MS. MARIA VERONICA FRANCISCO
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DR. JOSEFINA M. PABLO, CID Chief
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Department of Education: Schools Division Office – Malabon City

Office Address: Maya-Maya St., Longos, Malabon City

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
master the nature of Practical Research 2 (Quantitative Research). The scope of this
module permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The language used
recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow
the standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can be
changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using.

The module consists of one lesson, namely:

• Lesson 1 – The Quantitative Research Problem

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. identify the nature of quantitative research problem;
2. enumerate and determine the sources of research problems under quantitative
research;
3. differentiate a research question from a research problem;
4. follow the guidelines in formulating a quantitative research problem and research
questions;
5. understand the types of quantitative research questions; and
6. familiarize on the approaches to quantitative research questions.

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 What I Know

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. It is a statement about the area of concern, a condition to be improved, a difficulty

to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in
theory or in practice that points to the need for meaning understanding and
deliberate investigation.

A. Research Title C. Research Hypothesis

B. Research Problem D. Research Question

2. The following can be counted as sources of quantitative research problems

EXCEPT:

A. Related Literatures C. Political & Social Issues

B. Agencies and Institutions D. Textbook Questions

3. Which is equivalent to “What is the difference of X and Y?”?

A. Define X and Y, and compare them.

B. Differentiate X and Y.
C. Compare and contrast X and Y.
D. Determine the difference between X and Y.

4. The research question “How do variation on the concentration of liquid detergents

affect the sales of AAA Corporation?” is written in which type?

A. Hypothetical C. Relation
B. Descriptive D. Causal

5. Which of the following approach is used in deriving this research question?

Amount of Rainfall (Day 1) → Amount of Rainfall (Day 2)
➔ How can rainy season be declared in the Philippines?

A. Deductive C. Hypothetical
B. Inductive D. Causal

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 Lesson
The Quantitative Research
1 Problem

T
he highlight in doing any types of
research work is to identify the
research problem. This gives
researchers from various fields the
commencement of actual research work.
Similarly, the significance of the research
and the degree at which the research is
useful are being determined by the
research problem.

Fig. 1. Filipino scientists doing biomedical

researches in CoViD-19
(Source: Veejay Villafranca/ Asian Development
Bank/Flickr)

Activity No. 1: The Research Comic Plan

Task: Your teacher asked you to think of a research topic. Upon

your submission, your teacher asks you for your initial
plans before doing your research. Draw or sketch in the
comic box below your initial plans in carrying out your pre-
research. Add a description to each comic box.

What’s In

Sparked by your curiosity or interest, you get to ponder on a problem needing

answers. You resort to thinking of what to solve, whom to ask, where to go, and how to
do all the things you want to happen to find the answer to the problem. Behaving this
way, you are then confronted with a research problem.

A research problem is something that nurtures in your mind a difficulty or

uncertainty, enough to push you to do an empirical investigation whereby you search
for answers to a problem by collecting and analyzing data or information through which
you can find the right answer or solution.

In this module, you will learn the facets of research problem, how can these be
determined, written and identified.

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 What’s New

Nature of Research Problem

A research problem is a statement about the area of concern, a condition to be
improved, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly
literature, in theory or in practice that points to the need for meaning understanding
and deliberate investigation.
It is important to note that research problems can either be (1) declarative or (2)
interrogative.
Example:
1. What percentage of Malabon City public Senior High Schools consider the use
of Pre-Calculus textbooks as the most effective way to learn the prerequisites
of Basic Calculus? [Interrogative Form]
2. The main objective of this study is to find out the percentage of Malabon City
public Senior High Schools considering the use of Pre-Calculus textbooks as
the most effective way to learn the prerequisites of Basic Calculus.
[Declarative Form]
3. To what extent is the implementation of Barangay Lockdown Policy effective
in reducing the cases of CoViD-19 in Malabon City? [Interrogative Form]
4. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of
Barangay Lockdown Policy in Malabon City in reducing CoViD-19 cases.
[Declarative Form]

To change a research problem into different forms, just use an appropriate word related
to the previously used form.

Example:

1. What is business marketing? → Define business marketing.

2. What do we say on the trend of fashion in 2020? → Describe the fashion in
2020.
3. What is communicative competence? → Explain communicative
competence.
Sources of Research Problems
According to Edmonds (2013), one of the following could give rise to a quantitative
research problem:
1. Agencies of the government or any non-government institutions.
2. Your own experiences or genuine interest in something.
3. Previous research findings which you want to validate or consider as studies
suffering from some inconsistencies or discrepancies.
4. Present political, social or economic issues of the society.
5. Review of related literatures and studies.

One important characteristic of a good research problem is that it cannot be answered

using a direct research procedure or approach, e.g. questioning, testing etc. Hence,
we need specific sub-problems or questions which will help us specify the scope and
method of collecting and analyzing data and this give us the right direction in your
research – answering the research problem. These sub-problems or sub-questions are
called research questions.

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Like research problems, research questions can either be declarative or interrogative.

Example:

Research Problem: This study enables to understand how effective are the
IATF recommendations in controlling the spread of
CoViD-19 pandemic in the National Capital Region.
[Declarative Form]

Research Questions: 1. What are the recommendations prescribed by

the IATF in controlling the spread of CoViD-19
pandemic in the National Capital Region?
2. How do you describe the effectiveness of IATF
recommendations in terms of personnel management?
3. What are the problems encountered in the IATF
recommendations in terms of logistics and funding?
[Interrogative Form]

Note to Recall: The statement of the variables under consideration must now be
stated in the research questions. The underlined words in the
examples illustrate the target variables.

Activity No. 2: The Change is Coming!

Task: The table below shows a list of research problems or

questions from some researchers. Change the following to its
alternative form.

Declarative Form Interrogative Form

The study will determine the level of
implementation of No Child is Left
Behind policy by the Department of
Education.

What recommendations may be

forwarded to address the inflation rate
problems brought by CoViD-19
pandemic?
This aims to identify the similarities
and differences of prepaid and postpaid
internet service payment schemes.

Is there a significant difference on the

responses made by the two (2) groups
of respondents?

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 What is It

The following are the guidelines in formulating a quantitative research problem

and research questions.
1. Formulate a research problem that is researchable; meaning, open to empirical
investigation.
2. See to it that you state your quantitative research problem clearly, concisely, and
possibly, if under APA referencing style, not beyond 12 technical words.
3. Have your research problem focus on a general understanding of your research
topic.
4. Construct a research problem that mirrors the importance of carrying out the
research for finding answers or solutions to the problem.
5. Let your quantitative research problem/questions state the variables and their
relationship with one another.
6. Construct an introductory statement to present your research problem, which is the
main problem of your research.
7. State your research questions, not in the form of yes-or-no questions but in
informative questions.

What’s More

Types of Quantitative Research Questions

A quantitative research problem can generate a set of research questions or
sub-problems that fall under any of these types of research questions:
1. Descriptive Research Questions. These questions ask for the kind, qualifications
and categories of the subjects of participants. Example of this is the demographic
profile of the respondents.
2. Relation Research Questions. These questions for the nature and manner of
connection between or among variables. Example of this is the correlation
question.
3. Causal Research Questions. These questions ask for the reason behind the
effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable. Example of this is
an effect-determining question.

Approaches to Quantitative Research Questions

Likewise, you may start asking research problems or questions based on two
approaches:
1. Deductive Approach. This approach goes from bigger ideas such as theories or
concepts to smaller ideas.
2. Relation Research Questions. This approach goes from smaller ideas such as
examples to bigger ideas or complex ones.

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 Activity No. 3: Coloresearch!

Task: The following boxes contains series of research questions.

Color the box of the research question RED if it is a
descriptive research question, BLUE if it is relation
research question and YELLOW if it is a causal research
question. Further, color the approach box ORANGE if it is
deductive and GREEN if it is inductive.

1. What is the demographic profile of the

Research respondents in terms of:
Problem: a. age;
APPROACH
b. sex;
This research c. religious affiliation; and,
aims to d. civil status?
determine the 2. What is the level of satisfaction of the two (2)
satisfaction of groups of respondents on the performance of
residents local government officials in addressing
towards the community problems in terms of:
performance a. poverty; APPROACH
of local b. education;
government c. food hunger;
officials in d. health and sanitation; and
addressing e. security?
community 3. How can the identified relationship between
problems. problem resolution on food hunger and APPROACH
security be described?
Research 1. How effective is Citrus sinensis peels in
APPROACH
Problem: inhibiting the growth of Bacillus anthracis?
2. How effective is Citrus limon peels in
APPROACH
Identify the inhibiting the growth of Bacillus anthracis?
potential 3. How effective is Citrus paradisi peels in
APPROACH
antibacterial inhibiting the growth of Bacillus anthracis?
inhibitory 4. Do fruits from Citrus genus show an
effect of antibacterial activity against Bacillus APPROACH
Citrus fruits anthracis?

What I Have Learned

In this module, we have learned the following:

1. Research problems is a statement about the area of concern, a condition to be

improved, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in
scholarly literature, in theory or in practice that points to the need for meaning
understanding and deliberate investigation.
2. We need specific sub-problems or questions which will help us specify the scope
and method of collecting and analyzing data and this give us the right direction
in your research – answering the research problem. These sub-problems or sub-
questions are called research questions.
3. Research problems can be obtained through political, social or economic
problems, interests, literatures and studies, government and non-government
institutions and the likes.
4. Research problems and research questions can either be declarative or
interrogative.
5. Research questions can be written in three types – descriptive, relation or causal.
Also, it can be written in two ways – deductive or inductive.

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 What I Can Do

Activity No. 4 Arrange the Research Tasks

Task: Using numbers 1 – 5, rank the following chronologically.

Collection of Data Pre-Test

Forming of Research Questions Population Determination
Stating the Research Problem Post-Test
Identifying your Interest Sampling Procedures
Analyzing your Data Treatment or Testing

Activity No. 5 Be a Research Checker!

Task: The following are excerpt research problems and questions

from different sources. Identify the error in each of the
following. Explain why.

1. Research Problem

Who are the candidates in the 2016 presidential elections in the

Philippines last 2016?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Research Question

What are the compressive strengths, durability index and water

resistance of experimental cement-concrete blocks with ZnO additive as
to the following proportions:

a. 1 part ZnO – 99 parts cement mixture;

b. 2 parts ZnO – 98 parts cement mixture;
c. 3 parts ZnO – 97 parts cement mixture; and
d. 0 parts ZnO – 100 parts cement mixture?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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 Assessment

MULTIPLE CHOICES. Read the following questions below. Choose the letter of the
correct answer. Write the letter of the correct answer on the space provided before each
number.

__________1. Which of the following words could appear on a causal research question?

A. relationship C. effect
B. difference D. satisfaction

__________2. Charizza started her research investigation because she is curious why
roses and various flower types tend to increase price during February and November.
Which of the following sources of research problems was utilized by Charizza?

A. government agency C. related literature

B. interest D. societal problems

__________3. Which of the following is a declarative equivalence to the research problem

“to enumerate the roots of societal clustering”?

A. What are societal clustering?

B. What are the effects of societal clustering?
C. What are the factors affecting societal clustering?
D. What are the causes of societal clustering?

__________4. A teacher from Malabon knows how to manage his time. Same trend can
be seen from a teacher in Navotas, a teacher in Makati, a teacher in Mandaluyong
and a teacher from Pasig. These statements are used as basis to drive the research
question “How effective teachers in NCR are in managing time?”. The approach used
in identifying the research question is:

A. deductive C. experimental
B. inductive D. hypothetical

__________5. Which of the following is NOT a descriptive research question?

A. What is the demographic profile of the respondents as to age?

B. What are the problems encountered by the three (3) groups of
respondents as to the aforementioned variables?
C. What is the effect of Cocos nucifera shell methanolic extract
on the antibiotic property of tetracycline against S.
pneumoniae?
D. What is the average increase in price of tomatoes, per
kilogram, from 2011 to 2020?

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 Additional Activities

Technical Writing!
TASK: Now that you have an idea what research problems and questions are, you
may now work with your research mates to form the following parts of
Chapter 1. Utilize your previous learnings in the first four (4) modules to
make your first draft. Submit your draft either physically or digitally or as
advised by your research teacher.

1. Introduction or Background of the Study

2. Theoretical Framework
3. Conceptual Framework
4. Statement of the Problem

Answer Key

What I Know
Assessment Activity

1. C
A Answers may vary.
2. D
B
3. B
D
4. D
B
5. B
C

Bibliography
Baraceros, E. (2016). Practical Research 2. Manila, Philippines: Rex Book Store, Inc.
Villafranca V., (2020, May 9). [Philippines: COVID-19/Asian Development Bank].
Retrieved July 6, 2020, from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/asiandevelopmentbank/49931860098/in/photo
stream/

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