CHAPTER 1 : NATURE AND INQUIRY OF RESEARCH

LESSON 1 – RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE

The development of the society from its simple to complex state will reveal the many and
varied problems faced by human kind.
Thus, solutions to problems must be based on knowledge not on mere beliefs, guesses or
theories. To acquire knowledge and to continuously evaluate its accuracy and usefulness requires a
well planned and systematic procedure on which research has been devised to meet this need.
Research is a systematic investigation for information. It is a process of inquiring. This lesson
presents a discussion of what the process of inquiry entails and how it has become a method of
learning which leads individuals to get into research to find out solutions to existing or potential
problems. Topics distinguishing the types of researches alongside with the discussion of the research
process are included. The ethics of research is clearly spelled out as a guide towards applying the
ethical standards expected of researchers.

Nature of Inquiry

Inquiry is defined as "a seeking for truth, information or knowledge". The information is sought
through questioning. Individuals carry on the process of inquiry from birth till death. The process of
inquiry begins with gathering information and data through applying the various human senses.
Unfortunately, traditional educational system has discouraged the natural process of inquiry. Students
become more inhibited in asking questions and are not challenged either to answer high-level
questions. As they move through grade levels, students in traditional schools learn not to ask too
many questions; instead, they are asked to listen and repeat expected answers. This kind of training
is carried on even after they graduate.
The rationale why this is necessary is that generating and transmitting knowledge can move
from the known to the unknown and vice-verse. When knowledge moves from the unknown, there is
a need to generate that knowledge through research and experts. Content or knowledge is effectively
generated and transmitted through concepts, skills and habits of mind. Hence, the focus in education
must change from a focus on “what we know" to an emphasis of “how we come to know.”
(www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/
The exploratory nature of inquiry allows individuals particularly students to grapple with
different ways of looking at ideas and issues and to think creatively about problems that do not
possess simple (or perhaps even any) answer.
Applied to learning, the elements of inquiry-based process are multiple, varied and open to
selection. Different factors will be involved in different kinds of inquiries in different areas of
knowledge and at different levels of experience. They include the following:

1. selection of appropriate questions

2. formulation of appropriate questions
3. identification of key issues
4. search for valid and relevant evidence
5. interpretation and assessment of evidence
6. application of evidence to identified issues
7. presentation of coherent, conclusion, final or tentative
8. reflection on, and assessment of the learning process.

The arrival of new information in our lives, means much. Research is not a single activity. It is
multiple and adaptable.(https.//newcollege.asu.edu/writing-program/guide/elements-of-enquiry)//

Experience and Knowledge

Experience is a familiar and a well-used source of knowledge. As a student, you try several
routes in going to school. You try to find out which way takes the least time or the most traffic free or
most scenic. By going through personal experiences, you can find many answers to questions that
you may have. It has been said that experience is the best teacher.
Just as wisdom is passed on from one generation to the next as a result of experience. You
may have encountered difficulties as you were growing up but each experience is something that you
learn from- either it has given you a taste of success or failure.
However, one may be limited in terms of experiences as a source of knowledge. Events may
happen in the same way but may have different effects on individuals. You may enjoy hiking onto a
mountain top but another may choose spending his leisure lime in a mall. Taste may vary among
people. The ensuring realizations or learning may also have different consequences.
In education, observation at classroom situations may yield different results depending on who
the observer is and what he is focused on. Or the same event may be observed but one can look at
the positive aspects while the other can report on the negative ones. However, experience will always
be considered as a rich and practical source of knowledge.
For things though that are difficult or impossible to know by personal experiences, you may
turn to an authority. Particularly in research, knowledge is sought from other people who had
experienced what the problem is or some other sources of expertise. Everyday experiences would
show that we consult a lawyer for legal problems, a physician for health-related cases or a teacher for
academic matters. This consultation is not limited to people. For example, we use a dictionary to find
out the meaning of a difficult word, an encyclopedia to gel information on a certain topic as a research
to back up our own findings.
Authority is a quick and easy source of knowledge but it has also its shortcomings that you
must consider. First, authorities can go wrong. It can happen that people claim to be experts in a field
but may not have the knowledge to prove it. Second, you may find that authorities disagree among
themselves on issues, indicating that their authoritative statements are often more personal opinion
than fact.(Walker,2010).

What is Research?

Research is the systematic investigation and study of materials and sources to establish facts
and reach new conclusions. When you come across studies about events that happen or experiences
that you meet, they shape people's understanding of the world around them. In various spheres of
human life, research has come up with developing appropriate solutions to improve the individual's
quality of life. Although, it may take place in different settings and may use different methods,
scientific research is universally a systematic and objective search for reliable knowledge.
(Walker,2010)
Generally people find it difficult to do research. Many reasons are given for people to find
excuse in doing it. Most often, you are not aware of the benefits derived from conducting research.
Some benefits of conducting research include increasing personal knowledge.
Research is an act of studying something carefully and extensively in order to attain deep
knowledge. When done on a larger scale, research contributes to the welfare of humanity. It can be
creative, exploring or just reassuring in nature.

Research holds the following significant data:

1.To gather necessary information.

It provides you with all necessary information in the field of your wok or study and gives a basic
idea about the things needed. 1t helps you for a project to get acquainted with the processes and
resources involved. The information helps in the outcome of the project.
2.To make changes
Sometimes, there are built-in problems in a project or process that is hard to discover. It helps
you find the root cause and associated elements of a process. The end result is such a research that
invokes a demand for change and sometimes is successful in producing such changes. For example,
many researches conducted by the United Nations paved the way for environmental policies.
3.To improve the standard of living
Only through research can new inventions come into life. Imagine how communication would
have been had Graham Bell not invented the first ever practical telephone. Or what could life be
today had Martin Cooper not introduced to the world the concept of mobile phones. Addicted as we
are to mobile phones, we need to understand that all the luxuries and amenities that are now
available to us are the result of research done by an individual or a group.
4. For a safer life
Discoveries and development resulting from research have improved life expectancy and
health condition of humankind. New investors in medicine have led to the advent of drugs that not
only treat but prevent diseases from recurring.
5. To know the Truth
It has been proven time and again, that many established facts and known truth are mere lies
or rumors. Research is needed to investigate and expose these and bring out the truth.
6.To explore our history
Research about human history has enabled us to learn and understand more about our
forefathers and helped us learners from their mistakes and follow good things from their life.
 Research will give you knowledge about what could happen to our planet and therefore do
what are expected to be done.
7. To understand arts
Research also helps in the understanding and appreciation of the works of artists in literature,
painting and other fine arts. Research teaches you to relate arts with other branches or fields of study
(http://lifestyle.i love india.com/lounge/importance-of research-10978_html)

As individual students, you may be asked to write a research paper for these reasons:

 Research teaches methods of discovery

 Research teaches investigative skills
 Research teaches critical thinking
 Research teaches logic
 Research teaches the basic ingredients of argument (Lester, Sr &Lester Jr. 2005)

Why do Research?

The writing process will make you confident in your ability to find information and present it
effectively in varied ways. It may be on:

 A theme in freshman English on the value of good speaking

 A paper in history on the Presidents of the Philippines
 A report in a physics' class on the moon's effects on ocean tides
 An archaeological field paper on the burial practices of the early Filipinos
 A brief biographical sketch of a famous person like the current Nobel Prize in Literature
holder 2016,Bob Dylan

All those papers require some type of research writing. You will undertake such written activity
during your senior high school and will increase in frequency as you enter college.

Other motivations for getting involved in research are:

 You can get to investigate topics that may be of interest to you
 It can make you study (course work) more meaningful and you'll discover real world
application of what you're studying
 You can have hands-on, practical experience in your field of study

Research is a great way to network and meet new people. Undergraduate research allows you
to grow and uncover opportunities for later career. Undergraduate research is conducted in all
disciplines and encompasses a broad range of activities -from learning about research to discovering
new knowledge and creating new words. Research is about solving problems and answering
questions in all disciplines.

Forms of Undergraduate Research Experiences

 Class-based activities - such as naturalistic observation, surveys and experiments can
often be structured to train students in the steps of the research process.
 Class-based projects like term papers, service learning and community-based and
campus-based learning can be of a research nature.
 Capstone experiences like senior research projects and research tasks/ assignments
can allow students to develop and explore a research question of their own.
 Out-of-the-class student/faculty collaborative researches provide students opportunity to
work with faculty members on their own on-going research or on a project jointly
planned or designed by both.(serv.carleton.edu/introgeo/ studentresearch/Further-UR-
experience.html)

The old saying, "Give me a fish and I eat today. Teach me how to fish and I will eat for a
lifetime" can be applied to research training, to start with in the senior high school/ undergraduate
level up to the tertiary level. This quotation refers to students need to learn application skills. This
means that they have to engage personally in what they are doing. It also means learner's motivation
and hard work.
When you embark in research, you will need learning experiences composed of a knowledge
component described as the representation of facts, principles, concepts, procedures and/or theories
in a certain subject, characterized by learning, remembering and/or reproducing and a task
performance or skills development component. (nsuworks.nova.edu/tqu/vol7/iss2/3/).
If you desire to become competent researchers, you need to gain an understanding of the
various stages of the research process. Doing research is anchored on an experiential learning
approach where you will fuse and build principles with real-life experiences. In an undergraduate
research, experience rather than solely imparting facts about a topic to students is given attention.
The faculty help students learn that topic through a process of discovery.

LESSON 2 – IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH IN DAILY LIFE

The development of the society from its simple to complex state will reveal the many and varied
problems faced by human kind. The lesson at hand will illustrate the role of research in one's daily
life. Suffice it to say that challenges will come your way, either in the form of a question to be
answered or a problem to be solved, and it is in this instance that you need to employ research.
Thus, solutions to problems must be based on knowledge, not on mere beliefs, guesses or
theories. To acquire knowledge and to continuously evaluate its accuracy and usefulness requires a
well planned and systematic procedure on which research has been devised to meet this need.
Research can be found in different field of study and areas of interest and concern.

The Role of Research

Our everyday life has always been punctuated by exciting adventures, challenging situations
and surprising discoveries. When confronted with doubts and problems, you turn to finding out what
could be possible answers and solutions to them. This is where you embark on the process called
research. What is its importance? Research leads an expansion of knowledge and discoveries.
Research effects have led to breakthrough. Projections about future events like global warming have
also been determined thru research. Research is a systematic process of collecting and analyzing
data or information in order to increase understanding of a phenomenon. Other definitions given to
research are:
 It is an inquiry process.
 It is a formal process of problem solving.
 It is a set of procedures and stages.
 It originates with a question or a problem.
 Often it is an iterative process.

Lastly, research is important in providing a solid foundation for the

 discovery and creation of knowledge, theory-building.

 testing, confirmation, revision, and refutation of knowledge as theory.
 advance a discipline or field.
 advancements and improvements in various aspects of life.
 promotion and tenure of individuals.

The continued existence and importance of research which will last as long as there is a
human being who wishes to expand his knowledge and understanding about the world and
everything therein. Research is an act of studying something carefully and extensively in order to
have a deep knowledge.

Significance of Research

Research is undertaken because of some importance it has and does for individuals and the
society. Reasons for its significance are given as follows:

1.To gather necessary information

Research provides you with the necessary information related to your field of study or work.
For example, companies may do research before manufacturing a product.
2.To improve standard of living
Only through research can new inventions and discoveries come into life. How would life be
without Graham Bell and his telephone? Or what would have happened if Martin Cooper did not give
us the concept of mobile phones?
 3.To have a safer life
Research has done great discoveries and development in the field of health, technology,
nutrition and medicine. These things have improved life expectancy and helped in curing a lot of
diseases.
4.To know the truth
Research investigates and exposes what wrong beliefs people hold. Listening to different
opinions and studying facts and available data will lead you to unravel truth.
5.To explore our history
Research about our history enables us to learn and understand the past and prepare for a
better future.
6.To understand arts
Research helps us in understanding the works of artists in different fields of arts. Arts
contribute to the refinement of our sensibilities and cultivate values needed for our daily existence.

Research and Society

Our perceptions of the world, the way we experience our relationships with others, the
organizations of a society as a whole are profoundly influenced by the expansion of knowledge; both
in the exact sciences like mathematics, physics, biology and chemistry and the human and social
sciences like economics, law psychology and political science.
Research is closely connected with development. The results/findings of studies also affect
society and the lives of each one of us. Research is very vital to our everyday decision making. The
research you do and evidence you gather will be useful for future endeavors. It hones basic life skills
and makes learning a lifelong endeavor. Research fill in the need to love reading. writing analyzing
and sharing valuable information.

Research and Other Fields/Areas

Research leads to an expansion of knowledge and discoveries of new medical treatment and
cures. Research efforts have also led to break through in agriculture such as the introduction of high-
yield and drought-resistant varieties. Projections of the effects of global warming have likewise been
determined through research. Through research findings, psychologists are able to explain the
individual's behaviors including how people think and act in certain ways. This helps to determine
disorders and their impact on the person and society which can lead to developing or discovering
appropriate treatments to improve the individual's quality of life. In business, market research enables
companies to make forecasts and formulate the needed strategies to ensure their growth and
survival. Business properties conduct surveys and feasibility studies to find out the needs of the
community. In academic institutions, research may be done independently or as part of a group. It
can be a useful learning process, challenging students and teachers to work together. And grow
intellectually as they conduct their study. Research benefits therefore, can be seen and felt in the
following fields:

 Economic research refers to matters concerning the environment and which may lead to
improved techniques to ensure sustainable food production.
 Social research leads to an increased knowledge of people and their interactions with
one another, which could be relevant to policy makers.
 Environmental research focuses on improved techniques to ensure sustainable food
production.
 Cultural research leads to increased understanding of cultural values or social
approaches.
 Health research contributes to a better understanding of the causes of medical
conditions.(www.news.uwa.edu.au)

In general, research is an important aspect of any organization. In-house research can be

done in the different sectors of the organization.