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PR 1 Identifying The Inquiry and Stating The Problem

The document outlines the objectives and components of identifying a research problem and formulating research questions. It emphasizes the importance of differentiating between a research problem and a research question, and provides guidelines for constructing a clear research problem statement. Additionally, it discusses the significance of the study, the scope and delimitation, and the necessary elements for presenting a written statement of the problem.

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Sharina Montreal
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33 views11 pages

PR 1 Identifying The Inquiry and Stating The Problem

The document outlines the objectives and components of identifying a research problem and formulating research questions. It emphasizes the importance of differentiating between a research problem and a research question, and provides guidelines for constructing a clear research problem statement. Additionally, it discusses the significance of the study, the scope and delimitation, and the necessary elements for presenting a written statement of the problem.

Uploaded by

Sharina Montreal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Identifying the Inquiry and Stating the

Problem: The Research Problem and


Research Question

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of one hundred twenty-
minute period, the learners will be able to:

1. Differentiate between a research problem and a


research question, and describe how they guide the
research process.
2. Engage actively in discussions and activities that
evaluate well-structured research problems and
questions.
3. Construct a clear and concise research problem
statement with at least three related research
questions based on a selected topic.

REVIEW:
In the previous lesson, you learned to how to choose
research topics and write a title. Following those rules
and what to avoid had guide you to create a good topic
for your research. You have the sources of research
topics which you can use to find a researchable topic.
Even your work experiences can be a clue to a
research topic which relates to daily life situations.
I. An Overview of the Research Problem and
Research Question
Chapter I of the research paper is called The Problem
and Its Background
(sometimes also called The Introduction)
 It is composed of the following sections:
1) Background of the Study,
2) Statement of the Problem,
3) Scope and Delimitation, and
4) Significance of the Study.
Others have sections such as Objectives of the Study,
Hypotheses but these will not be considered in this
lesson

What is a research problem?

 The Research Problem (According to Calderon &


Gonzales,1993)
A problem is “any significant, perplexing, and
challenging situation, real or artificial,
the solution of which requires reflexive thinking”. In
research, it is known as the research topic or research
title.

An illustration showing the description between a


research topic, research problem, purpose statement
and research question.
A. Background of the Study
 Purpose of background of the study
a. The general definition of the topic/problem area
b. Historical basis for the existence of the
problem
c. Efforts made towards addressing similar
challenges
d. How the efforts failed to be realized hence the
need for your study
 Contents of the background of the study:
a. Presentation of the problem. Describe the
existence of an unsatisfactory
condition or a problem that needs a solution.
b. Historical background of the problem - Give the
historical background of the
problem, if applicable.
c. Geographical conditions of the study locale - If
applicable, describe the
geographical location of the study.
d. Rationale of the study - Give the reason(s) why
the study should be conducted.

 The Do’s and Don’ts of Writing a


Research Background Study
B. Statement of the Problem
(Purpose Statement and Research Questions)
A series of questions used in researching the topic.
It is composed of
1. The general statement of the problem (the purpose
statement) and
2. The specific sub-problems or sub-questions (or
research questions).

 Guidelines in Writing the Statement of the


Problem
(According to Calderon & Gonzales,1993)
1. The general statement of the problem and the
research questions should be formulated first before
conducting the research.
2. Research questions should be stated in the
interrogative and each should be clear to avoid
confusion.
3. Each research question should be researchable
separately from the other questions
and must be based upon known facts and phenomena
which is accessible to the researcher.
4. Answers to each research question can be
interpreted apart from the answers to the other specific
questions and must contribute to the development of
the whole research study.
5. The summary of the answers to all the specific
questions will give a complete development of the
entire study.
6. The number of research questions should be
enough to cover the development of the whole
research study.
C. Scope and Delimitation of the Study
 Scope of a Study
It is the coverage of the research to be explored which
includes the facts and
theories about the subject
Example:
A research study on the impact of social networking on
the attitude of senior high school learners.

It is not possible to cover all aspects of the selected


subject. The scope will have to be restricted to a
specific section of the target population over a
specified duration.

In the above-cited study, a group of 40 learners in


senior high school at one particular school would be an
ideal coverage to study their attitude for five months.

 Delimitation of a Study
It limits the scope and outlines the boundaries of the
study.
These limitations include the following:
1. Sample size.
a. The research design and method will determine
whether if it is small or large sample size.
b. The sample size will determine the quality of data
and the relationships that will be identified among the
variables.
2. Lack of available and/or reliable data.
This will limit the scope of analysis and the ability of
the researcher to determine meaningful trends and
relationships among the data.
3. Lack of prior studies.
This will limit the effectiveness of the literature
review and initial understanding of the research.
4. Chosen data collection method.
The quality of data collected must be clear to avoid
erroneous answers from the respondents.
5. Nature of the information collected.
Researcher should not rely on pre-existing data.
6. Access.
The amount and quality of available data will depend
on the ability of the researcher to access people,
organizations, libraries, and documents.
7. Time period.
It is advisable to select a research problem and
design
8. Bias.
The researcher should be aware of his or her
personal biases .
9. Language.
This may have an effect on data collection, especially
if the researcher is
involved with respondents that speak a variety of
languages.

When writing the paper, the researcher should


ensure that any delimitation factor is noted down at
the introduction, discussion, and conclusion sections.
He or she should clarify why the study included and
excluded some delimitation.

D. Significance of the Study


 The significance of the study discuss the purpose
that the research will serve to society, the country,
the government, the institution or agency
concerned, the curriculum planners and
developers, and the research community.
 Describes the contribution of the study to the
existing body of knowledge.
It could be the following:
a. A form of new knowledge in the field,
b. A validation of the major findings of other studies,
c. A verification of the validity of findings in a different
population,
d. Analysis of trends over time, and validation of
other findings using different
methodologies.
 The researcher must identify specifically the
beneficiaries who will directly gain from the
results of the study mentioning them in the paper
according to the significance of the result. The
specific benefits must also be enumerated and
explained if necessary.

II. Presenting Written Statement of the Problem


The following sections compose the presentation of the
written statement of the
problem
1. Introduction
States briefly the background of the study and
identifies the rationale of the research problem.
It begins with a general statement of the problem,
outlines the specific problem or issue within the
existing literature.
2. Statement of the Problem
States clearly the purposes or interest of the study,
poses specific questions about research problem.
3. Scope and Delimitation
Sets the boundaries and parameters of the study,
narrows the scope of the inquiry.
4. Significance of the Study
Shows the benefits of the study to address issues and l
problems, in improving economic and health conditions
or even finding solutions to problems encountered in
daily life.

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