COMMON TERMS IN INQUIRIES, INVESTIGATIONS AND IMMERSIONS

Research - A systematic inquiry conducted to understand a phenomenon which involves accurate

gathering and recording, critical analyses, and interpretation of facts about the phenomenon for
theoretical or practical ends.

FORMS OF RESEARCH
Basic Research - Focuses on the advancement and production of new knowledge. This form of research
is used by academicians and scientists, and the primary consumers.
Applied Research - Focuses on addressing a specific concern or usually offers a solution to a social
problem. It is a small-scale study that introduces practical results that can be used in the short term.
Usually done by practitioners in the business sector, government, health care sector, social service
organizations, political organizations, and educational institutions.

Research Problem - It is an issue that leads to the need for a study. It is the central idea of the study. It
also serves as the main reason why research is being undertaken.
Conceptual or Theoretical Frameworks - These are perspectives, points of views, models, or frames of
references usually made up of assumptions, theories, and concepts that are used by the researcher in
the organization of observation, reasoning, analysis, and interpretation of research data.
Theoretical Framework - The application of a theory or theories in explaining the existence of a
phenomenon and the interrelationship of various factors which led to the existence of the
phenomenon. Using this framework, the researcher borrows the concepts, theories, and ideas
proposed by different social scientists, theorists, and philosophers.
Conceptual Framework - Uses concepts from theories. The researcher finds a variable in the
study that corresponds to the concept as it was used in the theory from which it was taken.

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
Introduction / Background of the Study - The introduction leads the reader from a general subject area
to a particular topic of inquiry. It establishes the scope, context, and significance of the research being
conducted by summarizing current understanding and background information about the topic, stating
the purpose of the work in the form of the research problem supported by a hypothesis or a set of
questions, explaining briefly the methodological approach used to examine the research problem,
highlighting the potential outcomes your study can reveal, and outlining the remaining structure and
organization of the paper. This section can be written even before you begin your research. In one to
several paragraphs, give specific background information on your project. Include a statement of
purpose, the theory behind your research and what you are trying to accomplish. Give background
information on your topic. When making a statement that is not common knowledge, you must cite the
source of your information. The introduction should give a brief background of the study, describe
relevant developments in the literature to date, and describe the objectives and scope of the study
Hypothesis - A verifiable proposition or a tentative statement that clearly explains the relationship
between two variables about how the social world operates. It has two main elements. First, it must
state the relationship between two variables. Second, it must express a causal or cause-effect relation
between two or more variables.
Significance of the Study - Explains its relevance and contribution to the field. It must be explained as
clearly as possible so that readers will understand the necessity to pursue the research. It must explicitly
state the contribution of the study to the body of knowledge about the subject matter i.e., the study
adds new knowledge to the existing scholarly literature on the topic, fills up the gaps in the existing
knowledge, and confirms or contradicts a theory, a concept, or methodology. Also, it can help address or
solve an existing social or political problem and that different sectors of the society will benefit from the
study. The sector must be identified that will gain much from the study and explain what each sector will
gain from the research.
Scope and Limitations of the Study - It define the extent and focus of the research. It refers to the
specific topics or coverage of the research. The geographic location should be clearly explained, the unit
of analysis, or the people or population to be studied, the time period of the research, and the questions
that will be answered by the study. On the other hand, the topics that will not be looked into the study
will also serve as a clear guide of the limits and conditions of the research.
Definition of Terms - Giving clear definitions so that readers may understand and avoid
misinterpretation.

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Review of Related Literature - A written summary of published research studies and relevant works
about a particular subject matter that is related to the researcher's main topic.
Periodicals - Newspapers, popular social science magazines, professional publications (e.g.
National Geographic and Psychology Today), Internet news summaries, opinion magazines,
editiorials, and mass market publications (e.g., Time, Newsweek, The Economist).
Scholarly Journals - Peer-reviewed or abstracted refereed journals containing research results of
social scientists and other researchers (e.g. Malay, Asian Studies, Philippine Studies, American
Sociological Review, Philippine Social Science Review). Scholarly journals that can be accessed
online (e.g., JSTOR and EBSCO HOST), e-journals or Internet only scholary journals that publishes
online peer-reviewed researches (e.g., Philippine e-journals), and article or book reviews that
contain literature review essays that provide journal article or book commentary and
evaluations.
Books - Original research results or a compilation of research articles published by university
presses such as University of the Philippines Press, Ateneo de Manila University Press, De La
Salle University Publishing House, and University of Santo Tomas Publishing House).
Dissertation and Thesis - Written by graduate students some are published while others are
unpublished and can be accessed in the university libraries.
Government Documents - Published by the national government, local government units,
government agencies, and international agencies.
Policy Reports and Conference Papers - Published by government and private research
institutes and policy centers. Professional organizations that hold annual conferences have
scholarly papers presented in them.
Exploratory Research - Conducted to know more about the problem.
Descriptive Research - Conducted to provide picture of the concepts or ideas about a topic or
problem. The researcher describes the nature of variables used in the study.
Explanatory Research - Aims to explain the reasons and causes of a problem or issue. It explains
the causes, reasons, and sources of different social behavior, beliefs, situations, and events.
Survey Research - A quantitative research that provides numerical description of trends,
attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample population. This strategy requires
the use of questionnaires or structured interviews for collecting data, and it can be employed in
both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Respondents are usually asked about their
behavior (e.g., voting behavior, consumption behavior), attitudes, beliefs, and opinions on a
particular issue or problem, characteristics (e.g., civil status, religion, political affiliation),
expectations, self-classification, and knowledge. They are asked with the same set of questions.
Researchers adopt the deductive approach -- they start with a theoretical or an applied research
question and ends with the use of empirical data for analysis and interpretation.
Experimental Research - The researcher does something to one group and none to another
group, and then examines the differences between the outcomes. This form of research
methodology is usually employed in the natural sciences and related fields like agriculture,
engineering, and medicine; and in the social sciences like psychology, education, journalism,
marketing, nursing, political science, social work, and sociology.
Content Analysis - A technique for gathering and analyzing the content of a text. Text refers to
anything written, or in visual or oral form that serves as a medium of communication. It includes
books, newspapers, magazines, advertisements, speeches, official documents, films, musical
lyrics, photographs, symbols, artworks, etc. The content of a text refers to the words, meanings,
pictures, symbols, ideas, and messages that are communicated by the text.
Field Research - It is also called ethnography or participant-observation research, a qualitative
research method wherein the researcher directly interacts and observes in a small-scale social
setting in the present time and in the researcher's own culture. Data is collected through
participant observation and interviews.
Case Studies - The researcher conducts an up-close or in-depth study of an individual, an
organization, a behavioral condition, an event, or a contemporary phenomenon in its social
context.
Historical-Archival Research - This refers to reconstruction and recreation of the past through
the use of primary and secondary sources.