IDENTIFYING THE INQUIRY

AND
STATING THE PROBLEM
Week 3- Quarter 1 (Part I)
OBJECTIVES:

✓ Describing background of the study

✓ Write and present a research title
✓ Listing research hypotheses
WRITING RESEARCH
TITLE
What is the importance of learning how to write research title?
What are the characteristics of a research title?
Research title should
be…
Brief
Simple
Catchy
Leading
Tips in Writing Research Title
Fewest possible words that adequately describe
the contents of the paper

Avoid the terms – a study of, an analysis of, an

investigation of, etc.

Words such as "Studies on," "Investigations on,"

and "Observations on.“

An opening "A," "An," or "The" is also a "waste"

word.
 Usual Contents of a Research
Title
Subject matter

Locale of the study

Population involved

Period of the Study

 Identify whether it is a good
or bad research title.

✓ Statistical Analysis of Cliff Swallow

Population Dynamics

GOOD BAD
 Identify whether it is a good
or bad research title.
✓ The "Smart" Cancer Drug: Targeting
Cancer's Achilles Heel with Novel
CRISPR/Cas9

GOOD BAD
THE BACKGROUND OF THE
STUDY, STATEMENT OF THE
PROBLEM AND ITS
HYPOTHESES
HOW TO WRITE BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY?
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM?
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

❑ (1) Introductory thesis statement,

research question, hypothesis; (2)
Statement of relevance of study; (3)
Specific aims and research objectives; (4)
Summary of current research; (5) History or
problems with previous studies; (6) Key
issues and significance of research and (7)
Conclusive statement
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
MUST INCLUDE…

❑ Discussion of the problem (macro to micro

approach)
❑ Concepts and ideas related to the problem
❑ Discussion of the existing or present
conditions
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

❑ Presents the questions that will be

answered in order to solve the problem
FORMULATING THE PROBLEM

Clear

Specific

Concise

Measurable
WHAT ARE GOOD PROBLEMS?

Production of
Social settings
meaning

Factors
affecting an
individual
 • 1. Questions that are asked for achieving self
enlightenment or solving a personal problem
What are not • E.g. What is love? What is my purpose in
research life?
problem/ • 2. Problems whose sole purpose is to merely
questions? compare two (2) sets of data
• E.g. What are the directions of the
Phil. Economy during the Ramos and
Arroyo administration?
• Which program is more effective?

• Credits to the owner of the information

 ❑ 3. Problems that result in Yes or No answers
❑ E.g. Is homework beneficial to children? Is the
What are not schedule effective?
research ❑ 4. Those that deals with moral or ethical
problem/ questions
❑ E.g. Is there a relationship between premarital
questions? sex and class achievement?
❑ 5. Questions that do not require a mental
struggle
❑ E.g. How many students are enrolled in Grade
11?

• Credits to the owner of the information

 ❑ 6. When machine can take the place of
the researcher to provide answers to
What are not questions.
research ❑ E.g. Are you offering computer course?
problem/ ❑ 7. Metaphysical questions where it is
questions? impossible to collect publicly verifiable
data and information.
❑ E.g. Is there a God? Do you believe in
spirit?

• Credits to the owner of the information

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

❑ Two elements: objective/main problem;

research questions/ specific questions
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Main Problem

• present the primary objective of the

research undertaking (Title Based).

Specific Questions

• points out the details of the

research questions to be answered.
How to state the main problem?

Main Problem:

❑ Sentence 1: This study aims to [insert

goal] [insert title].
❑ Sentence 2: Expound the first sentence a
bit.
❑ Sentence 3: Give the general essence/
importance of conducting your study.
How to write the specific
questions?
Specific Problem:

Specifically, it [seeks to/aims to find] answers

to the following questions:
1. What…?
2. What…?
3. How…?
4. How…?
TYPES OF RESEARCH
QUESTIONS

Descriptive

Relationship

Comparative

Causality
Importance of Research
Questions
❑ Guide your literature search
❑ Guide you in deciding what data you
need to gather
❑ Guide your analysis of data
❑ Guide your data presentation (write-
up)
❑ Stop you from going off in
unnecessary directions and tangents
HYPOTHESIS /hīˈpäTHəsəs/
❑ An assumption or concession made for the
sake of argument
❑ An interpretation of a practical situation or
condition taken as the ground for action
❑ A tentative assumption made in order to
draw out and test its logical or empirical
consequences

-from Merriam-Webster dictionary

❑ Make an educated guess.
❑ Write a hypothesis.
❑ Set out to prove or disprove the
hypothesis.
COMMON FORMS OF
HYPOTHESIS

Simple and Complex

Null and Alternative

Common Forms of Hypotheses

❑ A simple hypothesis is a prediction of the

relationship between two variables: the
independent variable and the dependent
variable.
Common Forms of Hypotheses

❑ A complex hypothesis examines the

relationship between two or more
independent variables and two or more
dependent variables.
Example

❑ Simple: Slightly overweight adults who

seek happiness are more likely than other
adults to lose their excess weight.

❑ Complex: Slightly overweight adults who

1) value longevity and 2) seek happiness
are more likely than other adults to 1) lose
their excess weight and 2) feel a more
regular sense of joy.
Common Forms of Hypotheses

❑ A null hypothesis (H0) exists when a

researcher believes there is no relationship
between the two variables, or there is a
lack of information to state a scientific
hypothesis.
Common Forms of Hypotheses

❑ An alternative hypothesis (H1) flows

directly out of the problem statement and
declares in clear, objective, measurable
terms what you expect the result of your
study to be.
Example

❑ Null: There is no significant change in my

health during the times when I drink green
tea only or root beer only.

❑ Alternative: My health improves during the

times when I drink green tea only, as
opposed to root beer only.
 Alternative

Non- Directional
Directional
 HYPOTHESES TIPS
The question comes first.
A hypothesis is a statement, NOT a question.
A good hypothesis is written in clear and simple
language.
Keep the variables in mind.
Make sure your hypothesis is "testable."
Do your research.
Don't bite off more than you can chew!
 The problem of this study
is to determine the difference
in the clearing zones of
Problem - Differences avocado (Persea americana L.)
rind extract and the clearing
between two groups zones of distilled water
(negative control) in E. coli and
S. aureus cultures.
Null Hypothesis
- Differences
between two
groups
 It is the hypothesis of this
study that the clearing zones of
Alternative avocado (Persea americana L.)
Hypothesis - rind extract is significantly
Differences between different from clearing zones
of distilled water (negative
two groups control) in E. coli and S. aureus
cultures.
 Problem -
Differences
between more
than two groups
 It is the hypothesis of this
study that the clearing zones
of 100% avocado (Persea
americana L.) rind extract,
Null Hypothesis - 50% avocado (Persea
Differences between americana L.) rind extract, and
25% avocado (Persea
more than two groups americana L.) rind extract in E.
coli and S. aureus cultures is
not significantly different
from each other.
 Research
Hypothesis -
Differences
between two
groups

Alternative Non – Directional

Hypothesis
 It is the hypothesis of this
study that the clearing zones
Research Hypothesis - of avocado (Persea americana
L.) rind extract is significantly
Differences between greater than clearing zones of
two groups distilled water (negative
control) in E. coli and S. aureus
cultures.

Alternative Directional
Hypothesis
QUESTIONS?