1.

NATURE OF INQUIRY
AND RESEARCH
Lesson objectives
At the end of the lesson, you can:
1. describe the characteristics, strengths,
weaknesses, and kinds of quantitative research;
2. illustrate the importance of quantitative research
across fields; and
3. differentiate the kinds of variables and their uses.
“All progress is born of
inquiry. Doubt is often
better than
overconfidence, for it
leads to inquiry, and
inquiry leads to
invention”.
According to a famous Hudson Maxim
RESEARCH Defined
 middle French word recherché = “the act of
searching closely”
 combination: re- = “again”
search = “to look for”

…the process of looking

for information once again.
RESEARCH: main objective

To answer questions and acquire new

information, whether to solve a
problem or to shed light on confusing
facts.
 RESEARCH

 Research?

put all pieces

curious and gear toward read books, of information
doubtful about the discovery search the together to
certain of better Internet, or ask clarify you
phenomena knowledge questions idea or add
new ones
 RESEARCH

 Informal…

 itdoes not strictly follow procedures and it relies more

on casual observations and opinions

…for research to be more accurate

and beneficial, science is embedded
in its process
RESEARCH and Science

 SCIENCE…
a procedural and systematic approach in gaining new
knowledge by making thorough observations and
using controlled and precise methods
 knowledge…not based on subjective or personal views

…comes from objective or tangible pieces of

evidence which come from meticulously designed
research study

…a research done scientifically is

more accurate, reliable, and valid.
 …research is a process of
gathering data to prove a claim,
test existing hypotheses, and
find answers and solutions on
pressing problems at hand.
SCIENTIFIC METHOD in RESEARCH

 Scientific Method…
 way through which a research is scientifically
conducted which involves a systematic collection and
investigation of data
 provides a set of clear and settled guidelines for
collecting, assessing, and detailing data in the context
of research study
SCIENTIFIC METHOD in RESEARCH

 ELEMENTS of KNOWLEDGE from research that

employs scientific method
1. Empirical approach – knowledge is gained
through direct observation and experimentation

…data derived from scientific procedures = factual

…disregard feelings and opinions
SCIENTIFIC METHOD in RESEARCH

 ELEMENTS of knowledge
2. Observation
…awareness of your environment constitutes
your ideas
…rely on awareness…result = information bias
…decreasing the validity of your findings
–
 SCIENTIFIC METHOD in RESEARCH

 ELEMENTS of knowledge
3. Question – knowledge comes from inquiries that
are answerable
– must be answered through scientific
investigation and must generate tangible proof
SCIENTIFIC METHOD in RESEARCH

…question: “Is there an increase in test scores among

students when they attended a tutorial class?”
…could be investigated using available
scientific methods because it is realistically
measurable and concrete pieces of evidence can
be produced

…a question that yields knowledgeable

information must have an obtainable
answer based on the current scientific
procedures available
 SCIENTIFIC METHOD in RESEARCH

 ELEMENTS of knowledge
4. Hypotheses – educated guess; an attempt to explain
a phenomena
…once formulated, should help formulate a prediction
…must be testable for analysis and interpretation
 SCIENTIFIC METHOD in RESEARCH

 ELEMENTS of knowledge
5. Experiments
– hypothesis should assure testability in a crafted
condition for the accuracy and reliability of results
…process of experimentation is a proof of scientific
procedures
 SCIENTIFIC METHOD in RESEARCH

 ELEMENTS of knowledge
6. Analyses
…for findings to be reliable, data gathered are
subjected for analysis through statistical methods
…statistical treatment employed depends on the design of
the study, type of data, and given questions
…statistics is used because it represents numerical
evidence of the degree in which the results are
considered valid and reliable; minimizes the
chance of having a faulty conclusion about the
object of investigation
 SCIENTIFIC METHOD in RESEARCH

 ELEMENTS of knowledge
7. Conclusion
…process of making inferences, involves concrete
data to rule out opinions
…must be objective and supported by meticulous
analysis of data
 SCIENTIFIC METHOD in RESEARCH

 ELEMENTS of knowledge
8. Replication – doing the same study once again to a
different set of participants to test the soundness of
the obtained result

…conducting the study for several times will pave the

way for additional and essential purposes
#PT 1
 #PT 1

What is the essence of using the

scientific method in research?
(15 pts)