Lesson 6: Formulating the Research Design and Research Title

“Let’s Start Writing Qualitative Research”

Name: ____________________ Grade Level: ____________ Section: ___________
Learning Activity Sheet No. 3 Date Answered: ________________

LET’S KICK IT OFF!

In the previous activities, you have learned that research design is the logic of your study. It
Is a plan that includes the aims of your study, the research questions, theoretical
frameworks, scope of the study, ethics, the methodology, and data analysis (Prieto, Naval,
Carey 2017, 45). Moreover, you also have learned the differences between qualitative and
quantitative research. Practical research 1 will be focusing on how to write and perform
qualitative research. In this activity, you will understand on how to formulate your research
design, methods, and constructing your own research title. In addition, it will also provide
justification about the importance of conducting qualitative research.

1. True or False. Write T if the statement is true. Write F if the statement is false.
________ 1. Researcher can only come up with a research design once they know exactly
what they want to know and what has to be done to obtain required data.
________ 2. Research method is the strategy employed in data collection to reveal new
information or arrive at a better understanding of an issue.
________ 3. A research title must be original, clear, specific.
________ 4. Broad research topics are considered ideal for qualitative research.
________ 5. Ideally, a research topic should not be related to the researcher’s fields of
interest.

ARE YOU TAKING IT?

B. Build your Understanding. Answer the questions in 3-5 sentences only. Write your
answers on the space provided.
1. Describe what is qualitative research design.
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2. What is the field of study (e.g., medicine, music, business, etc.) do you think you are most
passionate about? Explain your answer.

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 ______________________________________________________________________
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3. Write down at least 3 research topics which are related to your field of interest. You can
use the narrowing chart presented in ACE IT part (see page no. 24-25)
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4. Among the three research topics in item number 3, select the topic which you think is the
best one. Support your answer.
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HERE’S HOW IT IS!

 Qualitative Research gathers non-numerical data to explain human behavior or social

phenomena. Data in qualitative research can be in a form of meanings, concepts,
characteristics, metaphors, symbols and description of phenomena.
 Research Design in qualitative study do not use hypothesis (Prieto et.al. 2017, 45). It
rather directly answers the “what and whys” of your study.
 Qualitative Research Methods (Prieto et.al 2017, 31)
1. Participant observation- the researcher immerses in the natural setting of
his participant/s.
2. Observation- the researcher systematically records events, behaviors, or
objects in the social setting.
3. In depth- interviewing- one-on-one interview to learn about the participants’
opinions, views, experiences, and interests. Researcher must be an
excellent listener, and is very skillful at question framing and gentle probing
for elaboration.
4. Focus group Interviewing- involves 7-10 people who are unfamiliar with
one another. These “right” participants have been selected since they
share characteristics that are relevant in the study. The interviewer set a
permissive environment where all participants can freely express their
points of view. Interviews are conducted several times with different
participants to identify patterns in various perceptions and opinions being
expressed.
5. Content Analysis- demands for logical examination of different forms of
communication to determine objectively the presence of certain words or
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concepts within texts or sets of texts.
 6. Narratology- the study of logic, principles, and practices of narrative
representation [ CITATION Mei19 \l 1033 ]. The researcher must be an active
listener and an adept reader, attentive to recurring patterns, as well as
narrator’s feelings, views and values as reflected in both oral and written
stories.
Note: In gathering qualitative data, you don’t need a lot of participants but the
“right” participants. Moreover, do not rely on a single method but in order for a
researcher to succeed in this research, he/she needs to combine 2 or more
methods or approach.
 Research topics are usually tied to real life experiences. Qualitative research is
conducted in a natural setting.
 Rules in Choosing a Research Topic
1. Interest in the subject matter. Choose a field or aspect that drives you to do
research or the one that you are passionate about.
2. Availability of information. Background information is necessary. These materials
will give adequate knowledge about your study and also provide you the
methodology that you might adapt or modify. These information are necessary in
writing your review of related literature.
3. Timeliness and relevance of the topic.
4. Limitations on the subject. Consider the timeframe of the course. Narrow down
the scope of your topic.
5. Personal resources. Do an assessment of your personal resources including your
finances, health condition, mental capacity, time, and availability of equipment.
 Research Topics to be avoided[CITATION Bar16 \p 39 \l 1033 ]
1. Controversial topics.
2. Highly technical subjects.
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects.
4. Too broad subjects.
5. Too narrow subjects.

Key points to ponder:

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  A qualitative research title is a product of real-life experiences. You have to start from
broad ideas that can be further shaped into a specific idea, that is researchable one
(Prieto et.al 2017, 50).
 Research title is a “mirror” of your research gaps or inquiries. It entails the topic of
investigation and must be authentic, clear, concise and specific (Prieto et.al 2017, 50).
 Broad topics will lead you to more difficulties in writing your research. To narrow down
a certain topic, you must establish clearly the purpose of the study.
 Conducting qualitative research study is justified because it can help solve issues
experienced by an individual, organizations and even communities. Through rapid
social change, inductive strategies are now applied to different researches rather just
testing hypothesis (Prieto et.al 2017, 50).
 Qualitative research is existed because not all issues can be solved through numerical
inputs, but rather through realizations, explanations, and reflections.

DO IT!

A. Multiple Choice. Let us test your understanding about plagiarism. Encircle the letter of
the correct answer.
1. Which of the following is NOT an excellent source for research topic?
A. Personal experiences
B. Reading assignments in different subject area
C. Professional periodicals
D. Controversial blogs
2. What is one advantage of producing qualitative research?
A. Shed light to mathematical problems
B. Helps the society solve laboratory irregularities.
C. Provide depth explanation and details of a certain phenomenon.
D. Help people to earn money.
3. What is not true of a research title?
A. Least important element that defines the research problem.
B. Contains few words that describe the purpose of the research
C. It should be original.
D. The eye opener of the study which is related to the research questions.
4. Which of these is a research topic that should be avoided?
A. Very Broad topics
B. Controversial topics
C. Unclear topics
D. All of these

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5. Why do we need to narrow down our research topics?
A. To decrease the number of research gaps
B. To increase your chance of finishing your study on time.
C. To avoid difficulties in collecting the data.
D. All of the above.

B. Check the Specific. Check the title that appears to be the best in terms of narrowing
down a broad topic.
1. _______ Symptoms of COVID-19
_______ Physical Symptoms of COVID-19
_______ Novel Coronavirus 2019
2. _______ Level of English Proficiency among Filipinos
_______ Level of English Proficiency among Filipino teachers.
_______ English Proficiency
3. _______ K-Drama Binge Watching
_______ The health risks of binge-watching K-Drama
_______ K-Drama Domination
4. _______ World Ideologies
_______ Feminism in the Digital Era
_______ Feminism in Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” novel
5. _______ Medicinal plants
_______ The Health Benefits of Medicinal Plants
_______ The Efficacy of LAGUNDI as an herbal medicine for Cough

ACE IT!

A. Narrowing your Topic. Using your 3 identified topics for research (from “ARE YOU
TAKING IT” part), select the topic of your choice and narrow or
limit the topic to make it specific. Use the narrowing chart to fill in
the topic.
Example of Broad Topics
1. Social Networking 2. COVID-19 Pandemic 3. K-Pop Domination
Example: Ice cream

Topic Ice Cream

Sub-topic Nutritional facts of ice cream
Fruits that can be processed to ice cream
Habitual eating of ice cream among
children
People choices of ice cream flavors
 Sub-topic you are most passionate about
What are the questions you can formulate
from your chosen topic
Develop a research statement
Narrowing Chart
Topic
Sub-topic
Sub-topic you are most passionate about
What are the questions you can formulate
from your chosen topic
Habitual eating of ice cream among
children
What are the causes of habitual eating of
ice cream among children? Why people
prefer ice cream as their desert? Why most
of the children like eating ice-cream? Does
eating ice-cream boosts your mood and
affects your brain activity?
Ice cream craze: A qualitative study on the
causes of habitual eating of ice cream
among Children.
The researcher will find out the ground
causes of habitual eating ice cream among
children in a specific location.
Develop a research statement