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IDENTIFYING THE INQUIRY AND STATING THE

PROBLEM
RESEARCH PROJECT RELATED TO DAILY LIFE

The strengths of qualitative research (as discussed previously) are the

considerations in choosing the daily life as a research project. Here are the
descriptions and specifications of everyday life as a research project as
explained by Robin Boylorn (in Given, 2008).

•Everyday life is a methodology which examines and uncovers the

realization of daily life and how they are communicated and
interpreted by an observer and/or a participant.

•Everyday life is a participatory action research method embedded in

people and situations.

•Everyday life research focuses on the details and seemingly

insignificant occurrences that collectively contribute to how a
situation, phenomenon or incident is interpreted and experienced.

•Exploring everyday life requires the researcher to focus on details,

make connections and associations between emergent and repetitive
themes, focus equally on sameness and difference (what happened
today that did not happen yesterday and how that influences the
research topic or focus), and make comparisons between the
researcher’s experience and the topic being studied.

•Everyday life is often written in a first or third-hand person voice and

relies on rich descriptions, sharp detail, creative construction, and
comparative analysis.

•This approach is useful in analyzing qualitative data because it

requires the researcher to consider and negotiate ubiquitous themes
that occur in everyday life, from work to play.

•Everyday life as a research approach encourages diversity; it is widely

used among marginalized groups to privilege their personal
perspectives and viewpoints that might otherwise be silenced or
misinterpreted.

FORMULATING THE RESEARCH TITLE

The title embodies substantive words or keywords or phrases that describe

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one’s research study. The title must also reflect the variables under study.
Independent variables are factors or stimuli that directly affect or cause
changes to the independent variables. Dependent variables are factors
affected or changed by the independent variable(s). In other words,
an independent variable is the cause, while the dependent variable is the effect. A
well-formulated title must state both variables in a clear, concise, and precise
way (Casela & Cuevas, 2010).

EXAMPLES:

TITLE Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Train Delay: Academic Train Delay Academic Dilemma of

Dilemma of Young Young Commuters of
Commuters of LRT 1 LRT 1

Selfie: The “Status Quo” Selfie The “Status Quo” of

of Millenials in the Millenials in the
Philippines Philippines

Emotional Responses Toddlers’ Eating Habits Emotional Responses

and Intervention of and Interventions of
Parents to Toddlers’ Parents
Eating Habits

PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

The perspective of daily life becomes a study of social interaction in a natural

environment that shows extraordinary happenings while situating the
ordinary events of life. Basically, you must determine the purpose of the
research you intend to investigate. Here are some guide questions that you
wish to answer to clearly define your research purpose.

•Do you intend to convince the people about the practices which would
lead them to make their own judgment based on the data presented in
your study?

•Do you intend to discuss issues which would allow people to decide
and act on the results of the research?
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•Do you intend to analyze incidents by determining the causes and

effects or the nature of the condition?

•Do you intend to explain interventions done to treat the affected data in order to
see other outcomes?

PURPOSE OF RESEARCH ( Casela & Cuevas,2010)

Basic/ Pure Research Applied Research

Basis for future research

Acquire new knowledge Derive knowledge

Develop or refine theories Apply theories

Not immediately applicable to solve Immediate solution

problems

Researches done in laboratories or via Researches done in real-life settings

computer simulation such as schools, hospitals, etc

FORMULATING THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The purpose of research leads to the construction of research questions.

Basically, this part has the statement of the problem. There should be a
general statement of the problem which narrows down to sub-problems or
specific questions.

The major problem governs the entire study. It is usually in a statement

form that introduces the general problem of the research.

The specific questions must contribute to development of the whole

research problem or topic. The number of specific questions should be
enough to cover the development of the entire study. They must be clear and
free from double meanings. It must give precise answers that will determine
the difference or relationship, or implication of the variables under study.
Avoid rhetorical questions (answerable by yes/no) for they only elicit either
of the two responses and may result to vagueness.

Example:
Statement of the Problem
In this study, the researchers explored how parents of children aged 3-5
years old who have poor eating habits, view their experiences with the
child’s health condition.

Specifically, the study will attempt to answer the following questions:

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1. What kinds of food do children aged 3-5 years old avoid to eat?
2. How do children aged 3-5 years old develop poor eating habits?
3. What is the experience of the parents of 3-5 year-old children who have
poor eating habits

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF RESEARCH

This section discusses the focus or concern of the study in terms of the
specific areas to be included and to be given emphasis or concentration so
that relevant data will be obtained. Moreover, the scope identifies the
possibilities to which to which the study becomes manageable in terms of
issues, respondents, and time. Moreover, this part distinguishes the
constraints of the study by delimiting the topic in terms of time,
measurability, availability of subjects, resources and ethical considerations.
The limitation and delimitation is purposefully indentified and anticipated by
the researcher. Delimitation refers to the areas which the researcher does
not intend to include in the study. Whereas, limitation pertains to the
restrictions identified by the researcher that may affect the outcome of the
study but over which he/she has little or no control, but are anticipated
Casela & Cuevas, 2010).

Content of the Scope and Delimitation (Calderon & Gonzales, 2008)

A brief statement of the general purpose of the study.
The subject matter and topics studied and discussed.
The locale of the study, where the data were gathered or the entity to
which the data belong.
The population or universe from which the respondents/participants
were selected. This must be large enough to make generalizations
significant.
The period of the study which includes the time, either months or
years, during which the data were gathered.
Limitations of the study include the weaknesses of the study beyond
the control of the researcher. The weaknesses spring out of the
inaccuracies of the perceptions of the respondents.

Example of Scope (Calderon & Gonzales, 2008)

This investigation was conducted to determine the status of the teaching of
science in the high schools of Province A as perceived by the teachers and
students in science classes during the school year 1989-1990. The aspects
looked into were the qualifications of teachers, their methods and strategies,
facilities forms of supervisory assistance, problems and proposed solutions to
problems.
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General purpose: To determine the status of the teaching of science.

Subject matter: The teaching of science.
Topics (aspects) studied: Qualifications of teachers. Their methods and
strategies, facilities, form of supervisory assistance, problems and proposed
solutions to the problems.
Population or universe: teachers and students
Locale of the study: High schools of province A.
Period of the study: School year 1989-1990.

Example of Delimitations
Limitations for this study include possible sampling bias. All students
volunteered to participate in the study, and those who volunteered may have
already been comfortable with Web – based instruction. Awarding
continuing education credit may not have been an effective incentive for
undergraduate student to participate in the study. Awarding academic credit
may have reduced attraction over the course of the study (Frith & Kee, in
Casela & Cuevas, 2010).

RESEARCH BENEFITS AND BENEFICIARIES

Research benefits and beneficiaries are mentioned in the significance of the

study. This section identifies the people or institution who will benefit from
the findings of the study. They may be directly involved in education such as
students, instructors, curriculum developers, educational administrators, or
in the profession such as experts or practitioners, personnel, and they may
be members of the community who have directly or indirectly experienced
the problem such as individuals, their family or even organizations and
agencies. Further, this section indicates the specific benefits which will be
gained from the results of the study. The significance relates to the growth of
knowledge, to the verification or validation of existing knowledge or practice
to the development of new knowledge (Casela & Cuevas, 2010).

Calderon and Gonzales (2008) noted that this part must contain explanations
or discussions of any or all of the following:

1. The rationale, timeliness, and or relevance of the study. The rationale

gives reasons for the beneficiaries of the study. Timeliness is the
suitability of the study to the beneficiaries. All of these go around the
relevance of the study to the beneficiaries.
2. Possible solutions to existing problems or improvement to unsatisfactory
conditions. It must also explain how the beneficiaries will understand the
problem of the study and will soon maximize the recommendations of the
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study in the end.

3. Beneficiaries and how they are going to benefit. Beneficiaries are
individuals, groups or communities who may be placed in a more
advantageous position on account of the study. It may include future plans or
interventions to correct the weaknesses or strengthen the
purpose of the study.
4. Possible contribution to the fund of knowledge. Beneficiaries are also
sources of knowledge which is anticipated and considered by the
researcher.
5. Possible implications. Implications are the possible causes of the
problems discovered, the possible effects of the problems, and the
remedial measures to solve the problems. It can also be the good points of
a system which out to be continued or to be improved if possible.

Example of Significance of the Study

Research Title – Psychological Stress – Related Health Problem of the Elderly in the Home for
the Aged (in Casela & Cuevas, 2010)

This study is particularly beneficial to the following:

The institution and other organizations can be informed of the causes

of these health problems. They may develop new programs that can
help prevent health problems of the elderly.

The elderly may trace the causes of their health problem and may
determine if they themselves can contribute to its prevention since
they are the ones experiencing the health disorders.

Families of the elderly will be informed of the psychological sufferings

and health problems the elderly experience after they were brought to
the institution.

Future researchers will benefit from this study because they can get
sufficient information that would qualify them to take bigger steps
and conduct further on the subject
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