Nature of Inqury and Research

Research
- Came from the French word “cerhier” which means seek and prefix “re” means to repeat

- It signifies finding truth again about ideas and problems which were in existence before in different

perspective

- It is widely recognized as an important tool in solving man’s various problems and in making life more

colorful and convenient

Academic Research
- A form of research which is more disciplined in its methodology and more scientific

in procedure.

- Information are obtained and presented in numerical form and analyzed through the

Quantitative Research
- It is an objective, systematic empirical investigation of observable phenomena through the use of
computational techniques.

Characteristics of Research
 Objective Clearly defined research questions
 Structured research instruments Numerical data
 Large sample size Replication
 Future outcomes

Strenght of Quantitative Research

1. It is objective

2. The use of statistical techniques facilitates sophisticated analyses and

allows you to comprehend a huge amount of vital characteristics of data

3. The numerical data can be analyzed in a quick and easy way.

4. It is replicable

Weaknesses of Quantitative Research

1. It requires a large number of respondents

2. It is costly
3. The information contextual factors to help interpret the results or to explain variations are usually
ignored

4. Many information's are difficult to gather using structured research instruments,

specifically on sensitive issues like pre-marital sex and the likes

5. If note done seriously and correctly, data from questionnaires may be incomplete and

inaccurate

Kinds of Quantitative Research

• Descriptive research – it is concerned with describing the nature, characteristics and

components of the population or phenomenon.

• Correlational research – systematic investigation of the nature of relationships or associations

between and among variables without necessarily investigating into causal reasons underlying

among them.

• Evaluation research – it aims to assess the effects, impacts or outcomes of practices, policies or
programs.

• Survey research – used to gather information from groups of people by selecting and studying samples
chosen from a population.

a. Cross – sectional research – if the information is collected from a sample in just single point in time

b. Longitudinal survey research – if the researcher collects information on the same subjects over a
period of time sometimes lasting many years in order to study the changes through the years

• Causal – comparative research – it is also known as ex post facto (after the fact)

research.

• Experimental research – it utilizes scientific method to test cause – and – effect

relationships under conditions controlled by the researcher Importance.

Importance of Quantitative Research

• Validate test and challenge existing educational practices

that may lead to reforms which hare more

contextualized, localized and responsive to the needs of

the learners

• Improve educational practices that may lead to more quality learning of the students Importance

• Design new product or service

• Results of researches are used to guarantee sufficient distribution of their products

• It is important in this field because it makes a company remain competitive in the market Importance

• Determine its customers and their preferences

• Establish enterprise in the most feasible location

• Deliver quality of goods and services

• Analyze competitors

• Find ways to continue customer service Importance

• Obtain significant information about a disease trend and the likes

• Determining the effectiveness and side effects of drugs and therapies

• Evaluate experiences in clinical practice

What is a Variable
- It is a central concept in research

- It is a measurable characteristics that changes in value.

Types of Variable

• Continuous variable – a variable that can take infinite number on the value that can occur within a

population. Its values can be divided into fractions.

a. Interval variable – is a measurement where the difference between two values does have meaning

b. Ratio variable – possesses the properties of interval variable and has a clear definition of zero,

indication that there is none of that variable. (e.g. zero degree Celsius temperature)

Discrete variables or also known as categorical or classificatory – is any variable that has

limited number of distinct values and which cannot be divided into fractions.

a. Nominal variable – is a variable with no quantitative value. It has two or more

categories but does not imply ordering of cases (e.g eye color, religion)

i. Dichotomous– a sub type of nominal scale with only two categories like sex

b. Ordinal variable – is a variable that has two or more categories which can be ranked

• Dependent variable – called as the outcome variable is the result or effect

of the changes brought about by the other variable

• Independent variable – the cause variable or the one responsible for the conditions that act on
something that bring about changes
Research Topic
It is an intellectual stimulus calling for an answer in the form of scientific inquiry.These are general
questions about relations among variables, characteristics or the phenomenon which a researcher needs
to undertake (Birion et. Al, 2005, p.7)

Sources of topics
1. Prevailing theories or philosophy

2. Observations, intuitions or a combination of both

3. Different subjects taken and from them identify a problem that interests a student-researcher most

4. Fields of interest or specialization or event from related fields

5. Existing problems one wants to solve in the classroom and the likes

6. Existing needs of the community or society

7. Repetition or extention of investigations

8. Related studies and literature

9. Advice of authorieites or experts from funding agencies

10. Offshoots of friendly conversations

11. Incidental from interesting topics of professors during the course meeting / session Sources of topics

Selecting the research topic

• Something new or different

• Original

• Significant to the field of study or discipline

• Necessarily arouse intellectual or discipline

• Researcher's interest

• Modest one for a beginner

• Clear not ambiguous Selecting the research topic

• Specific, not general

• Consider the training and personal qualification of the researcher

• Consider the availability of data involved and the methods and techniques to be employed

• Consider the availability of effective instruments for gathering data

• Consider financial capability of researchers

• Consider the time factor involved in the undertaking

State the research problem

Settle first the problem of selecting A problem to research on.

Basis for selecting problems

Technical Criteria Personal

• Significant to chosen field / advancement of science or specialization• Pioneering or novel originality

• Arouse intellectual curiosity • Relevance to degree • Availability or manageability of data

• Availability of instruments

Personal

Interest • Training• Expertise

• Financial capacity • Time factor involved in the project

identification definition and definition of Research Problems

(Starting point of any Research)

It may be stated in question form or as a declarative statement

• Title must contain the following elements:

 Subject matter or research problem

 Setting or locale of the study
 Respondents or participants of the study
 Time or period when the study was conducted

• Title must be broad enough to include all aspects of the study but should

be brief and concise as possible

• The use of terms as “Analysis of”, “A Study of”, “An Investigation of” and the like should be avoided

• If the title is more than one line, it should be written in inverted pyramid.

• Title must be broad enough to include all aspects of the study but should be brief and concise as
possible

• The use of terms as “Analysis of”, “A Study of”, “An Investigation of” and the like should be avoided

• If the title is more than one line, it should be written in inverted pyramid.

• When typed or encoded in the title page, all words in the title should be in capital letters

• If possible, the title should not be longer than 15 substantive words

• Avoid long ,detailed title that gives too much information

• To shorten the title, delete the terms “assessment” or “evaluation” if

these are already emphasized in the text

Characteristics of a Good Title.

• It should give readers information about the content of the research and it is

preferable to one that is vague or general

• It does not need to be stuffy or dull but they should give readers some idea at

the outset of what the research paper will contain.

• Choose a title that is a phrase rather than a complete sentece

• Select a straightforward title over other kinds

• Use no punctuation at the end of a title

• Do not underline the title of the research or enclosed it in a quotation mark, instead use a word
processing program or printer that permits italics. Use them in place of underlining.

Develop background of the study

Background of the Study

• It includes information which would focus attention on the importance and validity of the problem..

• It is the general orientation of the problem area

• It includes
 Discussion of the problem in general and the specific situations as observed and experienced by
the researcher
 Concepts and ideas related to the problem including clarification of important terminologies
 Discussion of the existing or present conditions and what is aimed to be the future or the gap to
be filled – in by the research.

State the Statement of the problem

• It tells what is done to make the situation that exists more like what it should be.

• It exposes anything that is wrong with the situation or circumstance which is being described.

• Elements:
Objective and Research questions

• Objective

- it is also called as the purpose of the study

- it is the first part of the problem where the researcher states the objective
- it is a statement of a long term objective expected to be achieved by the study

• Research Questions

- these are specific questions which are to be answered in the study

- It should be limited enough in making a definite conclusion possible.

Statement of the problem

• The major statement or question may be followed by minor statements

or questions. The introductory statement must be the purpose or aim

or the objective of the study

Statement of the problem

• If the goal is specifically to test a given hypothesis then state so. In many cases, the objective will be a
more general statement than that of a hypothesis

Scope and delimitation of the study

• Scope – describes the coverage of the study. It specifies what is covered in

terms of concept, number of subjects or the population included in the study as

well as the timeline when the study was conducted

• Delimit by citing factors or variables that are not to be included and the boundary

in terms of time frame, number of subjects, participants or respondents who are excluded.

IT ANSWERS THE BASIC QUESTION

• What – topic of investigation and the variables included

• Where – venue or setting of the research

• When – time frame by which the study was conducted

• Why – general objective of the research

• Who – subject of the study, the population and sampling

• How – methodology of the research which may include the research design,

methodology and the research instrument.

State the Significance of the study

• Researcher defines who will benefit out of the findings of the study in this part of the research.

• Usually the following are the beneficiaries of the study

o Experts
o Administrators or policy makers

o Subjects themselves

o Future reserachers