PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1

(Chapter 6)
TOPICS:
A. The statement of the
problem
B. Writing the general problem
in a qualitative study
C. Types of research questions
A. The statement of the problem

A statement of problem refers to the critical

issue that your research seeks to address. In

other words, it captures the existing knowledge

gap that your study aims to bridge using reliable

results or outcomes.

B. Writing the general problem

in a qualitative study
In formulating the problem statement in a research paper, there are two types of problems which

should be considered. These are the general problem and the specific problems.

General problem pertains to the opening paragraph that gives specific details on other essential
elements which are the purpose, major variables, participants, setting, and time coverage of the study. The
said elements serve as a guide to properly formulate the general problem. An example of a general
problem is presented below.

This study aims to determine the functions of emojis in online

communication.
The study was conducted among the different strands of grade 11
students in the
senior high school department of Lamao National High School during
the school
Year 2019-2020. The result of the study was used as a basis for
proposing a
learning content presentation strategy in language teaching.

After formulating the general problem of a study, enumeration of its specific problems should follow.
Unlike the general problem, which is stated in a declarative form, the specific problems are stated as
questions. These formulated questions, moreover, should all be anchored on the general problem. With
this, the researcher will be guided on how he/she will seek an answer to the problem.

to determine - main task

functions, emojis, online communication - major variables
grade 11 students - participants
Lamao National High School - setting
school year 2019-2020 - time period
learning content presentation strategy - intended output

C. Types of research questions

In addition, the researcher must also know that a specific question to be formulated must be a
researchable question, that is, it should begin with words such as “what” and “how.” In this case, the
researcher may be able to solicit responses which can ensure detailed data necessary to the study. Non-
researchable questions, as in, those which are answerable by “yes” or “no” should be avoided.
Examples of non-researchable and researchable questions are presented below.
Non-Researchable Questions:
1. Do the participants use social media platforms for their communication purposes?

2. Are the participants using emojis in their online communication?

3. Can the participants understand the meaning of emojis used in conversations?

4. Will the emojis be used for a language content learning presentation strategy?

Researchable Questions:
1. What are the most frequently used emojis by the participants in the corpus?

2. What are the pragmatic functions of emojis in the corpus?

3. How do multiple emojis affect the meaning of the discourse?

4. What learning content presentation strategy can be proposed based on the results

of the study?