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Science
Quarter 1 - Module 5:
The Research Process

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Science – Grade
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 – Module 1: THE RESEARCH PROCESS

First Edition, 2021

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 8

Science
Quarter 1 - Module 5:
The Research Process

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Introductory Message

This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners, can
continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions,
exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-step as
you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each SLM. This
will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you need to ask your
facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of the lesson. At the
end of each module, you need to answer the post-test to self-check your learning.
Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We trust that you will be honest in
using these.

In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also provided to
our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they can best help
you on your home-based learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part of this
SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and tests. And read
the instructions carefully before performing each task.

If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering the tasks in
this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.

Thank you.

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you master
the nature of Biology. The scope of this module permits it to be used in many different
learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of
students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But
the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you
are now using.

The module is divided into three lessons, namely:

Lesson 1- Steps in Research Process
Lesson 2- Identification of Problem
Lesson 3- Formulation of Hypothesis

After going through this module, you are expected to:

• Recognize the definition of the Research Process
• Identify the seven stages of the research process
• Clarify the difference between a research problem and hypothesis.
• Know how to identify research problem in a given situation

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 What I Know

.
Read and choose the correct answer.

1. How did you define research process?

a. The researcher’s plan of action to be followed when carrying out research
b. A method of collecting research data
c. The stages or steps the researcher follows in carrying out a research project
d. The account of a study the researcher will write at the end of the study ready
for publication
2. Why does a researcher write a research proposal at the start of a study?
a. So they will not forget what they are doing during the study
b. So they can advertise for people to take part in the study
c. To make sure they have not left any part of the study out when they are
planning it
d. To apply for ethical approval and to gain permission to access participants or
sources of data
3. The research process can be compared to which of the following?
a. A train timetable
b. The spine of a skeleton
c. The problem-solving process
d. Nursing theories
4. What is hypothesis?
a. A statement that the researcher wants to test through the data collected in a
study
b. A research question that the results will be the answer
c. A theory that underpins the study
d. A statistical method for calculating the extend the result s could have happened
by chance
5. What does the term “reliability” indicate?
a. We can trust that the research has being carried out to a high standard
b. That the results are accurate
c. That the researcher can be trusted
d. That the tool of data collection can be regarded as measuring accurately and
consistently
6. In the process of conducting research ‘Formulation of Hypothesis” is followed by
a. Statement of Objectives c. Selection of Research Tools
b. Analysis of Data d. Collection of Data
7. Which of the following is the first step in starting the research process?
a. Searching sources of information to locate problem.
b. Survey of related literature
c. Identification of problem
d. Searching for solutions to the problem

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8. Which word fills all the blanks in this extract:
We talk about generating ________, testing ________, rejecting ________.
a. Objectives c. questions
b. Aims d. hypothesis
9. All of these may appear in a research proposal, but which one will always appear?
a. Business objective c. marketing objective
b. Research objective d. creative objective
10. Which of the following is the most important thing for a researcher to consider when
deciding on a research topic?
a. How they feel about the topic
b. If the topic is researchable
c. If they have adequate resources to research the topic
d. How many research journals will want to publish an article on the topic
11. ______and_____ should be taken into account when considering a new research
problem.
a. Time, cost c. time, attention
b. Attention, participants d. cost, participants
12. How is research questions most often described?
a. Arising within a laboratory setting
b. Posed after important factors are identified
c. May arise from our everyday life experiences
d. Always answered if we follow a scientific method of inquiry
13. Identify and select the correct order of steps in scientific inquiry ( note: these are
not ALL of the steps in the process)
a. Formulating a hypothesis, collecting relevant information, testing the
hypothesis, working with the hypothesis
b. Reconsidering the theory, asking new questions, identify the important factors,
collecting relevant information
c. Asking the question, identifying the important factors, asking new questions,
testing the hypothesis
d. Asking new questions, reconsidering the theory working with the hypothesis,
testing the hypothesis
14. Which of the following is true of the scientific method of inquiry?
a. Complete once the hypothesis has been tested
b. Will vary depending on the specific research question
c. Systematic process that is used to answer questions
d. Different in basic research than in applied research
15. Which of the following is criterion for a good research question?
a. Questions should be long and use complex terms
b. Questions should show where my research biases are
c. Questions should sound contemporary
d. Questions should connect with established theory and research

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 Lesson
The Research Processes
1

What’s In

The Research Process

Overview
The research process involves identifying, locating, assessing, and analyzing the
information you need to support your research question, and then developing and
expressing your ideas. These are the same skills you need any time you write a
report, proposal, or put together a presentation.

Library research involves the step-by-step process used to gather information in order
to write your paper, create a presentation, or complete a project. As you progress from
one step to the next, it is often necessary to rethink, revise, add additional material or
even adjust your topic. Much will depend on what you discover during your research.

The research process can be broken down into seven steps, making it more
manageable and easier to understand. This module will give you an idea of what's
involved at each step in order to give you a better overall picture of where you are in
your research, where you will be going, and what to expect at each step.

Before you start any form of study, get a clear understanding of what a research
problem is and learn to formulate it properly. After defining it, you can start writing your
paper. It means that research problems or questions are the fuel driving the entire
scientific process and they serve as the foundation of any experimental design or
method, from case studies to real experiments.

Why does it matter to researchers? It’s an important problem that you state in your
research paper to define your specific study area and provide a brief synopsis of how
you develop a hypothesis. The quality of a research problem defines your success.

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 What is It

STEPS IN THE RESEARCH PROCESS

The research process

Although each discipline and field of study has their own strategies in conducting
research, they usually follow a certain procedure. The figure below describes this
process:

Step 1.
Identifying a research problem

Step 2.
Step 7.
Exploring knowledge about the research
Reporting findings problem

Step 6. Step 3.
Forming conclusions, implications and Developing the research design
recommendations

Step 5. Step 4.
Analyzing data Collecting data

Let’s look into the steps in detail:

Step 1: IDENTIFYING A RESEARCH PROBLEM
The problem – research has to start somewhere and it usually begins with a problem.
The problem could be a real world problem which needs to be addressed. It could be
something we do not know or have not yet explored about a particular topic.

Step 2: EXPLORING EXISTING LITERATURE ABOUT THE PROBLEM

The quest for knowledge—after coming up with your research problem, the next step
would be look for existing knowledge about your particular topic. What has already
been discovered and learned about it? What are the other people’s take or
understanding about the topic? This process will lead you to do a lot of reading-books,
journal articles, and reliable websites in the internet. After reading, you may even have
some idea or clue about the answer to your research and can form your “educated
guess” or hypothesis.

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Step 3: DEVELOPING THE RESEARCH DESIGN
The plan- now that you know the existing knowledge about your research topic have
some idea how the other researchers went about with their research, you would need
to dive deeper into your own study and come up with your research design. Basically,
this means you need to determine how you will conduct your study. His usually entails
looking into sampling methods, data collection, and data analysis methods and
deciding on them. You will be able to come up wit a research plan in this step.

Step 4: Collecting data

The fieldwork—after coming up with your research plan, you would now need to
execute it. Commonly known as fieldwork, you will need to go out to the real world and
visit the location, people, event or phenomenon you want to study. You would have to
interact and get to know your research participants or informants.

Step 5: ANALYSING DATA

The interpretation—after getting information about experiences, opinions and points of
view on your topic from research participants, you would need to process and analyse
all data you have gathered. Here, you would need to look into similarities and
differences, convergence and divergence of the data until you determine the themes
and patterns in your data.

Step 6: FORMING CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The bigger picture—in this step, the researcher would now try to synthesize all that
she or he has learned from studying. One would then try to theorize or come up with
about the research topic. In this process, you may compare your findings with existing
literature and see how this has led you to a new dimension about your area of interest.
In addition, you would need to state and explain the implications of your research to
the field of study, and to the existing knowledge base.

Step 7: REPORTING FINDINGS

The report and presentation—in academic research, it is customary that the researcher
is expected to produce a final output, usually in the form of a written research report.
This report would contain description of the steps outlined here and the decisions you
have taken all throughout the study. It also contains your findings, conclusions, and
recommendations.

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 Lesson
Identification of Problem
2

What’s New

Direction: After learning about the seven steps of research, what is your impression
now of research? Explain how research as systematic process is reflected in the
research process. Write down your thoughts below.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

What is It

IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM

Identification of the research problem is the first step. Generally a broad area selected
and then it is delimited or narrowed down to a specific one sentence statement of the
problem.

Common Source of the research problem

• Personal experience
• Practical experience
• Critical appraisal of literature
• Previous research
• Existing theories
• Social issue
• Brainstorming
• Intuition
• Exposure to field situation
• Consultation with expert

What is a research problem?

It’s a clear and definite statement or expression about your chosen area of concern, a
difficulty to eliminate, a condition to improve, or a troubling problem that exists in
theory, literature, and practice. A research problem indicates a need for its meaningful

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investigation. It doesn’t state how to do something and a researcher shouldn’t present
a value question or offer a broad research proposal.
A research problem is a statement about an area of concern, a condition to be
improved, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly
literature, in theory, or in practice that points to the need for meaningful understanding
and deliberate investigation. In some social science disciplines the research problem
is typically posed in the form of a question. A research problem does not state how to
do something, offer a vague or broad proposition, or present a value question.
The purpose of a problem statement is to:
1. Introduce the reader to the importance of the topic being studied. The
reader is oriented to the significance of the study and the research questions
or hypotheses to follow.
2. Places the problem into a particular context that defines the parameters of
what is to be investigated.
3. Provides the framework for reporting the results and indicates what is
probably necessary to conduct the study and explain how the findings will
present this information.

How to identify a research problem?

After choosing a specific topic for your academic paper, you need to state it as a clear
research problem that identifies all the issues that you’ll address. It’s not always simple
for students to formulate it. In some fields, they may end up spending a lot of time
thinking, exploring, and studying before getting a clear idea of what research questions
to answer.

Some topics are too broad to give a researchable issue. For example, if you decide to
study certain social issues, like child poverty, remember that they don’t provide any
researchable question. These are very broad to address and take a lot of time and
resources to become unfeasible so that your study will lack enough focus and depth.

What is a statement of a research problem?

An adequate statement of your research problem plays an important role in the
success of your academic paper and study. It’s possible to generate a number of
researchable issues from the same subject because there are many issues that may
arise out of it. Your study should pursue only one in detail.

Basic characteristics of research problem

For your research problem to be effective, make sure that it has these basic
characteristics:
• Reflecting on important issues or needs;
• Basing on factual evidence (it’s non-hypothetical);
• Being manageable and relevant;
• Suggesting a testable and meaningful hypothesis (avoiding useless answers).
Research questions are generated from the research problem. The researcher
creates questions based on their knowledge and background of the urea under the
study.

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 Lesson
Formulation Hypothesis
3

What’s New

Write true if the statement is true and false if the statement is false.
1. The technique of brainstorming can be used to generate and refine research
ideas.
2. Research objective will start with one of the words: what, why and how.
3. The research objective will start with the word TO and a verb. Common verbs
in research objectives are: to identify; to establish; to determine; and to
develop.
4. It is good idea to generate numerous ideas and develop them before choosing
one in particular.
5. Research is a multi-stage process and will involve both reflecting on and
revising stages already undertaken and forward planning.
6. Research is just collecting facts or information with no clear purpose.
7. Your own beliefs and feelings will never impact upon your research.
8. Validity means that if we repeated the study we would get the same results.
9. A hypothesis is a prediction of what will be found at the outcome of a research
project and is typically focused on the relationship between two different
variables studied in the research.
10. Formulating a hypothesis can take place at the very beginning part of the
research project, or after a bit of research have already been done.

What is It

Formulation of Hypothesis
By :Ashley Crossman
Updated April 04, 2019
A hypothesis is a prediction of what will be found at the outcome of a research
project and is typically focused on the relationship between two different variables
studied in the research. It is usually based on both theoretical expectations about how
things work and already existing scientific evidence. There are two types of
hypotheses, null hypotheses and alternative hypotheses

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Within social science, a hypothesis can take two forms. It can predict that there is no
relationship between two variables, in which case it is a null hypothesis. Or, it can
predict the existence of a relationship between variables, which is known as an
alternative hypothesis.
In either case, the variable that is thought to either affect or not affect the outcome is
known as the independent variable, and the variable that is thought to either be
affected or not is the dependent variable.
Researchers seek to determine whether or not their hypothesis, or hypotheses if they
have more than one, will prove true. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they do not.
Either way, the research is considered successful if one can conclude whether or not
a hypothesis is true.

Null Hypothesis
A researcher has a null hypothesis when she or he believes, based on theory and
existing scientific evidence, that there will not be a relationship between two variables.
For example, when examining what factors influence a person's highest level of
education within the U.S., a researcher might expect that place of birth, number of
siblings, and religion would not have an impact on the level of education. This would
mean the researcher has stated three null hypotheses.

Alternative Hypothesis
Taking the same example, a researcher might expect that the economic class and
educational attainment of one's parents and the race of the person in question are
likely to have an effect on one's educational attainment.
Existing evidence and social theories that recognize the connections between wealth
and cultural resources, and how race affects access to rights and resources in the
U.S., would suggest that both economic class and educational attainment of the one's
parents would have a positive effect on educational attainment. In this case, economic
class and educational attainment of one's parents are independent variables, and
one's educational attainment is the dependent variable—it is hypothesized to be
dependent on the other two.
Conversely, an informed researcher would expect that being a race other than white
in the U.S. is likely to have a negative impact on a person's educational attainment.
This would be characterized as a negative relationship, wherein being a person of color
has a negative effect on one's educational attainment. In reality, this hypothesis proves
true, with the exception of Asian Americans, who go to college at a higher rate than
whites do. However, Blacks and Hispanics and Latinos are far less likely than whites
and Asian Americans to go to college.

Formulating a Hypothesis
Formulating a hypothesis can take place at the very beginning of a research project,
or after a bit of research has already been done. Sometimes a researcher knows right
from the start which variables she is interested in studying, and she may already have
a hunch about their relationships. Other times, a researcher may have an interest in
a particular topic, trend, or phenomenon, but he may not know enough about it to
identify variables or formulate a hypothesis.

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Whenever a hypothesis is formulated, the most important thing is to be precise about
what one's variables are, what the nature of the relationship between them might be,
and how one can go about conducting a study of them.
Updated by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D

Writing a Hypothesis
A research hypothesis essentially is a declarative statement of how you expect the
research to turn out. In a way, it is a possible answer to your research question. It
should be brief, note your important variables, and suggest something you can test or
descriptively investigate. It is typically included in experimental research but is also
found in descriptive research such as factor analyses or survey-based investigations.
It is not typically included in qualitative research in which the results are intended to be
emergent (refer to Chapter 7). In the case of experimental research and quantitative
types of descriptive research, your research question often directly leads to your
hypothesis. Therefore, it is good practice to ensure that your research topic or problem
statement, research question, and hypothesis use consistent language regarding
variables and any anticipated outcomes. Certainly, you would write a hypothesis for
each question that you propose.

Theory
• A belief or assumption about how
things relate to each other
• Establishes a cause and effect
relationship between variables
with a purpose of explaining and
predicting phenomena
• Based on inductive reasoning
Hypothesis
• A belief or prediction of the
eventual outcome of the research
• A concrete, specific statement
about the relationships between
phenomena
• Based of deductive reasoning

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 What’s More

Enumerate three possible problems you may encounter in the following

circumstances:

Example:
Personal life (family and friends)
a. Too much stress
b. Financial problems
c. Individual differences/ideas

1. School
a.
b.
c.
2. Government
a.
b.
c.
3. Local community
a.
b.
c.

What I Have Learned

Activity 1.
Rank the following steps in research process.
_____1. Collecting data or the fieldwork.
_____2. Developing the research design or the plan
_____3. Exploring existing literature about the problem or the quest for knowledge
_____4. Reporting findings or the report and presentation
_____5. Analysing data or the interpretation.
_____6. Identifying problems
_____7. Forming conclusions, information and recommendation

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 Activity 2.
Differentiate research problem and research questions.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

What I Can Do

Identify at least 2 problems that our country encountered today, and then in
each problem provide 3 solutions.

Problem 1.

Problem 2.

Assessment

Choose the letter of the BEST answer. Write the letter of your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. What is the other term of identifying the problem?

a. The plan c. the problem
b. the fieldwork d. the interpretation

2. What is the other term of collecting data?

a. The plan c. the problem
b. the fieldwork d. the interpretation

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3. Questionnaire is a :
a. Research method c. Tool for data collection
b. Data analysis technique d. Measurement technique

4. All of the following are the purpose of statement except.

a. Introduce the reader to the importance of the topic being studied
b. Place the problem into a particular context
c. Expected outcomes and future opportunities
d. Provides the framework for reporting the result

5. Which of the following is the first step in starting the research process?
a. Searching sources of information to locate problem.
b. Survey of related literature
c. Identification of problem
d. Searching for solutions to the problem

6. A common test in research demands much priority on

a. Reliability c. Objectivity
b. Useability d. All of the above

7. In the process of conducting research ‘Formulation of Hypothesis” is followed

by.
a. Statement of Objectives c. Analysis of Data
b. Selection of Research Tools d. Collection of Data

8. Statements or predictions that are tested by collecting and analyzing objective

evidence are called:
a. Assumptions c. hypotheses
b. indicators d. premises

9. Which of the following factors should not influence the decision when one is
selecting a topic or problem for research?
a. Will solution of the problem advance knowledge in my field?
b. Will I be able to prove that my previously held beliefs are true?
c. Will the study lead to the development of other investigations?
d. Is the topic or problem amenable to research?

10. Which of the following is likely to be of greatest value in formulating

hypotheses for a scientific investigation?
a. A high level of emotional involvement in the research problem
b. A rigorous statistical design
c. Clear indication of the variables involved
d. A problem statement that is broad in scope

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 Additional Activities

Plant’s Seedlings Amount Presence Amount Height of Leaves in

name (pcs.) of of of eggplant in 2 weeks
Water sunlight Fertilizer 2 weeks
Eggplant 10 Half With 50 grams 1 cm 0
galloon sunlight
(daily)
Eggplant 10 Half With 250 5 cm 2
galloon sunlight grams
(daily)
Eggplant 10 Half 100 3cm 3
galloon grams
(daily)

1. Write the problem based on the data above.

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

2. Write the hypotheses based of the data above.

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

3. Write your conclusion based on the data above.

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

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 Answer Key

What's New What I Can

Answer may vary Do

What's New Answer may vary

1. T
2. F
3. T
4. T What’s More
5. T
Answer may vary
6. F
7. F
8. F
9. T
10.T

Additional activity
VARY
1. How does the amount
ANSWER MAY
ACTIVITY 2 of fertilizer affect the
10.A 6 7. growth of the
9. B 1 6. eggplant?
8. C
5 5. 2. Answer may vary
7. B
6. D 7 4. 3. The greater amount of
5. C fertilizer the highest
2 3.
4. C growth of the height of
3. C
3 2. eggplant
2. 4 1.
1. C

Assessment What I learned

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References

PRINTED MATERIALS:

Sibs (Global Times Living History Series) PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1

Hiyas S. Clamor-Torneo, MA
Dor R. Torneo, PhD

LINKS:
 https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-and-types-of-hypothesis-3026350
 https://prothesiswriter.com/blog/how-to-formulate-research-problem
 quora.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-research-question-and-a-
research-prblem
 https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/maheswarijaikumar/a-research-problem

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Carcar City Division (Learning Resources

Management Section)

P. Nellas St., Poblacion III, Carcar City , Cebu, Philippines 6019

Tel. No. 4878495

Email Address : carcarcitydivision@yahoo.com

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