QUALITATIVE

RESEARCH
Identifying and Stating the Problem
Learning Objectives
identify the steps in designing research project;
decide on a research topic;
determine the guidelines in writing research
title;
formulate a research title.
formulate research questions
LET’S WORK ON
YOUR
RESEARCH
TOPIC!
 Designing a Research Project
Related to Daily Life
In designing your qualitative research, you have to consider
whether the topic you have chosen is relevant to you as a
learner, as a constituent in your barangay, and as a citizen of
this country. Therefore, the first question you should answer
is,

- “What is the issue, phenomenon or problem in my school,

at home, and in the community that needs my special
attention by conducting research?”
 Designing a Research Project
Related to Daily Life
Examples:
1. In School
Based on observation, what are the issues and
problems I encounter inside the classroom? Is it the
lesson, teachers, learners’ attitude and hindrances to
graduation?
2. At Home
Considering my life on a daily basis, what are the
things that bother me at home?
 Designing a Research Project
Related to Daily Life
Examples:
3. In the Community
What are the usual complaints of my neighbor
regarding ordinances,
practices and activities in the barangay? Or, what are
the situations in my community that
need to be improved?
Once you have decided on area where you can focus
on, you need to remember the design of the qualitative
research you will venture into.
 Design of a Qualitative Research
1. Qualitative research is an emergent design which means
that it emerges as you make ongoing decisions about what
you have learned.
2. Qualitative research requires researcher’s decision-making
like how to gather data, from where and whom to collect,
when to gather, and for how long is the process will be.
3. Remember that in deciding on a topic, you have to consider
the kind and the field it belongs, as well as its relevance to
your daily life.
▪ RESEARCH TOPIC
-is an intellectual stimulus
calling for an answer in
the form of scientific
inquiry.
Things that may be considered before
starting the research activity:
1. Prevailing theories or philosophy.
2. Observations, intuitions, or a
combination of both.
3. Different subjects taken.
4. Field of interest.
Things that may be considered before
starting the research activity:
5. Existing problems in the classroom,
school, campus or university which one
may want to solve are good sources of
research problem.
6. Existing needs of the
community or society
Things that may be considered before
starting the research activity:
7. Repetition or extension of investigations
already conducted or may be an offshoot of
studies underway.

8. Related studies and literature.

9. Offshoot or friendly conversation
Selecting the Research Topic
1.It should be something new or different from
what has already been written about.
2.It must be original.
3.It should be significant to the field or discipline.
4.It must be necessarily aroused intellectual
curiosity.
Selecting the Research Topic
5. It should be of researcher’s interest and
researcher must be with the topic.
6. It should be modest one for a beginner to be
caried on within a limited period of time.
7. It should be clear, not ambiguous.
8. It should be specific, not general.
Choosing a Research Topic
1. Interest in the subject matter
2. Availability of information
3. Timeliness and relevance of the topic
4. Limitations on the subject
Sometimes, topic is limited to what the teacher suggests. An
example of this is when the teacher asks the entire class
to focus on COVID-19 pandemic, then you have no
freedom. to explore other topics aside from what is given.
5. Personal resources
Topics to be Avoided
1. Controversial topics
2. Highly technical subjects
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects
4. Too broad subjects
5. Too narrow subject
6. Vague subjects
Sources of Research Topics
1. Mass media communication-television, newspaper, ads,
radio, films, etc.
2. Books, internet, journals, government publications
3. Professional periodicals- specialized periodicals in different
fields
4. General periodicals- Reader’s Digest, Time Magazine,
Women’s Magazine, etc.
5. Previous readings
6. Work experience
How to Narrow Down a Topic
1. You can narrow down the topic by exploring and
extending the explanation of a theory.
2. Talk over ideas with people who know research.
3. Focus on specific group. Ex: Students, Mothers,
Teachers
4. Define the aim or desired outcome of the study.
a. Is the study exploratory, explanatory, or
descriptive?
b. Is the study applied or basic?
How to Narrow Down a Topic
Before deciding on your topic, ask:
1. What areas are not yet explored that I want to
investigate?
2. Is my research useful to me, to my school, to
my family and to my community?
Remember, a research study must be
significant enough to make it worth your efforts as
the researcher.
 Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One

General Concept: Early Pregnancy

Narrow: Early Pregnancy among
Senior High School Students
Narrow: Prevention of Early Pregnancy
among Senior High School Students
Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One
Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One
Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One
Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One
Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One
Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One
Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One
Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One
Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One
Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One
Example of a Broad Topic Narrowed
Down to Specific One
▪ RESEARCH TITLE
-Research title summarizes the
study. The initial aim of a title is
to capture the reader’s attention
and to draw his or her attention
to the research problem being
investigated.
Writing the Research Title
⮚ Research title is the most important element of
your research as it clearly expresses the
problem to be explored.
⮚ A research title capsulizes the main thought or
idea of the whole research paper. It also
reflects the variables under study.
⮚ It is expressed in few words possible and just
enough to describe the contents and the
purpose of your research.
Writing the Research Title
⮚ It needs to be informative.
⮚ It contains the:
● What: the subject matter or topic to be
investigated
● Where: place or locale where the research
is to be conducted
● Who: the participants of respondents of the
study
● When: the time of the conduct of the study\
Writing the Research Title
Examples:
● Struggles in Online Learning Modality among
Students of Quezon National High School
during School Year 2021-2021
What: Struggles in Online Learning Modality
Where: Quezon National High School
Who: Students
When: School Year 2021-2021
Writing the Research Title
Examples:
● Less Mastered Competencies of Senior High
School Students in Bukidnon during School
Year 2020-2021
What: Less Mastered Competencies
Where: Bukidnon
Who: Senior High School Students
When: School Year 2020-2021
Writing the Research Title
In qualitative research, it is not necessary to complete the data on
what, where, who, and when in the title. Consider the research titles
below.
● Study Habits of Senior High School Students in Public Schools
of Bukidnon
● Understanding the Academic Journey of Senior High School
Students
● The Pulse of the People on the Leadership Style of President
Rodrigo R. Duterte
● Phenomenology of Pioneering Senior High School Students in
Private Schools
● Body Tattoo: Is it an Art?
5 Steps in Writing a Good Research
Title (Balch, 2012)
1. Ask yourself these questions and write down all the
answers.
a. What is my paper about?
My paper studies the effects on the academic
performance of the students if their parents are
separated.
b. What techniques/ designs to be used?
It should be a purposive unstructured interview, and
phenomenological design will be used.
c. Who/what is being studied? When /where it happens?
I would like to study 40 students from Tanza, Cavite.
5 Steps in Writing a Good Research
Title (Balch, 2012)
2. Use your answers to list keywords.
Effects
Academic performance
Separated parents
Purposive
Unstructured interview
Children with separated parents
40 students
Tanza, Cavite
Phenomenological design
5 Steps in Writing a Good Research
Title (Balch, 2012)
3. Create a sentence that includes the keywords you
listed.
This study will use purposive unstructured interview
and phenomenological design to find out the effects of
separated parents to the academic performance of their
children who are studying in Tanza National
Comprehensive High School
5 Steps in Writing a Good Research
Title (Balch, 2012)
4. Delete all unnecessary/ repetitive words and link the
remaining.

This study is a purposive unstructured interview

that will use a phenomenological design to find out the
effects of separated parents to the academic performance
of their children who are studying in Tanza National
Comprehensive High School.
5 Steps in Writing a Good Research
Title (Balch, 2012)
4. Delete non-essential information and reword the title.

This study is a purposive unstructured interview

that shows the effects of separated parents to the
academic performance of their children who are studying
in Tanza National Comprehensive High School.

Title: The Effects of Separated Parents to the Academic

Performance of Children in Tanza National Comprehensive
High School.
 The Subtitle
Subtitles are quite common in social science research
papers (Balch2012). Here are the reasons why you may
include a subtitle:

1. Explains or provides additional context;

Example:
Linguistic Ethnography and the Study of Welfare Institutions as a
Flow of Social Practices: The Case of Residential Child Care
Institutions as Paradoxical Institutions
 The Subtitle
2. Adds substance to a literary, provocative, or
imaginative title;
Example
Listen to What I Say, Not How I Vote: Congressional Support for
the President in Washington and at Home
3. Qualifies the geographic scope of the research;
Example
The Geopolitics of the Eastern Border of the European Union:
The Case of Romania-Moldova-Ukraine
 The Subtitle
4. Qualifies the temporal scope of the research;
Example
A Comparison of the Progressive Era and the Depression Years:
Societal Influences on Predictions of the Future of the
Library,1895-1940
5. Focuses on investigating the ideas, theories, or work of a
particular individual
Example
A Deliberative Conception of Politics: How Francesco Saverio
Merlino Related Anarchy and Democracy
STEP 1: Identify what the study about.

The study is an in-depth

analysis (how) of portrayals
(what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
STEP 2: REWORD

The study is an in-depth analysis (how) of

portrayals (what) of soldiers (who) in war
films (where).
A Qualitative In-depth Analysis of
the Conception of the Hero as
Portrayed by Soldiers in War Films
▪ RESEARCH PROBLEM
-a specific issue, difficulty,
contradiction, or gap in
knowledge that you will aim to
address in your research.
▪ RESEARCH QUESTION
- it is what your study intends to
answer.
- It is said to be the question form
of the research problem that you
just have identified.
 Formulating Research Questions

When you decide to do a research, you begin with a

problem. This problem drives you to think of one topic
to investigate or focus on for the solution that would
benefit whoever is affected by the problem. It is also
important that you narrow down your topic. Narrowing
down the topic into research questions will provide
direction and focus to your research (Prieto, 2017).
 Techniques for Narrowing Down the Topic
into a Research Question (Neum, 2017
1. Examine the literature. Published articles are an excellent source of
ideas for research questions.
a. Replicate a previous research project exactly or with slight
variations.
b. Explore unexpected findings discovered in previous research.
c. Follow suggestions an author gives for future research at the end of
an article.
d. Extend an existing explanation or theory to a new topic or setting.
e. Challenge findings or attempt to refute a relationship.
f. Specify the intervening process and consider linking relations.
 Techniques for Narrowing Down the Topic
into a Research Question (Neum, 2017
2. Talk over ideas with others.
a. Ask people who are knowledgeable about the topic.
b. Seek out those who hold opinions differ from yours on the topics
and discuss possible research questions with them.

3. Relate a topic to a specific context.

a. Focus the topic on a specific historical period.
b. Narrow a topic to a specific society or geographical study.
c. Consider which subgroups or categories of people or units are
involved and whether there are among them.
 Techniques for Narrowing Down the Topic
into a Research Question (Neum, 2017
4. Define the aim or desired outcome of the study.
a. Will the research question be of an exploratory, explanatory, or
descriptive study?
b. Will the study involve applied or basic research
 Guidelines in Formulating Research
Questions (Babbie, 2014)

1. Establish a clear relation between the research questions and the

problem or topic.
2. Base your research questions on your Review of Related Literature.
3. Formulate research questions that can arouse your curiosity and
surprise you with your findings.
4. State your research questions in a way that they include all
dependent and independent variables referred to by the theories,
principles and concepts, underlying your research work.
 Guidelines in Formulating Research
Questions (Babbie, 2014)
5. Let the set of research questions or sub-problems be preceded by
one question expressing the main problem of the research.
6. Avoid asking research questions that are answerable with yes or no.
7. Be guided by the acronym SMART (specific, measurable,
attainable, realistic and time-bound) in formulating the research
questions. To give you a clear direction, you have to break the general
questions into a specific research question. The specific questions,
also called subproblems direct you to the exact aspect of the problem
that your study has to focus on.
 Guidelines in Formulating Research
Questions (Babbie, 2014)
The following shows you the link among the following: research
problem, research topic, the construction of one general
question, and specific questions in a research paper.

Example
Research Problem: The need to understand different coping mechanism of
children with broken families.
Research Topic: I Am Your Child: An Interpretative Phenomenological
Analysis of Accounts of Children with Broken Families
 Guidelines in Formulating Research
Questions (Babbie, 2014)
General Question: What different coping mechanisms were manifested in
the life of children with broken families?

Specific questions
1. How do children with broken families react when they see a complete happy family?
2. How do they interact socially; with fellow children, with elders, with the neighbors and
the likes?
3. What is the behavior of children from broken families in school and at home?
4. Who has greater influenced to the children with broken families? How do they affect
their lives?
5. What are the manifestations of their coping mechanisms in times of difficult situations?
Key Qualities of a Good Research
Question
▪Being able to discover problems
and opportunities from
respondents
▪Open-ended in nature
▪Easy to understand and digest
with no need for clarification
Key Qualities of a Good Research
Question
• Focused on a single problem or issue
• Researchable using primary and/or secondary
sources
• Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical
constraints
• Specific enough to answer thoroughly
• Complex enough to develop the answer over the
space of a paper or thesis
REMINDER:
Poorly constructed qualitative
research questions can affect the
outcome of a study, with unclear
responses resulting in a
considerable waste of resources.
 SAMPLE RESEARCH QUESTION
Bad Example
• What is the childhood obesity rate in Kensington?
• Reason: Not only is this too factual to form the basis of a valid
argument, it’s also too easy to answer with a single statistic. As a
rule of thumb, qualitative research questions should never be
able to be answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Good Example
• How does the amount of time children play computer games
each day affect childhood obesity rates in Kensington?
• Reason: This question is much more refined; the results of which
could also be used to form a more credible argument.
 SAMPLE RESEARCH QUESTION
How much time do you listen to rock music a week?
• Reason: This would be a much more suitable quantitative
research question, as it enables you to collect data en-
masse. However, from a qualitative viewpoint, the data could
not be used to create a judgment or perception as the data is
just factual information.
✔Why do you prefer listening to rock music more than
other music genres?
• Reason: This is a considerably more subjective question;
the results of which could potentially lead to you forming
the basis of a more credible argument.
▪ BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

- is the general orientation to the

problem area. It is a brief rationale
to justify the problem. This is the
present state of knowledge
regarding the problem.
▪ BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
-For a good background, the
researcher can state the antecedents
of the study, the reasons why this topic
is proposed relative to previous
studies.
Content of Background of the Study
1.It includes discussion of the problem in general and
the specific situations as observed and experienced
by the researcher.
2.It includes concept and ideas related to the problem
including clarification of important terminologies.
3.It includes discussion of the existing or present
conditions and what is aimed to be in the future or
the gap to be filled-in by the research.
 SCOPE
AND
DELIMITATION
▪ SCOPE of the Study
- it 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.
▪ DELIMITATION of the Study

- this section allows the writer to

explain why certain aspects of a
subject were chosen and why
others were excluded.
Scope and Delimitation
This section discusses the parameters of the research in paragraph.
It answers the basic questions:
• WHAT – The topic of investigation and the variables included.
• WHERE – The venue or setting of the research.
• WHEN – The time frame by which the study was conducted.
• WHY – The general objectives of the research.
• WHO – The subject of the study, the population and sampling.
• HOW – The methodology of the research which may include the
research design, methodology and the research instrument.
▪ SIGNIFICANCE of the Study

- in this part of the

research, the researcher
defines who will benefit out
of the findings of the study.
TIPS in Writing Signficance
1.Refer to the Statement of the Problem
• Your problem can guide you in identifying the
specific contribution of your study. You can do
this by observing a one-to-one correspondence
between the statement of the problem and the
significance of the study.
TIPS in Writing Signficance
2. Write from general to specific
• Write the significance of the study by looking
into the general contribution of your study,
such as its importance to society as a whole,
then to individuals which may include
yourself as a researcher.