Steps in the

Research
Process

Ms. Hezel Balute

Manata
A. Define the Research Problem

The first step in the research process is to

identify a research topic and transform it into a
researchable problem or question that can be
investigated. In identifying a research problem, you
may confer with people knowledgeable in your field
of interest or read published journals. Formulating
research questions involves asking questions that can
be answered by means of collecting data. A well-
crafted research question gives a clue to the kind of
variables to be investigated as well as the data
gathering procedures (e.g., observations, interviews,
survey questionnaires) to be undertaken by the
researcher.
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B. Do the review of related literature
•
Obtaining background information about
the research topic is the main purpose of
the review of the related literature. A
review of related literature, such as peer-
reviewed journal articles, helps establish
the rationale, significance, and justification
in pursuing the research study.

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C. Formulate the hypothesis
A hypothesis is an educated guess
that serves as the tentative answer to
the posed research questions at the
beginning of the of the inquiry process.
The hypothesis directs the researcher
to the data-gathering procedure to be
used in the study as well as the data
analysis that can be employed to
interpret the findings.
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D. Prepare the Research design
The research design is the
“blue print” of the research. It
provides the details of how data
will be collected, analyzed, and
interpreted. It also includes the
instruments that will be used to
collect data.
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E. Collect data
Collecting data is regarded as the most
important step in the research process because
it involves obtaining the necessary information
to answer the posed research question. Data
can be collected by conducting surveys,
interviews or observations. Data can also be
collected by obtaining information from
participants (demographics), documents, and
related literature.
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F. Analyze and interpret data
Data analysis paves the way to
make sense of the collected data by
transforming them into appropriate
tables and graphs. An appropriate data
analysis ensures the validity of the
conclusions of the study.

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G. Write the research report
After the collection and analysis of data, a
researcher should report the findings of the study
into a comprehensive research paper. This process
allows one to see the connections of the research
questions, research design, data collection, and
data analysis. After all, the primary purpose of
conducting a research is to seek solutions to
problems; thus, writing the results of the research
confirms that the research questions are
answered.

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H. Report the research findings
The usefulness of any research rests on its dissemination for public
consumption. It is the responsibility of the researchers to communicate
their findings through research forums and other public discussions, as well
as through the publication of the research itself. Communicating the results
to the different stakeholders is a form of advocacy of one’s research
interest. Other researchers will also benefit from the publication of one’s
research as they build on or add to the study.
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 Characteristics of a Good
Research Topic
The first step in the research process
---- defining the problem---- assumes
that the researcher has already
identified a research topic to be
explored. Choosing a topic can be
easy if you follow certain strategies
or tips.

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Characteristics of a Good
Research Topic
First, you must select a topic
that is interesting to you.
Reading journals in line with
your interest is a big help.
Choose a topic that can sustain
your interest all throughout the
research.
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Characteristics of a Good
Research Topic
Second, the topic you will decide on must
be valuable and worthwhile. Do not
explore a topic or ask a question that can
be answered by browsing through the
internet. You must opt for a topic that is
significant and relevant to the consumers
of research. Begin with the end in mind.
Imagine that you will present the findings
of your investigation in a research forum
or in a discussion group.
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Characteristics of a Good
Research Topic
Lastly, the topic you intend to pursue as your
research must feasible and doable .The data
collection and analysis needed to answer your
research questions should be attainable and
workable. Narrow down your topic into
something that is manageable. As the one
conducting the research, you need to ask yourself
whether you have sufficient resources like time,
money, and technical skills to carry out the
research.

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Characteristics of a Good
Research Topic
1. It is a topic that you are extremely passionate about all throughout the inquiry
process.

2. It is a topic that is valuable and worthwhile to you, fellow scholars, and the
society.

3. It is a topic that is doable; it allows you, as researcher, to demonstrate your

mastery of the topic and methods.
Narrowing Down
Your Research Topic

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Note: A feasible research topic is one that is
focused and manageable. This means that the
topic is not too broad or complicated that it would
be extremely difficult to collect and analyze data
for the study.

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Suppose you are interested in “learning”. This is the topic that is
too broad and, therefore, should be narrowed down by asking
yourself, “What particular aspects of learning am I interested in?”
You need to find background information about learning. You can
do this by looking up the definition of learning in the dictionary.
You can also explore other sources of information like
encyclopedias, online sources, and published journals.

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 If you think you have enough background
information about learning, then you can begin to
narrow down your topic. What aspects of learning
do you want to explore or investigate? What could
be another layer of specificity that can further
describe learning?

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 Perhaps you want to explore about cooperative learning.
Your general topic is now more focused, but this is still broad
and additional specifics of the topic are needed. At this point
you need to answer the “so what” “what for” questions. What is
your intended purpose in investigating cooperative learning?
What additional specifics or topic can further help you make
your topic more focused and manageable?

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 From your research of background information and additional
readings, you may find out that cooperative learning is a strategy
where students are given opportunities to demonstrate small
group process skills as they study content materials. Cooperative
learning is best used in the study of natural and social sciences.
Thus, to further narrow down your topic, you could focus on the
cooperative learning environment in the study of physics.

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 Now your topic is beginning to take shape. You are now able to identify
additional specifics of the topic. The intended purpose of the study is
becoming clear--- to investigate the cooperative learning environment in
the study of physics. However, you need to choose a particular perspective
or issue associated with your topic and identify variables that can be linked
with your topic. Hence, the topic can be extended to investigating the
cooperative learning environment with academic achievement and the
development of small group process skills in the students’ study of physics.

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 Your topic now is more directed, focused, and controlled because you have
identified the independent and dependent variables of your study. Notice that
the variable of interest (which is your independent variable) is creating a
cooperative learning environment in the study of physics. Your dependent
variables, those that are expected to change because of the manipulation of
the independent variable, are academic achievement and the development of
small group process skills. With this topic, you isolated and explicitly identified
your independent and dependent variables. You also managed to imply the
presumed relationship between your variables.

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 Having successfully narrowed down a broad topic, you are now ready to
state your problem statement. The problem statement helps you identify
the variables you want to investigate and the relationship between these
variables. Stating the research problem explicitly addresses what the study
is all about (cooperative learning environment in the study of physics) and
why the study is important (to link engagement in cooperative learning
activities with academic achievement and the development of small group
process skills). Thus, your problem statement for this study could be:

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 Prolonged engagement in a cooperative
learning environment in a physics class will result
in higher academic achievement and the
development of small group process skills.

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The problem statement above provides the scope,
purpose, and direction of the study. It presents the
problem you will investigate, gives the argumentative
assertion about your topic, and states what you intend to
prove at the end of the study.

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The last step in narrowing down your topic is assigning a work title. The
title should be short and concise. It should also identify all the variables
being studied as well as the presumed relationship between these
variables. A fitting title of the study is:
The Link among Cooperative Learning Environment, Academic
Achievement, and Small Group Process Skills in the Study of Physics

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The last step in narrowing down your topic is assigning a work title. The
title should be short and concise. It should also identify all the variables
being studied as well as the presumed relationship between these
variables. A fitting title of the study is:
The Link among Cooperative Learning Environment, Academic
Achievement, and Small Group Process Skills in the Study of Physics

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The Steps in Narrowing Down your Topic are the following:
1. Choose a general topic of interest.
2. Add a layer of specificity to your topic through obtaining background
information on the topic.
3. Identify the additional specifics of your topic.
4. Choose a particular perspective or issue associated with your topic,
and identify the variables you can link with your topic.
5. Write the problem statement.
6. Formulate a working title of the study.

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 Formulating Research Questions

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 Once you have a topic of interest, a problem statement,
and a tentative tile to your study, the next step is to
formulate your research questions. The research
questions, if correctly asked, gives the study its
structure, direction, and guidepost. Good research
questions provide an idea on the kind of data needed to be
collected and analyzed, as well as the type of data
collection procedures that the researcher will use. These
data collection procedures include survey questionnaires,
interviews, observations, and documentation.
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 A well – crafted research question allows the
readers and other researchers to identify the variables
being investigated in the study. Excellent research
questions should be formulated in such a way that they
would require data collection and analysis. Remember
that research is a process of systematically finding out
or seeking empirical data. Answers to research
questions should not be obtained from a simple Internet
search.

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 Recall the problem statement on cooperative learning , academic
achievement , and small group process skills:
Prolonged engagement in a cooperative learning environment in a
physics class will result in higher academic achievement and
development of small group process skills.
1. Is there a significant difference in a physics achievements test scores.
Before and after prolonged exposure to a cooperative learning
environment compared to a physics class in conventional classroom?
2. To what extent have a student developed small group process skills
after a prolonged exposure to a cooperative learning environment in
the study of the physics?

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These are good research questions because the answers to these questions
necessitate collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. The variables of the
study can be extracted from the research questions. In this study, the
independent variable is exposure to cooperative learning, and the dependent
variables are achievement in physics and development of a small group
process skills. The formulated research questions gives a window into a
research design – the method or procedure on how the study will be
conducted. Thus, in this study, academic achievement in physics is measured
through a physics achievement test before and after a prolonged exposure to
a cooperative learning environment. Additionally, such academic achievement
is compared to another physics class using a conventional approach in the
study of physics.

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Research question should neither be too broad nor too
narrow in the sense that the samples ( I. e., participants
of the study) are implied – a cooperative learning class
and a conventional class. Another variable is also being
measured, which is the small group process skills at the
end of the exposure to the cooperative learning
environment in the study of the physics. Thus, these
questions are considers to be well crafted because the
answers cannot simply be obtained from an Internet
search.
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 Criteria for Evaluating Research Questions
1. The research question should be researchable. A researchable
question is one that can be answered by collecting and
analyzing data.
2. The problem implied in the research question should be valuable
and worthwhile. Answers to the research question should
have theoretical or practical importance.

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3. The research question should point toward the data-
gathering procedures to be employed in the study. The
research
question should provide structure, direction, and guidepost to
the researcher as the study is conducted.

4. The research question should specify the samples or

participants of the study. These are the people whom the
researcher
intends to investigate.

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5. The research question should specify the variable of the study. The
dependent and independent variables, and the presumed relationship
between them should be identified. A good benchmark is to name the
variables and how they are related in one sentence.
6. The research question should indicate the methods or data-
gathering procedures to be adopted.
7. The problem implied in the research question should be clear. It
should be neither too broad nor too narrow.

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