2. Identifying the Inquiry and Stating
the Problem
Sample topic : NEW NORMAL
Narrowed Topic: Parents’ Attitude towards Modular
Learning Approach
3. How to start a research
study?
1. The most important element that defines the research
problem.
2. It is usually read first and the most read part of the
research.
3. It contains the least words enough to describe the
contents and the purpose of your research paper.
4. It can be revised any and many times as the research
develops and reach its final phase. It becomes final on its
final defense before the panel of judges.
Note: The research title does not need to be entertaining but
informative.
4. Research Problem: The need to have a safer, comfortable, and
healthful walk or transfer of students from place to place in
the School Campus (Name of your school)
Research Topic: The construction of a covered Pathway in the
School Campus (Name of your school)
General Question: What kind of covered path should the
School Campus construct? (Name of your school)
Specific Questions:
1. What materials are needed for the construction of the
covered pathway in the School Campus? (Name of your
school)
2. What roofing material is appropriate for the covered path?
3. In what way can the covered pathway link all buildings in
the campus?
4. What is the width and height of the covered path?
5. How can the covered path realize green architecture?
5. A part of a research title has the
following information:
1. The subject matter or topic to be investigated.
(“What?”)
2. The place or locale where the research is to be
conducted. (“Where?”)
3. The population like the respondents’
interviewees. (“Who”?)
4. The time period of the study during which the
data are to be collected. (“When”?)
6. Rules in Choosing a Research
Topic
1. Interest in the subject matter. An interest in a subject drives you to
research, investigate, or inquire about it with full motivation,
enthusiasm, and energy.
2. Availability of information. Information will serve as evidence to
support your claims about your subject matter from varied forms of
literature like books, journals, and newspapers, among others, is a
part and parcel of any research work.
What to include in the investigation of the available materials?
a. Update and authority of the materials.
b. Copyright dates of the materials? Are they new or old?
c. Expert or qualification of the writers of reading materials about your
topic
7. Rules in Choosing a Research Topic
3. Timeliness and relevance of the topic
a. How relevant is the chosen topic? The topic should be
related to the present. (Except for pure or historical
research)
4. Limitations on the subject. Connect your choice with
course requirements. You need to decide on one topic to
finish your course.
5. Personal resources. Do an assessment on your research
abilities in terms of your financial standing, health
condition, mental capacity, needed facilities, and time
schedule to enable you to complete your research. You
have to raise an amount of money needed to spend on
questionnaire printing and interview trips.
8. Research Topics to be avoided in
developing your study
1. Any controversial topics because it depends
more on the writer’s opinion leading to biases.
Facts cannot support this topic.
2. Highly technical subjects are not advisable for
beginners as these topics require an advanced
study, technical knowledge, and skills.
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects that happens if
there are no available reading materials about it
and if such materials are not up-to-date.
9. Research Topics to be avoided in developing
your study
4. Too broad subjects that prevent you from
to focus on the subject matter of the paper.
Narrow down or limit the subject to
eliminate the problem.
5. Too narrow subjects that are so limited
where an extensive searching is necessary.
6. Vague subjects. The subject/focus of the
study should be specific
10. Sources of Research Topics
1. Mass media communication – press (newspapers, ads,
TV, radio, films, etc.
2. Books, Internet, peer-reviewed journals, government
publications
3. Professional periodicals like College English Language
Teaching Forum, English Forum, the Economist,
Academia, Business Circle, Law Review, etc.
11. Sources of Research Topics
4. General periodicals such as Readers’ Digest,
Women’s Magazine, Panorama Magazine, Time
Magazine, World Mission Magazine, etc.
5. Previous reading assignments in your other
subjects, work experience – clues to a researchable
topic from full-time or part-time jobs, experience,
fieldwork, etc.
12. Scope and Delimitation of the Study
What is the scope of a study?
It is the coverage of the research to be explored
which includes the facts and theories about the
subject.
Example:
A study on the influence of social networking on
the attitude of senior high school learners.
It is not possible to cover all aspects of the selected
subject. The scope will have to be restricted to a
specific section of the target population over a
specified duration.
13. What is the Delimitation of a Study?
1. Sample size.
2. Lack of available and/or reliable data. This will limit the
scope of analysis and the ability of the researcher to
determine meaningful trends and relationships among the
data.
a. The research design and method will determine whether
if it is small or large sample size.
b. The sample size will determine the quality of data and
the relationships that will be identified among the
variables.
3. Lack of prior studies. This will limit the effectiveness of
the literature review and initial understanding of the
research.
14. What is the Delimitation of a Study?
4. Chosen data collection method. The quality of data
collected must be clear to avoid erroneous answers from
the respondents.
5. Nature of the information collected. Researcher should
not rely on pre-existing data.
6. Access. The amount and quality of available data will
depend on the ability of the researcher to access people,
organizations, libraries, and documents.
15. What is the Delimitation of a Study?
7. Time period. It is advisable to select a research
problem and design
8. Bias. The researcher must focus only to the
problem, should be neutral and avoid his or her
personal biases.
9. Language. This may have an effect on data
collection, especially if the researcher is involved
with respondents that speak a variety of
languages.
16. Presenting Written Statement of the Problem
1. Introduction. States briefly the
background of the study and identifies the
rationale of the research problem. It begins
with a general statement of the problem,
outlines the specific problem or issue within
the existing literature.
2. Statement of the problem. It states clearly
the purposes or interest of the study, poses
specific questions about research problem
17. Presenting Written Statement of the
Problem
3. Scope and Delimitation. Sets the boundaries and
parameters of the study, narrows the scope of the
inquiry.
4. Significance of the Study. It shows the benefits of
the study to address issues and problems, in
improving economic and health conditions or even
finding solutions to problems encountered in daily
life.
