Chapter 3 : Identifying the Inquiry and Stating the Problem

Lesson 1: SUBJECT MATTER OF THE INQUIRY OF RESEARCH

A topic is researchable if the knowledge and information about it are supported by evidence
that is observable, factual, and logical. Here are some pointer you have to keep in mind in
selecting a research topic (Babbie 2013):

Guidelines in Choosing a Research Topic

1. Interest in subject matter – Your real interest in a subject pushes you to research,
investigate, or inquire about it with full motivation, enthusiasm, and energy.
2. Availability of information – make sure that there are varied forms of literature to support
your claims about the subject matter. Check the availability of the reading materials, how
updated and authoritative it is, are they new or old, etc.
3. Timeliness ad relevance of the topic- The topic is relevant if it is instrumental in societal
improvement, timely which is related to the present.
4. Limitations on the subject- This make you link your choosing with course requirements.
5. Personal resources- assess your research abilities in terms of your financial standing,
health, mental capacity, needed facilities and time allotment

Research Topics to be Avoided

1. Controversial topics- topics depend greatly on writer’s opinion, which may tend to be
biased and prejudicial.
2. Highly technical subjects- for a beginner, researching on topics that require an advanced
study, technical knowledge , and vast experience is a very difficult task.
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects- if there are no available reading materials about it and not
up-to-date
4. Too broad subjects- will prevent you from giving a concentrated or an in-depth analysis of
the subject matter
5. To narrow subjects- too limited or specific that an extensive searching of information
about these is necessary
6. Vague subjects- will prevent you from having a clear focus on your paper. Ex. Some
Remarkable Traits of a Filipino

LESSON 2: WRITING A RESEARCH TITLE

 A research title, or research project, is a product of real world observations, dilemmas,

wide reading, selective viewing (television programs, films, documentaries, videos, etc.)
meaningful interactions with significant others, and deep reflection.
 It must clearly reflect the topic of investigation. It must be original, clear, concise or
specific.

Broad and Specific Topics

 Too broad topics will lead you nowhere. In order to narrow down broad topics to
specific ones, the purpose or intent of the study must be clear.
The following are examples of broad topics:
o Lack of self-confidence
o Smoking hazards
 The following are examples of specific topis:

o Lack of self-confidence in adolescents: Root causes, Manifestations and

Intervention
o Health Hazards of Direct and Indirect Smoking: Prevention and Cure

Examples of Research Titles of Actual Studies

Qualitative Research Quantitative Research

Impact of the Use of Social Networking on Non- Establishing Hydroponics Farming in Pasig City
government Organization Effectiveness

STATING RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Research Problem: The need to have a safer, comfortable, and healthful walk or transfer of
students from place to place in the UST campus
Research Topic: The Construction of a Covered Pathway in the UST campus
Research Question: What kind of covered path should UST construct in this campus?
Specific Questions:
1. What materials are needed for the construction of the covered pathway in the UST
campus?
2. What roofing materials 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?

Techniques for Narrowing Down a Topic into a Research Question (Nueman, 2007)

1. Examine the literature. Published artices are an excellent source of ideas for research
questions. They are usually at an appropriate level on specificity and suggest research
questions that focus on the following:
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.
2. Talk over ideas with others.
a. Ask people who are knowledgeable about the topic for questions about it that they
have thought of.
b. Seek out those who hold opinions that different from your on the topic and discuss
possible research questions with them.
3. Relate the topic to a specific context.
a. Focus the topic on a specific historical period or time period.
b. Narrow the topic to a specific society or geographic unit.
c. Consider which subgroups or categories of people/units are involved and whether
there are differences among them.
4. Define the aim or desired outcome of the study.
a. Will the research question be for an exploratory, explanatory, or descriptive study?
 b. Will the study involve applied or basic research?

Examples of Research Questions

1. On lack of Self-confidence in Adolescents

a. What are the root causes of lack of self-confidence in adolescents?
b. What kind of behavior do adolescents who lack self-confidence manifest?
c. What cam the following groups of people do to boost up the self-confidence of
adolescents?
 The parents
 The Siblings
 The Church
 The Teacher
 The Guidance Counselors
 The Peers
2. On Smoking Hazards
a. What dangers to one’s health can smoking bring about?
b. How is a non-smoker’s health affected when in the presence of people smoking?
c. What medical interventions can address the problem of smoking?
d. What psychological interventions can address the problem smoking?

The Research Question I the Research Process

Flick (2002) elaborates on the formulative of the research question in the research process as
shown in the following figure:

Formulation of the overall question

Formulation of specific research questions
Formulation of sensitizing concepts
Selection of research groups with which to study the question
Selection of appropriate designs and methods
Evaluation and reformulation of the specific research questions
Collection of data
Evaluation and reformulation of the specific research questions
Analysing the data
Generalization and evaluation of the analyses
Formulation of the findings

Examples of Research Questions from Actual Qualitative Studies:

Research Questions:

1. What reactions do Filipino fathers and mothers experience during and after a natural
disaster?
2. How do they cope with experience of a natural disaster?
3. How do the experiences of Filipino fathers and mothers differ in terms of coping and
reaction?
LESSON 3: SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF RESEARCH

Delimitation refers to boundaries of the research study, arising from the researcher’s
decisions of what to exclude; for example, this study included only the Grade 6, 7 and 8 students who
experienced bullying.

Examples of Delimitation of Research

1. This study covers only those families in Barangay San Jose, Pasig City, benefited by the
government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
2. This study includes only those English fresman classes that use both Blended Learning and
standard ways of Language teaching.
3. This research investigation covers only Landbank-sponsored livelihood projects in Barangay
San Juan, Apalit, Pampanga.