Chapter II.

The Research Process

Getting Started
Sample Topic of Interest:
“Students concern about violent crimes such as assault and what
would the university do about it in student’s perception”
Getting Ideas about research topics?
1. DO an internet search, but use specialized tool
Example:
- Type the following phrase into the google panel – “violent crimes”
Getting Ideas about research topics?
2. Replicate an existing study
Example:
A study about how do domestic violence victims coped up with the
long term effects of arrests of spouse was conducted in Quezon City.
The study could be replicated following the methods used,
questionnaire used and even the design. (note: you must cite the
author)
Getting Ideas about research topics?
3. Follow up on Recommendations for further research
Example:
Norman White and Rolf Loeber (2008) examined links between bullying
in school, placement in special education programs, and later
involvement in serious delinquency. They found that later delinquency
often followed bullying, regardless of placement in special education
programs. Near the end of their article, they recommend that future
research use systematic observations of behavior in different types of
school activity.
The Research Process
1. Conceptualization
2. Choice of Research Methods
3. Operationalization
4. Population and Sampling
5. Observations (Data Gathering)
6. Analysis of Data
Conceptualization
- Specify the meaning of the concepts to be studied.
Given example: - “violent crimes” and “bullying”
- First, specify what you mean by view/concern about violent crime. This
could have different meanings to different people (e.g. campus police
officers vs students view). Students could view violent crimes just like how
they view with other social problems, such as health care, poverty, etc. – We
could view it as general concern about violent crime.
Students could also view violent crime as something that affect them directly
and they are afraid to be victim – We could view it as fear for personal
safety.
- You need to specify as to what is the limitation of your study and its focus
like – a specific precautionary measures: keeping doors locked, or to general
behavior such as going to class, parties and school activities.
Conceptualization
Example:
Topic – “Students concern about violent crimes”
Conceptualization:
- General Concern about violent crime:
Problems that society must deal with but it doesn’t affect them
directly like poverty, education, etc.
- Fear for personal safety
Concern for personal safety while at dorms (locking doors) and
attending school activities like evening parties
Topic:
“Causes of Traffic Accidents in Baco Leyte, Leyte”

Conceptualization:
- drivers’ fault
- why do they commit accidents (personal reasons like sleepy,
intoxicated with liquor/drugs)
- Mechanical
- Vehicles problem (no brake,
Choice of Research Methods
-A Survey is the most appropriate method for studying both the general
concern and fear for personal safety. Why? This are things that people
think about but usually cant be observed.
-You may Interview students or ask them to fill out a questionnaire.
Also, you might conduct in depth interviews with smaller number of
students or a Focus Group Discussion (FGD).
Choice of Research Methods
-Other methods could be used like content analysis – you examine the
campus blog and analyze the writers’ recommendations to improve
campus safety.
- Also, Field Observation – you observe whether students tend to avoid
dark areas of the campus. This will help you understand student
behavior in avoiding certain areas of the campus at night.
- Secondary Data – study official complaints made to police and college
administrators about crime problems in the campus.
Operationalization
-develop specific measurement procedures. Operationalization means
the concrete steps or operations to measure specific concepts.
1. Operationalization of fear for personal safety:
-question “How safe do you feel alone on campus after dark?”.
Safe Unsafe
Operationalization
2. Students perception on how to improve safety could be
operationalized with:
- Listed below are different actions that might be taken to reduce
violent crimes on campus. Beside each description, indicate whether
you favor or oppose the actions described.
Favor Oppose
1. Increase penalty for violent crimes committed by students -
2. Install more protective lighting in the campus –
3. Hire additional security personnel -
Population and Sampling
Population – group about whom we want to be able to draw
conclusions. Groups are usually made up of people.
Sampling – process of selecting some units of a larger population for a
study.
Use sample when:
1. It is not possible to collect all information from all the persons or
other units we wish to study.
2. It not necessary to collect data from all persons or other units.
Population and Sampling
From the topic of choice:
-When the campus has 10,00 students, you could use a sample (group
of person) to represent the whole student population.
Important concepts in sampling
1. Sample element
– that unit about which information is collected and that provides the
basis of analysis.
Survey research – example is people or certain type of people
Other research – correctional facility, street blocks, terrorism
incidents.
Important concepts in sampling
2. Population
- the theoretically specified grouping of study elements.
“Students” – specifying students includes a consideration of full and
part time students, degree and non-degree candidates, undergraduate
and graduate students and so on.
Important concepts in sampling
3. Population Parameter
- the value for a given variable in a population.
Example:
The average income of students’ parents and age distribution of
students population are parameters.

In research, it involves estimating population parameters on the basis

of sample observation.
Important concepts in sampling
4. Sample Distribution
- Range of sample statistics we will obtain if we select many samples.
Important concepts in sampling
4. Sample statistic
- Summary characteristic of a sample, used to estimate population
parameter.