RES 201: Chapter 5-7

• First chapter of the research is usually titled "The Problem". its purpose is to introduce the problem, clarify, important variables, and discuss its significance to the field of study. it looks into the study's delimitations, which pertain to specific choices made by the researcher that should be mentioned, and limitations, which are about the influences that the researcher cannot control.

  It has following essential elements:

  • introduction
  • statement of the problem
  • scope and delimitation
  • significance of the study
  • notes in chapter 1
• the introduction is important in establishing the cognitive setting of the research. it has the following elements:

  • rationalization of the need to research on the problem
  • clarification of the important terminologies for the reader to easily understand what the research is about
  • establishment of the degree of seriousness of the problem which prompted the researcher to look for solutions
• The rationale of the problem is explained by sharing the reasons why the researcher decided to look for solutions to the problem.
• Rationale include a narration of personal experiences, a description of an article read, a scene witnesses , a news heard, or a theory that need to be clarified.
• Researcher should describe the existing and prevailing problem based on his or her experience.
• Other factors considered in selecting research problem are time, resources, and scope can also be discussed in the rationale.
• The scope of the research problem may be local, national, international.
• The rationale can start from a global perspective to a more personal one.
• The setting of the problem is part of the delimitation of the study, defining the geographic boundaries of the research and describing the place where the research was conducted, especially if the location has a significant bearing on the variables being studied.
• The description of the setting must highlight its distinctive characteristics such as if the place experiences various environmental phenomena and other peculiarities.
• The setting also includes the psychological setting which refers to the mental and emotional characteristics of the participants of the study.
• what is the basic literature foundation of the study? - This is different from the review of related theories, conceptual literature, and research literature.

  • This part seeks to provide the researcher clarity on the terms or variables used in the study.
  • The terms and variables must be clear to the researcher for an easy understanding of the reader.
  • As such, sufficient background can assist the investigator in determining the boundaries of the study.
  • This part is derived from different literature sources. the use of various references is crucial in this part of the first chapter.
• how serious is the chosen research problem? - the researcher is tacked to identify the intensity and magnitude of the problem.

  • when the gravity of the problem has already been described, he or she may then gauge the kind of action to be used to identify the problem.
  • In most cases, the researcher at this point looks for statistical or quantitative evidence to assess the significance of the problem at hand
• what is the general objective of the problem?

  • this is the general statement of the problem or the major tasks of the researcher to discharge and should also be the basis of the enumerated of specific problems
• what is the overall purpose of the problem?

  • it is important to note that the researcher must be totally aware of the purpose of the research problem.
  • he or she must fully understand the implication of the resulting findings of the study
• Statement of the problem - after the researcher has clarified the rationale, identified the degree of seriousness of the problem, provided the literature review, and set the overall objective, the formulation of the heart of the thesis - the statement of the general and the specific problems - must be done
• in the book Principles of Qualitative Research: Designing a Qualitative Study, Creswell and Clark (2014) provide the following criteria in writing the purpose of the statement:

  • it should use single and not compound sentences
  • it should clearly express the purpose of the study
  • it should include the central phenomenon
  • it should use qualitative words e.g, explore, discover, & explain
  • it should identify the participants in the study
  • it should state the research site
• the general problem is followed by an enumeration of the specific problems because it is easier to answer specific problems, and when answered leads to the satisfaction of the general or central question. these problems are usually are stated as questions that the researcher seeks to answer. therefore, the specific problems must meet the following criteria:

  • they must be in question form
  • they must define the population and the sample of the study
  • they must identify the variables being studied
• In general, there are two types of questions formulated in research:

  • Non-researchable questions
  • Researchable questions
• Non-researchable questions

  • these are the questions of value and are answerable by yes or no. In research, this means that this type of question cannot be used as research questions because they are simply answerable by "yes or no:
• Researchable questions

  • These are questions of opinions, perceptions, or policy that are raised to accumulate data. Formulating a clear significant question prepares the researcher for subsequent decision-making on research design, data collection, and data analysis
• Factor-isolating questions

  • these ask the question "what is this?" these questions are sometimes called factor-naming questions because they isolate, categorize, describe, or name factors and situations
• Factor-relating questions

  • these ask question "what is happening here?" the goal of these questions is to determine the relationship among factors that have been identified
• Situation-relating questions

  • these ask the questions "how can i make it happen?" these questions establish, explicit goals for actions, develop plans of prescriptions to achieve goals, and specify the conditions under which these goals will be accomplished
• There are two types of research questions according to Creswell and Clark

  • central questions - these are the most general questions that can be asked
  • sub-questions - these questions divide the central question into more specific topical question and are only limited in number
• Central and sub questions in research should be exploratory, allowing for investigation
• Questions should begin with "how" or "what", and "why" questions are acceptable in certain instances
• Questions should inform readers of the information that will be discovered, generated, explored, identified, or described in the study
• Asking "what happened?" helps in crafting the description
• Asking "what happened over time?" helps in exploring the process
• Central question script

  • what is the meaning of/what does it mean to (phenomenon)
  • how could (participant) describe (central phenomenon)
• Sub-question script

  • what (aspect) does (participants) engage in as a (central phenomenon)
• Scope of the study - is determined primarily by the selection of variables that the research study will focus on. Defining the scope of the research requires the careful selection of variables that will be investigated, as well as the attributes that will define and measure these variables
• Scope - refers to the breadth and depth at which the research area will be explored.
• Variable

  • refers to any characteristic that can have different values or traits that may vary across research participants.
  • they are measured, controlled, manipulated by the researcher
• Attributes - are important elements of variable. it refers to the value assigned to a specific variable.
• Dependence - refers to how the variable is considered in a cause-and-effect relationship
• Independent variables

  • variables that are changed, manipulated, or selected by the researcher
• Dependent Variable

  • those that change because of changes applied to the independent variable
• Mutual exclusivity

  • this means that a participant or respondent cannot possess two attributes of a variable, for instance, a person cannot be both male and female