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• Research


  Systematic step-by-step process to answer a question and/or solve an issue
• Characteristics of research


  • Systematic
  • Objective
  • Feasibility
  • Empirical
  • Clear
• Research paradigm


  Outline that guides the researcher in conceptualizing and conducting the research
• Fundamental components of a research paradigm

  • Research problem
  • Research purpose
  • Research gap
  • Research question
  • Conceptual framework
• Research gap


  An issue that is not addressed by previous studies, a "gap" that you would like to fill in
• Components of a research gap

  • Current state of the field
  • Current and conventional practices addressing the issue
  • The gap itself
  • The present study's contribution to addressing the research gap
• Research question


  May either be framed in a quantitative (how much, how often, to what extent) or qualitative manner (why, what, how)
• Conceptual framework


  Outline or paradigm that presents the topic, variables, contexts, and how they relate to each other
• IMRAD format


  • Introduction
  • Methodology
  • Results and Discussions
• Research design


  Helps you to organize the components of your research using a template
• Qualitative research


  Defined as a naturalistic method of inquiry to explain human experience while gaining insights and understanding
• Value of qualitative research


  • Provides context
  • Can complete a picture and clarify concepts
• Common types of qualitative research


  • Requires few participants
  • Useful for describing complex phenomena
  • Can be examined in detail and in depth
  • Interviews are not restricted to specific questions
  • Provides individual case information
  • Cross case comparison and analysis
  • Provides understanding and description of people's personal experiences
  • Describes the phenomena in detail as they are embedded in local contexts
  • Researcher usually identifies contextual and setting factors as they relate to the phenomenon of interest
• Weaknesses of qualitative research

  • Knowledge produced may not be applicable to other people or settings
  • Inflexibility is more difficult to maintain
  • Not as well understood and accepted as quantitative
  • Researcher's presence can affect the subject's response
  • Issues of anonymity and confidentiality can present problems
  • Difficult to make quantitative predictions
  • Generally takes more time to collect data
  • Lower credibility with some administrators and commissioners of programs
  • More difficult to test hypotheses with large participants' pool
  • Data analysis is often time-consuming
  • Results are more easily influenced by researcher's personal biases
• Factors in choosing a research topic

  • Relevance
  • Interest
  • Manageability
  • Available sources
• Research title


  Prefaces the study by providing a summary of the main idea, usually short and concise
• Characteristics of a good research title

  • Summarizes the main idea
  • Concise
  • Includes the major variables
  • Self-explanatory
  • Describes or implies the participants
• Research problem


  The heart and the spine of your study, states the area of concern and sets the direction of the research study
• Considerations in formulating the research problem

  • Novelty
  • Availability of the subjects
  • Support of the academic community
  • Availability and adequacy of facilities and equipment
  • Ethical considerations
• Internal criteria for formulating the research problem

  • Experience, training, and qualifications of the researcher
  • Motivation, interest, curiosity, & perceptiveness of the researcher
  • Cost and returns
  • Time factor
  • Hazards, penalties, & handicaps
• Other factors in formulating the research problem

  • Feasibility
  • External support
  • Innovative quality
• Tips for formulating the research title

  • Consider your research method
  • Know and prioritize your variables
  • Use words that speak of your design
  • Use of local and participants is optional
• Ethical principles in research

  • Honesty
  • Objectivity
  • Integrity
  • Care
  • Openness
  • Respect for intellectual property
  • Confidentiality
  • Responsible publication
  • Responsible mentoring
  • Respect colleagues
  • Social responsibility
  • Non-discrimination
  • Competence
  • Legality
  • Human subject protection
• Rights of research participants

  • Voluntary participation
  • Informed consent
  • Risk of harm
  • Confidentiality
  • Anonymity
• Ethical standards in research writing

  • Findings should be reported with complete honesty
  • Intentional misinterpretation should be avoided
  • Appropriate credit should be given
  • Plagiarism should be avoided
• Plagiarism


  Act of using another person's ideas, words, processes, and results without giving due credit
• Levels of plagiarism


  • Level 1: Copying a full paper word for word
  • Level 2: Lifting a large portion (up to 50%) from a work
  • Level 3: Copying specific portions (Sentence - Paragraph)
  • Level 4: Failure to correctly paraphrase
  • Level 5: Incorrectly citing a certain source despite copying heavily from it
• Components of the beginning of research

  • Background of the study
  • Statement of the problem
  • Assumption
  • Scope of the study
  • Delimitation of the study
  • Significance of the study
  • Definition of terms
• Background of the study


  Introduces the problem, clarifies the information, variables, and significance of the study
• Components of the background of the study

  • Rationale
  • Setting of the problem
  • Literature foundation
  • Seriousness of the problem
  • General objective
  • General purpose
• Statement of the problem

  The general problem in the qualitative study
• Types of research questions

  • Central question
  • Sub questions
• General types of research questions

  • Non-researchable
  • Researchable
• Further classifications of research questions

  • Factor-isolating
  • Factor-relating
  • Situation-relating
  • Situation-producing
• Assumption


  A realistic expectation which is what we believe to be true but has no sufficient evidence to be proven correct
• Scope of the study

  Determined by the variables that the research will focus on
• Characteristics of variables


  • Dependence (independent, dependent)
  • Mutually exclusive
  • Exhaustive
• Types of variables


  • Continuous
  • Discrete
  • Categorical
• Possible limitations of the study

  • Sample size
  • Lack of available and/or reliable data
  • Lack of prior studies
  • Chosen data collection method
  • Nature of information collected
• Limitations of the researchers

  • Access
  • Bias
  • Time period
  • Language