PR 1

• Research


  A step-by-step process of investigation that uses a standardized approach in answering a question or solving problems
• Purpose of research


  To answer a question or to solve an issue
• Characteristics of research


  • Systematic
  • Objective
  • Feasible
  • Empirical
  • Clear
• Research paradigm


  An outline that guides the researcher in conceptualizing and conducting the research
• Important aspects of an effective research paradigm

  • Research foundation
  • Research methodology
• Components of the research paradigm

  • Research problem
  • Research purpose
  • Specific questions
  • Conceptual framework
• IMRAD


  Introduction, Methodology, Results and Discussion
• Benefits of a well-developed research design

  • Organizes the components of the research
  • Ensures the research effectively addresses the topic/problem
  • Provides a template for data collection, measurement and analysis
  • Determines the research design to be used
• Qualitative research


  Utilizes naturalistic methods to explain human experience and gain insights into individual's perceptions and interpretations
• Characteristics of qualitative research

  • Conducted systematically and rigorously
  • Usually follows an iterative process
  • Focuses on gathering rich insights from people
  • Data collection continues until saturation
  • Examines everyday life in natural context
• Value of qualitative research


  • Provides context and meaning
  • Explores issues in greater depth
  • Focuses on lived experiences of participants
• Common types of qualitative research

  • Ethnographic study
  • Historical study
  • Case study
  • Grounded-theory study
  • Narrative analysis
  • Critical qualitative research
  • Post modern research
• Strengths of qualitative research

  • Requires few cases/participants
  • Useful for describing complex phenomena
  • Allows detailed examination of issues
  • Interviews not restricted to specific questions
  • Captures subtleties and complexities
  • Provides individual case information
  • Allows cross-case comparisons
  • Describes phenomena in local contexts
• Weaknesses of qualitative research

  • Knowledge may not be applicable to other settings
  • Inflexibility is difficult to maintain
  • Less understood and accepted in scientific community
  • Researcher presence can affect subject responses
  • Anonymity and confidentiality issues
  • Difficult to make quantitative predictions
  • Harder to test hypotheses with large samples
  • Lower credibility with some stakeholders
  • More time-consuming data collection
  • Time-consuming data analysis
  • Easily influenced by researcher biases
• Factors to consider in selecting a research topic

  • Relevance
  • Feasibility
  • Originality
  • Significance
  • Researcher's interest and expertise
• The researcher's presence during data gathering, which is often unavoidable in qualitative research, can affect the subjects' response
• Issues of anonymity and confidentiality can present problems when presenting problems
• Weaknesses of qualitative research


  • It is difficult to make quantitative predictions
  • It is more difficult to test hypotheses and theories with a large participants' pool
  • It might have a lower credibility with some administrators and commissioners of programs
  • It generally takes more time to collect data compared to quantitative research
  • Data analysis is often time-consuming
  • The results are more easily influenced by researcher's personal biases and idiosyncrasies
• Relevance


  When it relates to the needs of your study's target audience or when it is considered important in people's daily lives
• Interest


  Research topic should appeal to the readers of your study and encourage you pursuing it
• Manageability


  Your research topic can be studied within your abilities, and your research must be doable within a specific time limit
• Characteristics of a good research title

  • It should summarize the main idea of the paper
  • It should be a concise statement of the main topic
  • It should include the major variables of the research study
  • It should be self-explanatory
  • It should describe or imply the participants of the study
• Words such as "methods," "results," and "investigations" should not appear in the title
• Research Problem


  States the area of concern of the research paper whether it is a circumstance needing development, a difficulty requiring attention, or an inquiry necessitating an answer
• Criteria for choosing a problem for research

  • Novelty - Practical value of the problem due to its "newness" in the field of inquiry
  • Availability of the subjects - People with the desired capability and willingness to participate in the study
  • Support of the academic community - Assistance given by the members of the institution
  • Availability and adequacy of facilities & equipment - Devices such as computers and telephones used in undertaking the study
  • Ethical considerations - Avoidance of research problems that pose unethical demands on the part of the research participants
• Internal criteria for formulating the research topic

  • Experience, training & qualifications of the researcher
  • Motivation, interest, intellectual curiosity, & perceptiveness of the researcher
  • Cost and returns - Funding needed, size of sample, place of research, treatment of data, and kind of research design
  • Time factor - Studies must be pursued within a given time frame
  • Hazards, penalties, & handicaps - Depend upon the researcher's physical and intellectual capacity and moral judgment
• Student researchers focus on more practical and relatable topics of research, considering their respective tracks for SHS
• Factors determining the research problem and topic

  • Feasibility - Needed time, setting, access to relevant materials, estimated expenses
  • External Support - Teacher/adviser presence, experts' assistance
  • Innovative Quality - Review of related literature and studies to ensure solutions are yet to be proposed
• Review of Related Literature

  Published materials that compare the study with existing knowledge on the research topic
• Review of Related Studies


  Thesis or dissertations on research topics carrying some variables
• Theoretical Framework


  Blueprint for the entire dissertation inquiry, serves as the guide on which to build and support your study, provides the structure to define how you will philosophically
• Elements of Theoretical Framework

  • Relevant Theories - Theories that are partially or fully relevant to the present study and are discussed to provide a basis for the variables being tested
  • Review of Related Literature
  • Review of Related Studies
  • Paradigm of the Study
• Strategies in formulating the theoretical framework

  • Examine your title and research problem
  • Brainstorm about what is considered as the key variables in the research
  • Review related literature and studies
  • List the variables
  • Review key theories
  • Discuss the assumptions and propositions
• Introduction


  Introduces the problem and clarifies the important variables, its delimitation, and its significance to the field of study
• Components of Introduction


  • Background of the Study
  • Statement of the Problem
  • Assumptions of the Study
  • Significance of the Study
  • Definition of Terms
  • Scope and Delimitation