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Compilation of Lecture Notes in Practical Research 2

Chapter 1 - NATURE OF INQUIRY AND RESEARCH

Week 1-3
Performance Standard
After studying this chapter, the learner is able to decide on suitable quantitative research in different
areas of interest.

Learning Competencies
The learner:
1. describes characteristics, strengths, weaknesses and kinds of quantitative research.
2. illustrates the importance of quantitative research across fields.
3. differentiates kinds of variables and their uses.

INQUIRY VS. RESEARCH

Inquiry – synonymous with investigation

- When you inquire or investigate you tend to ask questions to probe or examine something using
your HOTS (higher-order thinking strategies) like inferential, analytical, critical, creative, and
appreciative thinking to discover more understandable or meaningful things beyond such object of
inquiry. Thinking in this manner makes you ask open-ended questions to elicit views, opinions, and
beliefs of others in relation to your research. [Small (2012) as cited by Baraceros 2016].

Research – scientific, experimental, or inductive manner of thinking. Starting from particular to more complex
ideas, you execute varied thinking acts that range from lower-order thinking strategies reflected by
these research activities: identifying the topic or problem, gathering data, making theories,
formulating hypotheses, analyzing data and drawing conclusions. Cognitively driven terms like
empirical, logical, cyclical, analytical, critical, methodical and replicable are the right descriptive
words to characterize research.
- The word research was coined from the Old French word “re” which means expressing intensive
force and “cerchier” which means to search. (retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research, May 21, 2017)

Quantitative Research – objective, systematic, and empirical investigation of observable phenomenon through
the use of computational techniques. It highlights numerical analysis of data hoping that the
numbers yield unbiased results can be generalized to some larger population and explain a
particular observation. Simply, quantitative research is concerned with numbers and its relationship
with events.

CHARACTERISTICS, STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, AND KINDS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Characteristics of Quantitative Research

1. Objective
2. Clearly defined research questions
3. Structured research instruments
4. Numerical data
5. Large sample sizes
6. Replication
7. Future outcomes

Strengths of Quantitative Research

The advantages of quantitative research include:
1. It is selective. Since it provides numerical data, it can’t be easily misinterpreted.
2. The use of statistical techniques facilitates sophisticated analyses and allows you to comprehend a huge
amount of vital characteristics of data.
3. The numerical data can be analyzed in a quick and easy way. By employing statistically valid random
models, findings can be generalized to the population about which information is necessary.
4. Quantitative studies are replicable. Standardized approaches allow the study to be replicated in
different areas or over time with the formulation of comparable findings.
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Weaknesses of Quantitative Research
The disadvantages of quantitative research are as follows:
1. Quantitative research requires a large number of respondents. It is assumed that the larger the sample
is, the more statistically accurate the findings are.
2. It is costly. Since, there are more respondents compared to qualitative research, the expenses will be
greater in reaching out to these people and in reproducing the questionnaires.
3. The information contextual factors to help interpret the results or to explain variations are usually
ignored. It does not consider the distinct capacity of the respondents to share and elaborate further
information unlike the qualitative research.
4. Many information are difficult to gather using structures research instruments, specifically on sensitive
issues like pre-marital sex, domestic violence, among others.
5. If not done seriously and correctly, data from the questionnaires may be incomplete and inaccurate.
Researchers must be on the look-out on respondents who are just guessing in answering the instrument.

Kinds of Quantitative Research

The kind of research depends on the researcher’s aim in conducting the research and the extent to
which the findings will be used.

 Descriptive Research. This design ins concerned with describing the nature, characteristics and
components of the population or a phenomenon. There is no manipulation of variables or search for
cause and effect related to the phenomenon. This design attempts to find general attributes of the
presently existing situation and determine the frequency with which it occurs. Descriptive research is
used if, for example, you want to know how many hours senior high school students spend in social
media, the number of malnourished students who failed in the achievement test, and how healthy is the
food served during recess in public schools.

 Correlational Research. It is the systematic investigation of the nature of relationships, or associations

between and among variables without necessarily investigating into causal reasons underlying them. It
is also concerned with the extent of relationships that exists between or among the variables. For
example, if pre-board examination results can be used to predict performance in the Licensure
Examination for Teachers (LET), then the higher the pre-board grade, the higher most likely be the score
in the LET. Correlational research is employed if you like to know, for example, if the factors are related
to each other: sex and mathematical ability, marriage and cancer recovery, occupation and life span.

 Evaluation Research. This kind of research aims to assess the effects, impacts or outcomes of practices,
policies or programs. Assessing the implementation of nursing care in a hospital and determining the
impact of a new treatment procedure for patients are examples of evaluation research.

 Survey Research. A survey research is used to gather information from groups of people by selecting
and studying samples chosen from a population. It may be done in various ways like face-to-face, phone,
mail, and online. A survey research may be cross-sectional if the information is collected from a sample
is just a single point in time just like the child-rearing practices of unmarried couples. A survey research
is considered longitudinal if the researcher collects information on the same subjects over a period of
time sometimes lasting many years in order to study the changes through the years. Longitudinal survey
is utilized, for example, to determine the growth of rice yield in the country and the rate of promotion of
doctorate holders five years after earning the degree.

 Causal-Comparative Research. Also known as ex post facto (after the fact) research. this kind of
research derives conclusion from observations and manifestations that already occurred in the past and
now compared to some dependent variables. It discusses why and how a phenomenon occurs. For
example, a researcher is interested in how weight influences stress-coping level of adults. Here, the
subjects would be separated into different groups (underweight, normal weight, overweight) and their
stress-coping levels measured. This is an ex post facto design because a pre-existing characteristic
(weight) was used o form the groups.

 Experimental Research. Uses scientific method to test cause-and-effect relationships under conditions
controlled by the researcher. In this case an effort is made to determine and impose control over all
other variables except one. An independent variable is manipulated to determine the effects on the
dependent variables. For instance, a teacher would like to know if a new teaching strategy is effective or
not so he/she teaches one section using the new strategy and teaches another comparable section
without the new strategy, then an achievement test was given to the two sections. The manipulated
independent variable is the new teaching strategy which is being tested if it has an effect on the
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dependent variable which is the achievement of the students. Notice that the sections are comparable
with one another meaning all the other variables are controlled by the teacher.

Importance of Quantitative Research

Research studies are gaining an unprecedented focus and attention. Then, only the faculty members in
the higher education have so much interest and conduct researches but now, even the teachers in the basic
education are engrossed in researches and devote time and effort in conducting researches to improve
educational practices that may lead to more quality learning of the students. Many teachers do action
researches because there is a serious need to identify the problems of the deteriorating quality of education. By
doing so, they can be addressed systematically and educational decisions are assure to be sound. Innovative
teaching strategies are product of researches. Researches also validate test and challenge existing educational
practices that may lead to reforms which are more contextualized, localized, responsive to the needs of the
learners
Aside from the numerous profits that research brings to the teaching profession, research provides
many benefits to various fields as well.
How does research affect the field of specialization you have chosen?

VARIABLES
- It is a measurable characteristic that changes in value. It may vary from one group to another, one
person to another and even with the same person over time
- It is anything that may assume varied numerical or categorical values. For instance, sex is a variable,
it may be male or female but it won’t applicable as a variable if the setting of the research is an
exclusive school for girls. Socio-economic status is a variable, it may range from zero to billion pesos.
Educational attainment of parents is another variable, it may be from “did not attend school” to
“post-doctorate degree”.

Types of Variables
 Continuous and Discrete Variables
Continuous variable – a variable that can take infinite number on the value that can occur in a
population.
Its values can be divided into fractions. Ex. age, height, temperature.
Discrete variable – also known as categorical or classificatory variable. It is any variable that has a limited
number of distinct values and which cannot be divided into fractions. Ex. sex, blood group,
number of children in the family

Continuous variable can be further categorized as either interval or ratio variable.

Interval variable is a measurement where the difference between two values does have meaning. The difference
between a temperature of 60 degrees and 50 degrees is the same difference as between 30 degrees and 20
degrees. The interval between values make sense and can be interpreted.
Ratio variable possesses the properties of interval variable and has a clear definition of zero, indication that
there is none of that variable. Examples of ratio variable include height, weight and distance. But
temperature measured in degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit is not a ratio variable because 0 under
these temperature scales does not mean no temperature at all.

Discrete variables can be further categorized as nominal and ordinal.

Nominal variable is a variable with no quantitative value. It has two or more categories but does not imply
ordering of cases. Ex. eye color, business type, religion. A sub-type of nominal scale with only two categories
just like sex (e.g. male/female) is known as dichotomous.
Ordinal variable is a variable that has two or more categories which can be ranked. If you asked people if they
liked listening to music while studying they could answer either “Not very much”, “Much”, or “Very Much”
then you have an ordinal variable. While we can rank them, we cannot place a value to them. In this type,
distances between the attributes do not have any meaning. For example, you used educational attainment
as a variable as a variable on a survey, you might encode elementary school graduate=1, high school
graduate=2, college undergraduate =3, and college graduate = 4. In this measure higher number means
greater education. Even though we can rank these from lowest to the highest, the spacing between the
values may not be the same across the levels of the variables. The distance between 3 and 4 is not the same
with the distance between 1 and 2.
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 Dependent and Independent Variables
Independent variable – the cause variable of the one responsible for the conditions that act on
something else to bring about changes.
Dependent variable – also called outcome variable is the result of the changes brought about by another
variable (usually independent variable).

In a certain study, a group of students was subjected to aroma therapy using essential oils while reading
and another group read under normal conditions, then after a month both groups tool a reading comprehension
test. In this case, the reading comprehension test score is the dependent variable and exposure to aroma
therapy is the independent variable. This is because the test score is dependent on whether or not the student
was exposed to aroma therapy. The independent variable exposure to aroma therapy, is independent because it
is something that brought about the change.

Review!

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research (Muijs, 2011; Sharp 2012)

Standards Qualitative Quantitative
Mental survey of reality Results from social interactions Exists in the physical world
Cause-effect Explained by people’s objective desires Revealed by automatic descriptions of
relationships circumstances or conditions
Researcher’s Subjective; sometimes personally Objective; least involvement by the
involvement with the engaged researcher
subject of the study
Expression of data Verbal language (words, visuals, objects) Numerals, statistics
analysis, and findings
Research plan Takes place as the research proceeds Plans all research aspects before
generally collecting data
Behavior toward Desires to preserve the natural setting of Control or manipulation of research
research research features conditions by the researcher
aspects/conditions
Obtaining knowledge Multiple methods Scientific method
Purpose Makes social intentions understandable Evaluates objective and examines
cause-effect relationships
Data-analysis technique Thematic codal ways, competence-based Mathematically based methods
Sampling technique More inclined to purposive sampling or Random sampling as the most preferred
use of chosen samples based on some
criteria

Assessment Tasks
A. 10-minute non-stop writing starts now…
Write your concise learning about the following:

Characteristics of Quantitative Research

Strengths of Quantitative Research

Weaknesses of Quantitative Research

Descriptive Research
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Correlational Research

Evaluation Research

Survey Research

Causal-Comparative Research

Experimental Research

B. Complete the following:

Research is important to a teacher because

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Research is important to a doctor because

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Research is important to an engineer because

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Research is important to an entrepreneur because

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

C. Using Venn Diagrams, show the similarities and differences between continuous and discrete variable
and independent and dependent variables

Independent Dependent
Continuous Discrete
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D. Write I if the variable is Interval, N if Nominal, R if Ratio and O if Ordinal.
1) Military Title
2) Temperature in degree Celsius
3) Birthplace
4) Year level
5) Favorite type of music
6) Clothing such as hat, shirt, shoes
7) A score in 5-item quiz in Math
8) Feeling of today
9) Means of transportation to school
10) How internet is used at home

E. Identify the Independent and Dependent variables

1) Organizational Commitment and Teaching Performance of Elementary Teachers on the District
of Pililla, Rizal
Independent: ___________________________________________________
Dependent:_____________________________________________________

2) Conceptual, Interpersonal, and Technical Skills of Bank Managers: Their Relationship to

Operational Efficiency
Independent: ___________________________________________________
Dependent:_____________________________________________________

3) Increasing Mathematics Achievement Through Contextualized and Localized Materials

Independent: ___________________________________________________
Dependent:_____________________________________________________

4) Impact of Blended Learning on Student Achievement in Social Studies

Independent: ___________________________________________________
Dependent:_____________________________________________________

5) Effectiveness of Exposing Students in Classical Music on Reading Comprehension

Independent: ___________________________________________________
Dependent:_____________________________________________________

F. Research and read at least five studies and supply the information needed below:
Research Title Source Variables Kinds of Variables Kinds of Research

Present one research abstract to the class and justify your answers in the table.

G. Write T if the statement is true and F if false.

1) Research is advantageous not only to students but to life as a whole.
2) Research can be done even informally.
3) Research requires no step-by –step procedure for as long as results are obtained.
4) Empirical data should be gathered and analyzed before arriving at a conclusion.
5) Correlational research is also called ex post facto.
6) A variable may not vary in a study.
7) The independent variable is the variable predicted.
8) A fewer number of respondents is needed in a study to minimize the error.
9) Longitudinal survey covers a single period of time.
10) In quantitative research, respondents are given very limited opportunity to elaborate their
responses.

H. Choose the corresponding letter of the best answer.

1) Which of the following best define quantitative research?
a. It is an activity of producing or proving a theorem.
b. It is an activity concerned with finding new truths in education.
c. It is an exploration associated with libraries, books and journals.
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d. It is a systematic process for obtaining numerical information about the world.

Refer to the following characteristics of research for items 2-5:

A. Objective C. Replication
B. Numerical Data D. Large Sample Sizes

2. Data are in form of statistics.

3. It is not based on guess work.
4. It is needed to arrive at a more reliable data analysis.
5. It is done to check the correctness and verify the findings of the study.
6. Which research design seek to describe “what is”?
A. Correlational C. Experimental
B. Descriptive D. Evaluation

7. In this type of research, the investigator tries to probe the significance of relationship between two or
more factors or characteristics.
A. Correlational C. Ex-post facto
B. Experimental D. Survey

Refer to the following variables for items 8-10:

A. Interval C. Nominal
B. Experimental D. Ordinal
8. It can be measured along a continuum.
9. Its subtype is dichotomous variable.

Sources:
Baraceros, E. L. (2016). Practical Research 2. Quezon City: Rex Bookstore, Inc.
Faltado, R. E., Bombita, M. B., Boholano, H. B., & Pogoy, A. M. (2016). Practical Research 2 (Quantitative
Research for SHS). Manila: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.
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Chapter 2 – IDENTIFYING THE INQUIRY AND STATING THE PROBLEM

Week 4-5
Performance Standard
After studying this chapter, the learner is able to formulate clearly the statement of research problem.

Learning Competencies
The learner:
1. designs a research useful in daily life.
2. writes a research title.
3. describes background of research.
4. states research questions.
5. indicates scope and delimitation of study.
6. cites benefits and beneficiaries of study.
7. presents written statement of the problem.

Identifying and Stating the Problem

Research as the Art of Inquiry

Research is composed of two words, “re” and “search”.
Re a prefix which means again and
search is a verb meaning to examine closely and carefully, to test and try, or to probe or to study thoroughly.

Together they form a noun describing field of knowledge, undertaken to establish facts or principles.

Research is the primary source of knowledge. It aims to develop new knowledge and apply scientific and
engineering principles to connect the knowledge in one field to that of others.
- is a structured inquiry that utilizes acceptable scientific methodology to solve problems and creates
new knowledge that is generally acceptable. It is essential to human existence

Daily activities are mostly carried on without reflection, and it occasionally occurs to question that which
generally passes as true. Millennial learners in a technology-based society cannot remain in a state of
unquestioned belief, for habits attitudes and even decisions which are mostly challenged by unexpected
changes I the globalized environment, if students are not confronted by their own inquisitiveness of others. This
is why there is a need to do research and validate set of beliefs in order to prove them true

Some may consider these beliefs for instance, “Learners of the 21st century are mostly distracted by
gadgets”, “Use of social media sites are detrimental to study habits of students”, and “The use of technology is
an effective tool to deliver instructions to students”. On the basis of these beliefs research findings can guide
school administrators/academic heads/curriculum planners and teachers in policy making and in improving the
effectiveness of teaching strategies.

There are many instances that those widely held beliefs and even prejudices have been shown to be
invalid after subjected to various scholarly inquiries and tests. It is recommended that it is sound to know not
only what is generally supposed to be true about several phenomena and theories but also the level to which
properly conducted research support such beliefs. In order to assess the degree to which beliefs are supported
by research, “it is necessary to understand the research process” (Stone, 1987) that is why you have to learn the
various methods of research.

Research Topic
The first challenge to any researcher is the identification of research topic. A research topic or problem
is an intellectual stimulus calling for an answer in the form of scientific inquiry. Topics or problems are general
questions about relations among variables, characteristics of the phenomenon which a researcher needs to
undertake (Birionet, et.al., 2015).

Sources of Research Topics Problems

The following are the things that may be considered before starting the research activity:
1. Prevailing theories or philosophy
2. Observations, intuitions or combination of both
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3. Different subjects taken and from them identify a problem that interests a student-researcher most
4. Fields of interest or specialization or event from related field
5. Existing problems in the classroom/school/campus/university which one may want to solve are good
sources of research problems
6. Existing needs of the community or society
7. Repetition or extension of investigations already conducted or an offshoot of studies underway
(Angeles, 1996)
8. Related studies and literature
9. Advice of authorities or experts from funding agencies
10. Offshoot of friendly conversations
11. Incidental from interesting topics of professors during course meeting/session

Selecting the Research Topic

In choosing a research problem, be guided by the following criteria:
1. It has to be something new or something different from what has been written about.
2. It must be original.
3. It should be significant to the field of study or discipline.
4. It must necessarily arouse intellectual curiosity.
5. It must be of researcher’s interest and researcher must be with topic.
6. It should be a modest one for a beginner to be carried on within a limited period of time.
7. It should be clear, not ambiguous.
8. It should be specific, not general.
9. It should consider the training and personal qualifications of the researcher.
10. It should consider the availability of data involved in the study and the methods and techniques to be
employed in gathering them.
11. It should consider the availability of effective instruments for gathering data and their treatment.
12. It should consider the financial capacity of the researcher to support the project.
13. It should consider the time factor involved in the undertaking.

After the researcher has identified the problem, he/she can now state the research problem.
The researcher has to settle first the problem of selecting the problem to research on. the following may be
considered as basis for selecting the problem: technical and personal.

Technical Criteria Personal

 significant to chosen field/advancement of  interest
science or specialization  training
 pioneering or novel  expertise
 originality  financial capacity
 arouse intellectual curiosity  time factor involved in project
 relevance to degree
 availability and manageability of data
 availability of instruments
The starting point of any research is the identification and definition of the research problem. This step
is the most difficult one because, while there are some guidelines in the selection and narrowing down of the
problem, these are unlike the technical rules and requirements in the choice of research design and
measurements. Often, these are only based on interest, skills or workability. It is the basic issue or area of
concern, the situation which exists and then how it ought to be. It should be defined precisely and the summary
questions which will be answered by the proposed research should be stated. The problem may be stated in
question form or given as a declarative statement.

Selected Guidelines in the Formulation of a Research Title

1. The title must contain the following elements:
a) the subject matter or research problem;
b) the setting or locale of the study;
c) the respondents or participants involved in the study; and
d) the time or period when the study was conducted (If the title becomes too long because of
these elements, the timeframe or period may be omitted except in evaluation studies.
2. The title must be broad enough to include all aspects of the study but should be brief and concise as
possible.
3. The use of terms as “Analysis of”, “A Study of”, “An investigation of” and the like should be avoided. All
tehsea re understood to have been done in a research.
4. If the title contains more than one line, it should be written in inverted pyramid.
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5. When typed or encoded in the title page, all words in the title should be in capital letters.
6. If possible, the title should not be longer than 15 substantive words.
7. Avoid a long, detailed title that gives too much information.
8. To shorten the title, delete the terms “assessment” or “evaluation” if these are already emphasized in
the text.

Characteristics of a Good Title

1. A title should give readers information about the contents of the research and is preferable to one that
is vague and general.
2. Titles do not need to be stuffy or dull but they should generally give readers some idea at the outset of
what the research paper will contain.
3. Choose a title that is a phrase rather than a complete sentence.
4. Select a straightforward title over other kinds.
5. Use no punctuation at the end of the title.
6. Do not underline the title of the research or enclose it in quotation marks, instead, use a word
processing program or printer that permits italics. Use them in place of underlining.

Here are some titles of researches approved in various disciplines/programs:

1. Higher Order Thinking Skills in Reading of Freshmen in University of Northern Philippines, Academic
Year 2015-2016
2. Pinay Single Mom: Paghanga oPagkutya? A Multi-Case Study on the Lives and Experiences of the
Solo Parents in Zamboanga City
3. Abakada O Aba! Kita…: A Multi-Case Study on Child Labor in the Selected Towns of the Province of
Laguna
4. Magkapatid na Parang Aso’t Pusa: Magkakasundo pa Kaya? A Multi-Case study on Siblings with
Rivalry in San ose, Mindoro Occidental
5. Establishment of Jackfruit Tea Processing Plant in Barangay Bantayan, Tabaco, albay
6. Level of Acceptability of Worksheets for Film-Clippings by the Teachers of English in University of
Antique, Academic Year 2015-2016
7. Life’s Adjustment of Yolanda Victims in Tacloban
8. Awareness on Traffic Rules and Regulations of Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association in Brgy.
Culiat, Quezon City, Calendar Year 2015
9. Health Practices of Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Music, Arts, Physical Education and
Health (MAPEH) at University of Rizal System Pililla and Angono, Academic Year 2015-2016
10. Level of Acceptability of the Tracing Guide for Children with Cerebral Palsy by the Special Education
teachers in the Division of Pampanga, School year 2015-2016
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Background of the Study
This part of research includes information which would focus attention on the importance and validity of
the problem. It is the general orientation to the problem area. A brief rationale to justify the problem must be
provided. This is the present state of knowledge regarding the problem. Answer these questions: What facets of
the problem (phenomenon) are known and what need further investigation? What approaches have been used
previously in research of the problem?

For a good background, the researcher can state the antecedents of the study, the reasons why this
topic is proposed relative to previous studies.

The Background includes:

1. discussion of the problem in general and the specific situations observed and experienced by the
researcher (macro to micro approach);
2. concepts and ideas related to the problem including clarification of important terminologies; and
3. discussion of the existing or present conditions and what is aimed to be in the future or the graph to be
filled in by the research.

Statement of the Problem

This is the basic difficulty, the issue, the area of concern, the circumstances which exist, then, how they
ought to be. The researcher should give the background which led to this circumstances that exist, then, how
they ought to be. The researcher should give the background which led to this circumstances that exist. Briefly
describe the condition or a situation that exists which is perceived as something less than the ideal; or what it
should be and how you see it to be. Answer the following questions: What are the reasons for the circumstance?
Is it answerable or possible to be solved or changed? What are the specific problems that the study aims to
answer.
The statement of the problem tells what is done to make the situation that exists more like what it
should be. It exposes anything wrong with the situation or condition or circumstance which is being described. It
has two main elements:
1. the objective; and
2. research questions

Objective or Purpose of the Study

It is the first part of the problem where the researcher states the objective. This is the statement of a
long-term objective expected to be achieved by the study. This is derived by the identification and crystallization
of the research problem and is reflected in the title.
It is prefixed by these introductory phrases:

Example: “The main objective of this study is to …. “

Research Questions or Investigative Problems

The specific questions which are to be answered in the study are called research questions, and are all in
question form