NATURE OF INQUIRY AND RESEARCH

LESSON 1: THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH IN DAILY LIFE

What is Research?
 Research is defined as the scientific investigation of phenomena which includes collection,
presentation, analysis and interpretation of facts that lines an individual‘s speculation with
reality.
 Solutions to problems must be based on knowledge not on mere beliefs, guesses or theories.
 In research a systematic and well-planned procedure is required to meet the need in order
that information is acquired and evaluate its accuracy and effectiveness.
 It is a process of inquiring.

What is Inquiry?
Nature of Inquiry (Lichman, G.,2013)
 Inquiry is defined as “a seeking for truth, information or knowledge”. It is a problem solving
technique.
 The information and data pursued through questioning begins with gathering by applying the
different human senses.
 Individuals carry on the process of inquiry from birth till death.
 Inquiry is synonymous with the word investigation.

What is Investigation?
 It is a systematic examination of a certain event or phenomenon.

What is Immersion?
 Immersion is a process whereby a researcher immerses (deeply involves) himself in the
data gathering activities and the data he has gathered is carefully read or examined by him in
detail.

What is the difference between inquiry and research?

 When you inquire or investigate, you tend to ask questions to probe or examine something to
request for truth, information, or knowledge.
 Research is systematic and objective creation of knowledge.

Purposes of Research
 Convenience
 Self-improvement
 Development
 Promotes New Knowledge
Importance of Research in Daily Life
 Research directs us to inquire about the right information by conducting further investigation of
the actual condition. It leads us to be cautious in giving results and findings by proving lies and
supporting the truth.
 Research empowers us with knowledge and discovers new things and issues in life. It helps us
solve problems in health, crimes, business, technology and environment.
 Research facilitates learning as an opportunity to share valuable information to others as a
way of recognizing various concerns for public awareness.

LESSON 2: THE CHARACTERISTICS, PROCESSES AND ETHICS OF RESEARCH

Characteristics of Research
 ACCURACY - It must give correct or accurate date, which the footnotes, notes, and
bibliographical entries should honestly and appropriately documented or acknowledged.
 OBJECTIVENESS - It must deal with facts, not with mere opinions arising from assumptions,
generalizations, predictions, or conclusions.
 TIMELINESS - It must work on a topic that is fresh, new, and interesting to the present society.
 RELEVANCE - Its topic must be an instrumental in improving society or in solving problems
affecting the lives of people in a community.
 CLARITY - It must succeed in expressing its central point or discoveries by using simple,
direct, concise, and correct language.
 SYSTEMATIC - It must take place in an organized or orderly manner.

The Seven Steps of the Research Process

Step 1. Define and develop your topic (Research Problem).
Factors to Consider in Selecting a Research Problem
 Researcher‘s area of interest
 Availability of funds
 Investigator‘s ability and training
Step 2. Find background information about your chosen topic (Review of Related Literature).
Step 3. Plan your research design including your sample (Methodology).
Step 4. Gather necessary data using open-ended questions (for qualitative research) and
closed-ended questionnaire or paper pencil test questionnaire (for quantitative research)
(Data Gathering Activities).
Step 5. Process and analyze data using thematic analysis (for qualitative research) and
statistical tools (for quantitative research).
Step 6. Formulate new insights gained (for qualitative research) conclusions (for quantitative
research) and recommendations. Step 7. Define new problem.

Ethical Considerations in Conducting Research

 Objectivity and integrity
 Respect of the research subjects’ right to privacy and dignity and protection of subjects from
personal harm
 Presentation of research findings
 Misuse of research role
  Acknowledgement of research collaboration and assistance
 Distortions of findings by sponsor

What are these Ethics in Research?

Informed Consent
 This is required to secure in order protect the rights of the participants in your study.
Participation to the study will be completely voluntary.

Honesty
 It report data, results, methods and procedures, and publication status. Do not fabricate, falsify
and misrepresent the data.

Objectivity
 Avoid bias in experimental design, data analysis, data interpretation, peer review, personnel
decisions, grant writing, expert testimony, and other aspects of research.

Integrity
 Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for consistency of thought and
action.

Carefulness
 Avoid careless errors and negligence; carefully and critically examine your work and the work
of peers. Keep good records of research activities.

Openness
 Share data, results, ideas, tools and resources. Be open to criticism and new ideas.

Respect for Intellectual Property

 Honor patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and other forms of intellectual property.
Do not use published or unpublished data, methods, or results without permission. Give credit
where credit is due. Never plagiarize, fabricate and falsify.

Confidentiality
 Protect confidential communications, such as papers or grants submitted for publication,
personnel records, trade or military secrets, and patient records.

Responsible Mentoring
 Help to educate, mentor, and advise others. Promote their welfare and allow them to make
their own decisions.
Responsible Publication
 Publish in order to advance research and scholarship, not to advance your own career. Avoid
wasteful and duplicative publication.

Respect for Colleagues

 Respect your colleagues’ opinion, treat them fairly and do not outsmart others.

Social Responsibility
 Strive to promote social acceptance and prevent or mitigate social harms through research,
public education, and advocacy.

Non-discrimination
 Avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or
other factors that are not related to their scientific competence and integrity

Competence
 Maintain and improve your own professional competence and expertise through lifelong
education and learning; take steps to promote competence in science as a whole.

Legality
 Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and government policies.

Animal Care
 Show proper respect and care for animals when using them in research. Do not conduct
unnecessary or poorly designed animal experiments.

Human Subjects Protection

 When conducting a research on human subjects, minimize harms and risks and maximize
benefits; respect human dignity, privacy, and anonymity.

Rights of Research Participants

Human Rights
 They are moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of human behavior and are
regularly protected as natural and legal rights. They constitute a set of rights and duties
necessary for the protection of human dignity, inherent to all human beings.

Intellectual Property
  It protects creations of the mind, which have both a moral and a commercial value.

Copyright Infringement
 It is the use or production of copyright-protected material without permission of the copyright
holder.
 It means that the rights accorded to the copyright holder, such as the exclusive use of a work
for a set period of time, are breached by a third party
Examples:
 Downloading movies and music without proper payment for use.
 Recording movies in a theatre
 Using others’ photographs for a blog without permission
 Copying software code without giving proper credit
 Creating videos with unlicensed music clips

Voluntary Participation
 People must not be coerced into participating in research process. Essentially, this means that
prospective research participants must be informed about the procedures and risks involved in
research and must give their consent to participate.

Anonymity
 It is the protection of people’s identity through not disclosing their name or not exposing their
identity. It is a situation in data gathering activities in which informant’s name is not given nor
known.

Privacy
 It is someone’s right to keep his personal matters and relationships secret. It is the ability of an
individual to seclude him from disturbance of any research activity.

Ethical Standards in Research Writing

Research Misconduct includes fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.
 Plagiarism refers to the act of using another person’s ideas, works, processes, and results
without giving due credit. It should not be tolerated as the unauthorized use of original works, a
violation of intellectual property rights.
Three different acts are considered plagiarism:
 Failure to cite quotations and borrowed ideas,
 Failure to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, and
 Failure to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words

LESSON 3: QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Quantitative and Qualitative Research
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
  It is a systematic investigation of phenomena by gathering quantifiable data and performing
statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
 It is a type of research that explores and provides deeper insights into real-world problems. It
gathers participants' experiences, perceptions, and behavior.

Difference: Quantitative Research versus Qualitative Research

OBJECTIVE: QUALI
 It aims to create new theory based on the gathered data.
 A fact-finding research used to gain understanding of individual differences in terms of feelings
and experiences

OBJECTIVE: QUANTI
 The purpose is to test a hypothesis or theory.
 Measures problem using rating scale and other research parameters of group similarities.

DATA DESCRIPTION: QUALI

 Natural setting.
 Making stories out of a certain phenomenon.
 Uses pictures, words, sentences, paragraphs, compositions, narrations and short stories.

DATA DESCRIPTION: QUANTI

 measurement setting
 Performs measures out of a certain phenomenon.
 Uses numbers, scales, hypotheses, calculations, computations and statistics tools.

SAMPLE (SIZE): QUALI

 Small judgment (by decision) sampling

SAMPLE (SIZE): QUANTI

 Large sample representatives of population

DATA GATHERING: QUALI

 Unstructured or semi structured (flexible processes)
 Uses interviews, participant observation, group discussions.
Ex: Case Study, field research

DATA GATHERING: QUALI

  Uses open-ended questions.
 It is a free-form survey questions allow a participant to answer in open-text format, responses
are unlimited to a set of options.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH EXAMPLE GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR THE

INTERVIEWS
 What was your experiences during quarantine period on the COVID-19 pandemic? How did
you handle the situation caused by the pandemic?
 Was the support of the National and Local Government enough for your basic needs? Did they
conduct evaluation for those who were affected?

DATA GATHERING: QUANTI

 Standardized /Structured
 Uses census, survey questionnaire, checklist, paper pencil test and experimentation.
 Uses closed-ended questions.
 These questions can only be answered by selecting from a limited number of options,
 usually “multiple-choice”, “yes” or no”, or a rating scale.

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH EXAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR THE SURVEY

AND QUESTIONNAIRES
 Do you agree on online modality class in transitioning the new normal of education?
a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Disagree d. Strongly disagree

ACTIVITES: QUALI
INDUCTIVE
 The researcher starts with the observations, an open mind without biases, gathering all exact
details of the topic and generalization or new theory is given towards the end of the research
process.

DEDUCTIVE
 Starts from a hypothesis or already created theory emphasizing the previously researched
phenomenon from different views (tested against observations).

DATA DISCUSSIONS AND PRESENTATION (QUALI & QUANTI)

 Uses both inductive and deductive
 They are not mutually exclusive with each other in research.
 Inductive method or “bottom-up” is used if the researcher starts discussions from the lowest
and highest means then explains the overall mean.
 Deductive or “top-down” if discussion is from the overall mean going to the lowest and highest
means.

DATA DISCUSSIONS AND PRESENTATION: QUALI

 Opinions are based on experience or observation.
 There are no criteria used in data discussions.

DATA DISCUSSIONS AND PRESENTATION: QUANTI

  Opinions are based on laws, rules, or other recognized principles.

DATA ANALYSIS: QUALI

 Synthesize data, interpret, thematic.
 Subjective Data
 Analysis is influenced by the personal experiences and views

DATA ANALYSIS: QUANTI

 Statistical
 Objective Data
 The researcher employs standard criteria in analyzing data.

OUTCOME: QUALI
 Cultivates understanding with high validity.
 There are no conclusions formulated.

OUTCOME: QUANTI
 Endorse a development.
 Has high output replicability.
 Conclusion is formulated towards the end of the research process

Similarities: Quantitative Research versus Qualitative Research

 Both have the process of inquiry and investigation.
 Both improve life and help us in understanding various issues of life and in giving solutions to
our problems.
 Both start with a problem and end with a new problem.
 Both use textual forms in analyzing and interpretation of data.
 Both use inductive and deductive methods of presenting data.

LESSON 4: THE KINDS OF RESEARCH ACROSS FIELDS

ART-BASED RESEARCH
 Personal expression in various art forms is use as a primary mode of inquiry

EXAMPLE OF ART-BASED RESEARCH

 The Role of Arts in Student Achievement in Reading
 How Classroom Artistic Structure Motivates Learning

RESEARCH IN HUMANITIES
 Deals with human culture such as philosophy, religion, literature, linguistics and history It
includes ancient and modern languages, human geography, laws, politics and other social
sciences
EXAMPLE OF RESEARCH IN HUMANITIES
 Values Education in the Public Schools: Practices and Challenges
 Children In-Conflict with the Law: A Resolution and Intervention

SPORTS RESEARCH
 Intended for athletes to endure their health and wellness goals through proven high-quality
products. It helps the coaches and athletes to access information and apply it to develop
programs and techniques in sports.

EXAMPLE OF SPORTS RESEARCH

 Student Involvement in Athletics and their Academic Performance
 Sports and Fitness Support on Students in Public Schools

SCIENCE RESEARCH
 Discover laws, postulates theories that can explain natural or social phenomena. Applies
systematic and constructed scientific method to obtain, analyze and interpret data.
 A strong and testable hypothesis is the fundamental part of the scientific research.

EXAMPLE OF SCIENCE RESEARCH

 Utilization of Garbage and other Waste Resources as Cleaning Materials
 Making of COVID -19 Cure out of Heat Transfer

MATHEMATICS RESEARCH
 Provides mathematics mastery topics and helps develops confidence and interest to solve
more mathematical problems.
 It may also assist to find new methods to simplify calculations.

EXAMPLE OF MATHEMATICS RESEARCH

 Student Difficulties in General Mathematics: Remediation and Interventions
 A Systemic Approach to Changing Classroom Practices for Enhancing Mathematics Outcomes

AGRICULTURE RESEARCH
 Improves productivity and quality of crops irrigation, storage methods, effective farm
management and marketing of agricultural resources.
 Agriculture is the backbone of the economic system providing food, raw material and
employment opportunities

EXAMPLE OF AGRICULTURE RESEARCH

 Green Space in School: Social and Environment Perspective
 Is Urban Gardening as a Source of Well-Being?

FISHERIES RESEARCH
 Increase the productivity and management of fishery resources to provide food: protect and
maintain different bodies of water for sustainable supply of aquatic resources.

EXAMPLE OF FISHERIES RESEARCH

  Finding a Future: Sustaining Inland Fishery
 Fishing for Change: Fishery Policy in the Philippines

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) RESEARCH

 Aims to adapt current technology advancement which enhances development of resources

EXAMPLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

RESEARCH
 The Role of ICT in the New Normal Education
 Exploring the Interactive Computer Simulation in Public Schools

BUSINESS RESEARCH
 Acquire information in business to maximize the sales and profit. It aids business companies
regulates which product or service is most profitable or in demand.

EXAMPLE OF BUSINESS RESEARCH

 Developing a Framework for Small Scale Business
 Business Practices and Strategies of Small Enterprises at Limketkai Mall

SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH

 Finds solutions for human behavior gathering information about people and societies

EXAMPLE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH

 The Impact of COVID19 Pandemic on Employment Opportunities
 Implementation of Enhanced Community Quarantined in Low-Risk Area of Misamis Oriental.