Name:______________________________ Section: _____________ Subject Teacher:_________________

3Is MODULE 1: BRAINSTORMING FOR RESEARCH TOPICS

Learning Objective: 1. The learner prepares a plan and focus on issues and ideas in their respective field.
Activity 1: Unlocking Key Words
Directions: Match the key words in column A with its definition in Column B. Write your answer on the
space provided before each number.
A B
____1. INQUIRY A. It is the process of learning a skill by using nothing else but that
____2. INVESTIGATION skill. It is the fact of becoming completely involved in something.
____3. IMMERSION B. It is a question which you ask to get some information. It is the
____4. RESEARCH STUDY . process of asking about or investigating something to find out more
____5. CONCEPT about it.
C. It is exploring things to come up with the best idea/s to response
the needs of the society.
D. It is a conceptual representations, abstract objects or abilities that
make up the fundamental building blocks of thoughts and beliefs
E. It is a proper inquiry or efficient study.
Defining Research
Research is a systematic process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting information in order to
increase our understanding of a phenomenon about which we are interested or concerned (Leedy & Ormrod,
2013).
Research is a process in which you engage in a small set of logical steps used to collect and analyze
information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue. It is a systematic and objective creation of
knowledge. At a general level, research consists of three steps:
1. Pose a question.
2. Collect data to answer the question.
3. Present an answer to the question (Cresswell, 2012).
Importance of Research (Cresswell, 2012)
1. Research adds to our knowledge.
A research report might provide a study that has not been conducted and thereby fill a void in existing
knowledge. It can also provide additional results to confirm or disconfirm results of prior studies. It can help
add to the literature about practices that work or advance better practices that others might try in their own
setting. It can provide information about people and places that have not been previously studied.
2. Research improves practice.
Research is also important because it suggests improvements for practice by way of offering new ideas.
Research-informed practices help make more precise decisions and improve quality of work.
3. Research informs policy.
Research also provides information to policy makers when they research and debate on different
policies to be implemented. For them, research offers results that can help weigh various perspectives as the
make policies and even laws. When policy makers read research on issues, they are informed about current
debates and stances.
Examples: 1) The K to 12 Basic Education Program and 2) the new MATATAG curriculum.

Methods of Knowing (Gladwell, 2007 & Ehman, n.d.)

There are many ways to obtain information including:
1. Intuition – relying on guts, emotion, or instincts. Intuition involves believing what feels true. It seems
to produce knowledge that is personally powerful and deeply affecting. It may allow to tap into a
certain “emotional wisdom” or transcendent or divine knowing. Intuitions can be wrong because they
are driven by cognitive and motivational biases rather than logical reasoning or scientific evidence.
Further, it may be vulnerable to personal misconception/delusions.
2. Sensory Perception/Observation (Empiricism) – knowledge is based on observable “facts” and is
thus termed objective. It is basic to the scientific method that can be tested repeatedly and proven to
be valuable process in establishing a great deal of knowledge in the modern world. However, we are
limited by what we can observe and experience, and our senses can deceive us (optical illusion). Not
all phenomena can be easily observed, while some may not be observable at all. Observable data takes
on meaning by way it is organized and interpreted, and such organization and interpretation may
introduce bias.
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 3. Expert Opinion/Authority – utilizes the wisdom people recognized because they have been time-
tested the social process of validation. This method involves accepting new ideas because some
authority figure states that they are true. Authority is sometimes largely just a function of the
popularity or political power of person or tradition. Reverence to authority can hinder own critical
judgment and cause us to discount our own wisdom. Nevertheless, much of the information is
acquired through authority to conserve own effort to independently research every piece of knowledge
we learn through them. Despite this, we should learn to evaluate the credentials of authority figures,
as well as the methods they used to arrive at their conclusion, and whether they have any reason to
mislead us.
4. Reason/Logic (Rationalism) – does not depend upon the limits of sensory observation. It is checked
by rules of logic and internal consistency. This is often a “common sense” way of knowing. Using this
method, premises are stated and logical rules are followed to arrive at a sound conclusion. The
problem with this method is that if the premises are wrong or there is error in logic, then the
conclusion may not be valid.
Syllogism – a form of deductive reasoning where you
arrive at a specific conclusion by examining two other
premises of ideas.

All humans are mortal.

Sally is a human being.
Therefore, Sally is mortal.

Examples of Faulty Syllogisms

False Syllogism (not TRUE – false major premise)

Major premise: Filipinos have more fun.
Minor premise: Juan is Filipino; John is American
Conclusion: Juan has more fun than John.

Invalid Syllogism (not VALID – order of reasoning is incorrect)

Major premise: All dogs eat meat.
Minor premise: Bob (a human) eats meat.
Conclusion: Bob is a dog.

5. Scientific Method (Systematic Empiricism) – a process of systematically collecting and evaluating

evidence to test ideas and answer questions. Scientists or researchers make careful observations
under various controlled conditions to test ideas and use rationalism to arrive at valid conclusions.
Scientific method is most likely of all methods to produce valid knowledge. One major drawback of this
method is its feasibility. It takes considerable time and resources. Another problem with the scientific
method is that it cannot be used to answer all questions; it can only be used to address empirical
questions.
When researchers conduct a study, they proceed through a distinct set of steps. Years ago these
steps were identified as the “scientific method” of inquiry (Kerlinger, 1972; Leedy & Ormrod, 2001).
Using a “scientific method,” researchers:
1. Identify a problem that defines the goal of research
2. Make a prediction that, if confirmed, resolves the problem
3. Gather data relevant to this prediction
4. Analyze and interpret the data to see if it supports the prediction and resolves the
question that initiated the research
In short, the essence of all research originates in curiosity—a desire to find out how and why things
happen, including why people do the things they do, as well as whether or not certain ways of doing things
work better than others.
Natural Inquiry

An inquiry is a method that has the aim of extending knowledge, undertaking doubt, or solving a
problem. A theory of inquiry is an interpretation of the various types of inquiry and an action of the ways that
each type of inquiry attains its aim.
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 Now, to give you an idea on how to prepare for research, you may do the inquiry-based learning using
the following steps mention below:
Focus. which is an ill-structured problem that
demands consideration of diverse perspectives
Decide of a topic. think-aloud, asks probing
questions, monitors and encourages participants to decide a
topic,
Understanding the problem. This will include
clarifications of misconceptions and possibilities.
Design on the problem. This the final stage done to
address problems within manageable scales and extend
their learning pathways.

DECIDING ON A TOPIC
1. What are my interests? Why?
2. Is my topic too broad or too narrow?
3. What will be the benefits of my study?
4. What do I know about the topic? What should I know about the topic?
5. What do previous studies say about my topic?
6. What are some gaps of knowledge I found based on the previous studies about my topic?
A. Topic (What is not being looked at?)
B. Methods (What is not being done?)
C. Population (Who is not being studied?)
D. Comparison (What is not being compared?)
7. Is it SMART? (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time bound)
BRAINSTORMING is a way of inquiring ideas which will help you to develop concepts and focusing
technique by asking questions and knowing the interests of the persons involve in the said issues. The
potential ideas can be visualized for interpretations.
Things to remember when brainstorming:
1. There are no dumb ideas. Period. It is a brainstorming session, not a serious matter that requires only
serious solutions. Remember, this is one of the more fun tools of quality, so keep the entire team involved.
2. Don't criticize other people's ideas. This is not a debate, discussion or forum for one person to display
superiority over another.
3. Build on other people's ideas. Often an idea suggested by one person can trigger a bigger and/or better
idea by another person. It is this building of ideas that leads to out of the box thinking and fantastic ideas.
4. Reverse the thought of "quality over quantity." Here we want quantity; the more creative ideas the
better. As a facilitator, you can even make it a challenge to come up with as many ideas as possible and
compare this team's performance to the last brainstorming session you conducted.
Activity 2: Conceptualized Idea
1. MIND MAPPING
To come up with best idea/s think of a problem regarding your chosen field of specialization as
a senior high school student. This can be done through visual by drawing pictures or illustrating
your ideas with suggested solution/s. For example, you are in the Accountancy and Business
Management (ABM) strand, you observed that your school canteen food products display was not
saleable. Questions run in your mind on why is it happening. You may list or illustrate some
possible solutions of the low sale of products in your school canteen. You can explore these
collective ideas and reveal better understanding. Abstract is allowed to envision in your mind
possible solutions.

Possible Topic: Products are not saleable in the school canteen

Possible Solutions: Customer preference, limited daily allowance budget, poor customer service,
limited food choices
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Do This:

Possible Topic: ____________________________________________________________________________

Possible Solutions: ________________________________________________________________________

2. MNEMONIC IDEAS
What’s the right thing to say about the issue? Behind mnemonic idea/s about the issues in their
chosen field is a great realization to describe at different angles.
Write the chosen issue below in your respective strand. Describe how it happens.
____________________________
Issue
Descriptions of Realizations
1. ________________________________________
2. ________________________________________
3. ________________________________________
4. ________________________________________
5. ________________________________________

Activity 3: SHOUT OUT IDEAS Tell the different issues in the society regarding your chosen field and write it
in the meta cards. You may shout out your ideas based on the agreed issue through writing it on a ¼ piece of
paper. Give at least 5.

Catch up Friday Activity

Directions: Reread the discussion on Methods of knowing and identify its advantages and disadvantages.
Present your answer in tabular form following the table below. Use bullet points in presenting your answer.

Methods of Knowing Advantage/s Disadvantage/s

1. Intuition

2. Sensory Perception/Observation

3. Expert Opinion/Authority

4. Reason/Logic

5. Scientific Method

References

Cresswell, J. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative
research (4th ed). Pearson.
Ehman, J. (n.d.). Ways of knowing. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved https://www/uphs.upenn.edu/
pastoral/cpe/waysofknowing.pdf
Gladwell, M. E. (2007). Blink: The power of thinking without thinking. How to think straight about psychology
(9th ed.) New York: Little, Brown & Company.
Kerlinger, F. N. (1972). Behavioral research: A conceptual approach. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2001). Practical research: Planning and design (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall.
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2013). Practical research: Planning and design (11th ed.). Pearson.

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