Quarter 1- Week 5 STEPS IN DEVELOPING RESEARCH TOPIC Developing a research problem can be done in four (4) steps:
•Choose a broad topic
•Do a preliminary research •Define the problem •Refine the question 1. Choose a broad topic.
•The first step is quite simple. As
a Senior High School student, these tips will surely guide you in selecting a broad topic for quantitative research: A. Choose an interesting topic. •Research is a very challenging task that demands your time and persistence. Your motivation to find the answer to the problem should keep you going, thus building a momentum along the way. Therefore, your research topic must be something that you are passionate about. B. Select a significant topic. • A topic that is worth researching must be able to answer or solve problems in the community. No one will take an interest in your topic if it is obsolete and does not address any real problem. To be proactive and to take part in solving problems with socio-economic relevance gives a sense of accomplishment. You do not even have t o l o o k f a r, j u s t t a k e a l o o k a t y o u r h o u s e h o l d , neighborhood, school, group of friends, or local community for a common problem or difficulty. C . Choose a topic r elevant to your field. • One of the goals of this course is for you to be able to produce a quantitative research study that is aligned to your chosen track. A SHS student under ABM must choose a topic related to business and management while students taking HUMSS may consider choosing a topic about politics, culture, and arts. Choosing a topic that you can relate will certainly make your research project less challenging. 2. Do a preliminary research. • The second step is much more time-consuming. Once you have chosen a broad topic, you need to have a better understanding of it by reading some more articles, journals, and related research studies. Find out how other researchers gathered their data, what research instruments were used, how the data were analyzed, and what important findings they shared. 2. Do a preliminary research. •Take note of every relevant research study for future reference. If you started the topic search (first step) by doing a literature review, the second step is just a continuation of what you started. 3. Define the problem. •After getting enough information, you may be able to list some questions or problems that you want to research. At this stage, you should be able to narrow down broad topic into feasible and manageable research questions. A broad topic can be narrowed down by limiting the population, place, period, or a certain characteristic. 3. Define the problem. •However, be very mindful that your problem may not be too narrow that it becomes very simple and does not need to collect unique data or does not generate new information. A very narrow research question can be developed by doing a comparative study or expanding the scope of the study. 4. Refine the question. • T h i s ste p l et s yo u eva l u ate t h e q u e st i o n s formulated. What specific questions should you ask? How should you gather your data sufficient to answer the questions? Are the questions too narrow, or does it need to be trimmed down? While evaluating the research question, consider the requirements of the course. How much time are you given to finish the research? What resources do you need and are they available? Day 2 Basic Guidelines in Making a Research Title •A research study title is the very first thing a reader comes across when searching for scientific literature. It is a concise description of the content of the research study containing the fewest possible words, yet adequate to describe the contents of the paper for a simple reason that we do not want to mislead the readers. •After conceptualizing a most probable research topic, drafting the title early in the research process helps in keeping your focus on the subject. The following are the basic guidelines in making a research study title: •1. Use an accurate description of the subject and scope of the study instead of using general terms. •2. Do not use abbreviations except for commonly known ones like DNA and ICT. •3. Do not include words like “The study of,” “Analysis of,” “An investigation of” or similar construction as these would only lengthen the title. •4. Include the main dependent and independent variables. •5. Be mindful of the proper use of grammar and punctuation. •6. Capitalize all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs as well as the first letter of the first and last words. •7 . S t a t e i n a d e c l a r a t i v e f o r m , although you may also see titles in question form from time to time. •8. The year the study has been conducted should not be indicated unless it is a historical study. •9. Use current terminology. •10. Depending on the institutional requirements, 5 to15 words are sufficient to describe the research study. •11. Use the common name instead of chemical formula (e.g., Ammonium instead of NH4) •12. Write and italicize full scientific names. •13. Make sure to reflect the tone of the paper. An academic research paper has title which is not casual, or informal, or does not contain humor. The following steps can guide you in writing your research title: • 1. Dete r m i n e w h at i t i s t h at yo u w i s h to accomplish or know from your study. Write one to two sentences to state the main objectives of your research project. • 2. Include important keywords and variables. Rev i s e t h e s e nte n c e s i nto o n e co m p l ete sentence that includes important keywords and variables of the study. • 3. Shorten the title by eliminating unnecessary words. You may also shrink a phrase into a simpler phrase or a single word. In doing this, make sure that the main thought of the research study is retained. • 4. Correct grammar and punctuation errors if there is any. • 5. Observe proper formatting. The format may vary according to the requirements of the course or school. Please seek guidance from your professor. Day 3 BACKGROUND OF RESEARCH •Reading a well-written research title gives the reader an insight of what the research study is all about. Although it captures the main point of the study, it does not sufficiently explain all the details of the study. Hence the reader opts to read on for better understanding. •When introducing your study to the readers, you must bridge the gap from what is known to what is unknown. Establishing the importance of finding the answer to the question makes the reader feel the need to answer such question. Thus, it makes the research project more meaningful and valuable. •The background of the study is the part of your paper where you inform the reader of the context of the study. •When we say context, it means the situation or circumstances within which your research topic was conceptualized. Ideally, this part is written when you have already conducted a literature review and has a good perception of the topic so you can articulate the importance and validity of the research problem. It is also in this part of the paper where you justify the need to conduct a research study about the topic selected by establishing the research gap. • A research gap is an under or unexplored area of a topic that requires further exploration. The gap can be in a form of other variables, conditions, population, methodology, or test subject. • To identify research gaps, an exhaustive literature review regarding the topic is required. You may have to look for similar or related studies employing quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods from legitimate sources and examine the gray areas. Background of the Study • While both the Background of the Study and the Review of Related Literature involve reading past related studies, they differ in some aspects. The former is at the introductory part of the paper with the purpose of relaying the importance of your research study; the latter is more comprehensive and thoroughly discusses the studies mentioned in the background of research. Background of the Study •Moreover, the background of the study answers the following questions: •1. What is already known about the topic? •2. What is not known about the topic? •3. Why do you need to address those gaps? •4. What is the rationale of your study •While answering these questions, keep in mind that the studies you include in this part of the paper are laid down as part of the introduction and should not be discussed in great detail. The depth and length of the background information largely depend on how much information you think the reader needs to know to have a full grasp of the topic being discussed.
