Background of the Study

The purpose of the background of the study is to help the researcher to prove the relevance of his or her
research question and to further develop his or her thesis.

The background of the study includes

1. A review of the area being researched
2. current information surrounding the issue
3. Previous studies on the issue
4. relevant history of the issue and
5. effectively set forth the history and background information on the problem.

In writing a background of the study these are some suggested things to be done.
1. Conduct a primary research at the beginning stages of formulating a thesis when many issues are unclear.
2. Read the information and develop a research question of thesis statement that will guide your research.
3. Write a thesis statement or research question.
4. Complete your research using your thesis statement and research question as your guide.
5. Create five separate sections that cover the key issues, major findings and controversies surrounding your thesis as
well as sections that provide an evaluation and conclusion.
6. Conclude by identifying and further study what needs to be done in the area or provide possible solutions to the issue
that haven’t been considered before.
7. Revise and edit your background of the study.

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?

Research Title
Characteristics of a Research Title

1. It should be limited only to substantive words with high consideration to the key variables such as the phenomenon
under investigation, the participants, and the setting of the study.

2. It should use words that can create a positive impression among the readers. Avoid using abbreviations as well as
some word constructions such as: “method,” “result,” and “investigation.”

3. It should be in the form of a phrase with correct use of capitalization, that is, the first letter appeared in the title as
well as the first letter of each noun word should be capitalized.

4. It should be concise by adequately implying the participants and the coverage of the study.

Guidelines in Writing the Research Title

 It must be limited to 12-15 substantive words.

 No abbreviation and acronym should be used.
 It must not be enclosed in a quotation marks.
 All words must be in capital letters ( in the cover and title page)
 No syllabications of words.
 Use the font style and size prescribed by the school.
 If the title contains one line, it must be written in inverted pyramid.
  The terms a “Analysis of”, “A Study of”, An Investigation of” and the like should be avoided
 of. All of these are understood to have been done in research.
 It should be in the form of a phrase with
 correct use of capitalization, that is, the first letter appeared in the title as well as the first letter of each noun
word should be capitalized.
 Do not use punctuation at the end of the title.

HYPOTHESIS
What is Hypothesis?

✓ Hypothesis is a specific proposition which is presented for testing through research

✓ It is a logical relationship between two or more variables expressed in a form of a testable statement.
✓ A hypothesis is an educated guess or hunch of the researcher on the outcome of the research based on theoretical
insights or observation.
✓ The hypothesis is verifiable and a testable statement that reflects the purpose of the study.
✓ It is composed of independent (cause) and dependent (effect) variables.

Note: The literature review, not the researcher’s idea, shall be the basis of formulation of a hypothesis.
In order to pursue the research, a hypothesis should be formulated priorly.

What makes a hypothesis good?

✓ It explains the expected outcome of the study.

✓ It sets the limitations of the study
✓ It is clear, understandable, testable and measurable.
✓ It is based on facts and theories.
✓ It presents the variables of the study and its relationships.
✓ It must be based on the main research questions or problems.

Null and Alternative Hypothesis

1. Null Hypothesis (Ho) – it pertains to the claim that the means of the variables under study are equal or the
values are zero. It is an assumption that the values observed has no change.

Examples:

a. There is no significant relationship between the memory-boosting tablet and the students’ score in examination.

b. The memory-boosting tablet has nothing to do with the student’s score in examination.

2. Alternative Hypothesis (Ha or H1) – it is a statement that states the complete opposite of null hypothesis as it
suggests potential outcome of the study. It is also the so called affirmative hypothesis as it claims that there is
a significant change, effect, relationship, not equal, not the same, and not equivalent to zero in the value of
the means being studied.
Examples:

a. There is a significant relationship between the memory-boosting tablet and the students’ score in examination

b. The memory-boosting tablet significantly affects the student’s score in examination.

Points to Remember:
o Reject the null hypothesis if the sample supports the alternative hypothesis.
o Accept the null hypothesis if the sample does not support the alternative hypothesis.
o If the study failed to reject the null hypothesis, it means that it needs to gather more data.

3. Cause and Effect Hypothesis

It states that in a certain condition (cause) is true, then the supporting observation (effect) occurs.
When a hypothesis cannot be written in an “If..then” format, then it does not represent deductive
reasoning.
Examples:
a. If you stay up late, then you feel tired the next day.
b. If you turn off your phone, then it will charge faster.

Definition of Terms

✓ It explains the variables (terminologies) used in the study operationally or conceptually.

✓ Definition of terms is essential to ensure a common understanding of key concepts and terminology used in the study
between the researcher and its reader.
✓ It helps both the researcher and its reader to have clear understanding of the key terms in the study.

2 Types of Definitions

1. Operational definitions define the terms on how it is measured/used in the present research study.

Example: Performance - refers to the students’ academic grades earned in Technology and Livelihood Education subject
in the school year 2014-2015.

Examples:
1. Employee satisfaction – number of days per month that the employee shows up to work on time.
2. Possession – time taken to honk the horn at the car ahead after a stop light turn green.
3. Items – number of people correctly solving a group performance-task.
4. Public policy – new laws passed, institutional reform, change in corporate practice, etc.
5. Social media traction – volume of people endorsing, commenting on, or sharing content on social media.
6. Public deliberation – hearings, speeches, press statements, and other forms of deliberated among policy-makers or
opinion.

1. Conceptual definition defines a concept in terms of specific ideas, principles, or theories associated with terms
and includes the terms and definitions of the words found in dictionary.

Examples:

1. Performance – the execution of an action; a public presentation of exhibition.

2. Email message is one platform that connects people by using any form of gadget.
3. Interviewing is a conversational practice where knowledge is produced through the interaction between an
interviewer and interviewee.
4. Statistics is the quantity that is computed from a sample.
5. Evidence is an outward sign of proofs to ascertain the truth of a matter.
6. Generalization is a general statement, law, principle, or proportion.

Points to Ponder:
➢ Definition of terms must be listed alphabetically.
➢ Define only terms or variables that have unique use or meaning in the study being conducted.
➢ Using of definitions from dictionary, as much as possible, is avoided. Define or explain variables or terms on how it is
operationally used in the study.
➢ In defining a term, use only one paragraph.

Scope and Delimitation

Scope- specifies the coverage of your study such as variables, population or participant, and timeline
Delimitation-cites factors of your study that are not included or excluded or those you will not deal in your study and
establishes its limit and boundary
Limitations- these are constraints that are largely beyond the control of the researcher but could affect the study
outcome

Components of Scope and Delimitation

Topic of the Study. What are the variables to be included and excluded?
Objectives or Problems to be Addressed. Why are you doing this study?
Time Frame. When are you going to conduct this study?
Locale of the Study. Where are you going to gather your data?
Characteristics of the Respondents. Who will be your respondents?
Method and Research Instruments. How are going to collect the data?

Example:

Statement of the Problem

 A statement of the problem is a concise description of the issues that need to be addressed by the researcher.
 There should be a general statement of the whole problem followed by the specific questions or sub problems
into which the general problem is broken up.
 It is traditionally written in the interrogative form.
 The modern formulation of this is in descriptive form.
 Basically, the statement of the problem is fundamentally consisting of the different questions that the whole
study will answer.
 One of the two main parts of the statement is the general or main question of the study, which means the main
problem of the study. The other part is the particular or specific questions, which are detailed questions that the
study will give solution to.

Guidelines in Formulating Statement of the Problem

1. Formulate research questions that can arouse your curiosity and surprise you with discoveries or findings.
2. Establish a clear relation between the research questions and the problem or topic.
3. Base your research questions on your RRL because existing published works help you get good background knowledge
of the research problem and help you gauge the people’s current understanding or unfamiliarity about the topic, as
well as the extent of their knowledge and interest in it.
4. Be guided with the acronym SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound) in formulating the
Research questions. Applying SMART, you must deal with exact answers and observable things, determine the extent
or limit of the data collected, be aware of the timeframe and completion period of the study.
5. Let the set of research questions or sub-problems be preceded by one question expressing the main problem of the
research.
6. Avoid asking research questions that are answerable with “yes” or “no” and use the “how” questions only in a
quantitative research.
7. Formulate your question not only based from the main problem but also within the focus of your research title