Module 2

The Research Problem

Module: 2 The Research Problem Second Edition,
2021

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Published by the Department of Education

Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

Development Team
Writers: Mary Ann C. Torres MAED-Administration and Supervision
Jean G. Faburagais, MAED-ELT,TMC-1

Editor: Ellen D. Edrial EdD

Esteria J. Macajelos MED -EDAD

Reviewer: Esteria J. Macajelos MED-EDAD

Illustrator:
Layout Artist/Typesetter: Josephine V. Austero
Management Team
Senen Priscillo P. Paulin, CESO V Rosela R. Abiera
Joelyza M. Arcilla EdD Maricel S. Rasid
Marcelo K. Palispis Elmar L. Cabrera
Anna Lee A. Amores EdD

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NegOr_Q3_Practical Research2_Module1_v2
 Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners,
can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions,
directions, exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand
each lesson.
Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-
step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.
Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each
SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if
you need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better
understanding of the lesson. At the end of each module, you need to answer
the post-test to self- check your learning. Answer keys are provided for each
activity and test. We trust that you will be honest in using these.
In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also
provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how
they can best help you on your home-based learning.
Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any
part of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and
tests. And read the instructions carefully before performing each task.
If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering
the tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.
Thank you.

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 What I Need to Know

“If we knew what it was, we were doing, it would not be called

research, would it?”

-Albert Einstein

This module introduces a range of research topics in the area of inquiry.

It further discusses the value of research in the area of your own interest and
the specificity and feasibility of the problem posed.

Learning Competencies

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Design a research used in daily life CS_RS12-Id-e-1
2. Write a research title CS_RS12-Id-e-2
3. Describe background of research CS_RS12-Id-e-3
4. State research questions CS_RS12-Id-e-4
5. Indicate scope and delimitation CS_RS12-Id-e-5
6. Present written statement of the problem CS_RS12-Id-e-6
7. Perform tasks confidently CS_RS12-Id-e-7

What I Know

Task 1.
Directions: Fill in the blank with the choices found inside the box. Write your answer
in your activity notebook

Research Problem Scope Sources Delimitation

Research Background Hypothesis Problem Statement

1. Usually, a Research Problem_is initially posed as a question which

serves as the focus of the researcher’s investigation.
2. A Problem Statement _introduces the reader to the importance of the
topic being studied.
3. A Hypothesis__ is a predicted answer to the research question that can
be tested and based on prior research.
4. The Sources identification of problem are diverse and would

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 largely depend upon the area of interest of the investigator and the nature
of the problem under investigation.
5. Research Background is a brief outline of the most important studies
that have been conducted so far presented in a chronological order.
6. The Scope details how in-depth your study is to explore the
research question and the parameter in which it will operate in
relation to the population and timeframe.
7. The Delimitations of a study are the factors and variables not to
be included in the investigation.

What’s In

Task 2. Brainstorming Session

1. Recall the most interesting topic you identified in your chosen field
of interest/tract? (You may refer to your preferred title in Module 1.)

2. What interests you to conduct this research?

What’s New

Task 3
Direction: Accomplish the table below by placing your answer in the right column.
What problem or issue are you
interested in? You may need to do some
background research first to find out more
about it.

What is your focused topic? Break down

topic into sub-areas. Pick one sub-area orpart
of one.

List a few possible questions about

your focusedtopic area.
What? Who? When? Where?Why? How?

Choose one to be your main research

question. Why

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 How questions are best.
Make sure it is specific.
ecify why, what, where, when,you
are talking about.

Source: adapted from https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/29000857/creating-

a- research-question-worksheet

What is It

What is a Research Problem?

A research problem is exactly that – a problem that someone would

like to research (Fraenkel and Wallen, 2010). A problem can be anything
that a person finds unsatisfactory or unsettling, a difficult of some sort, a
state of affairs that needs to be changed, anything that is not working
aswell as it might. Problems involve areas of concern to
researchers,conditions they want to improve, difficulties they want to
eliminate, questions for which they seek answers.

Research Questions

Usually, a research problem is initially posed as a question which serves

as the focus of the researcher’s investigation. The following examples of
possible research in education are not sufficiently developed for actualuse
in a research project but would be suitable during the early stage of
formulating a quantitative research question.
 Do teachers behave differently towards students of different genders?
(Causal-comparative research)
 How can we predict which students might have trouble learning
certain kinds of subject matter? (Correlational research).

There are other kinds of questions, however, that cannot be answered by

collecting and analyzing data. The following are the examples:
 Should philosophy be included in the high school curriculum?
[This is a question of value. It implies notions of right and wrong,
proper, and improper- and therefore does not have any empirical (or
observable) referents.]
 What is the meaning of life?
[This is metaphysical in nature – that is beyond the physical,
transcendental. Answers to this sort of question lie beyond the
accumulation of information].

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 Characteristics of Good Research Questions

Once a research question has been formulated, researchers want to

turn it into as good question as possible. Good research questions possess
four essential characteristics (Fraenkel and Wallen, 2010).
1. The question is feasible (i.e., it can be investigated without expending
an undue amount of time, energy, or money)
2. The question is clear (i.e., most people would agree as to what the
key words in the question mean).
3. The question is significant (i.e., it is worth investigating because it will
contribute important knowledge about the human condition).
4. The question is ethical (i.e., it will not involve physical or
psychological harm or damage to human beings or to the natural or
social environment of which they are a part).

The Purposes of a Problem Statement

1. Introduces the reader to the importance of the topic being
studied. The reader is oriented to the significance of the study and
the research questions or hypotheses to follow.
2. Places the problem into a particular context that defines
the parameters of what is to be investigated.
3. Provides the framework for reporting the results and indicates what
is probably necessary to conduct the study and explain how the
findings will present this information.

Do not confuse a research problem with a research topic. A topic is

something to read and obtain information about whereas a problem is
something to solve or framed as a question that must be answered. A good
research question helps to- guide the research process; construct a logical
argument; write a literature review; plan thesis chapters; and devise
efficient search strategies. A well-defined research question has six
properties.

A research question is not the same as a thesis title, research problem,

hypothesis or research focus, although they are interrelated and support
one another.
 A research question summarizes the significant issue your
research will investigate.
 The title consists of the topic and outcome of a research project.
 The research problem explains the knowledge gap your research will
address.
 A hypothesis is a predicted answer to the research question that
can be tested and is based on prior research.
 A research focus specifies the scope or domain of inquiry.

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 The Value of Research in the Area of Interest
A research problem is a statement about an area of concern, a
condition to be improved, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling
question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or in practice
thatpoints to the need for meaningful understanding and deliberate
investigation. In some Social Science Disciplines, the research problem is
typically posed in the form of a question. A research problem does not state
how to do something, offer a vague or broad proposition, or present a value
question.

Any problem that is not significant to the nation or profession is not

worth consideration of the investigator. It is helpful for investigator to keep in
mind the following aspects while selecting the area of problem for research –
 The problem to be chosen should be such as to be meaningfully
related to the interest of the investigator himself/herself.
 The problem having alliance with the chain of thinking or
research already in existence can be handled more confidently.
 The ambitious problems covering a wide range of area of interest
should be avoided and the problems of manageable size and limits
should be taken up.
 An important consideration for selecting the problem area relates to its
feasibility in terms of the application of scientific techniques, availability
of resources in terms of money, personnel, and equipment.When the
researcher considers the points mentioned above, researcher is
essentially trying to answer some such questions as – Is the problem
researchable, interesting, research already in existence ormanageable
size? Is it a new problem or the work on the problem has already in
existence?

The sources for identification of problem are diverse and would largely
depend upon the area of interest of the investigator and the nature of the
problem under investigation. However, the problem can be identified from –
(a) Advanced study and critical reading.
(b) Analysis and interpretation of the already available evidence,
practices, trends or needs in a particular area.

Research Topics to be Avoided

1. Controversial topics
-These are topics that depend greatly on the writer’s opinion, which tend
to be biased or prejudicial. Facts cannot support controversial topics
2. Highly technical subjects
-For a beginner, researching on topics that require an advance study,
technical knowledge and vast experience is very difficult.
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects

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 -A topic or a subject is hard to investigate if there is no available data or
reading materials about it and such materials are not updated (obsolete).
4. Too broad subjects
-A subject or a topic that are too broad will prevent the researcher from
giving a concentrated or in-depth analysis of the subject matter of the
research paper.
5. Too narrow subjects
-The subjects are so limited or specific that an extensive or thorough
searching or reading for information about the subject is necessary.
6. Vague subjects
-Choosing topics like these will prevent you from having a clear insight
or focus on your study. For instance, topics like “Some Remarkable
Traits of a Negrosanon”, “Several Comments on a ModularSystem in
the Department of Education”. So, avoid using indefinite adjectives
such as some, several, many, etc.

Research Background

Research background is a brief outline of the most important studies

that have been conducted so far presented in a chronological order. Research
background should also include a brief discussion of major theories and
models related to the research problem. When writing research background,
you also need to demonstrate how your research relates to what has been
done so far in the research area.
Once the research area is selected, the literature review is commenced
in order to identify gaps in the research area, and the research aims, and
objectives need to be closely associated with the elimination of this gap inthe
literature.

Example:
Background of the Study

Learning is an interaction process between students and teachers and

study material in teaching learning process (UUSPN No.20, 2003). In other
word, learning is a process to help the students to study well. The media and
the method of learning process in transferring the material will be an
important factor to get the best result. The methods of delivery to students
there are different kinds, one of them the lecture method. The lecture
method is explanation and narrative verbally by teacher in the class, while
the role of student is listening carefully, and noted of which presented by the
teacher (Surahmad, 2003). The lecture method has disadvantage that the
interaction to be centered on teachers so teachers cannot know with
certainty how far students understand about the material (Muhammad,
2011). Seen here that the lecture method is learning more dominated by
teacher as the "the transferor" science, and students were more passive as
the "recipient" of science.

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 The material of the solar system actually is complex, such as discusses
about all of planets in the solar system and satellite. It also discusses about
meteors, comets, asteroids, and space objects other (Prihantono, 2013). This
material is usually presented using textbook. The material of solar system
presented in form of images and text that dominated with theory
explanation. To clarify the understanding of the solar system material, need
information technology support that can be applied to this material. It was
difficult we find in the past before the rapidly growing information
technology. The sophistication technology lies in the ability of technology to
combine real and virtual condition which the results are displayed in real-
time.

Because of that, the writer tries to make an application as an

interactive media to help elementary school students to study about solar
system based on android mobile. Researcher chose android because Android
is the one desired society platform besides blackberry platform and IOS that
most popular of Smartphone. Almost all of ages used android platform, from
young until old ages (antaranews.com, 2011). This application consists of
solar system materials like: planet, space objects, earth, and moon
movement that applied in interesting graphic to support learning process,
soit will raise the student’s desire in understanding the material. To support
this application the writer also makes interactive questions, to know how far
the student’s capability in understanding the material by using this
application.

The scope and delimitations of a thesis, dissertation or research paper

define the topic and boundaries of the research problem to be investigated.

The scope details how in-depth your study is to explore the research
question and the parameters in which it will operate in relation to the
population and timeframe.

The delimitations of a study are the factors and variables not to be

included in the investigation. In other words, they are the boundaries the
researcher sets in terms of study duration, population size and type of
participants, etc.

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 Sample phrases that help express the scope of the study:
The coverage of this study…
The study covers…
The focus of the study is…

Source: https://www.discoverphds.com/blog/scope-and-delimitations

Example: SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

Out of 189 second year accounting students at Saint Mary’s University, 100 students
were used as a sample in conducting the survey.
This study limits its coverage on the second-year accounting students only. Its main
purpose is to identify the common problems that they encounter and to propose possible
solutions regarding this problem.
This study considers every aspect of students’ personal information that has animpact
on their academic performances such as their parents educational background, their
parents’ income, their gender, age, and home location. Each of the respondents are given
same questionnaires to answer. And this study focuses on the current second year
students at the present school year, 2008-2009

Source: https://www.scribd.com/doc/12760820/Scope-and-Delimitation

What’s More

Task 4 Let us do it…

Direction: On the left column, write words, phrases, or statements to guide

you in writing your Research Background later in Task 6.

Background of the Study

Overview of the Topic
(What do you want readers to know about concerning your topic?)
Paragraph 1- General information about your
topic
(What is happening now about your issue
you want to study)?
Paragraph 2- Context of your topic
(What are the conditions, settings, and situations with respect to
your topic)?
(Who are directly or indirectly involved)?
Paragraph 3- Justification of yourtopic
(Why should we pay attention to the topic you want to study)?
(Why should we care about your topic)?
(Why is there a need to focus on yourtopic)?

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/kontorphilip/writing-the-background-of-your-study

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 What I Have Learned

Task 5 Let us reflect…

Directions. Write a short reflection in your Activity Notebook.

I thought

I learned that

What I Can Do

Task 6 Let us prove it…

Directions. Based on the chosen topic of your interest, write the backgroundof
your study, statement of the problem, and the scope and delimitation of your study.
Usea short-sized bond paper.

(Title)

Background of the Study

Statement of the Problem

The study generally aims to
Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:
1.
2.
3.

Scope and Delimitation

This study focuses on… (identify what kind of group, how many, area, and other aspects that
distinguish the samples from others)

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 Assessment
Task 7
TASK 7. Directions: Read each item carefully. Write TRUE if the statement
is true and write FALSE if the statement if false. Write your
answers inyour Activity Notebook/ Activity Sheets.
1. One of the characteristics of good research questions is not feasible.
2. “A comparison between the identical twins….” is a good example
of research title.
3. The sources for identification of problem are diverse and would largely
depend upon the area of interest of the investigator.
4. Research questions should be clear, concise, and as simple as
possible, focused and empirically answerable.
5. The problem statement provides the framework for reporting the
results and indicates what is probably necessary to conduct the study
and explain how the findings will present this information.
6. Good research question is practicable.
7. A good research question helps to- guide the research process;
construct a logical argument; write a literature review; plan
thesis chapters; and devise efficient search strategies.
8. The purpose of research question is to introduce the reader to the
importance of the topic being studied.
9. A hypothesis is a predicted answer to the research question that can
be tested and is based on prior research.
10. An important consideration for selecting the problem area
relates to its feasibilit

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 Glossary

Delimitation - the action of fixing the boundary or limits of

something.
Empirical - relying on experience or observation alone often
without due regard for system and theory
an
empirical basis for the theory.
Scope - the extent of the area or subject matter that
something deals with or to which it is relevant.

Bibliography
author, No. 2015. Yumpo. Accessed January 11, 2022.
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/29000857/creating-a-research-question-worksheet.
Kabir, Syed Muhammad. n.d. "Problem Formulation and Objective Determination." By Syed Muhamma Kabir.
Kapur, Radhika. 2018. "Significance of Research in Education." In Significance of Research in Education, by
Radhika Kapur.
MH, Selamat. 2008. SAK 5090. Accessed April 2018, 2008.
http://www.csnotes.upm.edu.my/kelasmaya/web.nsf/de8cc2082fc4d31b4825730e002bd111/.../.
Nenty, Henty. n.d. "Writing a Quantitative Research Thesis." In International Journal of Educational Sciences.
PhDS, Dicover. 2020. Discover PhDS.
n.d. SCRIBD. Accessed JANUARY 2022.

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