Technical
Terms Used
in Research
Prepared by Agata Cabrera
4th Quarter W1
Topic Overview
I.
Purpose of
Research
Why is research important?
What is the main purpose of research?
II.
Definitions
What is research? What does it involve?
III. Kinds of Research What are the two broad or major types of research?
IV. Terms in
Research
What are some general research terms to be familiar
about?
V.
What are the consecutive steps a researcher should
undertake?
Steps in Writing
Research
VI. Elements of
Research
What is the format of a proper research?
What sections does a research compose of?
01.
Purpose
Why is research important? What is
the main purpose of research?
The main purpose of research is to…
Inform
Prove
Contribute
action. Aim to produce
knowledge that is
applicable in real life.
a theory. Is your
hypothesis or assumption
about something right?
to a developing
knowledge in a field or
Study.
02.
Definition
What is research?
Research is a systematic and
scientific procedure of data
collection, compilation, analysis,
interpretation, and implication
pertaining to any problem.
It involves the quest for answers to unsolved
problems.
03.
Kinds
What are the two major types
of research mehtods?
2 Major Types of Research
QUANTItative research
QUALItative research
describes, infers, and resolves
problems using numbers.
Emphasis on the collection of
numerical data, the summary of
those data and the drawing of
inferences from the data.
based on words, feelings, emotions,
sounds and other non-numerical and
unquantifiable elements. Information is
considered qualitative in nature if it
cannot be analyzed by mathematical
techniques (Picknell, 2021).
04.
Terms
Some general research terms you
should know
RESEARCH TERMS
Are some of these words familiar to you?
Some terms used in research:
●
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Abstract
Concept, Theory
Introduction, Gap, Problem, Scope
Methodology, Quanti-, Qualitative
Reliablity, Validity, Variable, Sampling
These are terminologies found in writing
research studies.
Detect examples of each
research terminology
from your copies of our
sample research
articles.
Small Group Detectives
Terms Used in Research
Research - collecting data and information, learning and
finding new things; an advanced knowledge which follows
a systematic process of collecting and analyzing
information in order to understand more the phenomena
under study.
Examples: action research, thesis, dissertation, case study
Terms Used in Research
Concept - a term that abstractly describes and names an
object, a phenomenon, or an idea.
Examples: common demographic measures like income, age,
educational level, number of siblings
Terms Used in Research
Theory - an organized body of concepts and principles
intended to explain a particular phenomenon.
Examples: theory of relativity, atomic theory, theory of evolution,
and quantum theory
Terms Used in Research
Quantitative Method - a method that focuses on numbers,
objective hard data. It proves hypotheses by statistical
analysis and scientific method. It is called a formal,
objective, systematic process in which numerical data is
used to obtain information about the world. It is used to
describe variables. It examines relationships among
variables.
Examples: how many cigarette sticks smoked per day
Terms Used in Research
Qualitative Method - uses words instead of numbers to
display data. It focuses on feelings not numerical data.
Small number of participants involved in a qualitative
research study. This kind of research method utilizes
interviews, archived written information, and
observations to measure the significance of a relationship
between variables.
Examples: how smokers feel about smoking
Terms Used in Research
Variables - any quality of a person, group subject, event,
condition or situation that varies or takes on different
values.
Examples: age, sex, business income and expenses, country of
birth, capital expenditure, class grades, eye color and vehicle
type
Terms Used in Research
Hypothesis - a logical supposition, a reasonable guess, and
educated conjecture. It provides a tentative explanation of
a phenomenon under investigation.
Examples: Researchers might be interested in the relationship
between study habits and test anxiety, they propose a hypothesis
about how these two variables are related, such as "Test anxiety
decreases as a result of effective study habits."
Terms Used in Research
Sampling - the process of selecting participants who are
representatives of a larger population – gain an
understanding of a larger population.
Examples: a random sample may include choosing the names of
25 employees out of a hat in a company of 250 employees. The
population is all 250 employees, and the sample is random
because each employee has an equal chance of being chosen.
05.
Steps in
Research Writing
How to write research one step at
a time?
Steps in research: simplified
Choose a topic
Determine methodology
Form arguments
or interpretations
Write the first draft
Conduct research
Organize/outline thoughts
Cite sources
Apply the necessary
revisions
Detailed Steps in Writing a Research Paper
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Choosing your subject
Limiting your subject to a specific focus
Doing preliminary research
Finding an angle and writing a statement of controlling purpose
Taking notes and developing a rough, or working, outline
Organizing notes and making a final outline
Writing your first draft
Revising your first draft
Writing the final draft
Preparing a list of possible sources, a working bibliography
Writing your reference page, a complete list of sources cited in the paper
Step 1: Choose a research topic
WHEN CHOOSING, REMEMBER THAT YOUR RESEARCH SHOULD BE…
Specific
It must focus on
answering a
specific research
question.
Measurable
Attainable
Methods can
quantify or
evaluate the
gathered data.
It should not
be impossible
to conduct.
Realistic
Time-bound
It sets out to
The research
inform about or
can be done in
solve real problems a set amount
and findings are
of time. It can’t
applicable.
go on forver.
Step 2: Narrow down your topic into a
research statement or question by…
Demographic Characteristics e.g., age group, occupation, ethnic group, gender, etc.
Challenges faced by international college graduates entering the workforce
Relevant Issues. Identify key issues related to your topic that you have an opinion on.
Turn your opinion into your thesis statement or research question.
Challenges faced by college graduates who are unable to find meaningful or relevant work
Location. Specify a country, province, city, or type of environment (rural vs. urban).
Challenges faced by college graduates entering the workforce in rural Ontario
Timeframe. Decide whether to study recent events or a historical time period.
Challenges faced by college graduates entering the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic
Causes. Take the perspective of looking for causes of an issue you are researching.
Why do employers hire fewer college graduates?
BRAIN EXERCISE!
Let’s see if you understood the
ways to narrow down thesis topics!
Directions: In each research statement, question, or title,
identify the following: Demographic Characteristics,
Location, Timeframe, Issue, and Causes.
1.
Post-Examination mental health status
of Grade 10 students in Narvacan National
Central High School
2.
A qualitative analysis of high school
students’ engagement with cli-fi and climate
justice
3.
Junior high school students’ perspectives
on the use of smartphones during class
4.
Environmental attitudes
senior high school students
of
Filipino
5.
What are the experiences and beliefs of
LGBTQIA+ students on dress codes in
University of Northern Philippines?
Steps 3, 4, 5
STEP 3
Writers engage in Preliminary Research during
the early stages of composing in order to identify
the scope of their investigation. Preliminary
Research could involve discussions with friends
about ideas.
Steps 3, 4, 5
STEP 4
This is a sentence or pair of sentences that tells what you
want to accomplish in your paper. It is called a
statement of controlling purpose because it controls,
or guides, your research. The statement of
controlling purpose usually contains one or more key
words that tell what the paper is going to accomplish.
For example: One person was very concerned about
air pollution and wanted to know if the government is
doing anything to stop it. Her Statement of Purpose
was this: I want to learn about what is being done by
our government to stop air pollution.
Steps 3, 4, 5
STEP 5
Take notes and developing a rough, or
working, outline. Be guided by the
elements of a research paper in
developing your outline.
06.
Elements
What sections does a proper
research compose of?
RESEARCH PAPER
ELEMENTS
Construct a rough outline for your group’s
qualitative research, guided by the idea
prompts or questions in the figure which
corresponds to each element of the
paper.
QUIZ
Multiple choice – 20 points
Enumeration – 12 points
Short Essay – 3 points