St. John Fisher School
Bacoor, Cavite
Practical Research 1
Ms. Eissa May Villanueva
Research is a careful, detailed and systematic study of a specific problem, concern, or issue to establish facts
This is best accomplished by turning the issue into a question, with the intent of the research to answer the
question.
When is a research practical?
Practical research means actual doing or using of something rather than theories and ideas. It involves inquiry
methods and immersion activities in order to achieve the correct information.
Types of Research
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APPLICATION
1. Pure Research
Deals with concepts, principles or abstract things and aims to increase your knowledge about
something
2. Applied Research
Has intention to apply chosen research to societal problems or issues, finding ways to make positive
changes in society.
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PURPOSE
1. Descriptive
Aims at defining or giving verbal portrayal or picture of a person, thing, event, group, situation etc.
Liable to repeated research because its topic relates itself only to a certain period or limited number
of years.
2. Correlational
Shows relationship or connectedness of two factors, circumstances, or agents called variables that
affect the research. Concerned in indicating the existence of a relationship, not the causes and
ways of the development or such relationship.
3. Explanatory
Elaborates or explain the reasons behind the relationships of two factors and why such relationship
exists.
4. Exploratory
Find how reasonable or possible it is to conduct a research study on a certain topic.
5. Action
Studies ongoing practice of a school, organization, community or institution for the purpose of
obtaining results that will bring improvements in the system,
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DATA NEEDED
1. Qualitative
used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. Used in social
science and natural sciences
2. Quantitative
deals in numbers, logic, and an objective stance. Quantitative research focuses on numeric and
unchanging data and detailed, convergent reasoning rather than divergent reasoning. Used in
psychology, marketing and political science
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Characteristics of Qualitative Research
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Human understanding and interpretation
Active, powerful and forceful
Multiple research approaches and methods
Specificity to generalization
Contextualization
Diversified data in real-life situation
Abounds with words and visuals
Internal analysis
Kinds of Qualitative Research
1. Case Study
Involves a long-time study of a person, group, organization, or a situation. Seeks to find answers to why
such thing occurs to the subject.
2. Ethnography
Study of particular cultural group to get a clear understanding of its organizational set-up, internal
operation, and lifestyle.
3. Phenomenology
Study of how people understand their experiences.
4. Content & Discourse Analysis
Study of language structures used in the medium of communication to discover the effects of
sociological, cultural, institutional and ideological factors on the content makes it a discourse analysis
5. Historical Analysis
The examination of primary documents to make you understand the connection of past events to the
present time.
6. Grounded Theory
Takes place when you discover a new theory to underlie the study at the time of data collection and
analysis.
Strengths
1.
2.
3.
4.
Adopts a naturalistic approach.
Promotes a full understanding of human behavior or personality traits.
Instrumental for positive changes.
Engenders respect for people’s individuality as it demands the researcher’s careful and attentive stand
towards people’s worlds views.
5. Way of understanding and interpreting social interactions.
6. Offers multiple ways of acquiring and examining knowledge about something.
Weaknesses
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Involves a lot of researches subjectivity in data analysis
Hard to know the validity or reliability of the data
Open-ended questions may yield data overload
Time-consuming
Involves several processes, which results greatly depend on the researcher’s views or interpretations’.
Importance of Quantitative Research Across Fields
1. Business- estimates consumer attitudes and behavior, market sizing, and marketing tactics
2. Political science- measures political behavior and attitudes of citizens and politicians
3. Psychology- measures human attributes/beahvior and analyzes psychological processes
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4. Medicine- measures clinical and methodologic standards in medicinal prescription and composition and
laboratory experimentations
5. Economics- evaluates economic behavior and designs economic policies and techniques
6. Demographics- discover patterns, associations, correlations, and other features of a population
7. Education- discover solutions to issues in educational research, assessment, and program evaluation and
curriculum implementation
Research Variables
Variables refer to factors or conditions that can change during the course of an experiment.
1. Discrete- variable that can only take on a certain number of values. In short, these are variables that are
countable where the range of specified values is complete.
a. Classroom attendance
b. Grade level of students
c. Number of cars in a parking lot
d. Baby’s age in months
2. Continuous- a variable that has an infinite number of possible values. In short, these are variables that
are obtained by measuring.
a. Person’s weight/age/height
b. Travel time from Boac to Gasan
c. Price of commodities
d. Family income
3. Independent variable is a variable in research that causes a change esp. on other variables. It can be
controlled to monitor such changes.
4. Dependent variables result from the independent variables. It the variable being tested and monitored.
A. The effect of temperature on plant pigmentation
IV= temperature
DV= plant pigmentation or color
B. Effects of fertilizer on plant growth
IV= brand/amount of fertilizer
DV= height/weight/no. of leaves of plants
C. Brightness of light has any effect on a moth being attracted to the light
IV= brightness of light
DV=reaction of moth
D. Time spent studying and its effects the test scores of students
IV= time spent studying
DV=test scores
E. relationship between disposable income and location amongst young adults
IV=location
DV=disposable income
F. Salary and job satisfaction among Gasan residents
IV=salary
DV=job satisfaction
Research Topic
• An area of focus that falls within the perimeter of a niche area or research environment, which directly
relates to a particular discipline (field of study).
Example: Effects of climate change
• An intellectual stimulus calling for an answer in the form of scientific inquiry. (Birionet, eta;, 2005)
Research Problem
A research problem is a definite or clear expression [statement] about:
• an area of concern
• a condition to be improved upon
• a difficulty to be eliminated, or
• a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or within existing practice that points to a
need for meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation
Pertains to a particular problem within the research environment, which will form the primary focus of a research
study (a real-life problem which can be mitigated and/or solved)
Example: How do the Philippines respond to the effects of Climate Change?
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Remenyi, Williams, Money and Swartz (2009:46) intonate that the research problem should be a clear,
unambiguous statement (perception) that is relevant to the research title, research topic, the identified niche area
and respected discipline alike.
CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
• the variables in the problem must be clear
• it should be limited in scope and should be
specific,
SOURCES OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS / TOPICS
• Contemporary issues
• theory deductions
• funding agencies
• past researches and literature review
• casual observation
• related and relevant literature
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It must have a goal
it should be free from ethical constraints
good research problem must be researchable
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personal interest and experience
replication of previous studies
clarification of contradictory research results
archive data
interdisciplinary perspectives
Basis for Selecting the Problem for Research
Technical Criteria
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Significant to chosen field/ advancement of
science or specialization
Pioneering or novel
Originality
Arouse intellectual curiosity
Relevance to degree
Availability or manageability of data
Availability of instruments
Personal
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Interest
Training
Expertise
Financial capacity
Time factor involved in the project
Research Title
A specialized area of focus that falls both within the boundaries of a research (delineation) and the perimeter of a
niche area, which directly relates to a particular discipline. The title summarizes the main idea or ideas of your
study (USC, 2017)
Example: The Case of Climate Change in the Philippines: Responses and Measures to its Effects
According to Watkins (2008:23) a research title should have the following characteristics:
1. Short, descriptive and to the point
2. Identify the main variables of the research
3. Allude to the area of study
4. Attract the attention and interest of the reader
5. Make academic sense
Selected Guidelines in Formulation of Research Title
1. Must contain the following elements:
a. Subject matter or research problem
b. Setting or locale
c. Respondents or participants involved in the study
d. The time or period when the study was conducted
2. Must be broad but should be brief and concise as possible
3. The use of Analysis of, Study of, Investigation of should be avoided. Omit the terms “assessment” or
“evaluation” if these are already emphasized in the text.
4. If the title contains more than one line, should be written in inverted pyramid
5. The title page should be in capital letters
6. As much as possible, the title should no tbe longer than 15 substantive words
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Chapter 1
Background of the Research/ Introduction
• It identifies and describes the history and nature of a well-defined research problem with reference to the
existing literature.
• It indicates the root of the problem being studied, appropriate context of the problem in relation to theory,
research, and/or practice, its scope, and the extent to which previous studies have successfully
investigated the problem, noting, in particular, where gaps exist that your study attempts to address.
Statement of the Problem
• reflected to the research title
• The problem must not be answerable by yes or no
• must be arranged in the flow of the study
• Introduces the reader to the importance of the topic being studied
• Places the topic into a particular context that defines the parameters of what is to be investigated
• Provides the framework for reporting the results
• Indicates what is probably necessary to conduct the study
• Explain how the findings will present the information.
Objective or Purpose of the Study
• First part of the problem where the researcher states the objective. Usually prefixed by introductory phases
such as
“The main objective of this study is to…”
Research Questions / Investigative Problems
Good research questions possess four essential characteristics as stated by Fraenkel and Wallen (2007, p.29).
They are as follows:
• The question is feasible (i.e. it can be investigated without an undue of time, energy, or money)
• The question is clear (i.e. most people would agree as to what the key words in the question mean).
• The question is significant (i.e. it is worth investigating because it will contribute important knowledge
about the human condition).
• 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 part.
Categories of Research Questions
TYPE
Descriptive
Evaluative
RELEVANT QUESTION
What events or outcomes are occurring?
What are the characteristics of a category
of persons organization?
Which characteristics or details relate to
observed
events,
phenomena
or
reasoning?
How will/did a process or procedure work?
Predictive
What will happen if one variable changes?
Explanatory
What are the causes of an observed
outcome?
What will happen to a second proposed
dependent variable if the suspected
independent variable is changed?
Explorative
Control
EXAMPLES
What is the frequency of the use of different
training methods in industry?
Do assembly-line workers suffer from sleep
disorders more or less than the general
population or employed persons?
Which of several possible programmers had the
greatest impact on reducing long-term
unemployment?
If family size, increases is there necessarily an
increase or decrease in family income?
Which side of the brain is predominantly
responsible for computer mouse manipulation?
Cab stress pin patients about to undergo
surgery be reduced by specific types of
intervention
Significance of the Study
• The significance of the study will mainly focus on the question “Who will benefit from the study?”
• This states the contribution of your study and the usefulness of your study in the society.
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Tips in Writing the Significance of the Study
Refer to the statement of the problem
Write from general to specific
Scope and Delimitations of the Study
Parameters that prevent researchers from pursuing further studies due to time and budgetary constraints
A. Scope- the coverage, range and period of the study
B. Delimitations- weaknesses of the study beyond the control of the researcher
This discusses the parameters of the research in paragraph. It answers the basic questions of what, where, when,
why, who and how.
Definition of Terms
Terms used either operationally or technically in a research study
A. Operational- definition based on how a word/s are used in the research study
B. Technical- definition based on how a word/s are used in a particular field or specialization
Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature (RRL) is a vital part of research. It is an examination of relevant books, scholarly
articles and any other sources pertinent to an area of research. A consolidation of key ideas and evaluation of the
literature available in view of research problem.
An analysis of man’s written or spoken knowledge of the world.
These are written works collectively, especially, those enduring importance creative imagination and artistic skill
which are written in a particular period, language, and subject (Funk, Wagnalls 1976 as cited by Calmorin)
Functions of RRL
• Provide justification of the study
• Identify gaps, problems and needs of related studies
• Provide rationale of the study as well as the reasons of conducting the study
• Have basis that will be used to support findings of the study
• Provides a framework for establishing the importance of the study, as well as a benchmark for comparing
the result of a study with other findings.
Types of Literature Reviews
1. Argumentative Review
2. Integrative Review
3. Integrative Review
4. Historical Review
5. Methodological Review
6. Systematic Review
7. Theoretical Review
RULES IN WRITING RRL (Pautasso, 2013)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Define the topic and audience
Search and research the literature
Take notes while reading
Choose the type of review you wish to write
Keep the review focused, but make it of broad interest.
Be critical and consistent
Find a logical structure
Make use if feedback
Include your own relevant research
Be up-to-date in your review of literature and studies
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Style or Approaches of RRL
1. Traditional Review of Literature (summarizing present forms of knowledge on a specific subject. Aim is
to give an expanded or new understanding of an existing work. Prone to subjectivity. Does not require to
describe a method of reviewing literature
• Conceptual
-analysis of concepts or ideas to give meaning
• Critical
-focuses on theories or hypotheses and examines meanings and results
• State-of-the-art -deals with the latest research
• Expert
-encourages well known experts to influence ideology
• Scoping
-prepares a situation for a future research
2. Systematic Review of Literature
Citation Style Guide
Reference is an important part of research paper. Referencing is a method used to demonstrate to the readers
that you have conducted a thorough and appropriate literature search and reading. Improper or no citation at all
may fall under an ethical issue which is called intellectual dishonesty. Plagiarism is the primary ethical issue that
is often encounter if no reference or citation at all.
Plagiarism according Wager and Wiffin (2011) is using somebody else’s words, images, data, ideas or
other original creations without acknowledgement or permission and claiming them as your own original
work.
Citation tells the readers of your research that certain materials in your work came from another source
• In-text citations are located in the body of the work and contain a fragment of the full citation.
o Direct quotation
o Indirect quotation/ paraphrasing
o Citations form secondary source
• Reference lists are located at the end of the work and display the full citations for sources used in the
assignment.
Citation Styles
1. Vancouver System is mainly used in medical and scientific papers; Medicine, Dentistry and Health and
Sciences courses. In writing a reference lists using Vancouver style, the following has to be
remembered:
a. Arrange the list chronologically
b. Number all references
c. Use the first 6 authors followed by et al
d. Use official abbreviations for titles or journals
2. Chicago and Turabian Style are widely used for history and economics. This presents two basic
documentation systems: 1. Notes and bibliography and 2. Author-date. It presents bibliographic
information and accommodates a variety of sources.
Reference
In-text
Book, single author
Nadler, Scandalous Treatise, 8
Steven Nadler, A boom Forged in Hell: Spinoza’s
Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular
Age (Princeton University Press, 2011), 8.
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If later edition, add the edition after the title
If three authors, add all their names before
the title
If more than three authors, write the full
name of the first author then “et al” for the
rest
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For book with no author, write the title,
printing press, date printed and page
number
Journal
MacDonald, Susan Peck. "The Erasure of
Language." College Composition and
Communication 58, no. 4 (2007): 585-625.
If electronic version
Last, First M. "Article Title." Journal Title Volume,
no. Issue (Year published): pp-pp. Accessed Month
day, year [not usually necessary].
doi:xx.xxxxxxxxxx [OR] URL of publication's home
page.
Sample:
Bent, Henry E. "Professionalization of the Ph.D.
Degree." College Composition and Communication
58, no. 4 (2007): 0-145. Accessed December 5,
2008. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1978286.
Magazine -Print
Last, First M. "Article Title." Magazine Title, Date
published.
Magazine –Electronic Version
Last, First M. "Article Title." Magazine Title, Date
published. Accessed Month day, year [not usually
necessary]. http://www.url.com.
3. Harvard Referencing Guide is an author-date referencing style and primarily used by students to cite
information sources
Reference
Book
Author surname(s), initial(s). (year published) title.
Edition (if applicable). Place of publication.
Publisher
Mitchell, J.A. and Thomson, M. (2017) A guide to
citation.3rd edn. London: London Publishings
Ebook
Author surname(s), initial(s). (year published) title.
Edition (if applicable). Name of e-book collection.
Available at: URL or DOI (Accessed day month
year)
Mitchell, J.A., Thomson, M. and Coyne, R.P.
(2017) A guide to citation. E-book library [online].
Available at: https://www.mendeley.com/referencemanagement/reference-manager (Accessed: 10
September 2016)
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In-text
author(s)’s or editor(s)’s surname, year of
publication and page number(s)
Mitchell (2017, p. 189) states…
Or
(Mitchell, 2017, p. 189)
When citing a source with two or three authors,
state all surnames
If no author, use the title in italics:
(A guide to citation, 2017, pp. 189-201)
4. MLA Formatting and Style Guide, 8th Edition (Modern Language Association) is most often applied by
the arts and humanities. Most well used and uses in-text citations rather than footnotes or endnotes.
Reference
Book
Mitchell, James A. A Guide to Citation. 2nd ed, My
London Publisher, 2017.
Online: add the database title and a URL or DOI
corresponding to the article.
Mitchell, James A. “Citation: Why is it
Important”. Mendeley Journal, vol. 4, no. 6, Summer
1999, pp .607-674. Journal
Database, https://www.mendeley.com/referencemanagement/reference-manager
Website:
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In-text
Author’s surname, and the page, or pagerange in which the reference is found
Mitchell states “...” (189) Or (Mitchell 189)
Citing a quote or parenthetical
use ‘qtd.’ before the name:
(qtd. In Mitchell 189)
If same surname, put initial
(J. Mitchell 76) and (M. Mitchell 100-120)
Last name of author, first name. “Title of
page/document”. Title of overall webpage, date,
URL.
Mitchell, James A., and Martha Thomson. How and
When to Reference. 25 Jan.
2017: https://www.howandwhentoreference.com/.
5. APA (American Psychological Association) is an author/date-based style. Emphasis is placed on the
author and the date of a piece of work to uniquely identify it. It is also called parenthetical documentation
style, meaning that citations to original sources appear in your text.
Reference
Book:
Jones, A.F & Wang, L. (2011). Spectacular
creatures: The Amazon rainforest (2nd ed.). San
Jose, Costa Rica: My Publisher
In-text
surname of the author and date of publication
only
Mitchell (2017) states… Or …(Mitchell, 2017).
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Edited Book:
Williams, S.T. (Ed.). (2015). Referencing: A guide to
citation rules (3rd ed.). New York, NY: My Publisher
E-book:
Author surname, initial(s) (Ed(s).*). (Year). Title
(ed.*). Retrieved from URL
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If four or more authors, Only the first
author’s surname should be stated
followed by et al
• Authors With Multiple Works From One
Year:
Works should be cited with a, b, c etc
following the date.
(Mitchell, 2017a) Or (Mitchell, 2017b)
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*optional.
Mitchell, J.A., Thomson, M., & Coyne, R.P. (2017). A
guide to citation. Retrieved from
https://www.mendeley.com/referencemanagement/reference-manager
Journal in Print
Last name of the chapter author, initial(s). (Year).
Article title. Journal Title, Volume Number (issue or
part number, optional) page numbers. DOI or
retrieved from URL
Mitchell, J.A. (2017). Citation: Why is it so important.
Mendeley Journal, 67(2), 81-95. Retrieved from
https://www.mendeley.com/referencemanagement/reference-manager
Magazine article
Author surname, initial(s). (Year, month day).
Title. Title of the Magazine, pp.
If no author: the title of a book, periodical,
brochure or report, is should be italicised.
For example:
(A guide to citation, 2017).
If this is the title of an article, chapter or
web page, it should be in quotation
marks. For example:
(“APA Citation”, 2017).
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If secondary source, the original author
and date should be stated first followed
by ‘as cited in’ followed by the author and
date of the secondary source. For
example:
Lorde (1980) as cited in Mitchell (2017)
Or (Lorde, 1980, as cited in Mitchell,
2017)
Website
Author surname, initial(s). (Year, month day). Title.
Retrieved from URL
Mitchell, J.A. (2017, May 21). How and when to
reference. Retrieved from
https://www.howandwhentoreference.com.
https://libguides.uwf.edu/c.php?g=215200&p=1421045
https://www.mendeley.com/guides/apa-citation-guide
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Option for Placing Citations
Idea-focused, place the author(s) and date(s) in parentheses at an appropriate place in or at the end of a
sentence
Researched-focused, place only the date in parentheses
Chronology-focused, integrate both the author and date into the sentence.
Research Misconduct
Dogmatism
• Unwritten policy of certain institutions and government prohibiting the study of topics that are believed
to run counter to the established doctrines of such institutions or governments
Fabrication
• Making-up data or results and recording or reporting them
Falsification
• Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results
such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
Plagiarism
• Appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.
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