PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2
Senior Highschool
Track - ABM
INQUIRY vs. RESEARCH
INQUIRY
RESEARCH
term that is synonymous with the word
‘investigation’
a scientific, experimental, or inductive
manner of thinking
thinking acts that range from lower-order to
higher-order thinking strategies
thinking acts that range from lower-order to
higher-order thinking strategies
Inquire/investigate
Gather information
Examine the information
research activities: identifying the topic or
problem, gathering data, making theories,
formulating hypotheses, analyzing data, and
drawing conclusions
Which is easier to carry out: Inquiry
or Research?
What if you do things randomly in
research, what will be the
consequences?
Standards
Qualitative
Quantitative
Mental survey of reality
Results from social interactions
Exists in the physical world
Cause-effect relationships
Explained by people’s objective
desires
Revealed by automatic
descriptions of circumstances or
conditions
Researcher’s involvement with
the object or subject of the
study
Subjective; sometimes personally
engaged
Objective; least involvement by
the researcher
Expression of data, data
analysis, and findings
Verbal language (words, visuals,
objects)
Numerals, statistics
Research plan
Takes place as the research
proceeds gradually
Plans all research aspects before
collecting data
Standards
Qualitative
Quantitative
Behavior toward research
aspects/ conditions
Desires to preserve the natural
setting of research features
Control or manipulation of
research conditions by the
researcher
Obtaining knowledge
Multiple methods
Scientific method
Purpose
Makes social intentions
understandable
Evaluates objective sand
examines cause-effect
relationships
Data-analysis technique
Thematic codal ways,
competence-based
Mathematically based methods
Style of expression
Personal, lacks formality
Impersonal, scientific, or
systematic
Sampling Technique
More inclined to purposive
sampling or use of chosen
samples based on some criteria
Random sampling as the most
preferred
2 Types of Quantitative Research
1. EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
Experimental research is a quantitative research that treats or deals with the object
or subject of the research in a definite or exact manner and determines the extent
of the effects or influence of the treatment on the object/subject, then discovers
the causes of such effects.
Two groups are involved in any experimental research: the experimental group, the
one on which the treatment or influence is applied, and the control group, which
does not receive any treatment.
In conducting an experimental research, first, give a pre-test to examine the initial
condition of both groups in relation to a variable, condition, or factor; second,
apply to the control group a new condition; and third, give the latter group a posttest to determine the effects or influence of the treatment or condition applied on
them.
2 Types of Quantitative Research
2. NON-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
Non-Experimental research is a way of finding out truths about a subject by
describing the collected data about such subject and determining their
relationships or connections with one another.
Characteristics
1. It is incapable of establishing cause-effect relationships; by itself, it is able, if it
takes place in conjunction with other experimental and quasi-experimental
research methods.
2. It involves various ways of data analysis: Primary – analysis of data collected by
the researcher himself, Secondary – examination of data collected by other
people and Meta-analysis – analysis of data expressed numerically.
3. It uses research method that applicable to both quantitative and qualitative
data.
Survey research
 Survey research is a method of research that aims at knowing what
a big number of people think and feel about some sociological
issues. The data it collects from these people serving as
“representatives or informants” explain or describe the society’s
thoughts, attitudes and feelings towards environmental issues.
Although survey research is a very old research technique that
began in the period of the ancient Egyptian rulers, many still
consider this as a very popular means of social inquiry. (Babbie
2013, p. 383)
Purposes of Survey Research
1. To obtain information about people’s opinions and
feelings about an issue.
2. To identify present condition, needs, or problems of
people in a short span of time.
3. To seek answers to social problems.
4. To give school officials pointers on curricular offerings,
guidance and counselling services, teacher evaluation,
and so on.
Strengths of Survey Research
Stressing the effectiveness and usefulness of survey
research, Schutt (2013) gives the following pluses of survey
research:
1. Versatility.
2. Efficiency.
3. Generality.
4. Confidentiality.
Ethical Principles and Rules
in Survey Research
 1. Respect whatever decision a person has about your research
work for his participation in your study comes solely from his or her
own decision-making powers.
 2. Make sure that your study will be instrumental in elevating the
living conditions of people around you or in bringing about world
progress.
 3. Conduct your research work in a way that the respondents will
be safe from any injury or damage that may arise from their
physical and emotional involvement in the study.
Ethical Principles and Rules
in Survey Research
 4. Practice honesty and truthfulness in reporting about the results of
your study.
 5. Accept the reality that the nature, kind, and extent of responses
to your questions depend solely on the dispositions of the
respondents.
 6. Decide properly which information should go public or secret.
 7. Stick to your promise of safeguarding the secrecy of some
information you obtained from the respondents.
Variables
Variables are “changing qualities or characteristics” of
persons or things like age, gender, intelligence, ideas,
achievements, confidence, and so on that are involved in
your research study.
In research, especially in a quantitative research, one
important thing you have to focus on at the start of your
study is to determine the variables involved in your study.
Basically, variables are of two types: independent
variables and dependent variables. Independent
variables are those that cause changes in the subject,
while dependent variables are those that bear or
manifest the effects caused by the independent
variables. Hence, in a causal relationship, the cause
comes from the independent variables; the effects, on
the dependent variables.
Independent or Dependent Variables
 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. Time spent studying and its effects the test scores of students
IV= time spent studying
DV=test scores
 D. relationship between disposable income and location amongst young adults
IV=location
DV=disposable income
 E. Salary and job satisfaction among MSU employees
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
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.
CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

the variables in the problem must be clear

it should be limited in scope and should be specific,

It must have a goal

it should be free from ethical constraints

good research problem must be researchable
Guidelines in Formulating a Quantitative
Research Problem and Research Questions
 1. Formulate a research problem that is researchable; meaning, open to empirical investigation.
 2. See to it that you state your quantitative research problem clearly, concisely, and possibly, if under APA
referencing style, not beyond 12 words.
 3. Have your research problem focus on a general understanding of your research topic.
 4. Construct a research problem that mirrors the importance of carrying out the research for finding
answers or solutions to a problem.
 5. Let your quantitative research problem state the variables and their relationships with one another.
 6. Construct an introductory statement to present your research problem, which is the main problem of
your research.
 7. State your research questions or sub-problems, not in the form of yes-or-no questions, but in informative
questions.
 8. Express your research problem and research questions either in an interrogative or declarative manner,
but some research books say that the former is more effective than the latter form. (Babbie 2013; Punch
2014; Walliman 2014)
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
Background of the Research

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.
Hypothesis
 A hypothesis is a tentative explanation or an answer to a question about
variables, their relationships, and other facts involved in the research. A research
always ends up with a result.
 However, you are free to hypothesize; meaning, to infer, propose, or guess about
factual things related to the research. It is an inferential thinking that makes you
guess something based not only on whatever experience or factual knowledge
you have about such thing but also on conclusions that were logically drawn by
other research studies.
 A hypothesis has to be tested through analytical investigation to prove how true
or false it is. (Creswell 2014; Russell 2013)
Categories of Hypotheses
 There are two categories of hypotheses: null hypotheses and alternative hypotheses.
 A null hypothesis symbolized by Ho, which states the absence of relationship between
the independent and dependent variables. It is therefore a statement to disprove the
fact that the independent variable (treatment, intervention, or condition) has an
effect on the dependent variable.
Example: Ho: There is no relationship between salary and job satisfaction among
MSU employees.
 The opposite of null hypothesis is the alternative hypothesis. Symbolized by Hi, the
alternative hypothesis states the relationship between the independent and the
dependent variables and the fact that the first affects the second one. (Morgan
2014; Thomas 2013)
Example: Hi: There is a relationship between salary and job satisfaction among
MSU employees.
Guidelines in Formulating Hypotheses
 The craft in hypotheses formulation requires you think of the following pointers (Mc Bride
2013; Lapan 2012):
1. Express your hypotheses in a declarative sentence.
2. Support your hypotheses with ideas based on theories, known facts, previous studies, or
your own experience and wisdom.
3. Establish a logical relationship between the hypotheses and the research problem.
4. Have your hypotheses predict the nature of relationship between or among variables.
5. Ascertain the possibility of having some means of testing, analyzing, and investigating your
hypotheses.
6. Avoid wordiness by using clear, exact, or specific language in stating the hypotheses.
Research Questions
 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.
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.
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
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