- Prevention of unnecessary duplication. The problem must not have been investigated before. If the problem is investigated before, it may be the subject of another study but with different assumptions, different methods, or different ways of analyzing data.
- Practical value of the problem. The result of the research study should use to improve practices and concepts. It can use of those who may want to make use it.
- Researcher’s interest in the problem. The researcher should select a problem not because of research popularity or someone wants him to investigate it but because it appeals to his interest.
- Availability of data on the problem. A fruitful results yield if data on the problem is available.
- Special qualification of the researcher to attack the problem. The researcher whose field is medicine is eminently qualified to investigate problems in medicine; we cannot say that he is qualified to undertake research in other field.
- Time required to investigate the problem. The research should be conducted within a reasonable period of time.
- Cost of investigating the problem. Conducting a research project needs the expenditure of money such as questionnaires, tools, xerox, etc. The cost should be reasonable meaning it is within the means of the researcher.
Category: Research Topic
Some Characteristics of Research
- – Research may be based on direct experience or observation by the researcher. The gathering collection of data relies on practical experience without benefit of the scientific or theory.
- – Research may be based on valid procedures and principles.
- – Research uses proven analytical procedures in collecting data, whether historical, descriptive, and experimental or any alternative research methods.
- – Research shows careful and precise judgment.
- – Research is a repeated process. It starts with a problem and ends with a problem.
Historical Research
Historical research is a process of choosing the area or topic to write the history about, collecting data about events that happened in the area or about the topic. It describes what happened in the past and then makes a critical inquiry into the truth of what happened. It must be interpretative which describe the present situations in terms of past events.
4 major activities in historical research
- Choosing and defining the problem. The researcher must consider his resources, availability of data, time constraint, and his professional competence.
- Collecting the data. There are many resources available from which historical data may be gathered including written source such as official and public documents, books, master’s theses and doctoral dissertations, newspaper and periodicals with news item, personal materials, tape recordings, and relics and remains.
- Analyzing the data. Historical data have to analyze to determine the authenticity or genuineness as well as the truth of the statements.
- Writing the research report. After analyzing the historical data and prove to be authentic or genuine, finally, the research report is written.
Hypothesis: Forms and Samples
Hypothesis is a wise guess prepared and temporarily adopted to explain the observed factors covered by the study. It is a tentative conclusion or answer to a specific question raised at the beginning of the investigation.
Hypothesis helps the researcher in designing the study such as the methods, research instruments, and sampling design to be used as well as the data to be gathered. It also use as bases for determining assumptions and for the explanation about the data gathered.
Forms of Hypothesis
- Operational Form – It is stated in the affirmative. It states that there is a difference between two phenomena
- Null Form – It is stated in the negative. It states that there is no difference between the two phenomena. It is more commonly used.
Examples:
Question:
Is there any significant difference between the perceptions of the teachers and those of the students concerning the different aspects in the teaching of science?
Operational hypothesis
There is a significant difference between the perceptions of the teachers and those of the students concerning the different aspects in the teaching of science.
Null hypothesis
There is no significant difference between the perceptions of the teachers and those of the students concerning the different aspects in the teaching of science.
Variables: Types and Characteristics
Variable is a quantity or a characteristic that has or more mutually exclusive values or properties of objects or people that can be classified, measured or labeled in different ways.
Types of Variables
- Discrete Variable – only a finite or potentially countable set of values.
- Continuous Variable – an infinite set of values between any two levels of the variables. They are result of measurement.
- Independent Variable – a stimulus variable which is chosen by the researcher to determine its relationship to an observed phenomena.
- Dependent Variable – a response variable which is observed and measured to determine the effect of the independent variable.
- Moderate Variable – a secondary or special type of independent variable chosen by the researcher to ascertain if it alters or modifies.
- Control Variable – a variable controlled by the research in which the effects can be neutralized by removing the variable.
- Intervening Variable – a variable which interferes with the independent and dependent variables, but its effects can either strengthen or weaken the independent and dependent variables.
Characteristics of Variable
1. Capable of assuming several values representing a certain category.
2. Values that may arise from counting and or from measurement.
3. Raw data or figures gathered by a research for statistical purposes.
4. Predicted values of one variable on the basis of another
5. Observable characteristic of a person or objects being studied.
Research Aims and Purposes
All research has its own purpose. Man had been enjoying the product of research such as comfortable lives due to wonders of electricity like the light in the homes, use of computer, drugs to promote human health, and transportation.
The main purpose and aim of research is the preservation and improvement of the quality of human life.
The following are some specific purposes of research:
- Discover facts. Research investigates an area or issue on which previous work is carried out.
- Find out solution to the problems. Discover solution to existing problem that are partially solved.
- Provide basis for decision making most especially in business, industry, education, government and other activities. Some important decision is based on the result of research.
- Find answer to queries by means of scientific methods.
- Improve existing technologies. Develop new products such as invention of new gadgets or machines.
- Promote health and prolong life. This includes the pharmaceutical, nutritional and medical research.
- Give man with more of his basic need. This includes clothing, food, and shelter.
- Improve educational practices by raising quality of school products. Through research surveys, curricula and instructional innovations have been revised to maximize the effectiveness of the learning process.
- Satisfy researcher’s curiosity. For instance, Edison discovered incubator because he is curious how the hen hatches egg.
- Make man’s life easier. Due to research, man reduces the burden of work through the use of labor saving machine.
Choosing of a Good Research Problem or Topic
To ensure the completion of the study and to make research work enjoyable to the researcher, certain criteria should be observed.
- Within the interest of the researcher. The research problem or topic should be within the interest of the researcher so that the researcher will focus his full attention on the research work.
- Competence of the researcher. The researcher must have a workable understanding of his study such as the method of research to be used to the problem to his problem.
- Specialization of the researcher. Research problem or topic should be within the specialization of the researcher to make research work easier for him. This will also improve his specialization skills, and competence of his profession.
- Research budget. The researcher should be able to finance or find funding for his research until his study is completed.
- Personal choice of the researcher problem or topic. This is to prevent from blaming others or offering excuses for any problem encountered.
- Researchable and manageable research problem or topic. All the data used should be accessible as well as equipment and instruments for research are available and can give valid and reliable results. Also, the hypothesis formulated are testable and the research problem or topic should be able to meet the standards of accuracy, objectivity and verifiability.
- Within period of time. Research topic should be completed within a reasonable period of time. There must be a project time table.
- Relevant to the present time. Research topic should be significant, important and relevant to the present time and situation, and of current interest. In addition, it should be able to arouse people’s interest.
- Add human knowledge. Research topic must contribute a new bit of knowledge to what we already have since all the facts and knowledge are the products of research.
- Solve problems. Prove the way for the solution of the problems or problems intended to be solved. After research or project have been conducted, recommendations are made for the solution and if implemented can solve the problems.
- Moral and spiritual values. Research topic must promote divine values and admirable human values including love, peace, goodwill, etc.
- Quality of human life. Research topic must improve the quality of human life or show how to improve unsatisfactory conditions.