CHAPTER 1 RESEARCH TITLE

The title

Titles should be clear and specific.

It should include variables, relationships, target population and setting.

It will serve as a framework of the research report.

Ideally, it should have a maximum of 20 substantive words.

Functions of a title

It draws in summary form, the content of the entire investigation.

It serves as a frame of reference for the whole thesis.

It enables the researcher to claim the title as his own.

It helps the other researchers refer to the work.

Guidelines in the selection of a title

Is it worth doing at the practical and theoretical level?

Is it feasible in terms: time, money, personnel, access to data, and researcher’s area of competence?

Are the factors involved measurable?

Examples of title

The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Severe Diarrhea in a Metropolitan Area

The Incidence of Cancer among Radiologists in the Different Hospitals in Metro Manila

Effects of Smoking among Pregnant Women in the Four Cities of Metro Manila

Prevalence of Tuberculosis among Families with Incomes Below the Poverty Line in the Sampaloc Area
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

What is research problem?

a problem is a condition requiring a solution.

in research, a problem statement is an expression of a dilemma or a disturbing situation that needs

research demand that a clear statement of the problem be made.

Research problem should be written in simple language just what it purposes to investigate . It may be in
the form of:

a questions or single question followed by several sub-questions

a declarative statement or a series of complete statements

a statement followed by a series of questions

it must be relevant.

it must be feasible.

Guidelines in the Selections of a Research Problem

Is it worth doing?

Time element

Monetary resources

Personnel resources

Access to data

Competence of the researcher to pursue a particular topic

Measurability

Characteristics of a research problem

Interesting

Researchable

Practical/Feasible

Ethical
Example of a Non-researchable problem

How many beds are there in hospital X?

Example of a researchable problem

What is the relationship between the bed capacity of a hospital and the quality of its nursing care?

THE RESEARCH QUESTION

The problem is specifically stated in the form of a research question.

The research question should be clear, concise, and stated in measurable terms specifically in quantitative
research.

Ex:

What is the level of creativity among senior student nurses of a center of excellence college in Manila in
terms of originality and flexibility?

Types of Research Questions

Factor-isolating – asks, “What is this?”

Ex: What is the work performance of the nurses in a certain hospital?

Factor-relating – asks, “What is happening here?”

Ex: What is the relationship between the parents’ own childhood experiences and their subsequent child
abuse or neglect?

Situation-relating - asks, “What will happen if…?”

Ex: Would early diagnosis of cancer of the breast save the patient?

Situation-producing – asks, “How can I make this happen?”

Ex: What should be done to prevent post delivery bleeding?

Non-Researchable Vs. Researchable Questions

Background of the study

This section provides information on the setting, geographical location, cultural and demographic
characteristics, and political or economic implication/relevance of the study.

This section serves as an introduction to the study, giving the readers a big-picture understanding of the
topic at hand.
This section serves to orient the reader on what prompted the researcher to undertake the study.

It starts with the global scenario, then moves to the national level, and finally the local setting.

Example

During the first year of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term in office, there has been a rise in drug-related
killings that were opposed by the international community, human rights organizations, and religious
authorities.

These organizations have condemned killings done by vigilante groups and police drug
operations, called Oplan Tokhang.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Concepts Associated with the Problem Statement

Formulation of Objectives

General Objective or Major Problem

refers to the overall purpose of the research study and is usually derived from the broad problem.

Specific Objectives or Minor Problem

refer to the statements of specific outcomes and are usually derived from subproblems. They should have
the following characteristics:

correspond to the purpose of the study

written clearly

measurable

2 Forms of Statement of the Problem

A Question

Ex: The study seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the physical therapists working in the hospital in terms of the following:

a.age d. Educational attainment

b. sex e. Length of service

c. civil status
2. What is the level of performance of these PTs based on evaluation by their supervisors?

Declarative Statements

Ex: The study seeks to discuss the following topics:

1. The profile of the PTs working in the hospital in terms of:

a. Age d. Educational Attainment

b. Sex e. Length of Service

c. Civil Status

2. The performance of PTs based on evaluation by their supervisors.

Example

The study aims to review the process of change in the choice of a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing
Education, as its curriculum evolved from an integrated acute care focus to community-based health
framework.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What are the patterns or occurrence and the descriptions of change in the Philippine Nursing
Education from 1970 to 2001 in terms of the following:

a. Changes in the choice of a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing

b. Time intervals or periods

c. Parameters at work within the process of determining change

2. What are the changes in the nursing supply here and abroad, in terms of the following:

a. When is a more appropriate time to enter nursing from the year 2002 to 2011?

b. Will there be enough nurses educationally prepared to meet the new challenges of the 21st
century?

3. What are the opportunities or implications of career growth in nursing in the new millennium
in terms of the following:

a. Nursing education

b. Nursing demand
Hypothesis

The hypothesis is a tentative answer to the question.

Are stated when the study aims to make statistical comparisons or aims to determine relationships
between variables.

A good hypothesis is one which is reasonable, consistent with known facts or theories, testable, and stated
in the simplest possible terms.

is a statement that explains or predicts the relationship between two or more variables in terms of
expected results or outcomes of the study (Fain, 2004).

Null Hypothesis

it states no relationship (or difference) exists between two variables.

Example:

There is no significant difference between the effects of return demonstration exercises and practice
frequency on the retention of male and female students with different abilities in nursing basic
procedures.

Hyperactivity is unrelated to eating sugar.

Significance of the study

This section discusses the importance of the study to the society, the country, the government, the
community, the institution, and the writer himself.

This section answers these questions:

Why is it important for the study to be conducted?

What benefits may be derived from the results of the study?

The study will improve and develop the compliance of respondents from the data gathered and
insights elicited as a basis for their planning, implementation and evaluation. Nurses. This research may
help the nurses to conduct and supplement information to the respondents through community health
teaching regarding oral contraceptives specifically compliance of oral contraceptives users. Health Care
Provider/ Physicians. They will be able to provide all necessary information to oral contraceptive users as
an increment for effective family planning and prevention of further complaints and complications.
Clients/Respondents. This research will help the respondents to have adequate knowledge about
oral contraceptives, their responsibility upon compliance and its advantages and disadvantages.
Institution. After conducting the study, institution will formulate ways and programs for student nurses in
the community areas for proper health teachings programs that will indicate compliance, types,
indications, danger signs and much information relevant for effective controlling of overpopulation with
the use of OCPs. Readers. Information gathered and evaluated in this study may help readers to contribute
in the dissemination of information regarding latest information about oral contraceptives pills and it will
also benefit the readers who plan to use family planning...

Significance of the Study

This section will provide brief description on the various significances of the study given the
three categories Educational, Technological and Economic. To students. The proposed study serves the
students as their reference or guide in creating their program. It will also help students taking computer
related courses to identify the best programming language to use. To teachers. The proposed study will
help teachers to have a deeper understanding to the said programming languages. By this study they will
come up with easier and powerful program. To future researcher. The proposed study will benefit and
help the future researcher as their guide. The study can also open in development of this study.

Scope and limitations of the study

(SCOPE and DELIMITATION)

Scope

defines where and when the study was conducted and the participants were.

Limitations

are the weaknesses and shortcomings of the study as acknowledged by the researcher.

SCOPE and DELIMITATION

Issues, concerns or subject areas of investigation

Area coverage

Number of respondents or subjects involved

Period of time or school year covered

Rationale behind delimiting the scope of the study

Type of data – qualitative, quantitative or a combination of both

Out of 189 second year accounting students of 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 an impact 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 of the present school year, 2008-2009

Definition of terms

Types of definition of terms

Operational definition

description of how variables or concepts will be measured or manipulated in the study.

Conceptual definition

provides a variable with connotative meaning.

EXAMPLE: Academic Achievement

Operational definition

academic achievement refers to the mean scores obtained in a comprehensive nursing achievement tests
where students are classified as high achievers (90-100), average achievers (70-90), or low achievers (less
than 70).

Conceptual definition

academic achievement connotes the level of learning which a student acquires in any class based on his
ability to apply what he has learned in a subject or course.
The frameworks

A framework is the abstract, logical structure of meaning that guides the development of the study and
enables the researcher to link the findings to a body of knowledge.

2 types of frameworks

Theoretical Framework

is an integrated set of defined concepts and statements that attempt to describe, explain, predict, and/or
control a particular phenomenon.

is a theory in the form of a model/paradigm that serves as the basis for the study.

more formal and used for studies based on existing theories.

Conceptual Framework

it broadly explains a phenomena of interest, expresses assumptions, and reflects a philosophical stance.

is the researcher’s own model illustrating variables that specify the problem and gives direction to the
study.

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE

It is a collection of materials on a topic.

It discusses published information in a particular subject area.

It can be a simple summary of sources but has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and
synthesis.

Purpose of Related Literature

It is conducted to generate a picture of what is known about a particular situation and the knowledge gaps
that exist in it.
Functions of Related Literature

Provides research ideas

Orients the researcher to what is already known

Provides conceptual context

Provides information about research approaches

Sources of Related Literature

Journals

Abstract journals

Indexes

Bibliographies and book lists

Computerized and bibliographic databases

Guides and directories

Statistical reports

What Materials to Review

Examples are indexes, reviews and abstracts

2. Primary Sources

Examples are researches found on published journals.

3. Secondary Sources

Publications where authors cite the works of others. Examples are books, encyclopedias. Secondary
sources are good references for overview of the problem.
Sources for Related Literature

Primary Data Sources

provide a description of a research study as written by the original researcher/s.

These sources can be found in many forms and in many places:

oral history - eyewitnesses

life history - pictorial sources

published sources - physical evidence

diaries

historical societies

official minutes

audio and visual recordings

Secondary Data Sources

a description of a study or studies prepared by someone other than the original researcher/s.

They can be classified into:

Interpretations

historical researchers depend on another person’s private frame of reference for information.

Hearsay

is simply what people think they heard

Comparison of Primary and Secondary Sources

Primary Source

In a Boston study, researchers reported that 32% of pregnant heavy drinkers bore infants with brain
defects, 14% in the moderate drinking group, and 9% in the light drinking or abstaining group.
Secondary Source

In the report of Dr. Sherwood Lew, pneumonia has been described by Bunyan as the “captain of the men
of death.”

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

is the entire process of planning and carrying out a research study; it is a detailed plan of how the research
will be conducted. In the beginning this plan is vague and tentative. As the study progresses it undergoes
many modifications. In planning the design, the problem must be clear.

Sampling Design

Involves selecting a group of people, events, behaviors, or other elements with which to conduct the
study.

Basic Sampling Concepts

Sample

the subset of the population selected by the investigator to participate in a research project.

Sampling frame

a listing of all the elements in the population from which the sample is drawn.

Sampling bias

refers to the systematic overrepresentation or underrepresentation of some segment of the population in

Sampling error

pertains to the differences in proportion values (average age of the pop.) and sample values (average age
of the sample).

Population

the entire group of persons or objects that is of interest to the investigator.

Target population

the entire population in which the researcher is interested.

Accessible population

refers to those cases that conform to the eligibility criteria and are accessible to the researcher as a pool of
subjects for the study.
Two Categories of Sampling Plan

Probability sampling

a process in which each element of the population has an equal chance of being chosen for the sample.
There is randomization.

Non-probability sampling

elements are selected by non-random methods

Probability Sampling

Simple Random Sampling

sampling by chance or lottery or by the use of table of random numbers.

Stratified Random Sampling

involves taking certain areas of the population, dividing the areas, into sections, and then taking a
random sample from each section.

Cluster or Multi-stage Sampling

is used in large-scale studies in which the population is geographically spread out.

Systematic Sampling

selected by taking every nth element on a population list

Non-Probability Sampling

Convenience or Accidental Sampling

utilizes readily available subjects.

Snowball Sampling

subjects acts as informants who identify others for inclusion in the sample who in turn leads to more
samples.

Quota Sampling

researchers identify strata of the population and then determine how many participants are needed from
each stratum to meet a quota.

Purposive or Judgmental Sampling

subjects are hand picked to be included in the sample, based upon the researcher’s knowledge of the
population.
Steps in Sampling

Identify the target population

refers to the group to which the researcher wants to generalize his results.

Identify the accessible population

is the portion of the target population that is accessible to the researcher.

Specify the eligibility criteria

criteria should be as specific as possible.

Specify the Sampling Plan

you must decide how the sample will be chosen and how large it will be.

Recruit the sample

sample size refers to the number of samples needed.

Instrument tool

Instrument is the general term that researchers use for a measurement device (survey, test, questionnaire,
etc.).

Criteria in Choosing Instrument tool

Reliability

the degree of consistency or dependability with which an instrument measures an attribute.

Validity

the degree to which an instrument measures what it is supposed to measure.

Questionnaire

a paper and pencil instrument completed by the study subjects.

Criteria for a Good Questionnaire

it should focus on the research topic.

the language must be clear.

the content of the questions must be specific.

the questions should show singleness of purpose.

the questions must be free from suggestion.

the questions should have linguistic completeness and grammatical consistency.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

Open-ended question

respondents are given enough flexibility to answer questions or specify answers other than those found in
the questionnaire.

Closed-ended question

respondents answer a number of alternative responses.

Multiple choice question

Ex:

To what extent are you expected to conform?

to a great extent

to a moderate extent

to a slight extent

not at all
Rank order question

Ex:

Below are key nursing values. Choose five that you deem most important and rank them accordingly.

____care

____collaboration

____competence

____courtesy

____knowledge

Rating question

Ex:

On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is strongly disagree and 10 is strongly agree, encircle the number that best
represents your degree of agreement or disagreement.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Scales

a scale is a measuring instrument composed of several items that have a logical or empirical relationship
with each other.

Categorical response scale

Yes No Don’t know Not applicable

Summative scale (Likert scale)

Strongly agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly disagree

Graphic rating scale

Unfair_____________________Very fair

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Semantic differential

Good_________________________Bad

Interview

involves verbal communication between the researcher and the subject.

Types of Interview

Structured

Unstructured

Observation Techniques

involves looking at the phenomenon.

is used to study human behavior.

Types of Observation

Structured observational method

this depends on the formulation of a system for categorizing, recording, and encoding the observations
and sampling the phenomenon of interest.

Approach:

category system

Record Keeping:

checklists

rating scales
Unstructured observational methods

involves collection of large amounts of descriptive information that is analyzed qualitatively rather than
quantitatively.

Approach:

participant observation

non-participant observation

Record Keeping:

log book

field notes

Subjects of the Study or Respondents

the population of interest and the sampling subjects are carefully chosen to suit the purpose of
researcher’s study so that validity of findings will not be jeopardized.

Research Locale

this briefly describes the place where the study will be conducted and the rationale behind its choice.

Data gathering procedure

Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of interest, in an
established systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated research questions, test hypotheses, and
evaluate outcomes.

Types of data gathering

Data mining

this procedure is simple. You can easily find many resource materials where data and numerical figures
are already tallied and presented.
Interviewing

is another example of a data gathering procedure. One benefit that you can get from this process is that
you can actually gather raw and reliable data direct from your subjects

Surveying

it involves gathering responses from subjects through a written medium. You will be distributing paper
questionnaires for your subjects to answer.