Identifying the

Inquiry and
Stating the
Problem
Prepared by: Ms. Trisha Mae Carriedo
 THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
(According to Calderon &
A problem is “any significant,
Gonzales)
perplexing, and challenging
situation, real or artificial, the
solution of which requires
reflexive thinking”. In research, it
is known as the research topic.
 THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
(According to Calderon &
An intellectual
Gonzales) stimulus
calling for an answer in the
form of scientific inquiry.
 Sources of Research Topics or
Problems
• Prevailing theories or
philosophy
• Observations, intuitions or a
combination of both
• Different subjects taken and
from them identify a problem
that interests a student-
researcher most
• Fields of interest or specialization or
event from related fields
• Existing problems in the
classroom/school/campus/university
which one may want to solve are good
sources of research problems
• Existing needs of the community or
society
• Related studies and literatures
• Advice of authorities or experts from
funding agencies
• Incidental from interesting topics of
 Criteria in Choosing a Research
Problem
• It should be something new or
different from what has already
been written about.
• It must be original.
• It should be significant to the
field of study or discipline.
• It must necessarily arouse
intellectual curiosity.
• It should be of researcher’s
interest and researcher must be
with the topic.
• It should be modest one for a
beginner to be carried on within
a limited period of time.
• It should be clear, not
ambiguous.
• It should be specific, not
general.
• It should consider the training
• It should consider the availability
of data involved in the study and
the methods and techniques to be
employed in gathering them.
• It should consider the availability of
effective instruments for gathering
the data and their treatment.
• It should consider the financial
capacity of the researcher to
support the project.
• It should consider the time factor
• Significant to • Availability or
chosen manageability
field/advancem of data
ent of science • Availability of
or instruments
specialization Interest
• Pioneering or • Training
novel • Expertise
• Originality • Financial
• Arouse capacity
intellectual • Time factor
curiosity involved in the
• Relevance to project
 Choosing a Workable
Topic
(According to Bordo, et
AVOID
al.) THE FOLLOWING
TOPICS:
• Controversial issues (e.g.,
political scandals, court
matters, etc.)
• Very new topics (references
• Personal bias and
discriminating topics (e.g.,
racism, sexism, etc.)
• Supernatural and paranormal
topics (e.g., fortune-telling,
astral projection, telepathy,
etc.)
• Political conflicts (e.g., graft
and corruption, wiretapping,
Things to consider in selecting a
topic:
• Time frame for completion
(Research should be feasible)
• Benefit to the community.
Topics that improve human
life is the ultimate goal of
research. (Research is
ethical)
• Focus on a specific area of
knowledge; i.e., it should be
concentrated on a specific
subject area.
• Topics should be interesting;
that is, pertinent to the
readers’ interests.
• Topics should be measurable
and observable for it must be
 Indicator of a good Research Problem YE
No. NO
in Quantitative Research S

1 Are you interested in the problem?

When the problem is studied, can it

2
benefit a group of people?

3 Is it new and fresh?

Can it be completed in a defined

4
period of time?

Can you develop guide questions to

5
use in gathering data?

Can it help refine or improve existing

6
ideas or facts?
Can it help improve the system or
7
program?
Guidelines in the
Formulation of a
Research Title
1. Elements of a
Research Title
The research title is not
meant to be entertaining or
“catchy” like the titles of
television programs or movies,
but informative. The parts of a
research title contain the
following information:
• The subject matter or
topic to be
investigated.
(“What?”)
• The place or locale
where the research is
to be conducted.
• The population or universe
from who the data are to
be collected, i.e., the
respondents or
interviewees. (“Who”?)
• The time period of the
study during which the
data are to be collected.
• The title must be broad enough to
include all aspects of the study but
should be brief and concise as
possible.
• The use of terms as “Analysis of”,
“A Study of”, “An Investigation of”
and the like should be avoided.
• If the title contains more than one
line, it should be written in inverted
pyramid.
• When typed or encoded in the title
• If possible, the title should not be
longer than 15 substantive words.
• Avoid a long, detailed title that
gives too much information.
• To shorten the title, delete the
terms “assessment” or
“evaluation” if these are already
emphasized in the text.
Characteristics of a Good Title
• A title should give readers
information about the contents of the
research and is preferable to one
that is vague or general.
• Titles do not need to be stuffy or dull
but they should generally give
readers some idea at the outset of
what the research paper will contain.
• Choose a title that is a phrase rather
than a complete sentence.
• Use no punctuation at the
end of the title.
• Do not underline the title
of research or enclose it in
quotation marks, instead,
use a word processing
program or printer that
permits italics.
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Chapter I. The
Problem and Its
Background
1.Background of the
Study
2.Statement of the
Problem
3.Scope and
Delimitation
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
(According to Bordo, et al.)
• Presentation of the
problem – Describe the
existence of an
unsatisfactory condition or
a problem that needs a
solution.
• Historical background of
the problem - Give the
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
(According to Bordo, et al.)
• Geographical
conditions of the
study locale - If
applicable, describe the
geographical location of
the study.
• Rationale of the study
• It includes information
which would focus attention
on the importance and
validity of the problem.
• It is the general orientation
to the problem area.
• A brief rationale to justify
the problem must be
provided.
• This is the present state of
The background includes:
1.Discussion of the problem in
general and the specific
situations as observed and
experienced by the researcher
2.Concepts and ideas related to
the problem
3.Discussion of the existing or
present conditions and what is
aimed to be in the future or
the gap to be filled in by the
 In 2004, the researcher migrated to the
Philippines to accompany her spouse who
was at the time studying at the Adventist
Institute for International Advanced Studies
(AIIAS) in Silang, Cavite. They discovered
the study opportunities and were motivated
by the quality of education and low school
fees being offered. They visited several
colleges and universities to collect
pamphlets and sent them back to Vanuatu
for educational awareness. The Ni-Vanuatus
became aware and decided to send
students to study in the Philippines. The first
two schools to receive Vanuatu students
were AMA Computer College in Dasmariñas,
Cavite and Air Link Aviation College in
STATEMENT OF THE
PROBLEM
• (also called “purpose
statement and
research questions”) is
a statement of the
purpose of the study
and a series of
questions that will
STATEMENT OF THE
PROBLEM
• This is the basic difficulty,
the issue, the area of
concern, the circumstances
which exist, then, how they
ought to be.
• The researcher should give
the background which led
to this circumstances that
exist.
STATEMENT OF THE
PROBLEM
• Briefly describe the
condition or a situation
that exists which is
perceived as something
less than the ideal: or
what it should be and
how you see it to be.
 STATEMENT OF THE
PROBLEM
It is composed of …
• 1) the general
statement of the
problem (the purpose
statement) and
• 2) the specific sub-
problems or sub-
Objective or Purpose of
the Study
• It is the first part of the
problem where the researcher
states the objective.
• This is a statement of a long
term objective expected to be
achieved by the study.
• This is derived by the
identification and
crystallization of the research
 Research Questions or
Investigative Problems
• These are the specific
questions which are to be
answered in the study.
• The answers to these should
lead to the solution of the
research problem.
• Focus on a clear goal or
objective. State the precise
goal.
1. The major statement or
question may be followed by
minor statements or questions.
• The introductory statement
must be the purpose/aim or the
objective of the study.
Example: Specifically, the study
aims to determine the causes of
low performance of selected
programs in the board
examinations. Further, it seeks
to answer to answer to the
2. If the goal is specifically to test
a given hypothesis then state so.
• In many cases, the objective
will be a more general
statement than that of a
hypothesis.
• Example: The primary
objective of this study is to
test the hypothesis that there
is a relationship between
workplace condition and
teaching performance of
 3. Investigative questions are
the specific topical questions that
one must resolve to achieve
research objective or test the
research hypothesis.
Guidelines in Writing the Statement
of the Problem
(According to Calderon & Gonzales)
• The general statement of the
problem (or the purpose
statement) and the specific
sub-problems (or the research
questions) should be
formulated first before
conducting the research.
• It is customary to state
specific sub-problems in the
• Each specific research
question should be
clear and unequivocal
(should only have one
meaning) in porder to
avoid confusion.
• Each research
question should be
• Each research question
must be based upon
known facts and
phenomena. Furthermore,
data from such facts and
phenomena should be
accessible to the
researcher.
• Answers to each research
question can be
• Answers to each research
question must contribute to
the development of the
whole research study.
• Summing up the answers to
all the specific questions will
give a complete
development of the entire
study.
• The number of research
questions should be enough
This research aims to develop an
evaluation model of a web-based
tool used in test administration for
Grade 11 and 12 students.

Specifically it aims to answer the

following questions:
1. What are the commonly used
web-based tools used in test
administration?
2. How are these web-based test
tools evaluated?
3. How could evaluation model be
SCOPE AND
DELIMITATION
This section is a
description of what is
included in the study and
what is not included.
The population under study
and the locale of the study
should be described.
• The scope describes the
coverage of the study.
• It specifies what is covered
in terms of concept, number
of subjects or the population
included in the study, as
well as the timeline when
the study was conducted.
• Delimit by citing factors
or variables that are not
to be included and the
boundary in terms of time
frame, number of
subjects, participants or
respondents who are
excluded.
• Specify that which you
Parameters of the
Research:
• What – the topic of
investigation and the
variables included
• Where – the venue or
the setting of the
research
• When - the time frame
by which the study was
conducted
• Why – the general
objectives of the research
• Who – the subject of the
study, the population and
sampling
• How – the methodology of
the research which may
include the research design,
methodology and the
research instrument
 The study shall only include children
studying at the Sunday school of Beth
Yaacov synagogue in Makati City. This
will include only children from ages five
(5) to twelve (12), being the age when
Jewish children begin their religious
education, and ending at the age when
they become bar mitzvah and bat
mitzvah. Children from other Jewish
communities in the country, like the
“Bagel Boys” in Pampanga or the
recently established Chabad House also
in Makati, are not included. Children
below the age of religious instruction
(five years old) and beyond (twelve
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
STUDY
This is a list of the people or
institutions who will benefit
from the study and how they
will benefit from the study.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
STUDY
• The researcher defines
who will benefit out of the
findings of the study.
• The researcher describes
how the problem will be
solved and specifically
pinpoints who will benefit
from such findings or
Tips in Writing the Significance
of the Study
1.Refer to the
statement of the
problem.
2.Write from generic
to specific.
Married couples. The study would be
beneficial to them since they are
married and they would be able to
understand each other more and be
more aware of each others feelings
toward a certain topic.
Future researchers. The study would
serve as their reference in their research
study which could be beneficial and
similar to this.
Housewives. Since they are the
participants, this would help them to
know more and be aware in Korean
dramas’ effects in their lives as well as
• Think of three topics which you
intend to prepare as your
research undertaking. Take your
time in choosing the topic. Take
note that the topic should be
related to your academic
track/strand.
• What are the 5 important things
you had in mind considering
these three topics?
• Formulate your research titles
for the three topics and present
Any Question?