THE RESEARCH

PROBLEM and the

research title
LESSON 6
 You may probably observe that you are
living in a society where random changes
occur. In a similar way, you may also see
that problems are everywhere from –
hearing news in a television or seeing
timely posted issues in a social media site
up to your daily common struggles as a
student such as a feeling of difficulty in
answering a test or difficulty in
transportation going to school and the like.
 With such circumstances, we
may say that this is how the
society where we are living is
designed to we constantly deal
with these inevitable problems by
conducting researches and studies
in order to find relevant solutions
resulting a change for in
improvement.
Now that you have acquired
some basic knowledge of
Research as a discipline, it is
time for you to step forward by
initiating a self-observation of
the happenings in the
community where you belong.
Your journey in Research continues by
looking for a problem appropriate to your
needs, interests, and understanding
towards the issue. Hence, you will be
provided with additional knowledge on
how to design a research project as well as
its possible research title relevant to your
daily experiences.
 The Research Problem
In starting with a research project,
the researcher must have a clear
problem in mind. Basically, a
research problem refers to a
statement that promptly suggests
for conducting an investigation.
 The Research Problem
Moreover, a research problem to be
designed must deal with some concerns in a
particular field that may need an
improvement or a solution. The researcher
must also observe gaps in existing scholarly
literature, theories, and practices in order to
come up with a good and relevant research
problem.
 Sources of Research Problem
There is a need for a socially
relevant problem when the
researcher will attempt to conduct a
study. Hence, it is said that
identifying and designing a research
problem is quite a challenging task.
 Sources of Research Problem
Familiarity with the potential
sources, meanwhile, may help the
researcher to come up with a good
research problem. As cited from
Sacred Heart University Library
(2020), four (4) varied sources can
be considered. These are as
Theory
Existing social philosophies and
generalizations which the researcher is
familiar with may be of a great help to
design a research problem. The researcher
may observe if there is a gap between theory
and practice. Difference between what is
said by the elders and what the youngsters
see and observe may be a potential source
of a problem.
Practitioners
Consultation with the people who
have direct experiences in a field
of interest may provide the
researcher an idea of what
relevant problem he/she may
investigate.
Practitioners
Practitioners such as teachers, social
workers, health care providers, etc.
are considered to be a good source
of problem since they are directly
experiencing difficulties and
challenges which are needed to be
addressed.
Personal experience.
Daily experiences can provide the
researcher an idea of what problem that
needs a solution. Observation on what is
happening in the community may allow
him/her to see the common concerns of
people or institutions which may be
subjected for investigation.
Relevant literature
An extensive and thorough review
of literature and studies relevant
to the problem interest of the
researcher may enable him/her to
come up with a potential study.
Relevant literature
Through reviewing other available
researches, the researcher may
be able to determine gaps in
knowledge and to subject them
for replication. Thus, a good
research problem will be ensured.
Considerations in
Formulating the
Research Problem
As cited from the book of Cristobal and
Cristobal (2017), there are criteria which
should be considered by the researcher in
order to arrive with a good research
problem. Here they adopted the proposed
criteria of Barrientos-Tan (1997) from the
book entitled A Research Guide in Nursing
Education. These are further subdivided
into external and internal criteria.
1. External Criteria
NOVELTY

The research problem must

carry “newness.” With this,
its practical value would be
easily perceived.
Availability of subjects.
A research problem, when is
subjected to a further investigation,
requires data from the target
subjects. Hence, the researcher
must ensure that there will be
available participants who are
capable of providing data needed for
Support of the academic community

The academic community, which

consists of administrators, teachers,
staff, students, and parents, should
be considered by the researcher in
what particular problem will be
investigated.
Support of the academic community
Each member plays a vital role in the
conduct of the study. Hence, the research
problem should be clearly perceived as
beneficial once it is subjected for
investigation. In addition, securing
permission among the said members must
be done before conducting the actual data
collection procedure.
Availability and adequacy of facilities and
equipment
Necessary common devices such as
computers and telephones which will be
used in undertaking a study should be
considered. Likewise, needed other
materials required by
the research problem should be checked
if they are available and sufficient.
Ethical considerations

A research problem, when is

subjected to a study, must not
pose any unethical demands
most especially on the part of the
research participants.
2. Internal Criteria
Qualifications of the researcher

These pertain to the expertise of the

researcher to the problem. It is
important to the researcher that he/she
has enough knowledge and training
when the research problem is subjected
to further investigation so as to ensure
the success of the undertaking.
Motivation and interest of the researcher.

The research problem which is in the

interest of the researcher may give
him/her satisfaction and enjoyment.
Hence, completion of the research
tasks will be efficiently attained.
Time factor

A research problem, when is

subjected to a study, should suggest
to be time-efficient. With this, the
undertaking will be possibly
accomplished in a given time frame.
Hazards and handicaps

This means that a research problem

should not put the researcher in danger.
The proposed study should be safe not
only to the participants but moreover to
the researcher himself/herself. Physical
and mental health of the researcher
must always be considered.
Research Title
 Once the researcher has already
had a problem that will be subjected
for a study, he/she may now begin
formulating a good research title that
will best represent the problem and
the study itself in general.
 As cited from Sacred Heart University
Library (2020), a research title should help
the readers to see the main idea as well as
the summary of the whole study. Further, it
usually contains fewest possible words that
can bring understanding of the content
and the purpose of the study among the
readers.
Characteristics of a
Research Title
As commonly observed, a research title is
the first one to be read before proceeding
to the other parts of the research paper.
Hence, it is really important to know for
the
researcher what makes a research title an
effective one in order to capture the
interest of the readers towards the
problem to be investigated. Here are some
of the
characteristics of a research title that the
1. It should be limited only to
substantive words with high
consideration to the key variables
such as the phenomenon under
investigation, the participants, and
the setting of the study.
2. It should use words that can
create a positive impression among
the readers. Avoid using
abbreviations as well as some word
constructions such as: “method,”
“result,” and “investigation.”
3. It should be in the form of a
phrase with correct use of
capitalization, that is, the first letter
appeared in the title as well as the
first letter of each noun word should
be capitalized.
4. It should be concise by adequately
implying the participants and the
coverage of
the study.
In addition, a researcher may also put
a subtitle which is commonly
employed in social science research
papers. This subtitle may be done:
(1) to state the scope, context,
and theory under investigation;
and
(2) to provide a substantive and
appealing literary title.
Characteristics of a
Research Title
Similar with all other parts of a
research paper, the title must be
carefully formulated. Other existing
research titles may serve as a basis
especially for beginning researchers.
Below are the examples of title in
qualitative research:
1. The ‘Need to Transcend’: A
Phenomenological Study on the
Lived Experiences of Millennial
Teachers (Lacdo-O et al., 2018)
2. The Educated Citizen: Cultural and
Gender Capital in the Schooling of
Aetas’Children in the Municipality of
Janiuay (Moralista & Delariarte,
2014)