SPA RESEARCH IX

Quarter 2: Module 1.b

Subject Matter of the
Inquiry or Research

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 FOREWORD
As a student, you will often encounter one of two situations when it comes to
choosing a topic for a research paper. The first situation occurs when the teacher provides a
list of topics from which you may choose. These topics have been deemed worthy by the
teacher; therefore, you should be confident in the topic you choose from the list.

The second situation occurs when the teacher simply hands out an assignment sheet
that covers the logistics of the research paper, but leaves the choice of topic up to you.
Typically, assignments that are given the opportunity to choose the topic require the topic to
be relevant to some aspect of the course; so, keep this in mind as you begin a course in which
you know there will be a research paper near the end. That way, you can be on the lookout for
a topic that may interest you. Do not be anxious on account of a perceived lack of authority
or knowledge about the topic chosen. Instead, realize that it takes practice to become an
experienced researcher in any field.

LEARNING
COMPETENCY
Designs a research project related to daily life

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 OBJECTI
VE
After working on this module, you should be able to:
 distinguish a good research topic from a bad one;
 characterize a researchable topic;
 narrow down a general topic into a smaller one; and
 choose a good research topic.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Activity 1: Let’s stir up your imagination…

Directions: Examine the following list of topics. If you decide to talk or write about any of
these topics, which among them would you like to focus on? Why do you like
that and not the others?

1. Taal Volcano Eruption

2. COVID-19 Pandemic
3. Modular Learning
4. Natural Calamities
5. Suicide Behaviors of Students
6. Health and Nutrition of Filipinos
7. Social Amelioration Program
8. 4Ps
9. National ID System
10. COVID-19 Protocols

Activity 2: Let’s check your prior knowledge…

Directions: Read each item carefully. Write TRUE if the statement is true and write FALSE if
the statement if false. Write your answers on your Activity Notebook.
1. Your first step when choosing a research topic is to brainstorm ideas that are
interesting to you and that are related to your assignment.
2. Controversial topics, too broad and too narrow subjects are to be avoided in research.
3. In choosing a research topic, you should assess your research abilities in terms of
financial standing, health condition, mental capacity, needed facilities, and time
allotment to enable you to complete your research.
4. A research topic is timely if it is popular.
5. Your real interest in a subject pushes you to research, investigate, or inquire about
with full motivation, enthusiasm, and energy.
6. Hard-to-investigate subjects are subjects that are hard to investigate for the reason that
there are no subjects for the research.
7. Comic books can help you generate ideas about a good research topic.

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 8. As a beginner, you should avoid highly technical subjects.
9. You can get ideas for your research topic from general periodicals.
10. A topic is researchable if the knowledge and information about it are seen on the
television.

Let’s explore…

1. How did you find the activity?

2. What helped you in writing the correct answers?
3. Have you encountered those concepts before? If yes, where and when?

WHAT I NEED TO
LEARN?

Subject Matter of the Inquiry or Research

You begin your research work with a problem; that is, having a problem or topic to
work on. Mulling over a topic for your research work drives you to perform HOTS or higher-
order thinking strategies of inferential, critical, integrative, and creative thinking in
finalizing your mind on one topic among several choices. A topic is researchable if the
knowledge and information about it are supported by evidence that is observable, factual,
and logical. Here are some pointers you have to keep in mind in selecting a research topic
(Babbie 2013).

Guidelines in Choosing a Research Topic

1. Interest in the subject matter

Your interest in a topic may be caused by your rich background knowledge about it
and by its novelty; meaning, its unfamiliarity to you. Being curious about a subject,
like a conundrum or a puzzle, makes you determined to unravel the mystery or
intriguing thing behind it. Your real interest in a subject pushes you to research,
investigate, or inquire about it with full motivation, enthusiasm, and energy.

2. Availability of information
Collecting a lot of information as evidence to support your claims about your subject
matter from varied forms of literature like books, journals, and newspapers, among
others, is a part and parcel of any research work. Hence, in choosing a research topic,
visit your library to check the availability of reading materials on your chosen topic.
Included in your investigation of the availability of reading materials are questions on
how updated and authoritative the materials are. Let these questions linger as you tour
the library: What are the copyright dates of the materials? How old or new are they?
How expert or qualified the writers are in coming out with such kind of reading
materials about your topic?

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 3. Timeliness and relevance of the topic
The topic is relevant if it yields results that are instrumental in societal improvement.
It is timely if it is related to the present. For instance, unless it is a pure or historical
research, a research on the ins and outs of people’s revolutionary acts will prosper
more if it tackles the contemporary revolutionary actions rather than those in the
ancient time.

4. Limitations on the subject

This makes you link your choosing with subject requirements. For example, to make
you complete the requirements, your teacher instructs you to submit a paper that will
apply the key principles you learned in your major. In this case, you have no freedom
to choose your topic based on your interest, but to decide on one topic to pass the
subject.

5. Personal resources
Before sticking fully to your final choice, assess your research abilities in terms of
your financial standing, health condition, mental capacity, needed facilities, and time
allotment to enable you to complete your research.

Research Topics to be Avoided

1. Controversial topics
These are topics that depend greatly on the writer’s opinion, which may tend to be
biased or prejudicial. Facts cannot support topics like these.

Some controversial topics for research papers that are best to avoid writing about
include [ CITATION na206 \l 13321 ].
 Abortion
 same-sex-marriage
 religion
 illegal immigration
 euthanasia (mercy killing)
 gun-control legislation

2. Highly technical subjects

For a beginner, researching on topics that an advanced study, technical knowledge,
vast experience is a very difficult task.

Examples: software, mobile applications, programming, human-computer interaction

3. Hard-to-investigate subjects
A subject is hard to investigate if there are no available reading materials about it and
if such materials are not up-to-date.

4. Too broad subjects

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 Topics that are too broad will prevent you from giving a concentrated or an in-depth
analysis of subject matter of the paper. The remedy this is to narrow or limit the topic
to a smaller one.

Broad topics:
A topic that is too broad focuses on one important concept. This kind of search will
find thousands of results for you to look through. These are examples of broad topics:

 Leadership
 Cancer
 health care

5. Too narrow subjects

These subjects are so limited or specific that an extensive or thorough searching or
reading for information about these is necessary.

Narrow topics
A topic that is too narrow usually has many concepts, or focuses on a specific
geographic area or group. This type of search will find few, if any, results. These are
examples of narrow topics:

 burnout of pre-school teachers aged 30-40 in the Philippines

keywords: burnout, pre-school, 30-40, Philippines

 academic achievement of 3rd graders in Negros Oriental private schools

keywords: academic achievement, 3rd graders, Negros Oriental, private schools

 the effect drought has on bird migration along the Cagayan River in Luzon
keywords: drought, bird migration, Cagayan River, Luzon

6. Vague subjects
Choosing topics like these will prevent you from having a clear focus on paper. For
instance, titles beginning with indefinite adjectives such as several, many, etc., as in
“Some Remarkable Traits of a Filipino” or “Several People’s Comments on the RH
Law” are vague enough to decrease the readers’ interests and curiosity.

Sources of Research Topics

This time, you already have ideas on some factors that affect your process of choosing
a researchable topic. It is also necessary for you to know where a good research topic may
come from. Knowing some sources of probable research topics could hasten your choosing;
thereby, freeing you from a prolonged time of pondering over a problem of knowing which
problem is good for you to research on. The following can help you generate ideas about a
good research topic (Silverman 2013).

1. Mass media communication – press (newspapers, ads, TV, radio, films, etc.)
2. Books, Internet, peer-reviewed journals, government publications.

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 3. Professional periodicals like College English Language Teaching Forum, English
Forum, The Economist, Academia, Business Circle, Law Review, etc.
4. General periodicals such as Readers’ Digest, Women’s Magazine, Panorama
Magazine, Time Magazine, World Mission Magazine, etc.
5. Previous reading assignments in your other subjects.
6. Work experience – clues to a researchable topic from full-time or part-time jobs, OJT
(on-the-job training) experience, fieldwork, etc.

Activity 1: Let’s check your understanding…

Directions: Identify the word or phrase referred to by the following expressions. Write your
answers on your Activity Notebook.

1. A descriptive word for a topic useful to society’s progress.

2. The effect of a topic you like so much or find close to your heart.
3. Topics appealing solely to a person’s thoughts and feelings.
4. Topics needing an intensive reading in the library.
5. A remedy against a very broad topic.
6. The effect of working on a vague or not-so-clear topic.
7. The reason behind a topic hard to investigate.
8. Very easy research topics.
9. Topics not needing factual data.
10. An adjective for a topic attuned to current happenings.

Activity 2: Let’s classify research topics…

Directions: Put a check (/) under the column of the right descriptive word for each number.
Write your answer on your Activity Notebook.

Research Topics Controversial Vague Narrow Highly Broad Hard-to-

Technical investigate
1. Definition, Characteristics, and
Weaknesses of research for 18-20
yrs. Old students in Negros
Oriental
2. Virus
3. Experiences of Illegal Aliens
4. Many Expensive Food Items
5. Structure of a Nuclear Weapon

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 WHAT I LEARNED?

Activity 1: Let’s elaborate your learned concepts…

Directions: Choose the title that appears to be the best in terms of narrowing down a broad
topic. Write your answer on your Activity Notebook.
The first one is done for you.

1. B – Physica lSymptoms of COVID-19

A. Symptoms of COVID-19
B. Physical Symptoms of COVID-19
2. _________
A. Communication Skills
B. Pre-Writing Strategies
3. _________
A. The University of the Philippines in 1960s
B. The University of the Philippines
4. _________
A. The Advantages of Early Marriage
B. Marriage
5. _________
A. Philippine Transportations System
B. Manila’s LRT/MRT Systems
6. _________
A. Legends
B. The Legend of Mayon Volcano
7. _________
A. Self-Learning Kits
B. Education
8. _________
A. Brain Components
B. The Right Lobe of the Brain
9. ________
A. Philippine Natural Disasters
B. Typhoons in the Year 2020
10. ________
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 A. The Psychology of Reading
B. Sensory Images in Reading

Activity 2: Let’s apply learned concepts…

Directions: Narrow down the general subjects to make it a good research topic. Write your
answer on your Activity Notebook. The first one is done for you.

1. General Subject: Human Relations

Narrowed: Marriage
Narrowed Further: Teenage Marriage
Narrowed Further: The Advantages of early Marriage

2. General Subject: COVID-19

Narrowed : ___________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________

3. General Subject: Philippine Disasters in 2020

Narrowed : ____________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________

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References

A Qualitative Research Study of Oral Communication Performance. Wiley Online Library.

22 October 2008. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1937-
8327.2002.tb00260.x
Baraceros, Esther, Practical Research 1 (Manila: 2016)
n.a. 2020. biodieseluniversityorg. n.m. n.d. Accessed November 14, 2020.
https://www.biodieseluniversity.org/a-list-of-terrible-controversial-research-topics-to-
avoid.jsp.
Nel, JP. 2016. "The Research Paradigms: Positivism." iNtgrty.
Qualitative and Quantitative Research. Quizizz. 2017. https://quizizz.com/admin/search/PRACTICAL
%20RESEARCH%201

SYNOPSIS

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 A research topic is a subject or issue that a researcher is interested in when conducting
research. A well-defined research topic is the starting point of every successful research
project. Choosing a topic is an ongoing process by which researchers explore, define, and
refine their ideas.
The ability to develop a good research topic is an important skill. When deciding on a
topic, there are a few things that you will need to do like following guidelines in choosing
topic, avoiding research topics, and considering sources of research topics.
Be aware that selecting a good topic may not be easy. It must be narrow and focused
enough to be interesting, yet broad enough to find adequate information.

ANSWER KEYS

BETH G. LABRADOR, MAED-English is a recipient of

Bureau of Education Research Fund (BERF) 2017 where she
was given a chance to present her research on Reading Skills
Enhancement through Repeated Reading and Individualized
Instruction in the First Regional Research Congress.
She is a grade seven teacher of Jimalalud National High School,
Jimalalud District. She's been in the government service since
1998 and had transferred to the education department in 2005.
She is presently teaching English and Research in the Special
Program in the Arts (SPA) department in Jimalalud National
High School, Jimalalud, Negros Oriental.

What Happened? What I Need To Learn? What I Learned?

Activity 1: Activity 1:
Activity 1:
Answers may vary 1. relevant
1. Physical Symptoms of COVID-19
2. determined/motivation/
2. Pre-writing Strategies
Activity 2: True or False enthusiasm/energy
3. The University of the Philippines in
1. True 3. personal accounts/story
1960s
2. True 4. too narrow/ hard-to-investigate
4. The Advantages of Teenage Marriage
3. True 5. narrow or limit topic
5. Manila LRT/MRT Systems
4. False 6. prevent you from having a clear focus
6. The Legend of Mt. Mayon
5. True 7. no available reading material
7. Self-Learning Kits
6. False 8. too narrow subjects
8. The Right Lobe of the Brain
7. False 9. controversial topics
9. Typhoons in the Year 2020
8. True 10. timely
10. Sensory Images in Reading
9. True
10. False Activity 2:
Answers may vary

What I Need To Learn?

Activity 2:

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 Research Topics Controversial Vague Narrow Highly Broad Hard-to-
Technical investigate
1. Definition, Characteristics, and
Weaknesses of research for 18-20
yrs. Old students in Negros /
Oriental
2. Virus /
3. Experiences of Illegal Aliens /
4. Many Expensive Food Items /
5. Structure of a Nuclear Weapon
/ /

SCHOOLS DIVISION OF NEGROS ORIENTAL

SENEN PRISCILLO P. PAULIN, CESO V

Schools Division Superintendent

FAY C. LUAREZ, TM, Ed.D., Ph.D.

OIC - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Acting CID Chief
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ADOLF P. AGUILAR
OIC - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
 DISCLAIMER

The information, activities and assessments used in this material are designed to provide
accessible learning modality to the teachers and learners of the Division of Negros Oriental. The
contents of this module are carefully researched, chosen, and evaluated to comply with the set
learning competencies. The writers and evaluator were clearly instructed to give credits to information
and illustrations used to substantiate this material. All content is subject to copyright and may not be
reproduced in any form without expressed written consent from the division.

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