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ENGLISH
QUARTER 4 – MODULE 6
MELC 6: Compose a Research Report on
Relevant Social Issue
(ENG10SS-IVe-2.3)
Lesson 2: The Research Problem and Research Question

English 10 – Quarter 4 – Module 6 1

 What I Know
To test what you already know about identifying a research problem and composing
research questions, answer the pre-test below. Take note of the items that you didn’t answer
correctly and gradually discover the correct answer as you go through this module.

Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1. A student has gathered data for his research. What is the next step that he should take to
identify the problem of his research?
a. Widen his focus. c. Analyze future developments.
b. Define the boundaries of the problem. d. Identify an acceptable purpose.

2. What is the main advantage of producing a written research project?

a. Helps with liability. c. Informs all interested parties.
b. Helps the society. d. Helps keep people employed.

3. Mr. Santos identified his research topic as "classroom assessment." He recognized very
quickly that his topic was far too broad. Which of the following is likely to have led to
that conclusion?
a. There was far too much written on the topic to understand it all.
b. It was difficult to organize the material collected in an effective manner.
c. The potential problems he began thinking would be next to impossible to study.
d. All of the above.

4. What is a research project?

a. A way of conducting research that is not grounded in theory.
b. A choice between using qualitative or quantitative methods.
c. A style in which you present your research findings, e.g. a graph.
d. A framework for every stage of the collection and analysis of data.

5. Which of the following is NOT true about writing good research questions?
a. Evaluate your question.
b. Narrow your research question as much as you can.
c. Be specific.
d. Make sure the question is neither too broad nor too narrow.

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Lesson 2 : The Research Problem and Research Question

What’s In
In the previous lesson, you learned how to choose research topics and write a title.
Following those rules and what to avoid had guide you to create a good topic for your
research. You have the sources of research topics which you can use to find a researchable
topic. Even your work experiences can be a clue to a research topic which relates to daily life
situations.

What Is It

What is a Research Problem?

ϖ The Research Problem (According to Calderon & Gonzales,1993)
A problem is “any significant, perplexing, and challenging situation, real or artificial,
the solution of which requires reflexive thinking”. In research, it is known as the research
topic or research title.
Below is an illustration showing the description of a research topic, research problem,
purpose statement and research question.

General
A research topic is
the broad subject Topic: Distance Learning
matter of the study

A research problem is Research Problem:

a general issue or Lack of learners knowledge
concern about the about distance in distance
research that narrow education .
the topic
Purpose Statement:
A purpose of the
To study why learners do not
study used to address
attend distance education
the problem.
classes in a community college

A research question
Research Questions:
narrows the purpose
Does the use of website
into specific questions
technology in the classroom
that the researcher
deter learners from enrolling in a
would like to answer in
distant education class?
the study 2
Read the following intently.

A. Background of the Study

Purpose of background of the study

a. The general definition of the topic/problem area

b. Historical basis for the existence of the problem
c. Efforts made towards addressing similar challenges
d. How the efforts failed to be realized hence the need for your study

Contents of the background of the study:

a. Presentation of the problem. Describe the existence of an unsatisfactory condition

or a problem that needs a solution.
b. Historical background of the problem - Give the historical background of the
problem, if applicable.
c. Geographical conditions of the study locale - If applicable, describe the
geographical location of the study.
d. Rationale of the study - Give the reason(s) why the study should be conducted.
Example:

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 Paranaque City. The
researcher came to know Cavite State University (CvSU) in 2009 and transferred from
AMA. (Ngwele, March 2011)

B. Statement of the Problem

(Purpose Statement and Research Questions)

1. The general statement of the problem (the purpose statement) and

2. The specific sub-problems or sub-questions (or research questions).

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Guidelines in Writing the Statement of the Problem
(According to Calderon & Gonzales, 1993)

a. The general statement of the problem and the research questions should be formulated first
before conducting the research.
b. Research questions should be stated in the interrogative and each should be clear to avoid
confusion.
c. Each research question should be researchable separately from the other questions and
must be based upon known facts and phenomena which is accessible to the researcher.
d. Answers to each research question can be interpreted apart from the answers to the other
specific questions and must contribute to the development of the whole research study.
e. The summary of the answers to all the specific questions will give a complete
development of the entire study.
f. The number of research questions should be enough to cover the development of the whole
research study.

Example:

This research aims to develop an evaluation model of a web-based tool used in

test administration for Grade 11 and 12 students. (Leanillo, 2016)

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 designed for web-based test
administration?

C. Scope and Delimitation of the Study

Scope of a Study
It is the coverage of the research to be explored which includes the facts and theories
about the subject

Example:
A research study on the impact of social networking on the attitude of senior high
school learners.

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 It is not possible to cover all aspects of the selected subject. The scope will have to be
restricted to a specific section of the target population over a specified duration.
In the above-cited study, a group of 40 learners in senior high school at one particular
school would be an ideal coverage to study their attitude for five months.

Delimitation of the Study

It limits the scope and outlines the boundaries of the study. These limitations include
the following:

1. Sample size
a. The research design and method will determine whether if it is small/large sample size.
b. The sample size will determine the quality of data and the relationship that will be
identified among the variables.

2. Lack of available and/or reliable data

This will limit the scope of analysis and the ability of the researcher to determine
meaningful trends and relationships among the data.

3. Lack of prior studies

This will limit the effectiveness of the literature review and initial understanding of
the research.

4. Chosen data collection method

The quality of data collected must be clear to avoid erroneous answers from the
respondents.

5. Nature of the information collected

Researcher should not rely on pre-existing data.

6. Access
The amount and quality of available data will depend on the ability of the researcher
to access people, organizations, libraries, and documents.

7. Time period
It is advisable to select a research problem and design

8. Bias
The researcher should be aware of his or her personal biases.

9. Language
This may have an effect on data collection, especially if the researcher is involved
with respondents that speak a variety of languages.

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D. Significance of the Study

The significance of the study discuss the purpose that the research will serve to
society, the country, the government, the institution or agency concerned, the curriculum
planners and developers, and the research community.
Describes the contribution of the study to the existing body of knowledge.
It could be the following:

a. A form of new knowledge in the field,

b. A validation of the major findings of other studies,
c. A verification of the validity of findings in a different population,
d. Analysis of trends over time, and validation of other findings using different
methodologies.

The researcher must identify specifically the beneficiaries who will directly gain from
the results of the study mentioning them in the paper according to the significance of the
result. The specific benefits must also be enumerated and explained if necessary

The following sections compose the presentation of the written Statement of the
Problem
1. Introduction
States briefly the background of the study and identifies the rationale of the research
problem. It begins with a general statement of the problem, outlines the specific problem or
issue within the existing literature.

2. Statement of the Problem

States clearly the purposes or interest of the study, poses specific questions about
research problem.

3. Scope and Delimitation

Sets the boundaries and parameters of the study, narrows the scope of the inquiry.

4. Significance of the Study

Shows the benefits of the study to address issues and problems, in improving
economic and health conditions or even finding solutions to problems encountered in daily
life.

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 What’s More
I. Directions: Through an infographic, UNESCO has outlined the issues that hinder the
world from being truly connected. Find them out by going over the details of the
infographic excerpts.

What are the global Which of these issues What specific steps can
issues that UNESCO struck you most? What you take as a global
outlines in the do you want to share citizen?
infographic? about this issue?

II. Directions: Using the issues that struck you most, write a draft of your research report
following the given format below. Write it on a separate sheet of paper.

I. Introduction
II. Statement of the Problem
III. Scope and Delimitation
IV. Significance of the Study

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 Assessment
Directions: Answer the questions in 3-5 sentences only. Write your answers on the space
provided.

1. What is first chapter of a research paper and the sections that comprise it?
_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the difference between a research problem and a research topic?

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

3. What are the guidelines in writing statement of the problem?

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

4. Why do we need to limit the scope of the study?

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

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 What I Know What’s More Assessment
1. B Answers may vary
1. TRUE 6. FALSE
2. A
2. FALSE 7. FALSE
3. D
3. TRUE 8. TRUE
4. A
4. FALSE 9. FALSE
5. B
5. TRUE 10. TRUE

Abdullah, S.N. (2018) .Practical Research 1: Qualitative Research [PowerPoint

slides].Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu./ppt

Babbie, E. (2014).The Basics of Social Research. 6th ed. Wadsworth-Cengage

Learning.USA.

Barbour, R. (2014). Introducing Qualitative Research: A Student Guide. Los

Angeles: Sage.

Calmorin, L.P. (2016).Research and Thesis Writing with Statistics and

Computer Application .Rev.ed.Rex Book Store.Manila

Cristobal, A.P., Jr, & Cristobal, M.D. (2016). Practical Research 1 for Senior
High School .Ist ed.C & E Publishing Inc.Quezon City.

Accessed in July 2020

https://wps.prenhall.com/chet_airasian_edresearch_7/5/1488/380982.cw/index.html

https://wps.pearsoned.co.uk/ema_uk_he_saunders_doingresearch_1/209/53534/13704779.

html /Copyright © 1995-2010, Pearson Education, Inc.

     

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 RETURN THIS WORKSHEET TO YOUR TEACHER!

English 10 – Quarter 4
MODULE 6 – WORKSHEET
MELC 6: Compose a Research Report on Relevant Social Issue

Name: _______________________________ Score: ____________________

Grade & Section: ______________________ English Teacher: _______________

Directions: Read the following statements. Answer TRUE if the statement describes a
research, FALSE if you think it is not. Write your answers on separate of paper.

________1. The rationale of the study gives the reasons why the study should be
conducted.
________2. The starting point in any research project is to formulate a question.
________3. The researcher's own personal interests and observations may be valuable
source of questions.
________4. Theories of other researchers are not a particularly good source of research
questions.
________5.Successful research often raises new questions, even while it answers old
questions.
________6. A research question transforms into your conclusion.
________7. You should never consider matching your interest to a funder interest.
________8. A problem statement identifies the nature of the problem being addressed, and
its context and significance.
________9. The "purpose" of a study is the same thing as the "objective" of a study.
________10. The "specific aims" of a study are the same thing as the "objectives" of a
study.

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