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THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

Definition
A problem is (1) any significant, perplexing and challenging situation, real or artificial, the
solution of which requires reflective thinking; (2) a perplexing situation of which requires reflective
question or series of questions that help determine the direction of subsequent inquiry. The foregoing
definitions are according to Dewey. (Good, p. 414)
Elements of Research Problem
The term research problem implies that an investigation, inquiry or study is to be conducted, or
that the problem is ready for investigation, inquiry or study. There are certain elements that a problem
must possess before it becomes a research problem ready for investigation. These elements are:
1. Aim or purpose of the problem for investigation. This answers the question “Why?” Why is
there an investigation, inquiry or study?
2. The subject matter or topic to be investigated. This answers the question “What?” What is to
be investigated or studied?
3. The place or locale where the research is to be conducted. This answer the question “Where?”
Where is the study to be conducted?
4. The period or time of the study during which the data or to be gathered. This answer the
question “When?” when is the study to be carried out?
5. Population or universe from whom the data are to be collected. This answer the question
“Who?” or “from whom?” Who are the respondents? From who are the data to be gathered?
Summarizing, the elements of a research problem are aim or purpose, subject matter or topic,
place or locale, period or time, and population or universe. They respectively answer questions starting
with why, what, where, when, and who or from whom.
Example of research problem: To determine the extent of preparedness of course facilitators in
teaching Filipino/English/Physical Education in the schools division of Isabela during the school year
2021-2022.
Aim or purpose: To determine the extent of preparedness of course facilitators
Subject matter or topic: Preparedness in teaching Filipino/English/Physical Education
Place or locale: In the schools division of Isabela
Period or time: During the school year 2021-2022
Population: The respondents are implied to be the teachers teaching
Filipino/English/Physical Education subjects
In formulating the title of a research inquiry, the aim is usually omitted and sometimes the
population is not also included. In the above example the title is “The teaching of
Filipino/English/Physical Education in the schools division of Isabela during the School Year 2021-
2022”.
Guidelines in the Selection of a Research Problem or Topic
1. The research problem or topic must be chosen by the researcher himself.
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2. It must be within the interest of the researcher.

3. It must be within the specialization of the researcher.
4. It must be within the competence of the researcher to tackle.
5. It must be within the ability of the researcher to finance, otherwise he must be able to find
funding for his research.
6. It is researchable and manageable, that is,
a. Data are available and accessible.
b. The data must meet the standards of accuracy, objectivity, and verifiability.
c. Answers to the specific questions (subproblems) can be found.
d. The hypotheses formulated are testable, that is, they can be accepted or rejected.
e. Equipment and instruments for research are available and can give valid and
reliable results.
7. It can be completed within a reasonable period of time unless it is longitudinal research
which takes a long time for its completion.
8. It is significant, important and relevant to the present time and situation, timely, and of
current interest.
THE TITLE
Guidelines in writing the title.
1. Generally, the titles is formulated before the start of the research work.
2. The title must contain the subject matter of the study, the locale of the study, the
population involved, and the period when the data where gathered or will be gathered.
3. It must be broad enough to include all aspects of the subject matter studied.
4. It must be a brief and concise as possible.
5. Avoid using the terms “An Analysis of,” “A Study of,” “An Investigation of,” and the
like.
6. If the title contains more than one line, it must be written like an inverted pyramid, all
words in capital letters.
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Chapter 1 of a thesis should contain a discussion of each of the following topics:
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Assumptions and Hypotheses
Significance or Importance of the Study
Definitions of Terms
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
Conceptual Framework
Writing the background of the study
What is the purpose of the background study?
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One of the preliminary steps to completing a thesis/dissertation is the background study. The
background study includes (1) a review of the area being researched, (2) current information surrounding
the issue, (3) previous studies on the issue, (4) relevant history on the issue, and (5) effectively set forth
the history and background information on the problem. (The university of Sydney, n.d.)
How do you write a background study?
1. Conduct a primary research at the beginning stages of formulating a thesis when many issues are
unclear.
2. Read the information and develop a research question of thesis statement that will guide your
research.
3. Write a thesis statement or research question.
4. Complete your research using your thesis statement and research question as your guide.
5. Create five separate sections that cover the key issues, major findings and controversies
surrounding your thesis as well as sections provide an evaluation and conclusion.
6. Conclude by identifying and further study what needs to be done in the area or provide possible
solutions to the issue that haven’t considered before
7. Revise and edit your background study.
The Introduction
Guidelines in writing the introduction.
1. Presentation of the problem. The start of the introduction is the presentation of the problem, that
is, what the problem is all about.
2. The existence of an unsatisfactory condition, a felt problem that needs a solution. Example: the
teaching of science in the high schools of province A has been observe to be weak as shown by
the results of the survey test given to the students recently.
3. Rationale of the study. The reason or reasons why it is necessary to conduct the study must be
discussed.
4. Historical background of the problem. For a historical background of the research problem of the
teaching of science, the first satellite to orbit the earth sent aloft by Russia may be mentioned,
Example: Since the sending into space by Russia of the first satellite that orbited the earth,
educational systems all over the world including that of the Philippines have been trying hard to
improve their science curricula and instruction.
5. A desire to have deeper and clearer understanding of a situation, circumstance, or phenomenon.
6. A desire to find better way of doing something or improving a product.
7. A desire to discover something.
8. Geographical conditions of the study locale.
9. A link between the introduction and the statement of the problem.
Guidelines in formulating the general problem and the specific subproblems or specific questions
1. The general statement of the problem and specific subproblems or questions should be
formulated first before conducting the research.
2. It is customary to state specific subproblems are called specific questions.
3. Each specific question must be clear and unequivocal, that is, it has only one meaning.
4. Each specific question is researchable apart from the other questions, that is, answers to each
specific question can be found even without considering the other questions.
5. Each specific questions must be based upon known facts and phenomena.
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6. Answers to each specific question can be interrupted apart from the answers to other specific
questions.
7. Answers to each specific question must contributed to the development of the whole research
problem or topic.
8. Summing up the answers to all the specific questions will give a complete development of the
entire study.
9. The number of specific questions should be enough to cover the development of the whole
research problem or study.
10. Generally, there should be a general statement of the problem and then this should be broken up
into as many subproblems or specific questions as necessary.
Formulating hypothesis
What is a hypothesis?
A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables. A
hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction about what you expect to happen on your study, (Black &
Champions, 1976, cited in Kumar, 1996)
A hypothesis must be empirically grounded and lead to the main contributor of the investigation.
A research hypothesis is the statement you created when you speculate upon the outcome of a structure,
as the ultimate aim of any experiment. It is a statement that predicts the relationship between the
independent (casual) and dependent (outcome) variables.
A hypothesis (plural, hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. hypothesis consist
of independent and dependent variables. The dependent variables is the outcome you are interested in
studying-the effect. The independent variable is the variable that is producing a change in the dependent
variable-the cause.
Read and answer the examples below:
Ho1: There is no significant difference between performance of pupils and use of manipulatives.
What is the dependent variable (the effect)?
What is the independent variable (the cause)
A hypothesis is not a final answer, but rather a proposal to be tested and evaluate. For example, a
researcher might hypothesize that there is a relationship between personality characteristics and cigarette
smoking. Or another researcher might hypothesize that a dark environment causes depression.
Why hypothesize?
A research hypothesis is a specific statement of expected outcomes of an experiment. It includes
who the subjects are, the experimental conditions, and the statistical test be applied.
Hypothesis are testable explanation of a problem, phenomenon, or observation.
Quantitative research involves formulating a hypothesis to address the research problem.
Hypotheses that suggest a causal relationship involve at least one independent experiment. A
dependent variable is a variable whose value are presumed to change as a result of changes in the
independent variable.
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How to state a hypothesis

A hypothesis is a statement that researchers can empirically test. It is a statement about how two
variables are related. It is not a question and, to that end, it is different from a research question that is
usually broad and does not specifically link two or more specific concepts.
Because the hypothesis identifies the specific variables and their relationship, it forms the
foundation for the future research study.
The Null Hypothesis
The null hypothesis is a statement about the populations being examined that always states that
there is no effect, no change, or no relationship. In general, the null hypothesis says that nothing
happened.
In a study comparing two treatments, the null hypothesis states that there is no difference between
the treatments.
One characteristics of a good hypothesis is that it must make a positive statement about the
existence of a relationship or existence of treatment effect.
The null hypothesis is exactly the opposite of the research hypothesis. The research hypothesis
says that the treatment has no effect.
The goal of a research study is to gather enough evidence to demonstrate convincingly that the
treatment really does have an effect. The purpose of a hypothesis test is to evaluate the evidence. The test
determines whether the results of the research study are sufficient to reject the null hypothesis and justify
to conclusion that treatment has no effect.
Importance or Significance of the Study
Guidance in explaining the importance of the study.
1. The rationale, timeliness, and/or relevance of the study.
2. Possible solutions to existing problems or improvement to satisfactory conditions
3. Who are to be benefited and how they are going to be benefitted.
4. Possible contribution to the fund of the knowledge
5. Possible implications.
Definition of Terms
Guidelines in defining terms:
1. Only terms, words, or phrases which have special or unique meanings in the study are defined.
2. Terms should be defined operationally, that is, how they are used in the study.
3. The researcher ay develop his own definition from the characteristics of term defined.
4. Definitions may be taken from encyclopedias, books, magazines and newspaper articles,
dictionaries and other publications but the researcher must acknowledge his sources.
5. Definitions should be as brief, clear, and unequivocal as possible.
6. Acronyms should always be spelled out fully specially if it is not commonly known or if it is used
for the first time.
Scope and Delimitations of the Study
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Guidelines in writing the scope and delimitation.

1. A brief statement of the general purpose of the study.
2. The subject matter and topics studied and discussed.
3. The locale of the study, where the data were gathered or the entity to which the data belong.
4. The population or universe from which the respondents were selected. This must be large
enough to make generalizations significant.
5. The period of the study. This is the time, either months or years, during which the data were
gathered.
Limitations of the Study
Limitations of the study include the weakness of the study beyond the control of the researcher.
This is especially true in descriptive research where the variables involved are accountable or continuous
variables such as adequacy, effectiveness, efficiency, extent, etc. the weaknesses spring out of the
inaccuracies of the perceptions of the respondents.
YOUR TASK
Look for a research article in your field of specialization which include all the parts discussed in the
module. It could be a sample thesis to better illustrate the aforementioned parts. Do this with your
groupmates but turn in your assignment individually on the assignment post.