CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD RESEARCH TITLE

• summarizes the main idea/s of your study

• it is the part of the paper that is read the most and is
usually read first
• captures reader’s attention and draws his attention at
the research problem being investigated
• differentiates the paper from other papers of the same
subject area
• Predicts content
• Contains keywords that will make it easy to access by a
computer search
Follow these steps:

Step One

Ask yourself these questions and make note of

the answers:
1. What is my paper about?
2. What techniques/designs will be used?
3. Who/What will be studied?
4. Where is the setting of the study?
5. When is the period or duration of the study?
Step Two
Use your answers to list key words.

Step Three
Create a sentence that indicates the key words you listed.

Step Four
Delete all unnecessary/repetitive words and link the remaining.

Step Five
Delete non-essential information and reword the title.
 A Phenomenological Study on the Behavior of Senior High School
Students with Absentee Parents of Tabaco National High School in the
School Year 2017-2018

From this title, you can find out a lot about the research before reading the actual proposal or
actual research report.
1. What are we looking at? The behavior of Senior High School students with absentee
parents
2. Who are the subjects? Senior High School students with absentee parents
3. Where is the setting/place of the study? Tabaco National High School
4. What type of study is it going to be? It is going to be a qualitative study, and
phenomenology will be used.
5. What is the period covered of the study? School Year 2017-2018
6. What size is the sample? We will just be using a small sample
7. What data-collection methods will be used? Information from the participants will
be obtained through interviews, observation, open-ended questionnaires, etc.
In the book Principles of Qualitative Research: Designing a
Qualitative Study, Creswell and
Clark (2014) provide the following criteria in writing the
purpose statement:
1. It should use single and not compound sentences.
2. It should clearly express the purpose of the study.
3. It should include the central phenomenon.
4. It should use qualitative words, e.g., explore, discover, and
explain.
5. It should identify the participants in the study.
6. It should state the research site.
 A sample pattern for the purpose statement is provided below.

The purpose of this (narrative, phenomenological, grounded theory, ethnographic,

case) is to (understand, describe, develop, discover) the (central phenomenon of the
study) for (the participants) at (the site). At this stage in the research, the (central
phenomenon) will be generally defined as (a general definition of the central concept)
(Creswell and Clark, 2014).
 Below are some examples of a general problem.
Example 1:

The overall objective of this phenomenological study is to describe the intrapersonal

and interpersonal competencies of school principals, and their relationship to the school
effectiveness in the Division of Bataan for the school year 2001-2002. The result is used
as a basis for an intervention program (Cristobal, 2003). Here, intrapersonal is the school
managers’ own self-concept and personality while interpersonal is their communication
and expressions in dealing with subordinates.
 Example 2:

The objective of this ethnographic study is to differentiate the customs and traditions
of the Aetas and the locals of Zambales enrolled in Olongapo National City High School for
the school year 2014-2015. In this research, the customs and traditions are defined as
their practices in the celebration of feasts.
 Example 3:

The objective of this grounded theory study is to characterize the general study habits
of the high school students that belong to the top ten of the class. The study habits are
concentrated on the student’s preparation before attending classes daily.
The general problem is followed by an enumeration of the specific problems. These problems
are usually stated as questions that the researcher seeks to answer. Therefore, the specific
problems must meet the following criteria:
1. They must be in question form.
2. They must define the population and the samples of the study (respondents).
3. They must identify the variables being studied.
The introduction is important in establishing the cognitive setting of the research. It has the
following elements:
1. Rationalization of the need to research on the problem
2. Clarification of the important terminologies for the reader to easily understand what the
research is about
3. Establishment of the degree of seriousness of the problem which prompted the researcher
to look for solutions
The following questions can aid the researcher in formulating the introduction:
1. What is the rationale of the problem? This question is answered by sharing the reasons
why the researcher decided to look for solutions to the problem. A rationale may include
the narration of personal experiences, a description of an article read, a scene witnessed,
a news heard, or a theory that needs to be clarified. The researcher should describe the
existing and prevailing problem based on his or her experience. The scope may be local,
national, or international. Ideally, the rationale can start from a global perspective to a
more personal one.

Example:

As a Grade 12 student, Arjohn David, experienced some difficulties in performing

well because of various factors such as the attitude of his teachers as well as their
teaching methods, the absence of laboratory facilities, and inadequacy of books in the
library. He is having difficulties in his quizzes and class performance.
2. What is the setting of the problem? The setting forms part of the delimitation of the
study. It defines the geographic boundaries and certain demographic characteristics
of the research. This describes the place where the research was conducted, since the
setting has a significant bearing on the variables being studied. In the description of the
setting, its distinctive characteristics must be highlighted.

Example:

Puting Capunitan Elementary School is one of the barrio schools in Orion, Bataan
where most enrollees are from disadvantaged families whose immediate ancestors are
either laborers or fisher folks. This school is one of the schools with poorly performing
students in their division according to the Department of Education.
3. What is the basic literature foundation of the study? This is different from the review
of the related theories, conceptual literature, and research literature. This part seeks
to provide the researcher clarity on the terms or variables used in the study. The terms
and variables must be clear to the researcher for an easy understanding of the readers.
As such, sufficient background can assist the investigator in determining the boundaries
of the study. This part is derived from different literature sources. The use of various
references is crucial in this part of the first chapter.
Example:

As teaching is considered to be a complex activity (Medley, as cited in Iqbal,

1996), the scholars and researchers in the field of education have since long been
exploring into and analyzing the teaching phenomenon. Teaching is an arrangement
and manipulation of a situation in which a learner tries to overcome the learning
problems. Teaching is also a multidimensional set of activities intended to facilitate
learning (Torrington et al., 2003). However, it is universally recognized that teachers’
instructional performance plays a key role in students’ learning and academic
achievement (Panda and Mohanty, 2003).
4. How serious is the chosen research problem? The researcher is tasked to identify the
intensity and magnitude of the problem. When the gravity of the problem has already
been described, he or she may then gauge the kind of action to be used to identify the
problem. In most cases, the researcher at this point looks for statistical or quantitative
evidence to assess the significance of the problem at hand.

Example:
Based on the DepEd Division Memo series 2012, among the 12 schools with the
most poorly performing students, Puting Capunitan Elementary Schools ranked 12th.
5. What is the general objective of the problem? This is the general statement of the
problem or the major tasks of the researcher to discharge and should also be the basis of
the enumerated statements of specific problems.

Example:
With the abovementioned scenario and situations, it is the main objective of
the researcher to determine the common reasons of the poor performance of the
students. Therefore, the research findings on that objective become the basis of an
intervention program for school effectiveness.
6. What is the overall purpose of the problem? It is important to note that the researcher
must be totally aware of the purpose of the research problem. He or she must fully
understand the implications of the resulting findings of the study.

Example:
This is mainly for the purpose of letting the students acquire the needed
competencies before graduation and enabling the school to perform better in the
Regional Achievement Examinations.
A framework is defined as “a set of ideas that provide support to
something” (Merriam- Webster, n.d.). Essentially, any concept or
theory requires a strong framework to establish its general
feasibility. In the case of research, it serves as the building blocks
for the foundation of the study. There are two types of research
framework: theoretical framework and conceptual framework.
The theoretical framework is formulated from existing theories and serves
as the foundation of the study. The present study can adopt the original
model used by the cited theorist. However, the researcher can modify the
variables of the original framework to better suit the study, provided that
the whole theory is utilized.

In contrast, the conceptual framework is derived from a combination of

theories or parts of theories. This framework guides the researcher in
synthesizing the different theories used in formulating a new one.
This is a diagrammatic presentation of the study
used to visually summarize the whole study. It is the
result of a clearer understanding of the theoretical
or conceptual framework. It is usually comprised of
symbols and figures such as lines, shapes, and
arrows.
One of the most used paradigms is the IPO (input-process-output) model. It
is used when the research seeks to discuss a factor or a major variable that causes a problem,
phenomenon, or transformation in the subject.

OUTPUT
INPUT PROCESS
(the problem,
(the variables that (the method by
phenomenon, or
causes the problem, which the variables
transformation; the
phenomenon, or are collected and
outcome of the
transformation) synthesized)
variables)
 Input Process Output

Profile of
entrepreneurs
a. age
b. sex
c. seminars
• Roles of Analysis of data
Improved role of
entrepreneurs through:
entrepreneurs
a. assessment • questionnaires
• Higher returns
b. planning • informal interviews
• Better quality of
c. implementation • statistical and
services
d. evaluation scientific treatment
• Specimen collection
• Performance
In the discussion of relevant theories, the following parts are
mentioned:
1. Name/s of the author/s
2. Title/s of their theory/ies
3. Theoretical statement or principles
4. Explanation of the theoretical statement
5. Relationship of the theory to the present study
The scope of the study is determined primarily by the selection of
variables that the research study will focus on.

Defining the scope of the research requires the careful selection of

variables that will be investigated, as well as the attributes that will
define and measure these variables.
Variable refers to any characteristic that can have different values or
traits that may vary across research participants. Variables are
measured, controlled, and manipulated by the
researcher.

Examples include age, gender, height, and weight. Based on the

research problem, the researcher identifies the possible variables
that will be investigated to address the problem.
Independent variables are those characteristics that are
changed, manipulated, or selected by the researcher.
Dependent variables, on the other hand, are those that change
because of changes to the independent variable.
For example, in a study that investigates the use of
computer-aided teaching instruction on student
performance, the independent variable is teaching
instruction as the researcher chooses to implement
computer-aided teaching in the classrooms. The
dependent variable, therefore, is student performance as it
is expected to change in reaction to the introduction of
computer-aided teaching.
The delimitation of the study describes the various limitations
that arose during the design and conduct of the study. These
include the characteristics of the research design and
methodology that affected or influenced the findings of the
study. These limitations are constraints on certain
aspects of the research, such as the interpretation of data and
the applicability and usefulness of the results and findings.
The limitations of the study are defined primarily by the scope of
the study. While the scope of the study defines the variables that
are the focus of the research, the delimitation of the study
identifies the other variables that were not considered for the
study. The limitations that are identified are only those that are
significant or may have had an impact on the findings of the
study.
For instance, in the study on the effect of computer-aided
teaching on student performance, the researcher only
focused on students in a specific school. Therefore, one
limitation of the study would be that the findings and
conclusions are only applicable to the school that was
selected and may not apply to other schools in the country.
The characteristics of chosen respondents, as well as the time
period and place where the research was done, are major
variables that define the scope and delimitation of a
research.
How to Indicate the “Scope and Delimitation of Study”

STEP ONE
Start with any of these sample phrases that
express the scope of the study:
1. The coverage of this study….
2. The study consists of….
3. The study covers the…
4. This study is focused on….
STEP TWO
1. Explain what information or subject is being
studied or analyzed.
2. Explain the limitations of the research like the
sample size, time frame, geographic
area, subjects, objectives, facilities, and the issues
to which the research is
focused.
STEP THREE
Start with any of these sample phrases that express
the delimitation of the study:
1. The study does not cover the…
2. The researcher limited this research to…
3. This study is limited to…
STEP FOUR
1. Describe the scope of the study.
2. Explain why definite aspects of a subject were chosen and
why others were excluded.
3. Mention the research method used as well as the certain
theories that applied to the data.
4. Explain why you are delimiting the research to a specific
geographic location, age, population size and other similar
considerations.
5. Identify the constraints or weaknesses of your research which
are not within the control of the researcher.
Research is a very noble undertaking if it makes significant
contributions to the community or the academic field or
discipline where the researcher is affiliated with. That is
why the significance of the study should clearly 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.
This section describes the contribution of the study
to the existing body of knowledge. It could be in the
form of new knowledge in the field, a confirmation of
the major findings of other studies, verification of the
validity of findings in a different population,
analysis of trends over time, and validation of other
findings using different methodologies.
How to Write “Benefits and Beneficiaries/Significance of
the Study”

STEP ONE
Identify the beneficiary or beneficiaries.

STEP TWO
Describe the “benefit or benefits” that will be derived from
the research or study.
If you have few beneficiaries, you can just write it in one or two
paragraphs. Explain why it is important to conduct the study and how
they can benefit from it.
If you have many beneficiaries, you can use the following format:

1. 1st paragraph- Why is it important to conduct this study?

2. 2nd paragraph- The main beneficiary – either a group or an
organization
3. 3rd paragraph- The secondary beneficiary
4. 4th paragraph- The importance of the study to the researchers
5. 5th paragraph- The importance to future researchers
This gives your readers an understanding of the concepts
or factors that will be discussed throughout your study, as
well as contextual information as to how you will be
using those concepts in your study.
The “Definitions of Terms” ensures that your
readers will understand the components of your
study in the way that you will be presenting them,
because often your readers may have their own
understanding of the terms, or not be familiar with
them at all.
In this section, you provide a list of terms that will be
used throughout the thesis and definitions of each of
them. Seems simple enough, right? But how do you
know which terms to define and which ones to leave
out?
The rule of thumb is to include and define terms
that are important to your study or are used
frequently throughout the dissertation but are not
common knowledge. You also want to include
terms that have a unique meaning within the scope
of your study. You do not need to include terms
that most, if not all, of your readers will
understand without having definitions provided.
 CONCEPTUAL -Is the universal meaning that is attributed
to a word or group of words, and which is understood by
many people

It is abstract and most general in nature. The usual

source of conceptual definition is the DICTIONARY
which is the reference book of everyday language.
Operational -Is the meaning of the concept or
term as used in a particular study. Unlike the
conceptual definition, it is stated in concrete term
in that it allows measurement