Chapter 3-THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

The Research Problem and The
Basic Components

CONTENTS OF A RESEARCH
PAPER

• Chapter I. The Problem
A. Introduction
B. Statement of the Problem
C. Hypothesis
D. Definition of Terms
E. Significance of the Study
F. Scope and Limitation of the Study

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PAPER
• Chapter II. Review of Related Studies
A. Related Literature and Studies
B. Conceptual Framework

• Chapter III. Research Methodology
A. Research Design
B. Research Locale
C. Samples and Sampling Technique
D. Research Instruments


PAPER

• Chapter IV. Presentation and
Interpretation of Data
A. Results or Findings of the Study

• Chapter V. Summary, Conclusions,
and Recommendations
A. Summary
B. Conclusions and Recommendations

WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR
CONDUCTING A RESEARCH???

REASONS FOR CONDUCTING A
RESEARCH STUDY

1. If there are no answers to a particular problem

3. If there is a gap in knowledge

5. If there are answers to problems but the answers
are not yet tested

7. If a contradiction exist

5. If there is an insufficient solution to a problem


WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE
SOURCES FOR RESEARCH
TOPICS???

SOURCES OF RESEARCH
TOPICS

• Research Topics - refers to concepts or broad
problem areas that contain numerous
potential research problems.

• Venzon stated that “Topics arise in various
ways. Natural curiosity or burning
interest in a particular area may lead to
the formulation of a problem.”


Sources of Research Topics

• Personal Experiences
• Existing Problems in the Workplace
• Technological and Scientific Advancements
• Offshoots of Other Researchers
• Suggestions from Colleagues, Administrators,
Teachers… etc
• Professional Journals, Seminars, Symposia,
Conferences


Sources of Research Topics

• Other Sources of Topics
• Field of specialization

• Organizational structure and policies

• Literature sources

• Clinical specialization


CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF
A RESEARCHABLE TOPIC

1. Novelty
2. Researcher’s Interest in the Problem
3. Practical Value of the Problem
4. Theoretical Value of the Problem
6. Availability of Data
7. Capability of the Researcher to Write

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF
A RESEARCHABLE TOPIC

7. Special Equipment
8. Sponsorship
9. Administrative Support
10. Cost of Research
11. Time Frame
12. Hazards

WRITING THE TITLE OF THE
STUDY

STUDY

• The title embodies substantive words or
phrases that describe the research
study.


STUDY

• Research title must be clearly stated, and
specifically stated to serve some purposes


STUDY
• Purpose:
• It summarizes the content of the entire study

• It is a frame of reference for the whole study

• It enables you to claim the study as your own

• It helps other researchers to refer to your work
as they survey some theories themselves


STUDY
• Examples of titles for investigation:

• Job opportunities and Training Programs for
Out-of-School Youths in Sta. Maria Community”

• The Effects of Touch Therapy on Recovery among
Premature Infants Confined in the Incubators of
Selected Hospitals in Zamboanga City.


Factors to Consider in the Writing
of the Research Title

Factors to Consider in the Writing
of the Research Title

• It gives a bird’s eye view of the research

• It serves as a framework of the research report

• It should not be more than 13 words

• Avoid using phrases like, “A Study of…”; An
Investigation on…”; An Analysis of…; etc


RESEARCH QUESTION

• is an explicit query about a problem or
issue that can be challenged, examined
and analyzed and will yield useful new
information.

• should provide answers that explain,
describe, identify, substantiate, predict
or qualify (Brink, 1994)

Tips for Beginning
Researchers

• Start with a simple question (first rule of
thumb)

• Your first task is to try to write your question
as simple as possible

• The research question is ACTION-ORIENTED

• Ask active question

• Two Basic Components of a Question

• The stem directs the research process

• The topic is the actual focus of the study


Steps in examining the components
of a research question:

• The topic can be simple, embodying a single concept or
idea.

• As the topic becomes more complex, they deal with two or
more concepts in relationship to one another and they
require a different stem.

• The topic is even more complex when you ask a question
beginning with a “WHY” stem.

• A topic developed for a “why” stem becomes quite
complex because it shows that a cause-and-effect
relationship has been established between the two
concepts.

RESEARCH PROBLEM

• A situation in need of a solution,
improvement, or alternation or a
discrepancy between what is and what
is ought to be (Burns and Grove, 1997).

• An Action or Change must be a
representation of a research problem.

RESEARCH PROBLEM
• Paler-Calmorin and Calmorin point out that the
investigator should know a problem is really
researchable when:
• There is a known solution to the problem.
• The solution can be answered by using statistical
methods and techniques.

• There are probable solutions but they are not yet
tested.

• The occurrence of phenomena requires scientific investigation
to arrive at a precise solution


What are the Characteristics of a
Good Problem???

Characteristics of a Good
Problem

• It should be interesting to you.
• It should have practical value to you, your work or
your community.
• It should not be over researched.
• It should be within your experience/expertise.
• It can be finished within the allotted time.
• It should not carry legal or moral impediments


How to write a researchable
problem or question.


• Problem stated in a question form.

• Example:
• Who are more proficient at the bedside, the
graduates of a diploma program or those of the
basic degree program?

• Does smoking causes lung cancer among
adults?


• Problems stated in the form of a
declarative sentence.

• Example A:
• To determine whether people who watch
television read few books.
• To identify common problems of Chief
Nurses in some government emergency
hospitals.

How to write a researchable problem
or question.

• Example B: Series of declarative sentences

• The study attempts to determine:

• The general food patterns and food intake as well as food
choices of families whose mothers had nutrition
education background.

• The food groups in which their meals were deficient.


How to write a researchable problem
or question.

• A declarative sentence followed by a series of
questions.
• To determine the proper sequence of learning
experience in operating room nursing geared to
the needs of students and patients in surgery.

• What were the needs of the students and patients in
surgery?

• What sequence of learning was provided to students
in operating room in particular?


Types of Research Questions

• 1. Factor Naming Questions - usually starts with
“What” and deals with exploratory information.
• usually starts with “What” and deals with exploratory
information.

• Examples:

a. What is the general academic performance of working
students?

b. What are the characteristics of newly graduate nursing
instructors?

c. What are the parenting styles of single-parent mothers?


2. Establishing Relationship Questions -
used after isolating the variables and relating them
with each other.

• Examples:

a. What is the relationship between the I.Q. and M.I. of the
respondents?

b. What is the relationship between the work performance
evaluation and licensure exam rating of teachers?

c. What is the relationship of parenting styles to the age of
06/09/12 parents at the time of marriage?
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3. Situational and Relationship
Questions - variables are manipulated to see
what will happen.

• Examples:
a. What are the effects of virgin coconut oil to
cancer patients?

b. How will the students perform in the Distance
Education System of schooling?



4. Situation-Generating Questions - those
that establish goals and require action plans, programs,
and the like.

• Examples:
a. What possible program can be developed to improve the
delivery of instruction in the underdeveloped institutions?

b. What remediation can be done to address the needs of
slow learners?

c. What action plan can be formulated to lessen the number
of students who fail in the Nursing Licensure
Examinations?

Levels of Questions

1. First Level
• Questions that are exploratory in nature that
usually begin with “what is”

• Utilizes descriptive type of research

• Statement of specific questions begins with the
analysis of respondents’ profile like gender, socio-
economic status, religious affiliations, etc


Levels of Questions

• Second Level

• Dependent and independent variables are
required in order to determine the extent
of relationship between variables under
study


Levels of Questions

3. Third Level
• Questions that assume relationship or
difference between variables and asks why
such relationship or difference exists


Example:
• Main Problem: “Students exposed to Computer Aided
Instruction in
Nursing”

• Questions According to Levels:

• First Level:
• What are the experiences of the students in computer literacy prior to
the Computer Aided Instruction approach of teaching Nursing?

• Second Level:
• What is the relationship of the prior experiences of students in
computer literacy to Computer Aided Instruction in Nursing?

• Third Level:
• Is there a significant difference between the prior experiences of
student in computer literacy and the general performance in Nursing
with the use of Computer Aided Instruction?


EXAMPLE OF RESEARCH
TITLE AND STATEMENT OF
PROBLEM

• Research Topic:
• The Effects of Touch Therapy on Recovery
among Premature Infants Confined in the
Incubators of Selected Hospital in Metro
Manila


The Effects of Touch Therapy on Recovery among Premature
Infants Confined in the Incubators of Selected Hospital in
Metro Manila

• Statement of the Problem:
• This study will look into the effects of touch
therapy of premature infants to promote
early weaning from confinement in the
incubator and enhanced recovery.


The Effects of Touch Therapy on Recovery among Premature
Infants Confined in the Incubators of Selected Hospital in
Metro Manila

Specifically, this study attempts to answer the following questions:
2. How do premature infants respond to gentle touch and gentle
stroking for several seconds or a few minutes of therapy?

4. To what extent is touch therapy on a premature infant
observable/perceptible with regard to the following variables:

2.1 activities
2.2 reducing stress
2.3 promotion of well being?

6. Is there a significant effect of touch therapy between the
experimental group and control group as to:

3.1 activities
3.2 reducing stress
3.3 promotion of wellbeing?

RESEARCH PURPOSE

• is generated from the problem and clearly focuses
the development of the study.

• comes after the written research problem

• States exactly what you intend to do, where and
when you intend to do it, and with whom, in order to
answer the question.

• Contains an active verb preceded by the preposition.


RESEARCH PURPOSE

• Example:
• The purpose of this study is to explore and
describe the behavioral interactions that
occur between mothers and their infants
during the first week in the hospital and in
the home.


RESEARCH PURPOSE

• The research purpose is stated as
“Significance of the Study”

• Example on how to state the significance of
the study:

• Research Topic:
• Time and Activity Study of Nursing Personnel in a
Selected Tertiary Hospital in Metro Manila: Its
Implications to the Administration of Nursing
Service
(Source: Tan: Master’s Thesis, UST, 1987)

Time and Activity Study of Nursing Personnel in a
Selected Tertiary Hospital in Metro Manila: Its Implications
to the Administration of Nursing Service

• This study is significant to the following target populations:

• To hospital administration, to better insights into the actual
activities of nursing personnel in relation to the hospital’s
standard of health care as prescribed in their job description
and the standards set by the Association of Nursing Service
Administrations of the Philippines

• To nursing personnel……

• To nursing education……


SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS
OF THE STUDY

SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS OF
THE STUDY

• Scope
• Defines where and when the study is
conducted and who the subjects are.

• It deals with the extent of the study to be
made


THE STUDY

• Limitations
• A phase or aspects of the investigation
which may affect the result adversely but
over which you have no control.

• Perceived weakness of the study which are
identified discussed and reported.


• Note:
• Some examples were taken from
finished research studies. Notice the
verb used - past tense however, in
your work you will use the present
tense.


THE STUDY

• Example:

• Scope and Delimitations of the study

• The study was administered to the PWU College of Nursing
graduates of 1997 who took the NLE on two occasions, the May
and November Board Examinations. The total number of
graduates was 51 but the researcher did not include those who
did not take the NLE. Therefore, only 45 graduates were
included in the study.

• These were the ones who took the examination either in May or
November 1997. Only the first NLE results for each examinee
were included.


Library Activity

1. Each group to present their output
from previous lesson composed of
proposed research topics and draft of
statement of problem.

2. Each group must finalize their research
topic and statement of problem.


ASSIGNMENT :

EACH GROUP MUST FORMULATE THEIR
PROPOSED CHAPTER 1.

• Chapter I. The Problem
A. Introduction
B. Statement of the Problem
C. Hypothesis
D. Definition of Terms
E. Significance of the Study
F. Scope and Limitation of the Study


• OUTPUT WILL BE SUBMITTED ON
JANUARY 10, 2009 (SATURDAY)


Chapter 3-THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

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