The learner demonstrates understanding of:

1. the importance of research in daily life.

2. the characteristics, processes, and ethics of research. 

3. quantitative and qualitative research

4. the kinds of research across fields. 

The learner is able to use appropriate kinds of research in making decisions.

RESEARCH

·       Was coined from two words: the prefix re which means “again”, and the word search, meaning “to look for something again”.  In other words, research suggests an action that denotes “to look for something again.”

·       An investigation done in a systematic manner to reveal a particular truth about a topic, phenomenon, or reality.

o   is an investigation  - involves inquiry and looking into a topic. 

o  is systematic – there is logic, discipline, and a procedure in going about it. 

o  reveals truth – aims to unearth a fact, insight or realization about reality.

o  is about a topic, phenomenon, or reality – revolves around a particular area of interest.

AIMS OF RESEARCH 

•    Verification of existing knowledge. Research is aimed at verifying or proving the veracity of existing theories or knowledge. This verification may lead to the development of new ideas, strengthening a current knowledge, or debunking a theory. 

•  Acquisition of new knowledge. Aside from strengthening the veracity of a theory, research also brings forth new ideas regarding a theory or even create a totally new theory. 

•    Application of new knowledge. Once new ideas or innovations are proven true, they are then utilized and translated to something useful to humankind. It is only through utilizing the results of research that once can truly fulfill the ultimate purpose of research, that is, to alleviate people’s quality of life. 

•    Advancement of researcher’s expertise. As researchers conduct more investigations, they do not only verify theories or discover new ideas and technologies, but also gain relevant experiences that enhance and deepen their knowledge and skills in the area of their investigations. 

FUNCTIONS OF RESEARCH

Exploration. Exploratory research is best utilized in pioneering studies that focus on topics that have not been investigated before or that use new techniques in collecting and analyzing data. It allows the researcher to become familiar with the topic, come up with new ideas, direct the research questions, and find out how to best approach the topic under study.

Description. The researcher dives into the field of study and simply describes what he or she has found out about it. This is done by painting a vivid picture of the scenario or phenomenon using detailed descriptions of what the researchers see, feels, hears, tastes, and smells.

Explanation. Another reason why people conduct research is to explain things, events, and phenomena, discovering the answers to “why” is has become so. Such research can be utilized to support or refute an explanation and link issues to existing theories and frameworks.

Realistic

Research is a realistic undertaking that must result to empirical data. Empirical data are those derived from actual observations of a phenomenon, interviews, of people who have witnessed an incident, analysis of first-hand document sources, excavation of artifacts, and other actions that yield valid evidence of one’s investigations.

Logical

It follows valid, definite principles, frameworks, and procedures. There are proper, logical, and ethical approaches to search for answers to a specific research question. Failure to follow these procedures correctly may yield invalid and unreliable outcomes.

Cyclical

It starts with a problem and ends with another. As soon as a research question is answered, other questions may arise. These new questions may refine the answers generated, fine-tune the research methods, or modify the answered research question. This process continues until such time that a purified body of knowledge is attained. 

Analytical

After employing strictly and correctly the predetermined procedure and gathering empirical data, the latter must be analyzed to elicit the desired meaning from the obtained information. It is only through this process that research results become relevant not only to the people who participated in the investigations.

Objective

Objectivity is defined as the lack of bias or prejudice. Analysis and interpretation of  data, and drawing out implications from research data must be free from bias and alteration to favor a certain hypothesis, a personality, or an organization. Inclination toward bias, results to the total failure of the research activity.

Critical

It is said to be critical when the researcher is careful and precise in processing ideas and judgment. In this way, a high level of confidence can be established on the execution of research procedures to gather empirical data, analysis and interpretation of results and formulation of valid conclusions and appropriate recommendations. 

Replicable

Research procedures must be written clearly and chronologically for it to be replicable, such that other researchers can redo or repeat the investigation with the intent of verifying the generated information.  It is only through this process of replication that a particular research can claim verifiability of valid and reliable or consistent results. 

Basic versus Applied Research

·   Basic or pure research  if the aim is to come up with a new knowledge or contribute to the existing body of knowledge. An explanation is introduced about an existing (or new) idea.

·    Applied Research if the aim is to find applications for the theories or create a product employing the existing idea or theory.

Qualitative versus Quantitative Research

•       Research can be classified according to the method or approach it uses. Basically, there are two general methods of inquiry employed in conducting research – qualitative and quantitative.

•        QUALITATIVE RESEARCH employs qualitative method and deals with the characteristics observed from the respondents with minimal to no use of statistical analysis. 

Quantitative Research uses quantitative procedures where the respondents’ trait are translated numerically. It focuses on the analysis and interpretation of the raw numerical data gathered based on statistical outcomes. 

Curiosity. A successful researcher is curious and determined to investigate the intricacy of things. Taking pleasure in reading research journals, in finding out different trends in research, and in discovering and learning new things is also a trait of a curious individual.

Example: Student A heard on the news that a potential cure for Type - 2diabetes from Aratiles fruit was discovered by a SHS student, he then read the article and due to abundance of exotic fruit on their surroundings, he was inspired to do research for the potentialities of other plants located in their vicinity. He read more articles, books and journals to help him widen his knowledge about natural medicines.

Efficiency. It is manifested in the proper use of time, effort, and resources for an intended purpose. In other words, it means doing things right. Qualitative researcher must be efficient in managing research schedules because most often they deal with people, soliciting cooperation and time when gathering data.

Example: Student B is currently working on her research concerning the awareness of the parents on the family code. She set deadline for her study by the end of the month. Apparently, her friends invited her for a free lunch which she declined since she has a deadline to meet. She was eager to meet her targeted deadlines and finish everything on the earliest time as possible.

Logic. Researchers do not venture on any method to attain their goals. They usually follow procedures identified to the scientific method in finding out answers to their queries. Because of this use of the scientific method, researchers are described to be logical.

Example: Student C see to it that he is keen in following and observing the protocols and procedures in conducting researchers. He often asks questions and inquiries if he is properly conducting the study. 

Effectiveness. Being effective means doing the right things. Researchers must know how to foresee errors, so that they can be addressed immediately, if not totally avoided. Proper procedures should be developed to minimize the effects of errors. 

Example: Once Student D noticed an error in her research, she immediately corrects it, if she is skeptic about, she asks for assistance to other researchers.  

Active. Researchers always respond to the challenges of the modern world. They get involved in all research opportunities 

Example: Whenever Student E saw a post on Facebook about a certain research forum or colloquiums, he is not hesitant to engage in and is willing to attend whatever the nature/method of the research is. He always wanted to join groups and organizations about research and studies. 

Practicality. Another good quality that a researcher must emulate is practicality. In the event where resources are limited, researchers must be able to find ways to make use of the given resources and locally available materials to compensate for the things needed without compromising the quality of the research output. They must also be aware of other sources of opportunities to deliver what are expected from their research studies.

Example: As Student F was on the conduct of her experiment, she needed tape measure. However, when she found out that the material she will be using is not available in the laboratory, she just used the available metersticks to measure the height of the subjects.

Inventiveness. Researchers always have novel ideas. If a method is not feasible, they have alternative procedures to attain the objectives of the research. They always try to find unique or new ways to handle difficulties in solving a problem

Example: The study of Student G requires focused grouped discussion (FGD) to 10 students who have been victims of bullying, however, the participants don’t want to disclose their identities thereby he decided to take in-depth interviews in data collection since it will not affect the data. 

Honesty. Researchers display a high level of intellectual honesty. They are not swayed to what is expected, but rather to what is true. Regardless of the results of their investigations, good researchers report accurately their findings in their reports. In the event of contrasting results, they find reasons for the cause of the conflict.

Example: Student H was conducting an investigation about the effects of a certain antimicrobial substance on a certain type of bacteria. He was expecting that the substance will prevent the growth of the population of the bacteria. After his experiment, he found out that the bacteria still grew its population. Although he was not expecting this result, he still reported his findings in his paper. 

Cost-Effectiveness. Because of limited resources, successful researchers make it a point that these resources will not be wasted. To them, every single peso is important and must be utilized properly.

Example: Student I wants to make sure that every material needed in his experiment will be used wisely. He makes sure that he will buy sufficient materials enough for the needs of the experiment. He does not want that his budget be waster in buying unnecessary or excess materials.

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Although different disciplines and fields of study have their own strategies in conducting research, they usually follow a common procedure. The figure below describes this process:

Step 1. Identifying a Research Problem

The Problem – Research has to start somewhere and it usually begins with a problem. The problem could be a real-world problem that needs to be solved. It can also be a knowledge gap that needs to be addressed. It could be something we do not know or have not yet explored about a particular topic.

Step 2. Exploring Existing Literature about the Problem

The quest for knowledge – after coming up with your research problem, the next step would be to look for existing knowledge about your particular topic. What has already been discovered and learned about it? What are other people’s take or understanding about the topic? Reading these literatures also entails looking into how the ideas across references are similar and different. It involves seeing how the different literature are connected to one another. 

This process will lead you to do a lot of reading – books, journal articles, and reliable websites. It also entails a lot of discoveries. You may actually find that someone has already studied your topic. Sometimes you may uncover partial answers to your research question. 

After reading, you may even gain some idea or clue about the answers to your research, allowing you to form an “educated guess” or hypothesis. You may also find out that no one has looked into your particular field of study yet, hence, emphasizing the need for it. You may also now determine where your research is located, meaning, possible new contributions to the filed that you can bring by conducting the study. 

Step 3. Developing the Research Design

The Plan – Now that you know the existing knowledge about your research topic and have some ideas how other researchers went about with their research, you would need to dig deeper into your own study and come up with your research design. This mean you need to determine how you will conduct your study. This usually entails looking into sampling, data collection, and data analysis methods and deciding on them. In this step, you also try to clearly explain why you have chosen a particular methodology over another and why it is more appropriate for your purposes. You would be able to come up with a research plan in this step. 

Step 4. Collecting Data

The Fieldwork – After coming up with your research plan, you would now need to execute it. In what is commonly known as fieldwork, you would need to go out to the real world and visit the location, people, event, or phenomenon you want to study. You would have to interact and get to know your research participants or informants. Afterwards, you need to collect the data or information you need. In qualitative research, these typically take the form of experiences, opinions, or observations.

There are various ways of collecting data. Interviews and observation are common methods. By interviewing people, observing, and collecting information, you don’t only acquire data but also a good perspective on the topic you are studying. 

Step 5. Analyzing Data

The Interpretation – After getting information – observations, experiences, and opinions from your research participants – you would need to process and analyze all the data you have gathered. Here, you would look into the similarities and differences of the data, their convergence and divergence, until you find the themes and patterns. This is the part where you try to make sense of the data. 

Step 6. Forming Conclusions, Implications and Recommendations

The bigger picture – In this step, you would need to summarize and synthesize all that you have learned. The conclusion is the part where you need to answer your research questions. This might entail coming up with a theory about the research topic. It might also entail comparing and contrasting your findings with those in the existing literature.

In addition, you would need to state and explain the implications of your research to the field of study, as well as to the understanding of the phenomenon you are studying. You may also be interested to point out several recommendations brought about by your study. They may be about aspects for further investigation, practical implications, and applications of your research.

Step 7. Reporting Findings 

The report and presentation – In academic research, the researcher is expected to produce a final output, usually in the form of a written research report. This report contains description of the steps outlined here and the decisions taken all throughout the study. It also contains your findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

In order to share your findings and make it known to a wider audience, you usually need to present it in different venues. This could be in an oral presentation with a panel. It could be a report to a class or to an even bigger audiences such as forum, seminar, or conference.