Lesson 18: The Scope of Study

The scope of study in your research paper contains the explanation of what information or subject is being analyzed. It is followed by an explanation of the limitation of the research. Research usually limited in scope by sample size, time and geographic area; while the delimitation of study is the description of the scope of study. It will explain why definite aspects of a subject were chosen and why other were excluded. It also mentions the research method used as well as the certain theories applied to the data.

Scope and delimitation is an informative part of your research. It is informative because it is to where you declare the things you have to carry out and follow through the course of research. I am sure, you are wondering why there is a need for us to declare all of these to our readers. Likewise, you are puzzled what are the elements of your research that are needed to be included? Well, let us deal with them one by one.   Let us first dissect “scope and delimitation”.  

When we talk about the scope of research, it commonly refers to the depth your research area or parameters. This includes restriction of the target population, research local, specified duration, design, procedure, and instrument used.  

1.     Population –According to Majid (2018), this stands for the entire pool from which the sample is drawn.  

Consider these examples:  

• Schools operating in Bataan (Private and Public) 

• Senior High School Students of a School 

• Grade 10 Students in a School Division 

• Tricycle Drivers operating in a Barangay 

• All Working Students in a grade level  

2.     Research Locale – It refers to the particular  location where the study is conducted. 

Consider these examples: 

• Lamao National High School

• Schools Division of Bataan 

• Dinalupihan 

• Limay Senior High School

• University of the Assumption  

• Barangay St. Francis II 

• Bataan Peninsula State University 

3.     Specific Duration. This stands for the exclusive time frame when the research is conducted.  

Consider these examples: 

• May 20 to 22 2020 

• School Year 2020 to 2021 

• From 2015 to 2020 

• From January 2020 to May 20202 

4.     Research Method – This refers to the systematic plan for conducting research which includes strategies, process, techniques, and procedures for collecting and analyzing data (MacDonald and Headlam 2008).

Here are the four (4) most commonly used qualitative designs that you can use.  

Ethnography – If your research is about a description or investigation about customs of individual and culture, this design can be used (Elis and Bochner 1996).  

Phenomenology – If your research is about the commonality of lived experience within a group of individuals or description of a particular phenomenon, this research design can be used (Singh 2018). 

Case Study – If your research is about an investigation of a phenomenon within the context of real-life situation, you can use this design (Kothari 2004) .  

Grounded Theory – If your research aims toward a development of a theory in an inductive manner, you can use this design (VanderStoep and Johnston 2009).  

5.     Protocols Followed. This refers to the standard procedure, system, or rules that you follow in gathering data. It can be the permission in the conduct of the study, communication letter to the respondents, or agreement on the conduct of interview.  

6.     Data Gathering Procedure. This refers to the step-by-step procedures that you employ before and during the data gathering.  

7.     Instrument. These are measurement devices that you use in your research. It can be in a form of test, survey, questionnaire, and the like. However, in qualitative research, you as the researcher is the instrument, and your interview guide serve as a tool in gathering the data (Bahrami, Soleimani, Yaghoobzadeh, & Ranjbar, 2016). 

8.     Data Analysis. These are the systematical processes you employ to describe or interpret your data. It can be thematic network analysis, dendogramming, structural analysis, text analysis, and Collaizi procedure.