Despite the advancement in knowledge and
technology, there is still a lot to discover in this
world. There is still an ocean of things that we are
yet to explore. It can be a difficult situation that we
want to improve or eliminate, a better
understanding of the unfamiliar, information gaps
we wish to fill, or theories that we want to validate.
What limits our choice of a topic are our capacity,
understanding, resources, and skill.
Most researchers will agree that choosing a good
topic is a challenging and tedious task. Because a
research topic serves as the groundwork for any
succeeding actions, it must be defined
appropriately at the beginning of the research
work. Otherwise, it may result in unanticipated
complexities to the researcher.
Developing a research problem can be done
in four (4) steps:
1. Choose a broad topic
2. Do a preliminary research
3. Define the problem
4. Refine the question
As a student researcher, let us go through these steps to
guide us in choosing a quantitative research topic related to
our chosen field.
1. CHOOSE A BROAD TOPIC
The first step is quite simple. As
a Senior High School student,
these tips will surely guide you
in selecting a broad topic for
quantitative research:
A. Choose an interesting topic.
Research is a very challenging task that
demands your time and persistence. Your
motivation to find the answer to the problem
should keep you going, thus building a
momentum along the way. Therefore, your
research topic must be something that you are
passionate about. After all, nothing is more
satisfying than accomplishing something that
matters to you.
A.Select a significant topic.
A topic that is worth researching must be able to
answer or solve problems in the community. No
one will take an interest in your topic if it is
obsolete and does not address any real problem.
To be proactive and to take part in solving
problems with socio-economic relevance gives a
sense of accomplishment. You do not even have to
look far, just take a look at your household,
neighbourhood, school, group of friends, or local
community for a common problem or difficulty.
C. Choose a topic relevant to your field.
One of the goals of this course is for you to be able
to produce a quantitative research study that is
aligned to your chosen track. A SHS student must
choose a topic related to your strand. Choosing a
topic that you can relate will certainly make your
research project less challenging.
In the event, that the three tips above do not shed
some light on your minds, do not despair; other
sources of ideas like the ones below may be
available for you.
a. Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
Harmonized National R & D Agenda for 2017-2022.
Early in 2017, DOST, together with researchers from
the health, agriculture, industry, and academe,
released research priorities for 2017 to 2022 that are
relevant for the economic growth of the country. Visit
this link https://bit.ly/3hHTf2Y for a list of suggested
studies.
b. Review of Literature. Some
researchers reveal that reading
previous studies fueled their minds with
tons of research topics. Reviewing the
literature lets them know what has
been studied, what is not yet done, and
what other researchers suggest
working on. Journals, periodicals, and
peer-reviewed articles are a good read.
C. Field experts. Gather up some guts
to approach anyone you know that are
experts on the field of your choice
because they may give valuable inputs
or may currently be working on a study
where you can collaborate. Your
instructor may also give you some
advice, especially on the possible
obstacles, resource limitations, and
expanse of the study.
d. Brainstorming. Do not underestimate the
ideas from classmates, friends, and family
members. You may be overwhelmed at first
by the outpouring of ideas, just build a list,
then cross off any topic unrelated to your
field or not so interesting to you. Of course,
you must take precautionary measures in
doing this by observing physical distancing.
You can use any social media platform to
do this.
2. DO A PRELIMINARY RESEARCH.
The second step is much more time-consuming.
Once you have chosen a broad topic, you need to
have a better understanding of it by reading some
more articles, journals, and related research studies.
Find out how other researchers gathered their data,
what research instruments were used, how the data
were analyzed, and what important findings they
shared. Take note of every relevant research study
for future reference. If you started the topic search
(first step) by doing a literature review, the second
step is just a continuation of what you started. A
much deeper discussion of the literature review will
be done in the next lesson.
3. DEFINE THE PROBLEM.
After getting enough information, you may be able
to list some questions or problems that you want to
research. At this stage, you should be able to
narrow down broad topic into feasible and
manageable research questions. A broad topic can
be narrowed down by limiting the population,
place, period, or a certain characteristic. However,
be very mindful that your problem may not be too
narrow that it becomes very simple and does not
need to collect unique data or does not generate
new information. A very narrow research question
can be developed by doing a comparative study or
expanding the scope of the study.
4. REFINE THE QUESTION.
This step lets you evaluate the questions
formulated. What specific questions should
you ask? How should you gather your data
sufficient to answer the questions? Are the
questions too narrow, or does it need to be
trimmed down? While evaluating the
research question, consider the
requirements of the course. How much time
are you given to finish the research? What
resources do you need and are they
available?
Source:
Published by the Department of Education –
Division of Cagayan de Oro Schools Division
Superintendent: Dr. Cherry Mae L. Limbaco, CESO V
