2nd Semester Practical Research 1
Lesson 5
Subject Matter of the Inquiry or Research
I. Preliminaries
Objectives
Content Standard:
The learner demonstrates understanding of:
The range of research topics in the area of inquiry.
The value of research in the area of interest
The specify and feasibility of the problem posed
Culminating Performance Standard
The learner is able to:
Decide on suitable qualitative research in different areas of interest
Power Standard
The learner is able to:
Formulate clearly statement of research problem
Learning Competencies
widen your vocabulary;
communicate with one another using newly learned words;
distinguish a good research topic from a bad on
characterize a researchable topic;
narrow down a general topic into a smaller one; and
choose a good research topic.
II. Content:
UNIT III Identifying the Inquiry and Stating the Problem
Subject Matter of the Inquiry or Research
2nd Semester Practical Research 1
Lesson 5
Subject Matter of the Inquiry or Research
Concept Notes
SUBJECT MATTER OF THE INQUIRY OR RESEARCH
You begin your research work with a problem; that is, having a problem or topic to
work on. Mulling over a topic for your research work drives you to perform HOTS or higher-
order thinking strategies of inferential, critical, integrative, and creative thinking in finalizing
your mind on one topic among several choices. A topic is researchable if the knowledge and
information about it are supported by evidence that is observable, factual, and logical. Here
are some pointers you have to keep in mind in selecting a research topic (Babble 2013):
Guidelines in Choosing a Research Topic
1. Interest in the subject matter
Your interest in a topic may be caused by your rich background knowledge
about it and by its novelty; meaning, its unfamiliarity to you. Being, curious about a
subject, like a conundrum or a puzzle, makes you determined to unravel the mystery
or intriguing thing behind it. Your real interest in a subject pushes you to research,
investigate, or inquire about it with full motivation, enthusiasm, and energy.
2. Availability of information
Collecting a lot of information as evidence to support your claims about your
subject matter from varied forms of literature like books, journals, and newspapers,
among others, are a part and parcel of any research work. Hence, in choosing a
research topic, visit your library to check the availability of reading materials on your
chosen topic. Included in your investigation of the availability of reading materials are
questions on how updated and authoritative the materials are. Let these questions
linger as you tour the library: What are the copyright dates of the materials? How old
or new are they? How expert or qualified the writers are in coming out with such kind
of reading materials about your topic?
3. Timeliness and relevance of the topic
The topic is relevant if it yields results that are instrumental in societal
improvement. It is timely if it is related to the present. For instance, unless it is a pure
or historical research, a research on the ins and outs of people's revolutionary acts will
prosper more if it tackles the contemporary revolutionary actions rather than those in
the ancient time.
4. Limitations on the subject
This makes you link your choosing with course requirements. For example, to
make you complete the requirements, your teacher instructs you to submit a paper
that will apply the key principles you learned in business, psychology, education, and
so on. In this case, you have no freedom to choose your topic based on your interest,
but has to decide on one topic to finish your course.
5. Personal resources
Before sticking fully to your final choice, assess your research abilities in terms
of your financial standing, health condition, mental capacity, needed facilities, and
time allotment to enable you to complete your research. Imagine yourself pouring
much time and effort into its initial stage, only to find out later that you are unable to
complete it because of your failure to raise the amount needed for questionnaire
printing and interview trips. (Barbour 2014)
Research Topics to be Avoided
1. Controversial topics. These are topics that depend greatly on the writer's opinion,
which may tend to be biased or prejudicial. Facts cannot support topics like these.
2. Highly technical subjects. For a beginner, researching on topics that require an
advanced study, technical knowledge, and vast experience is a very difficult task.
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects. A subject is hard to investigate if there are no
available reading materials about it and if such materials are not up-to-date.
4. Too broad subjects. Topics that are too broad will prevent you from giving a
concentrated or an in-depth analysis of the subject matter of the paper. The remedy
to this is to narrow or limit the topic to a smaller one.
5. Too narrow subjects. These subjects are so limited or specific that an extensive
or thorough searching or reading for information about these is necessary.
6. Vague subjects. Choosing topics like these will prevent you from having a clear
focus on your paper. For instance, titles beginning with indefinite adjectives such
as several, many, some, etc., as in "Some Remarkable Traits of a Filipino" or
"Several People's Comments on the RH Law," are vague enough to decrease the
readers' interests and curiosity.
Sources of Research Topics
This time, you already have ideas on some factors that affect your process of choosing
a researchable topic. It is also necessary for you to know where a good research topic may
come from. Knowing some sources of probable research topics could hasten your choosing;
thereby, freeing you from a prolonged time of pondering over a problem of knowing which
problem is good for you to research on. The following can help you generate ideas about a
good research topic. (Silverman 2013)
1. Mass media communication — press (newspapers, ads, TV, radio, films, etc.)
2. Books, Internet, peer-reviewed journals, government publications
3. Professional periodicals like College English Language Teaching Forum, English
Forum, The Economist, Academia, Business Circle, Law Review, etc.
4. General periodicals such as Readers' Digest, Women's Magazine, Panorama
Magazine, Time Magazine, World Mission Magazine, etc.
5. Previous reading assignments in your other subjects 6. Work experience - clues to
a researchable topic from full-time or part-time jobs, OJT (on-the-job training)
experience, fieldwork, etc.
2nd Semester Practical Research 1
Lesson 5
Subject Matter of the Inquiry or Research
SEATWORK NO. 1
Directions: PAIR WORK. Put a check V) under the column of the right descriptive word for each
number.
Highly Hard-to-
Research Topic Controversial Vague Narrow Broad
Technical Investigate
1. Filipinos' Admiration
for the Current First
Lady of the Philippines
2. Some Excessively
Priced Imported
Vehicles
3. The Rise and Fall of All
Kings and Queens
4. Labor Unions before the
Coming of Jesus Christ
5. Pluses and Minuses of
all English 2 Textbooks
6. Definition of Research
7. The Extent of Filipinos'
Faith in God
8. The Structure of a
Nuclear Weapon
9. Comma as a
Punctuation Mark
10. Spaceship Building
ACTIVITY 1
Directions: INDIVIDUAL WORK. Check the title that appears to be the best in terms of
narrowing down a broad topic.
1. _______________ Symptoms of AIDS
_______________ Physical Symptoms of AIDS
_______________ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS
2. _______________ History of Traditional Grammar History of American
_______________ Traditional Grammar
_______________ Traditional Grammar
3. _______________ The Psychology of Reading
_______________ A Study of Human Behavior
_______________ Sensory Experience in Reading
4. _______________ World Ideologies
_______________ Feminism in the Digital Era
_______________ Feminism in Nick Joaquin's Latest Novel
5. _______________ Communication Skills
_______________ The Writing Process
_______________ Pre-writing Strategies
