Topic: Formulating research questions, scope

and delimitation of the study, significance of the

study, stating the problem and Selecting and
synthesizing information from relevant
literature

Presentation by Group 3
“Formulating research questions, scope and
delimitation of the study, significance of the
study, stating the problem”
 Formulating Research Questions
The questions that you ask in your research will determine the data that you want
to have, answer, and specify in Chapter 4. Hence, it is a crucial stage to attain your
research objective. Research questions help writers focus their research by providing
a
path through the research and writing process. You should ask a question about an
issue
that you are genuinely curious and/or passionate about. The question you ask should
be
developed for the discipline you are studying. A question directed towards Literature,
for
instance, is different from an appropriate one in Mathematics to Biology.
 A research question is an answerable inquiry into A research question forms the base of
a specific concern or issue. It is where you are going, so we have to
the initial step in a research project. The research
write a
question is the first active step in the
research project. Let us use this metaphor--the good research question. If your
research project is a house. Your data foundation is built on something shifty,
collection forms the walls, and your hypothesis like a house built
that guides your data collection is the on sand, then everything following that
foundation. So, what is the research question? It is
the ground beneath the foundation. It
will be about correcting that initial issue
is what everything in a research project is built on. instead of
Without a question, you can't have a on making an awesome home/research
hypothesis. Without the hypothesis, you won't project.
know how to study what you're interested
in.
 Writing a Research Question
Writing a good research ✔Specify your specific concern or issue
question means you have ✔Decide what you want to know about the
something you want to study. specific concern or issue
Let's say you're interested in the
✔Turn what you want to know and the specific
concern into a question
effects of television. We will ✔Ensure that the question is answerable
examine the steps and then ✔Check to make sure the question is not too
look at how you could write a broad or too narrow

research question.
✔ This is the basic process in writing a research
question. Writing a good question will result in a
better research project
 A research question should be (from
the Writing Center of George Mason
University):
✔ Clear. It provides enough specifics that one’s audience can easily understand
its
purpose without needing additional explanation.
✔ Focused. It is narrow enough that it can be answered thoroughly in the space
the
writing task allows.
✔ Concise. It is expressed in the fewest possible words.
✔ Complex. It is not answerable with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but rather requires
synthesis and analysis of ideas and sources prior to composition of an answer.
✔ Arguable. Its potential answers are open to debate rather than accepted facts
Writing the Thesis Statement

Every paper you write should have a main point, a main idea, or central message.
The argument(s) you make in your paper should reflect this main idea. The
sentence that
captures your position on this main idea is what we call a thesis statement.
A thesis statement focuses your ideas into one or two sentences. It should
present
the topic of your paper and also make a comment about your position in relation
to the
topic. Your thesis statement should tell your reader what the paper is about and
also help
guide your writing and keep your argument focused.

You should provide a thesis early in your essay -- in

the introduction, or in longer essays in the second
paragraph -- in order to establish your position and
give your reader a sense of direction.
Tip: In order to write a successful
thesis statement:

A. Avoid burying a great thesis

statement in the middle of a
paragraph or late in the paper.
B. Be as clear and as specific as
possible; avoid vague words.
C. Indicate the point of your paper
but avoid sentence structures like,
“The point of my paper is…”
 Tips in Writing Clear Thesis: Tip: In order to be as clear as possible in your
Your thesis statement is no
writing:
exception to your writing: it
needs to be as clear as
✔ Unless you're writing a technical report,
possible.
avoid technical language. Always avoid jargon,
By being as clear as possible unless you are confident your audience will be
in your thesis statement, you familiar with it.
will make sure that your ✔ Avoid vague words such as "interesting,”
reader "negative, "exciting,” "unusual," and
understands exactly what you "difficult."
mean. ✔ Avoid abstract words such as "society,"
“values,” or “culture.”
 SCOPE AND DELIMITATION
THE SCOPE OF YOUR 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.
 YOUR STUDY AND ITS
SIGNIFICANCE
Writing a research paper has its purpose-- may it be for you (as a researcher)
or
even for others. That is why, you need to identify the key reason/s why you
are taking a
step forward and make your query into a formal writing. In this stage, your
‘WHYs’ and
‘HOWs’ will be answered and explained. Before taking this step, read the
following notes:
 Tips in Writing the Significance of
the Study (Regoniel, 2015)
A. Refer to the statement of the problem

Your problem statement can guide you in identifying the specific contribution
of your study. You can do this by observing a one-to-one correspondence
between the statement of the problem and the significance of the study.
For example, if you ask the question ‘Is there a significant relationship
between the teacher’s teaching style and the students’ long quiz scores in
Mathematics?’ then the contribution of your research would probably be a
teaching style or styles that can help students perform better in
Mathematics. Your research will demonstrate that teaching style really
works. That could be a groundbreaking approach that will change the way
teachers teach Mathematics which students are hesitant of.
 B. Write from general to specific contribution
Write the significance of the study by looking into the general contribution of your
study, such as its importance to society as a whole, then proceed downwards--towards
its contribution to individuals and that may include yourself as a researcher. You start
off broadly then taper off gradually to a specific group or person.

Sample Significance of the Study

“Selecting and Synthesizing
Information from Relevant
Literature”
A literature review follows an essay format (Introduction, Body,
Conclusion), but if the literature itself is the topic of the essay, your
essay will need to consider the literature in terms of the key
topics/themes you are examining.
Guide in writing a literature review;
1. Choose a topic. Your literature review should be guided by a
central research question. Remember, it is not a collection of
loosely related studies in a field but instead represents
background and research developments related to a specific
research question, interpreted and analyzed by you in a synthesized
way.
2. Decide on the scope of review. How many studies do you need to
look at? How comprehensive should it be? How many years should it
cover?
3. Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches. Make
a list of the databases you will search.
 4. Conduct your search and find the literature. Review the abstracts of
research studies carefully. This will save you time. Write down the searches
you conduct in each database so that you may duplicate them if you need to
later (or avoid dead-end searches that you'd forgotten you'd already
tried). Use the bibliographies and references of research studies you find to
locate others.
5. Review the literature. What was the research question of the study you are
reviewing? What were the authors trying to discover? Was the research
funded by a source that could influence the findings? What were the
research methodologies? Analyze its literature review, the samples and
variables used, the results, and the conclusions. Does the research seem to
be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further
questions does it raise? If there are conflicting studies, why do you think
that is? How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited? if
so, how has it been analyzed?
Thank
You