Inquiry and Research

Inquiry

Asking questions to obtain information, investigating to discover new information, clarify doubts, and solve problems.

Research

Reexamining and reinvestigating a topic or issue following logical steps to answer questions and present conclusions based on processed data.

Research Process

Describes steps from problem identification to result utilization, including problem identification, literature review, study direction setting, data collection and analysis, report writing, and community application.

Importance of Doing Research

Adds to existing knowledge, improves current practices, informs policy changes based on study results.

Characteristics of a Good Research

Rigorous, replicable, accurate, objective, and ethical in conduct.

Major Approaches in Research

Quantitative research describes trends or relationships using statistical computation, while qualitative research focuses on detailed experiences and narrative responses of participants.

Rigorous

The conduct of research must be systematic, scientific, and logical. It must follow clear and logical procedures aimed at answering the research problem. Each step must be properly justified in terms of appropriateness.

Replicable

The procedures utilized in research must be replicable in other contexts and the results must have a wide range of applicability. It is not enough that the results are only true for a single situation. They must have a certain degree of generalizability.

Accurate

The data that will be used to answer the questions must be representative of the actual responses of the participants or actual data as recorded in the instruments used.

Objective

In the analysis of data, the personal bias of the researcher must be managed well. Personal inclinations or desired results must be always avoided. Otherwise, the result will not be credible.

Ethical

Data or information from respondents must be handled with utmost confidentiality and honesty. Credit must also be given where it is due.