QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH PROBLEM & HYPOTHESIS, Writing the Significance of the Study, Scope and Delimitations, and the Review of Related Literature

Research Problem

A situation that creates enough difficulty or uncertainty to motivate an empirical investigation.

Sources of Quantitative Research Problem

Origins of research problems including previous findings, personal experience or interest, government or non-government agencies, current societal issues, and related literature.

Interrogative Research Problem

A question form of the research problem, e.g., "What percentage of Manila private universities consider the use of grammar textbooks as the most effective way to help college students attain communicative competence?"

Declarative Research Problem

A statement form of the research problem, e.g., "The main objective of this study is to find out the percentage of Manila private universities considering the use of grammar textbooks as the most effective way to help college students attain communicative competence."

Interrogative Research Question

Informative questions related to the research, such as "What is an English Grammar textbook?" and "To what extent do Manila private universities find grammar textbooks helpful in attaining communicative competence?"

Declarative Research Question

Statements defining what the research aims to explore, e.g., "To define a grammar textbook" or "To determine the extent of Manila private universities considering grammar textbooks as helpful."

Guidelines for Formulating a Quantitative Research Problem

Steps to create a research problem that is researchable, clear, concise, focuses on general understanding, states variables and relationships, and presents research questions informatively.

Hypothesis

A tentative explanation or answer to a question about variables and their relationships, requiring testing through analytical investigation.

Purposes of Hypotheses

Essential roles in research, including providing guidance, opportunities to prove relationships, direction for research, outlining thoughts, and encouraging empirical studies.

• Significance of the Study

• Refers to the potential contributions of the research to the field of knowledge and lists the beneficiaries, highlighting the specific benefits they will gain.

Scope

• The extent of the study, addressing what, why, who, where, and how the research is conducted.

Delimitations

• Elements that the researcher will not include in the study, defining the boundaries set by the researcher.

Limitations

• Constraints outside the researcher’s control that may affect the results of the study.

• Review of Related Literature (RRL)

• An integrated synthesis of academic sources related to the research topic, evaluating past research and presenting findings in relation to the current study.

• Systematic Review

• A methodical approach involving research questions, planning, literature search, and evaluation of prior studies to summarize findings.

• Meta-Analysis

• A form of RRL where statistical results of multiple studies are re-examined and combined to draw stronger conclusions from similar research.

APA Referencing Style

• A standardized format for citing sources in research papers, consisting of in-text citations and a reference list at the end, ensuring proper attribution to original authors.

In-Text Citation

• A brief reference within the main body of the paper that credits the source, usually including the author's last name and the year of publication.

• Reference List (Bibliography)

• A complete list of all sources cited in the research paper, formatted according to APA guidelines, found at the end of the document.

Author-Oriented Citation

• A citation style that starts with the author's name, followed by the year of publication and the main argument or points.

• Text-Oriented Citation

• A citation style that begins with a direct quote or paraphrased text, followed by the author's reference.

• Citation Phrases

• Phrases like "according to," "as stated by," used to introduce sources, applicable to various media including images and films.