This document discusses how to identify and formulate a research problem. It explains that starting research is like going through a maze, with different routes to reach the goal. The key is determining where to begin. Some potential starting points include daily life experiences, academic readings, personal hobbies, or attention-catching situations. The document then provides tips for narrowing down a topic, such as focusing on a specific time period, location, or issue. Finally, it outlines the characteristics of a good research problem and criteria for evaluating problem statements.

1. IDENTIFYING THE INQUIRY
&
STATING THE PROBLEM
JAIKE A. PASCUA

2. DO YOU “MAZE” ME?

3. WAYS TO WIN?
STRATEGIZE
REACH THE END GOAL
FIND AWAY
Starting a research investigation is similar
to embarking a journey through the maze.
There may be different routes to the exit point, but the
key is where to begin

4. LET’S GET STARTED!
+
KEY QUESTIONS
1. Where should a research begin?
2. How is a topic chosen?
RESEARCHER’S INTEREST

5. DO YOU KNOW
WHERE TO
BEGIN?

6. SOURCES OF INTEREST
DAILY LIFE EXPERIENCES
• Ex. Fishermen could have developed the most effective
way to grow fish because they are exposed to these
things.
ACADEMIC READINGS
• Can stimulate one’s interest to explore a particular topic.
PERSONAL HOBBIES
• Ex. Survey the views of people about a certain issue
because they enjoy doing so
ATTENTION-CATCHING SITUATION
• Researchers can formulate questions as to how this thing
became possible, how that thing is able to do those, etc.

7. IDENTIFYING A RESEARCH
TOPIC
1.Reading books, research articles, and
other professional publications
2. Asking helps from experts
3.Observing things for some experiences
about this interest

8. RROWING DOWN A RESEARCH TOP
REMINDERS:
• What is current and what is new;
• Recommendations of researchers who have
conducted similar studies;
• What has already been studied; and
• New ways of gathering data

9. NARROW IT DOWN!
Health services
Malnourished children
SoutheastAsia
Last 10
years
Historical

10. NARROW IT DOWN!
Housing projects
Informal settlers
Philippines
Last 6 years
economic

11. GIVE IT A TRY!
1. Look for a partner.
2. Think of a broad topic that interests you (e.g., animals,
ICT, games, medicine, etc.)
3. From this broad topic, think of a possible smaller topic
connected to this broad topic.
4. Make this topic more specific.
5. Ask questions regarding the specific you have chosen.
6. Use the inverted pyramid to concretize your idea.

13. RESEARCH PROBLEM
A statement about an area of concern, a
condition to be improved upon, a difficulty to
be eliminated, or a troubling question that
exists in scholarly literature, theory, or
practice that points to the need for a
deliberate
meaningful understanding and
investigation.

14. CHARACTERISTICS OF A RESEARCH
PROBLEM
1. A research problem is not just answerable by yes or
no. It should imply that explanations and
justifications regarding the true situation or
observation are required.
2. It implies relationship between the variables of the
study.
3. The problem should be stated in clear,
unambiguous manner.
4. A researchable problem must imply interpretation
and analysis of data.

15. RESEARCH PROBLEM
It is what the
researchers aim to
answer later on as
they go through the
research endeavor.

16. WORK AT HOME 
1 whole yellow paper
1. Look for at least 5 research
TITLES.
2. Identify whether each can lead to
good research problems. Explain
your answer.

17. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF A GOOD
RESEARCH PROBLEM
NOVEL
INTERESTING
PRACTICAL
INNOVATIVE
COST-
EFFECTIVE

18. RESEARCH PROBLEM SHOULD
BE:
S • SPECIFIC
R
• REALISTIC
T • TIME-BOUND
M
• MEASURABLE
A
• ATTAINABLE

19. RESEARC
H TITLE

20. RESEARCH TITLE
• Give weight and reputation to the research paper.
• In QUALITATIVE research, a researcher starts with a
tentative title. As the study progresses, the context of
the study and the manner of the research respondents
are revealed. The highlights of the research are then
included in the final title.

21. ELEMENTS OF A RESEARCH
T
•P
IU
TR
LP
O
ES
E
• Why do I want
to conduct this
study?
AIM
• SUBJECT
MATTER
• What do I want
to study
about?
TOPIC
• LOCALE
• Where do I
conduct the
study?
PLACE
• How long
will it take
for me to
finish my
study?
PERIOD
• From whom
will my data
come from or
be collected?
Population/Responde
nts

22. LET’S GIVE IT A TRY!
Problems Met by Science and Mathematics Teachers in Public
High Schools in NCR for the School Year 2005-2006 to School
Year 2010-2011
science and
To determine the problems met by the
mathematics teachers
science and mathematics teaching and learning
public high schools in NCR
7 years
students, teachers, and school administrators
Aim:
Topic:
Place:
Period:
Population:

23. LET ME CHECK YOUR BRAIN 
BLUE PINK
WHITE
YELLOW

24. IDENTIFY THE ELEMENTS OF THE
GIVEN RESEARCH BELOW
Relationship of Perceived Stress and Self- Esteem among Grade 9
Students in Region IX for the School year 2015-2016.
Determine the relationship of perceived stress and self-esteem
perceived stress and self-esteem
Region IX
1 year
Grade 9 students
Aim:
Topic:
Place:
Period:
Population:

25. SHORT QUIZ
From the research titles you had gathered, identify the elements of each
title
Aim: _
Topic:
Place:
Period:
Population:

26. CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Conceptual Framework
Statement of the Problem
Research Hypothesis
Significance of the study
Scope and delimitation
Definition of Terms