This is a copy of my presentation of "The Research Problem" that was based on the resources provided by the school. Pictures were taken from Google images and the slide design is from GoSlides.com (It offers a lot of PPT Designs).

1. THE
RESEARCH
PROBLEM
ESL 210: RESEARCH IN
LANGUAGE TEACHING
CRISALDO H.
CORDURA

2. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
A Problem is….
● Any significant, perflexing and challenging
situation, real or artificial, the solution of which
requires reflective thingking.
● A perflexing situation after it has been
translated into a question or series of questions
that help determine the direction of subsequent
inquiry.
● The foregoing definitions are according to

3. Elements of a Research Problem
1. Aim or purpose of the problem for
investigation.
2. The Subject Matter or topic to be
investigated.
3. The Place or Locale where the
research is to be conducted.
4. The Period of Time of the Study
during which the data are to be
gathered.
5. Population or universe from whom
the data are to be collected.
6. It can be completed within a reasonable period
of time unless it is longitudinal research which
takes a long time for its completion.
7. It is significant, important, and relevant to the
present time and situation, timely, and of current
interest.
8. The results are practical and implementable.
9. It requires original, critical, and reflective
thinking to solve it.

4. Elements of a Research Problem
10. It can be delimited to suit the
resources of the researcher but big or
large enough to be able to give significant,
valid, and reliable results and
generalizations.
11. It must contribute to the national
development goals for the improvement
of the quality of human life.
12. It must contribute to the fund of
human knowledge.
13. It must show or pave the way for the
solution of the problem or problems intended
to be solved.
14. It must not undermine the moral and
spiritual values of the people.
15. It must not advocate any change in the
present order of things by means of violence.

5. Elements of a Research Problem
16. There must be a return of some kind to
the researcher.
 Monetary
 Advancement of position,
promotion.
 Improved specialization,
competence, and skill in
professional work especially if the
research is related to the
profession.
 Engance prestige and reputation.
 Satisfaction of intellectual curiosity
and interest, and being able to
discover the truth.
17. There must be a consideration of the
hazards involved, either physical, social or
legal.
Physical Hazard – Consider the
researcher’s personal safety.
Social Hazard – the researcher must be
free from rebuke, criticism, censure, or
derision.
Legal Hazard – if an inclusion of the statute
is involved.

6. The Title
Guidelines in writing the TITLE:
1. Generally, the title is formulated before the start of the research work. It may be revised
and refined later if there is a need.
2. The title must contain the subject matter of the study, the locale of the study, the
population involved and the period when the data were gathered or will be gathered.
3. It must be broad enough to include all aspects of the subject matter studied or to be
studied. Hence, the title indicates what is expected to be found inside their report.
4. It must be brief and concise as possible.

7. The Title
Guidelines in writing the TITLE:
5. Avoid using the terms “An Analysis
of,” “A Study of,” “An Investigation of,”
and the like. All these things are
understood to have been done or to be
done when a research is conducted.
6. If the title contains more than one
line, it must be written like an inverted
pyramid, all words in capital letters.

8. EXAMPLE
THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE HIGH
SCHOOLS OF PROVINCE A AS
PERCEIVED BY THE SCIENCE TEACHERS
AND STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR 1989 - 1990

9. THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE HIGH
SCHOOLS OF PROVINCE A AS
PERCEIVED BY THE SCIENCE TEACHERS
AND STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR 1989 - 1990
Subject Matter

10. THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE HIGH
SCHOOLS OF PROVINCE A AS
PERCEIVED BY THE SCIENCE TEACHERS
AND STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR 1989 - 1990
Subject Matter

11. THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE HIGH
SCHOOLS OF PROVINCE A AS
PERCEIVED BY THE SCIENCE TEACHERS
AND STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR 1989 - 1990
Locale of the
Study

12. THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE HIGH
SCHOOLS OF PROVINCE A AS
PERCEIVED BY THE SCIENCE TEACHERS
AND STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR 1989 - 1990
Locale of the
Study

13. THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE HIGH
SCHOOLS OF PROVINCE A AS
PERCEIVED BY THE SCIENCE TEACHERS
AND STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR 1989 - 1990
Population
Involved

14. THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE HIGH
SCHOOLS OF PROVINCE A AS
PERCEIVED BY THE SCIENCE TEACHERS
AND STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR 1989 - 1990
Population
Involved

15. THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE HIGH
SCHOOLS OF PROVINCE A AS
PERCEIVED BY THE SCIENCE TEACHERS
AND STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR 1989 - 1990
Period of he Study

16. THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE HIGH
SCHOOLS OF PROVINCE A AS
PERCEIVED BY THE SCIENCE TEACHERS
AND STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR 1989 - 1990
Period of he Study

17. Using the
previous title,
change it to be
more brief and

18. “THE TEACHING
OF SCIENCE IN
THE HIGH
SCHOOLS OF

19. Statement of the Problem
Guidelines in formulating the general problem and the specific subproblems or specific
questions:
1. The general statement of the problem and the specific subproblems or questions should
be formulated first before conducting the research.
2. It is customary to state specific subproblems in the interrogative form. Hence,
subproblems are called specific questions.
3. Each specific question must be clear and unequivocal, that is, it has only one meaning. It
must not have dual meanings.
4. Each specific question is researchable apart from the other questions, that is, answers to
each specific question can be found even without considering the other questions.

20. Statement of the Problem
Guidelines in formulating the general problem and the specific subproblems or specific
questions:
5. Each specific question must be based upon known facts and phenomena. Besides, data
from such known facts and phenomena must be accessible to make the specific question
researchable.
6. Answers to each specific question can be interpreted apart from the answers to other
specific questions.
7. Answers to each specific question must contribute to the development of the whole
research problem or topic.
8. Summing up the answers to all the specific questions will give a complete development
of the entire study.
9. The number of specific questions should be enough to cover the development of the
whole research problem or study.

21. Different Aspects of a Research Problem
a. Qualification of the teachers, especially
educational.
b. Methods and strategies of teaching used and
their level of effectiveness.
c. Facilities available, instructional and non-
instructional and their adequacy.
d. Adequacy of supervisory assistance extended
to teachers.
e. Comparison between the perceptions of the
teachers and those of the students concerning
the different aspects.
f. Problems encountered by the teachers in
teaching Science.
g. Proposals to solve or help solve the problems.
h. Implications of the study to the teaching of
Science.
Concerning to number 9….

22. Statement of the Problem
Guidelines in formulating the general problem and the specific subproblems or specific questions:
10. There should be a general statement of the problem and should be broken up into as many
subproblems or specific questions as necessary.
Specifically, the study attempted to answer the following questions:
a. How qualified are the teachers handling
Science in the high schools in Province A?
b. How effective are the methods and
strategies used by the teachers in teaching
Science?
c. How adequate are the instructional as
well as the non-instructional facilities for
the teaching of Science?
d. How adequate are the forms of supervisory
assistance extended to the teachers relative to the
teaching of Science?
e. Is there any significant difference between the
perceptions of the teachers and those of the
students concerning the different aspects in the
teaching of Science?

23. Continuation…
f. What problems are being encountered by the teachers of Science?
g. What suggestions are offered by the teachers and students to improve the
teaching of Science?
h. What are the implications of the findings to the teaching of Science?
Specifically, the study attempted to answer the following questions:
10. There should be a general statement of the problem and should be broken
up into as many subproblems or specific questions as necessary.
Guidelines in formulating the general problem and the specific subproblems or
specific questions:
Statement of the Problem

24. Assumption
An ASSUMPTION is a self-evident truth which is based upon a known fact or phenomenon.
Oftentimes, especially in descriptive or historical researches, assumptions are not explicitly
expressed but left implicit, that is, they are unwritten. Generally, every specific question is
implicitly based upon an assumption. If there is no assumption, expressed and implicit, there can
be no specific question.
Examples:
Specific Question
Implicit (Unwritten)
Assumptiion
How qualified are the teachers handling Science?
There are certain qualifications that one should possess before he can
teach Science.

25. Assumption
Another examples……
Specific Question
Implicit (Unwritten)
Assumption
How adequate are the facilities that a school should acquire before it
can offer Science as a subject?
There are certain required facilities that a school should acquire before
it can offer Science as a subject.
Specific Question
Implicit (Unwritten)
Assumption
How effective are the methods used in the teaching of Science?
There are certain methods that are effective in the teaching of Science.

26. Assumption
Guidelines in the use of basic assumptions.
1. You cannot assume the value of your study. Such an argument should have been made under
the section, significance of the study.
2. You cannot assume the reliability of the instrument you propose to use in your research. Such a
rationale and defense should be made under methodology.
3. You cannot assume the validity of basic data. Validity is established under methodology.
4. You cannot assume that your population is typical. This point is to be madce under
methodology.
5. An assumption is not tested, neither it is defended nor argued.

27. Hypothesis
A HYPOTHESIS is a tentative conclusion or answer to a specific question raised at the beginning of
the investigation. It is an educated guess about the answer to a specific question.
Forms of Hypothesis
Operational Hypothesis Null Hypothesis
The operational hypothesis is stated in the
affirmative
Null form is stated in the negative.
It states that there is a difference between two
phenomena.
It states that there is no difference between
the two phenomena.
*In other words the NULL form expresses
expresses equality between two phenomena.
phenomena. This is commonly used.

28. Hypothesis
Guidelines in the formulation of explicit hypothesis.
1. In experimental investigations, hypotheses have to be explicit, they have to be expressed. They
have to be expressed also in comparative and correlational studies.
2. In descriptive and historical investigations, hypotheses are seldom expressed if not entirely
absent. The subproblems or specific questions raised before the start of the investigation and
stated under the statement of the problem serve as the hypotheses. (Good and Scates, pp. 220-
221) The specific questions serve as the hypotheses.
3. Hypotheses are usually stated in the null term because testing a null hypothesis is easier than a
hypothesis in the operational form. Testing a hypothesis simply means gathering data to answer it.

29. Hypothesis
Guidelines in the formulation of explicit hypothesis.
4. Hypotheses are formulated from the specific questions upon which they are based.
Examples:
Question 1: Is there any
significant difference
between the perceptions of
the teachers and those of
the students concerning the
different aspects in the
teaching of Science?
Operational Hypothesis: There is significant difference between
the perceptions of the teachers and those of the students
concerning the different aspects in the teaching of Science.
Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference between the
perceptions of the teachers and those of the students concerning
the different aspects in the teaching of Science.

30. Hypothesis
Examples:
Question 2: Is there any
significant difference
between the effectiveness
of the inductive method
and that of the deductive
method in the teaching of
Science.
Operational Hypothesis: There is significant difference between
the effectiveness of the inductive method and that of the
deductive method in the teaching of Science.
Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference between the
effectiveness of the inductive method and that of the deductive
method in the teaching of Science.

31. Hypothesis
Purposes, functions, and importance of hypotheses or specific questions.
1. They help the researcher in designing his study: what methods, research instrument, sampling
design, and statistical treatments to use, what data to gather, etc.
2. They serve as bases for determining assumptions.
3. They serve as bases for determining the relevance of data.
4. They serve as bases for the explanation or discussion about the data gathered.
5. They help or guide the researcher in consolidating his findings and in formulating conclusions.