This document provides guidance on choosing an appropriate research topic for a school assignment. It outlines several types of topics that should be avoided, such as controversial, highly technical, hard-to-investigate, too broad, and too narrow topics. Acceptable sources for research topics are also listed, including mass media, books, journals, and work experiences. The document then demonstrates how to narrow a broad topic into a more focused research topic through a series of exercises. Learners are guided on evaluating potential topics based on their scope and on iteratively refining topics from general to increasingly specific.

1. Name: __________________________________________ Date: _________________________
Grade/ Strand: __________________________________ Worksheet #: __________________
IDENTIFYING THE INQUIRY AND STATING THE PROBLELM
LESSON: Subject Matter of the Inquiry or Research
RESEARCH TOPICS TO BE AVOIDED
1. CONTORVERSIAL TOPICS – these are the topics that depend greatly on the writer’s opinion,
which may tend to be biased or prejudicial. Facts cannot support topics like these.
2. HIGHLYTECHNICAL SUBJECTS – for a beginner, researching on topics that require an
advanced study, technical knowledge and vast experience is a very difficult task.
3. HARD-TO-INVESTIGATE SUBJECTS – A subjects is hard to investigate of there are no available
reading materials about it and if such materials are not up-to-date.
4. TOO BROAD SUBJECTS – topics that are too broad will prevent you from giving a concentrated
or an in – depth analysis of the subject matter of the paper. The remedy to this is to narrow or limit
the topic to a smaller one.
5. TOO NARROW SUBJECTS - these subjects are so limited or specific that an extensive or
thorough searching or reading for information about these is necessary.
6. VAGUE SUBJECTS - choosing topics like these will prevent you from having a clear focus on
your paper. For instance, titles beginning with indefinite adjectives such as several, many, some,
etc., as in “Some Remarkable Traits of a Filipino” or “Several People’s Comments on the RH
Law,” are vague enough to decrease the readers’ interests and curiosity.
SOURCES OF RESEARCH TOPICS
1. Mass media communication - press (newspapers, ads, TV, radio, films, etc.)
2. Books, Internet, peer – reviewed journals, government publications
3. Professional periodicals like College English Language Teaching Forum, English Forum, The
Economist, Academia, Business Circle, Law Review, etc.
4. General periodicals such as Readers’ Digest, Women’s Magazine, Panorama Magazine, Time
Magazine, World Mission Magazine, etc.
5. Previous reading assignments in your other subjects
6. Work experience - clues to a researchable topic from full – time or part – time jobs, OJT (on-the-
job training) experiences fieldwork, etc.
THE TITLE
THE REACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS OF PROVINCE “A” AS PERCEIVED BY THE
SCIENCE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR 1989-1990
The contents as required are:
a. Subject Matter: The Teaching of science
b. Locale of the Study: High Schools of Province “A”
c. Population involved: The science teachers and students
d. Period of the Study: School Year 1989 - 1990
EXPLAINING LEARNED CONCEPTS (Activity 1)
DIRECTIONS: INDIVIDUAL WORK. Put a check (/) under the column of the right descriptive word for
each number.
Research Topics Controversial Vague Narrow Highly
Technical
Broad Hard-to-
Investigate
1) Filipinos’
Administration for the
Current First Lady of
the Philippines.
2) Some excessively
priced imported
vehicles.
3) The rise and fall of all
Kings and Queens.
4) Labor Unions before
the Coming of Jesus
Christ.
5) Pluses and minuses of
all English 2 Textbooks.
6) Definition of Research
7) The Extent of Filipinos’
faith in God.
8) The structure of a
Nuclear Weapon.
9) Comma as a
Punctuation Mark.
10) Spaceship Building.
ELABORATING LEARNED CONCEPTS (Activity 2)
DIRECTIONS: INDIVIDUAL WORK. Check the title that appears to be the best terms of narrowing down a
broad topic.
1. _____________ Symptoms of AIDS
_____________ Physical Symptoms of AIDS
_____________ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS
2. _____________ History of Traditional Grammar
_____________ History of American Traditional Grammar
_____________ Traditional Grammar

2. 3. _____________ The Psychology of Reading
_____________ A Study of Human Behaviour
_____________ Sensory Experiences in Reading
4. _____________ World Ideologies
_____________ Feminism in the Digital Era
_____________ Feminism in Nick Joaquin’s Latest Novel
5. _____________ Communication Skills
_____________ The Writing Process
_____________ Pre – writing Strategies
6. _____________ War Among Nations
_____________ World War II
_____________ Japan’s Role in World War II
7. _____________ Hotel and Restaurant Management
_____________ Food Serving Techniques
_____________ Russian – Plate Service
8. _____________ The University of the Philippines
_____________ The History of the University of the Philippines
_____________ The University of the Philippines in the 1960’s
9. _____________ Philippine Transportation System
_____________ Metro Manila’s Transportation System
_____________ Manila’s LRT/ MRT System
10. _____________ The enactment of Laws in Congress
_____________ The Governing Bodies of the Philippines
_____________ The Congress of the Philippines
DIRECTIONS: Use numbers 1 to 5 to show the order of these topics of you narrow them down from general
to the most limited topic.
1. _____________ Man’s Personality
_____________ The right Lobe of the Brain
_____________ The Five Aspects of Personality
_____________ The Intellectual Aspect of a Person
_____________ Brain Components
2. _____________ Prose and Poetry
_____________ Fiction
_____________ The Legend of Mayon Volcano
_____________ Philippine Literature
_____________ Legends
3. _____________ Pluses and Minuses of Teenage Marriage
_____________ Teenage Marriage
_____________ The advantages of Early Marriage
_____________ Marriage
_____________ Human Relationships
DIRECTIONS: GROUP WORK. As you work in a triad, narrow down each of the following general subjects
to make it good research topic.
1. General Subject: COMMUNICATIONS
NARROWED: __________________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
2. General Subject: THEPHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT
NARROWED: __________________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
Narrowed Further: _______________________________________________________________
Prepared by: Hagia Sofia