This document provides guidelines for writing a technical review for a midterm exam. It discusses the components of a position paper, including outlining a thesis, acknowledging opposing positions, and maintaining one's own position. It also covers conducting research, including defining variables, stating a problem, and setting objectives. The document outlines parts of a research paper such as literature reviews, methodology, and data analysis. Research approaches can be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. Sampling techniques include probability and non-probability methods.

1. REVIEWER FOR TECHNICAL WRITING MIDTERM EXAM
Position Paper – a paper that presents an opinion about an ISSUE
Uses Of The Position Paper
A. Educational setting
B. Politics
C. Law – Aide Memoire
Guidelines In Writing A Position Paper
1. Choose a topic
2. Conduct preliminary research
3. Challenge your own topic.
4. Continue to collect supporting evidence.
5. Create an outline.
Outline Of A Position Paper
A. Thesis sentence
B. List possible objections to your position
C. Support and acknowledgment of the opposing points
D. Explain that your position is the best option Summarize your argument and maintain your position.
Research – a systematic, controlled and empirical inquiry about a specific topic
Classifications Of Research
1. Proprietary research
2. Scholarly research
Characteristics Of Research
1. Question oriented
2. Methodological
3. Creative
4. Replicable
5. Self-critical
6. Public
7. Cumulative and self-correcting
Two Schools Of Thought Used In Research
1. Behaviorism
a. Construct the theory or model
b. Select proposition generated by the theory
c. Design a research to test proposition
2. Phenomenology
a. Investigate a given phenomenon
b. Set measurement of attributes
c. Analyze results
d. Construct a theory
e. Go back to step 2
f. If proposition is not rejected improve the theory.
Research Problems
1. Consider the 5 W’s
2. Good research topic should be:
a. Answerable
b. From general to specific
c. Wide array of information for investigation
d. Requires an analysis to arrive at answers
3. Bad research questions are:
a. Answered with a quick yes or no
b. Answers can be found on Google
c. Asking for an opinion which cannot be supported
d. Moral based questions

2. e. Supernatural questions
4. Research topic should be a matter of interest and relevance
Conceptual definition – is an abstract concept that defines a term in an academic discipline.
Operational definition –isthe applicationof operationalizationusedindefiningthetermsof aprocess(orsetof validation
tests) neededtodetermine the nature of anitemorphenomenon(e.g.avariable,term, orobject) anditspropertiessuch
as duration, quantity, extension in space, chemical composition, etc.
Variables– are conceptsthat take on two or more values.Inorder to move from the conceptual tothe empirical levels,
concepts are converted to variables.
1. Independent variable – An independent variable is the variable that is changed or controlled in a scientific
experiment or study to test the effects on the dependent variable.
2. Dependent variable – variable being tested and measured in a scientific experiment
Statement of the Problem – the research title in question form.
Research Objectives
1. Clear and concise declarative statements that provide direction on the investigation of the variables.
2. Research objectives are results sought by the researcher at the end of the study.
3. Research objectives must be directly related to the statement of the problem.
Research Objectives Must Be
 SMART
 SPECIFIC
 MEASURABLE
 ATTAINABLE
 REALISTIC
 TIME BOUND
PARTS OF THE RESEARCH PAPER
I. Introduction
A. Brief introduction of the research problem
B. Significance of the study
C. Statement of the problem
D. Scope and delimitation
II. Reviews of Related Literature - is the process of collecting, selecting, and reading books, journals, reports,
abstracts, and other reference materials. The following information may be collected:
A. Background information about the problem and related concepts
B. Theoriesthatexplainthe existence of the problemandthe possible connectionbetweencertainfactorsand
the problem
C. Data that confirms the existence and seriousness of the problem
D. General and specific findings of studies related to the problem
E. Recommendations for further study given in related studies
A review of related literature is a must in research. The following are some of the obvious reasons;
 It helps the researcher identify and define a research problem
 It helps justify the need for studying a problem.
 It prevents unnecessary duplication of a study
 It can be a source of a theoretical basis for the study
 It enables the researcher to learn how to conceptualize a research problem and properly identify and
operationally define study variables
 It helps formulate and refine research instruments
 It provides lesson for data analysis and interpretation.
III. Research Methodology
A. Research Design
i. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
 are interested in understanding the meaning people have constructed.
 It is assumed that meaning is mediated through the investigator’s own perceptions

3.  is an effort to understand situations in their uniqueness as part of a particular context and the
interactions.
 All forms of qualitative research are that the researcher is the primary instrument for data
collection and analysis.
 isthat itusuallyinvolvesfieldwork. The researchermustgotothe people,setting,site,institution,
to observe behavior in its natural setting.
 Typically, qualitative findings are in the form of themes, categories, concepts or tentative
hypotheses or theories.
 The product of a qualitative study is richly descriptive.
 Methodsinclude focusgroups,in-depthinterviews,andreviewsof documentsfortypesof themes
 QUALI-More subjective: describes a problem or condition from the point of view of those
experiencing it.
ii. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
 requires numeric information in the form of variables. A variable is a way of measuring any
characteristic that varies or has two or more possible values
 Many characteristicsare naturallynumericinnature (suchasyearsof education,age,income);for
these numeric variables, the numbers used to measure the characteristic are meaningful in that
they measure the amount of that characteristic that is present.
 Surveys, structured interviews & observations, and reviews of records or documents for numeric
information
 QUANTI-More objective:providesobservedeffects(interpretedbyresearchers) of aprogramona
problem or condition
B. Method of Research
i. Descriptive
ii. Historical
iii. Experimental
iv. Longitudinal
C. Research Locale
D. Sampling Technique – is concerned with the selection of a subset of individuals from within a statistical
population to estimate characteristics of the entire population
i. Non-probability sampling is a sampling technique where the samples are gathered in a process that
does not give all individuals in the population equal chances of being selected.
ii. Convenience sampling is relying on available subjects, such as stopping people on a street corner as
theypass by,is one methodof sampling,althoughitisextremelyriskyandcomeswithmanycautions.
iii. Purposive samplingisapurposive orjudgmental sampleisone thatisselectedbasedontheknowledge
of a population and the purpose of the study.
iv. Snowball sampling is snowball sample is appropriate to use in research when the members of a
population are difficult to locate, such as homeless individuals, migrant workers, or undocumented
immigrants.
v. quotasample isone inwhichunitsare selectedintoasample basedonpre-specifiedcharacteristicsso
that the total sample has the same distribution of characteristics assumedto exist in the population
being studied
vi. Probability sampling is a technique wherein the samples are gathered in a process that gives all the
individuals in the population equal chance of being selected.
E. Instrumentation and Data Gathering Procedure
F. Data Analysis