CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
What are the parts of CHAPTER 1 in research?
This chapter includes the introduction, research questions, scope and limitation,
conceptual framework, significance of the study and the definition of terms used.
Introduction:
What composes of your introduction?
The introduction is the first section of your paper. It must draw your reader in, setting the
stage for your research with a clear focus, purpose, and direction on a relevant topic.
1. Your topic, in context: what does your reader need to know to understand your
thesis dissertation?
2. Your focus and scope: what specific aspect of the topic will you address?
3. The relevance of your research: how does your work fit into existing studies on
your topic?
4. Your questions and objectives: what does your research aim to find out, and
how?
5. An overview of your structure: what does each section contribute to the overall
aim?
What is the research question?
A research question pinpoints exactly what you want to find out in your work. A good
research question is essential to guide your research paper, dissertation, or thesis.
All research questions should be:
1. Focused on a single problem or issue,
2. Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources,
3. Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints,
4. Specific enough to answer thoroughly,
5. Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis,
6. Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly.
EXAMPLE:
Research Problems:
Teachers at the school do not have the skills to recognize or properly guide gifted
children in the classroom.
Research questions:
1. What practical techniques can teachers use to better identify and guide gifted
children?
What is scope and delimitation?
The scope and delimitations of your paper define the topic and boundaries of the
research problem to be investigated. It discusses the details of how in-depth your
study is to explore the research question and the parameters in which it will operate in
relation to the population and timeframe.
The delimitations of a study are the factors and variables not to be included in the
investigation. In other words, they are the boundaries the researcher sets in terms of
study duration, population size and type of participants, etc.
What is a conceptual framework?
A conceptual framework illustrates the expected relationship between your variables. It
defines the relevant objectives for your research process and maps out how they
come together to draw coherent conclusions.
Example:
The Impact of the Number of Hours of Study to the Results of Examination of the
students in ENGLISH
What is the significance of the study in research?
The significance of the study is basically the importance of your research. It must be
stated in the Introduction section of your research paper. While stating the significance,
you must highlight how your research will be beneficial to the development of science
and society in general.
Example:
Significance of the Study
The study focused on explaining the effect of mentoring programs on the Adversity
Quotient® of the freshmen students at FAITH. Moreover, the results of the study will be
beneficial to the following:
Respondents. The respondents will have an awareness on the importance of the
mentoring program and its role on the improvement of their Adversity Quotient®
Teachers/Mentors. The result of the study will help the teachers/mentors provide
encouragement to think of ideas that will give proper guidance to the students/mentees.
This may also increase their competency.
Guidance Staff. The result of the study may provide on assessment of the mentoring
program whether it is effective or not. This may also encourage the guidance staff to
think of other activities that will make the students/mentees as well as their
teachers/mentors enjoy the program.
Definition of Terms
Operational is the meaning of
the concept or term as used in a
particular study. The
variables in the research
problem are defined on the
operational level.
Operational is the meaning of
the concept or term as used in a
particular study. The
variables in the research
problem are defined on the
operational level.
Operational is the meaning of the concept or term as used in a particular study. The
variables in the research problem are defined on the operational level.
