PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2

MODULE 2

LESSON 6

CORE VALUES: Knowledge

I. TOPIC: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

(SCOPE AND LIMITATION)
(SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY)
(DEFINITION OF TERMS)

SCOPE AND LIMITATION

All scientific research has boundaries, whether or not the authors clearly explain
them. Your study's scope and delimitations are the sections where you define the broader
parameters and boundaries of your research.

The scope details what your study will explore, such as the target population, extent, or
study duration. Delimitations are factors and variables not included in the study.

Scope and delimitations are not methodological shortcomings; they're always under your
control. Discussing these is essential because doing so shows that your project is
manageable and scientifically sound.

Scope - is the domain of your research. It describes the extent to which the
research question will be explored in your study. Articulating your study's scope early on
helps you make your research question focused and realistic. It also helps decide what
data you need to collect (and, therefore, what data collection tools you need to design).

Delimitations - are those factors or aspects of the research area that you'll
exclude from your research. The scope and delimitations of the study are intimately
linked. Essentially, delimitations form a more detailed and narrowed-down formulation of
the scope in terms of exclusion. The delimitations explain what was (intentionally) not
considered within the given piece of research.
EXAMPLE OF SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

Your research question is, “What is the impact of bullying on the mental health of
adolescents?” This topic, on its own, doesn't say much about what's being investigated.

The scope, for example, could encompass:

Variables: “bullying” (dependent variable), “mental health” (independent variable), and

ways of defining or measuring them

Bullying type: Both face-to-face and cyberbullying

Target population: Adolescents aged 12–17

Geographical coverage: France or only one specific town in France

DELIMITATION EXAMPLE:

Exploring the adverse effects of bullying on adolescents' mental health is a preliminary

delimitation. This one was chosen from among many possible research questions (e.g.,
the impact of bullying on suicide rates, or children or adults).

Delimiting factors could include:

Research design: Mixed-methods research, including thematic analysis of semi-

structured interviews and statistical analysis of a survey

Timeframe: Data collection to run for 3 months

Population size: 100 survey participants; 15 interviewees

Recruitment of participants: Quota sampling (aiming for specific portions of men,

women, ethnic minority students etc.)

We can see that every choice you make in planning and conducting your research
inevitably excludes other possible options.1

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Significance of the study - refers to the potential importance, relevance, or

impact of the research findings. It outlines how the research contributes to the existing
body of knowledge, what gaps it fills, or what new understanding it brings to a particular
field of study.
Types of Significance of the Study
The significance of the Study can be divided into the following types:
Theoretical Significance
Theoretical significance refers to the contribution that a study makes to the existing body
of theories in a specific field. This could be by confirming, refuting, or adding nuance to a currently
accepted theory, or by proposing an entirely new theory.
Practical Significance
Practical significance refers to the direct applicability and usefulness of the research
findings in real-world contexts. Studies with practical significance often address real-life problems
and offer potential solutions or strategies. For example, a study in the field of public health might
identify a new intervention that significantly reduces the spread of a certain disease.
Significance for Future Research
This pertains to the potential of a study to inspire further research. A study might open up
new areas of investigation, provide new research methodologies, or propose new hypotheses
that need to be tested.

How to Write Significance of the Study

Here’s a guide to writing an effective “Significance of the Study” section in research paper,
thesis, or dissertation:
Background: Begin by giving some context about your study. This could include a brief
introduction to your subject area, the current state of research in the field, and the specific problem
or question your study addresses.
Identify the Gap: Demonstrate that there’s a gap in the existing literature or knowledge
that needs to be filled, which is where your study comes in. The gap could be a lack of research
on a particular topic, differing results in existing studies, or a new problem that has arisen and
hasn’t yet been studied.
State the Purpose of Your Study: Clearly state the main objective of your research. You
may want to state the purpose as a solution to the problem or gap you’ve previously identified.
Explain the Significance: Now, articulate the potential impact of your study. You can
discuss how your study:

• Contributes to the existing body of knowledge.

• Addresses a significant research gap.
• Offers a new or better solution to a problem.
• Impacts policy or practice.
• Leads to improvements in a particular field or sector.
You should make these claims in a realistic way, based on the scope and limitations of
your study.
 Identify Beneficiaries: Identify who will benefit from your study. This could include other
researchers, practitioners in your field, policy-makers, communities, businesses, or others.
Explain how your findings could be used and by whom.
Future Implications: Discuss the implications of your study for future research. This could
involve questions that are left open, new questions that have been raised, or potential future
methodologies suggested by your study.2

EXAMPLE OF SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Title of SIP: “THE USAGE OF GUMAMELA (HIBISCUS ROSA-SINENSIS) FLOWER
AS ALTERNATIVE INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING BAR SOAP”

Significance of the Study

To the Soap Making Industry - The research would benefit the bar soap making the
industry because the research paved way for another kind of bar soap to be produced and sold
to the market.
To the Community/Household - The research benefits thecommunity/household,as
every household mostly use bar soap in laundering clothes.
To the Garden/ Gumamela Farm Owners - The research benefits the garden/
Gumamela farm owners, since it gives them more reason and opportunities to cultivate the
Gumamela plant.3

DEFINITION OF TERMS
Most beginning researchers rely on dictionary definition which may not really be adequate
to surface the real meaning of the term being used. Instead each term should be defined
operationally or as it is used in the study. Its operational definition makes the term mean what
exactly the researcher wants it to mean within the context of his research problem. Readers of
the study may not agree what a term really means, but if it is explicitly defined operationally, then
they can easily comprehend what the researcher is trying to convey and be able to appreciate
and evaluate the research appropriately.
A formal definition of a term consists of three parts:
(1) the term or concept to be defined,
(2) the collective term or general class to which the concept belongs and the
(3) differentia, the specific characteristics or attributes that distinguish the concept defined
from all other concepts in its general classification (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013).
For example, teamwork (the term to be defined) may be defined as a shared, positive,
fulfilling, work-related psychological state (the collective term to which the concept belongs)
characterized by group vigor, dedication and absorption, which emerges from the interaction and
shared experiences of the work team (the specific characteristics of the term). The researcher
should avoid circular definitions in which the term being defined is used in the definition itself. For
instance, self-reliance should not be defined as reliance on one's self. This gives the readers little
or no assistance to understand the term.
Definitions may also come from reputable sources such as books, dictionaries,
encyclopedia, newspapers and magazines, referred to as lexical definitions. Since online sources
are easily accessible nowadays, Wikipedia (wiki, a Hawaiian term which means quick), is not
accepted as a valid definition because of its lack of credibility. Definition from wikipedia may not
come from experts in the field, since anybody can upload their definition on the web.4
REFERRENCE
1AJE TEAM (2023). Scope and delimitations of Research.
https://www.aje.com/arc/scope-and-delimitations-in-research/
2Hassan, Muhammad (2023). Significance of the Study – Examples and Writing.
https://researchmethod.net/significance-of-the-
study/#:~:text=The%20significance%20of%20a%20study%20in%20a%20research%20
proposal%20refers,policymakers%2C%20or%20society%20at%20large.

Jerome F, at et al (2023). “THE USAGE OF GUMAMELA (HIBISCUS ROSA-

3Araba,

SINENSIS) FLOWER AS ALTERNATIVE INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING BAR SOAP”

4Uy (2016). “Practical Research 2 Vibal Group, Inc”.