What makes a GOOD research proposal?

1. Relevance, either to the work of the funding body or to the student’s course.
2. The research is unique, or offers new insight or development.
3. The title, aims and objectives are all clear and succinct.
4. Comprehensive and thorough background research and literature review has
been undertaken.
5. There is a good match between the issues to be addressed and the approach
being adopted.
6. The researcher demonstrates relevant background knowledge and/or
experience.
7. Timetable, resources and budget have all been worked out thoroughly, with most
eventualities covered.
8. Useful policy and practice implications.

Reasons Why Research Proposals FAIL

 Aims and objectives are unclear or vague.

 There is a mismatch between the approach being adopted and the issues to be
addressed.
 The overall plan is too ambitious and difficult to achieve in the timescale.
 The researcher does not seem to have conducted enough in-depth background
research.
 Problem is of insufficient importance.
 Information about the data collection is insufficiently detailed.
 Information about the data analysis method is insufficiently detailed.
 Timescale is inappropriate or unrealistic.
 Resources and budget have not been carefully thought out.
 This topic has been done too many times before – indicates a lack in background
research.

PROBLEM

 any significant, perplexing and challenging situation, real or artificial, the solution
of which requires reflective thinking
 a perplexing situation after it has been translated into a question or series of
questions that help the direction of subsequent inquiry

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Elements of a Research Problem

Aim or purpose of the problem for investigation. This answers the question “Why?”
Why is there an investigation, inquiry or study?

The subject matter or topic to be investigated. This answers the question “What?”
What is to be investigated or studied?

The place or locale where the research is to be conducted. This answers the question
“Where?”
Where is the study to be conducted?

The period or time of the study during which the data are to be gathered. This answers
the question “When?”
When is the study to be carried out?

Population or universe from whom the data are to be collected. This answers the
question “Who?” “From whom?”

Who are the respondents?

From whom are the data to be gathered?

CHARACTERISTICS OF A RESEARCH PROBLEM

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-bound

 Specific: The problem should be specifically stated.

 Measurable: It is easy to measure by using research instruments, apparatus, or
equipment.
 Achievable: Solutions to a research problem are achievable or feasible.
 Realistic: Real results are attained because they are gathered scientifically and
not manipulated or manoeuvred.
 Time-bound: Time frame is required in every activity because the shorter
completion of the activity, the better.

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Sources of Research Problem

 Specialization of the researcher

 Current and Past Researches
 Recommendations from theses, dissertations, and research journals
 Original and creative ideas of the researcher based on the problems met in the
locality and country

Criteria of a Good Research Problem

 Interesting
 Innovative
 Cost-effective
 Relevant to the needs and problems of the people
 Relevant to government’s thrusts
 Measurable and time-bound

Guidelines in Writing the Research Title

 Research Title must be reflective of its problem.

 It must answer the following questions:
 What question will answer the following
 What are you trying to investigate?
 What are you trying to find out, determine or discover?
 Who question will answer who are the respondents or subjects of the study.
 Where question will indicate the research locale, setting or the place where the
research study is conducted.

Components of a Project Proposal Manuscript

Chapter I – Introduction
Chapter II – Review of Related Literature
Chapter III – Technical Background

Chapter I – Introduction

1. Project Context
2. Purpose and Description of the Project

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3. Objectives of the Project
4. Scope and Limitations of the Project

Project Context
(must be at least 2 pages of presentation and discussions of…)

The proponent should introduce the presentation of the problem, that is, what is the
problem is all about. The proponent should describe the existing and prevailing problem
situation based on his or her experience. This scope may be global, national, or regional
and local.

1. The proponent should give strong justification for selecting such research
problem in his/her capacity as a researcher. Being part of the organization or
systems and the desire and concern to improve the systems.
2. The researcher state a sentence or two that would show the link and relationship
of the rationale of the study to the proposed research problem.

Purpose and Description of the Project

1. What is the function of your project?

2. What is good in your project?
3. What makes your project unique, innovative, and relevant?

Guidelines in Formulating the Objectives of the Project:

 Start with the General Objective which is very parallel to the project title.
 Explode the general objective into Specific
 Objectives that will help realize the proposed study.
 Objectives should be SMART

Scope and Limitations of the Project

 Think the project scope as a box. High-level scope defines the sides of the box
and separates what is relevant to your project from what is irrelevant.
 The scope refers to the work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product,
service, or result with the specified features and functions.
 The scope explains the nature, coverage, and time frame of the study

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  The limitation, on the other hand, explains all that are NOT included in your
project.
 In other words, the scope of the project gives an overview all the deliverables
(i.e. the things that your project gives/delivers), and the tools and
technologies used that will be used in the project development while the
limitations of the project are the boundaries of the project (i.e. areas / things
that are out of scope).

RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Related Literature

Is composed of discussions of facts and principles to which the present study is related.
For instance, if the present study deals with drug addiction, literature to be reviewed or
surveyed should be composed of materials that deal with drug addiction.

These materials are usually printed and found in books, encyclopedias, professional
journals, magazines, newspapers, and other publications.

These materials are classified as

1. Local, if printed in the Philippines; and

2. Foreign, if printed in other lands.

Related Studies

Studies, inquiries, or investigations already conducted to which the present proposed

study is related or has some bearing or similarity. They are usually unpublished
materials such as manuscripts, theses, and dissertations.

They may be classified as:

1. Local, if the inquiry was conducted in the Philippines; and

2. Foreign, if conducted in foreign lands

Importance, Purposes, and Functions of Related Literature and Studies

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A survey or review of related literature and studies is very important because such
reviewed literature and studies serve as a foundation of the proposed study. This is
because related literature and studies guide the researcher in pursuing his research
venture.

Reviewed literature and studies help or guide the researcher in the following ways:

1. They help or guide the researcher in searching for or selecting a better research
problem or topic. By reviewing related materials, a replication of a similar
problem may be found better than the problem already chosen. Replication is the
study of research problem already conducted but in another place.
2. They help the investigator understand his topic for research better. Reviewing
related literature and studies may clarify vague points about his problem.

3. They ensure that there will be no duplication of other studies. There is duplication
if an investigation already made is conducted again in the same locale using
practically the same respondents. This is avoided if a survey of related literature
and studies be made first.

4. They help and guide the researcher in locating more sources of related
information. This is because the bibliography of a study already conducted
indicates references about similar studies.

5. They help and guide the researcher in making his research design especially in:

a. the formulation of specific questions to be researched on;

b. the formulation of assumptions and hypotheses if there should be any;
c. the formulation of conceptual framework;
d. the selection and application of the methods of research;
e. the selection and application of sampling techniques;
f. the selection and/or preparation and validation of research instruments for
gathering data;
g. the selection and application of statistical procedures;
h. The analysis, organization, presentation, and interpretation of data;
i. The making of the summary of implications for the whole study;
j. The formulation of the summary of findings, conclusions, and
recommendation; and

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 6. They help and guide the researcher in making comparison between his findings
of other researchers on similar studies with the end in view of formulating
generalization or principles which are the contributions of the study to fund of
knowledge.

Characteristics of Related Literature and Studies

There are certain characteristics of related materials that make them of true value.
Among these characteristics are:

The surveyed materials must be as recent as possible. This is important because of

the rapid social, economic, scientific, and technological change. Findings several years
ago may be of little value today because of the fast changing life style of the people.

There are exceptions, however. Treatises that deal on universals or things of more or
less permanent nature may be still be good today. There are mathematical laws and
formulas and statistical procedures that had been formulated a long, long time ago
which are being use today with very, very little improvement. This is also true with
natural and physical laws. Books on these, though written a long time ago, are still
being cited today.

Another exception is when a comparison or contrast is to be made between the

conditions of today and those of a remote past, say ten or twenty years ago. Naturally,
literature and studies about that remote past have to be surveyed and reviewed.

Materials reviewed must be objective and unbiased. Some materials are extremely
or subtly one sided, political, or religious, etc. Comparison with these materials cannot
be made logically and validity. Distorted generalizations may result.

Materials surveyed must be relevant to the study. Only materials that have some
bearing or similarity to the research problem at hand should be reviewed.

Surveyed materials must have been based upon genuinely original and true facts
or data to make them valid and reliable. There are cases where fictitious data are
supplied just to complete a research report (thesis or dissertation). Of course, this kind
of deception is hard to detect and to prove. Thus, this is a real problem to honest
researchers.

Reviewed materials must not be few or too many. They must only be sufficient
enough to give insight into the research problem or to indicate the nature of the present
investigation. They may also depend upon the availability of related materials.
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Sometimes there is a paucity of such materials. Ordinarily, form ten to fifteen related
materials re needed for a master`s thesis and from fifteen to twenty-five for a doctoral
dissertation depending their availability, as well as their depth and length of discussions.

For an undergraduate thesis, from five to ten may do. The numbers, however, are only
suggestive and not imperative nor mandatory. These are only the average numbers
observed from theses and dissertation surveyed by this author.

Sources of Related Literature and Studies

The sources of related literature and studies may include the following:

1. Book, encyclopedias, almanacs, and other similar references.

2. Articles published in professional journals, magazines, periodicals, newspapers,
and other publications.
3. Manuscripts, monographs, memoirs, speeches, letters, and diaries.
4. Unpublished theses and dissertations.
5. The Constitution, and laws and statues of the land.
6. Bulletins, circulars, and orders emanating from government offices and
departments, especially from the Office of the President of the Philippines and
the Department of Education, Culture and Sports.
7. Records from schools, public and private, especially reports of their activities.
8. Reports from seminars educational or otherwise.
9. Official reports of all kinds, educational, social, economic, scientific,
technological, political, etc. from the government and other entities.

THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

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FRAMEWORK

 Described as the abstract, logical structure of meaning that guide the

development of the study.
 All frameworks are based on the identification of key concepts and the
relationships among those concepts.

CONCEPT

 abstractly describes and names an object or phenomenon, thus providing it with

a separate identity and meaning.
 An intellectual representation of some aspect of reality that is derived from
observations made from phenomena.

Example of concept - Anxiety or Stress or Pain

CONSTRUCT

- Concepts at very high levels of abstraction that have general meanings.

Example: A construct associated with the concept of anxiety.

VARIABLES

These signify a more concrete level and are narrow in their definitions.

 A variable is more specific and is measurable.

 Framework can be derived from related concepts (conceptual) or existing
theories (theoretical).
 The terms conceptual framework and theoretical framework are sometimes used
interchangeably, but they have different meanings.

UNDERSTANDING CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

 This consists of concepts that are placed within a logical and sequential design.
 represents less formal structure and used for studies in which existing theory is
inapplicable or insufficient
 based on specific concepts and propositions, derived from empirical observation
and intuition.• may deduce theories from a conceptual framework.

Purposes of Conceptual Framework

 To clarify concepts and propose relationships among the concepts in a study.

 To provide a context for interpreting the study findings.
 To explain observations
 To encourage theory development that is useful to practice

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The theory provides a point of focus for attacking the unknown in a specific area.

If a relationship is found between two or more variables a theory should be formulated

to explain why the relationship exists

Theories are purposely created and formulated, never discovered; they can be tested
but never proven.

Abdellah defined theory as “an explanation of a phenomenon or an abstract

generalization that systematically explains the relationship among given
phenomena, for purposes of explaining, predicting and controlling such
phenomena.”

 The theoretical framework consists of theories that seem to be interrelated.

 The explanation concerns the relationship between two or more variables or

phenomena.• more formal and used for studies based on existing theories.

 derived from specific concepts and propositions that are induced or deduced.

Importance of Theory in Research

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The function of theory in research is to identify the starting point of the research problem
and to establish the vision to which the problem is directed.

It determines and defines the focus and goal of the research problem.

Key Terms to Understand

Conceptualization

 The process of forming basic ideas, designs, plans or strategies based on given
facts, situations and examples.

Propositions

 A statement or assertion of the relationship between concepts derived from

theories or generalizations based on empirical data.

Purposes of Theoretical Framework

To test theories
To make research findings meaningful and generalizable
To establish orderly connections between observations and facts.
To predict and control situations
To stimulate research

Purposes of Theories and Conceptual Models

Their overall purpose is to make research findings meaningful and generalizable.

Theories and conceptual models help to stimulate research and the extension of
knowledge by providing both direction and impetus.

Theoretical Framework and Conceptual Framework may be represented as

models:

A model is a symbolic representation that helps the researcher to express abstract

concepts and relationships easily, using minimal words.

A model can be represented schematically or mathematically.

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  Schematic model - conveys concepts and propositions through the use of boxes,
arrows or other symbols.

 Mathematical or statistical model - conveys concepts and propositions through

the use of letters, number and mathematical symbols.

CONCEPTUAL PARADIGM

 a diagram that visually represents and interprets the underlying theory, principles
and concepts of a research
 a visual presentation of variables that interrelate with one another as perceived
by the researcher before an actual empirical investigation is done to prove its
relationships

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