What is Quantitative Research?

 A systematic investigation of observable

phenomena where the researcher gathers
quantitative or numerical data and subjects them to
statistical methods.
 The method of research is highly deductive as it
uses data to test hypotheses and theories.
 It uses statistical methods such as:
a. Pearson’s r; which measures the relationship
between two variables;
b. t-test, which examines the presence of a statistical
differences between two means;
c. analysis of variance (ANOVA), which looks into
the statistical difference among the means of two
or more groups; and
d. multiple progression, which tests the relationship
between several independent variables and one
dependent variable.
 GOALS OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
a) To test hypotheses, explore casual relationships
b) Make predictions
c) Generalize the findings within a population

Probability Sampling – highly randomized

Generalizability – refers to the extent to which the
findings not only represent the samples but also the
population at large.

STRENGTHS OF QUANTITATIVE
RESEACH
It can be replicated or repeated in other contexts.
It provides findings that are generalizable to a large
population.
It can establish causality more conclusively.
It can make predictions based on numerical,
quantifiable data.
Data analysis using statistical software is faster.
Data-gathering techniques are typically less
demanding compared with those in qualitative
research.
It has a low degree of subjectivity.
Its validity and reliability can be measured.
WEAKNESSES OF QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
It cannot adequately provide in-depth information
necessary for describing and explaining a complex
phenomenon.
It lacks the ability to provide a comprehensive textual
description of human experiences.
Numerical data may be insufficient in analyzing
intangible factors, such as gender roles, socio-
economic status, and social norms of a given
population.
It has less flexibility in terms of study design.
Responses of participants are strictly limited to what
has been asked. These responses may not be
extensive in some cases.
Self-reported data may not be very accurate as
respondents may have the tendency to underestimate
or overestimate their skills and behavior during self-
assessment tasks.
Exercise
A.Write S on the blank if a quantitative approach is
suitable for the given question and N if it is not.
____1. Does the environmental literacy of an
individual increase with age?
____2. What are the challenges experienced by
student athletes?
____3. Does the exposure to CNN programs
improve student’s speaking skills?
____4. What are the factors that affect the
decision-making of parents regarding the
education of their children?
____5. How reliable are admission tests in
predicting the future performance of students in
school?
____6. What are the features of narcissistic posts
on Facebook?
____7. Do online materials enhance the computer
skills of students?
____8. Is there a relationship between milk
consumption and incidence of osteoporosis?
____9. What are the study habits of public school
students?
____10. What are the experiences of police
officers in arresting criminals?
B. In groups of two to three members, discuss the
ways to correct or make up the weaknesses or
inadequacies of quantitative research. Write two to
three sentences for each of the weaknesses.
Discuss your answers in class.
 KINDS OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
Kind Goal Variables Data Sample
& Collection Title
Experimenta Technique
l
Manipulatio
 n
Descri To Variables are Questionnair Assessing
Nurses’
p observe measured as e Attitudes
they occur. Observation Toward Death
tive and report
Experimental and Caring for
on a manipulation
Dying Patients
in a
certain is not used. Comprehensive
phenomen Cancer Center
 on
(Lange M., Thom, B.,
Kline, N.E., 2008)

Correla To determine Variables are Questionnair The

Relationship
the nature of measured as e
tional relationship
Between

between
they occur. Observation Service Quality
and Customer
variables Experimental Satisfaction in
without manipulation the
Telecommunica
looking into is not used. tion Industry,
 the cause Evidence from
Nigeria
(Ojo, O., 2010)

Ex post To infer Experimental Questionnair Comparison

Personal,
of
manipulation is e
facto the causes not used. Groups Social and
of a exposed to the
Academic
Variables
phenomen presumed cause Related to
on which are compared University
with those who drop-out Rate
 has already are not exposed and Persistence
to it. (Bernardo, A., et al.,
occurred 2016)

Quasi- To Experimental
manipulation may
Tests The Impact of
Smoking Bans
experi establish have limited use. on Smoking
mental cause- Intact (i.e.,
established) groups
and Consumer
Behavior:
and-effect are used; individual Quasi-
relationshi subjects are experimental
 ps randomly assigned
to the treatment and
Evidence from
Switzerland
control groups. (Boes, S., Mart, J.,
Maclean, J.C., 2014)

Experi To Experimental
manipulation is used. Tests Effects of
mental establish Intact groups are not
used, individual subjects Mobile
cause- are randomly assigned to
the treatment and control Technolo
and-effect groups.
The random assignment
gy Use on
of individual subjects
 relationshi provides more
conclusiveness as to the Walking
ps causal relationships
between the variables.
(Perlmutter, S., et
al., 2014)

Exercise 1.2
Write on the blank the kind of quantitative research (under Column
B) that is well suited to the given title (under column A).
Column A Column B
__________1. Effects of Aspirin on Reducing the
Correlational
Cholesterol Level of Obese People
__________2. Effects of Instagram on the Visual Descriptive
Literacy on Teenagers
__________3. Effects of Utilizing an Interdisciplinary Ex post
facto
Curriculum on the Health Literacy of
 Four Science Classes
__________4. The Relationship Between a Experimental
Teacher’s Personality and m

Performance Evaluation
__________5. Technical Capability of Water Quasi-experimental
Treatment Device
 KINDS OF VARIABLES AND THEIR USES
A variable is any element or entity which can be
measured for quantity or quality.
Two General Types of Variables
1. Quantitative Variables- can be measured
numerically.
Discrete Variables- can be counted.
 - Can be only denoted by
positive whole numbers and
are not described in ranges.
Examples: frequency of behavior & group size
Continuous Variables/Interval Variables
-are measured in ranges
 -can be denoted by non-whole numbers
- can have positive or negative values
- can be expressed as fractions
Example: Temperature
Ratio Variables- special type of continuous
variable and cannot have a negative value.
Examples: age, height, weight, distance, & test scores
2. Qualitative Variables- are also referred as
categorical variables.
 Dichotomous Variables- are those that have
only two distinct categories or values.
Example: the response to a “yes/no” question
  Nominal Variables- have more than two
categories or values.
Examples: hair color, marital status, blood type,
mode of transportation, source of income,
and citizenship
  Ordinal Variables- are variables that exhibit
the characteristics of both quantitative and
qualitative types.
-have values that can be ranked or ordered
-can be numerical like quantitative values
Variables can also be categorized based on their
purpose or role.
  Dependent Variable- examined for changes
- presumed effect
 Independent Variable- considered to affect the
dependent variable
- presumed cause
- it is the variable that the researcher manipulates
the to see whether it causes changes on the dependent variable.
 Extraneous Variable which is any variable not
categorized as a dependent/independent variable in a
study. It is an undesired variable that can influence
the results of an experiment.
 Confounding Variable is a special type of
extraneous variable. A variable that a researcher
fails to control and threatens the validity of an
experiment’s procedure.
NOTE: It is possible that the confounding variable has a relationship with the dependent variable and not the independent variable.

Example: “Effects of Using Microsoft Word on the

Writing Performance of Students”
Independent Variable:
___________________________
Dependent Variable:
____________________________
Extraneous Variable/s:
___________________________
Exercise 1.3
Identify the different variables in the following
situations. In case one type of variable is not used,
write NA.
1. You are provided with the following scores of
contestants in a painting competition. The
contestants have used different types of painting
materials in their artwork, such as acrylic, oil and
watercolor.
 Contestants Judge 1 Judge 2
1 (acrylic) 86 83
Quantitative variables(s): __________
Qualitative variables(s): ___________
2 (acrylic) 80 82
Ordinal variable:
3 (oil) 76 80
__________________
4 (oil) 90 86
Dependent variable:
5 (watercolor) 87 89 _______________
6 (watercolor) 87 91 Independent variable:
_____________
Extraneous variable:
_______________
2. You are given the following data regarding the
effects of a public relations campaign on the
satisfaction rating of top government officials of
country XYZ.
 Net Satisfaction Rating Quantitative variables(s):
Before After ___________________
President +46% +62% Qualitative variables(s):
Vice President +32% +41% _____________________
Senate President -12% -2% Ordinal variable:
____________________________
Supreme Court Justice +24% +34%
Dependent variable:
Importance of Quantitative ________________________
Independent variable:
Research in Different _______________________
Fields Extraneous variable:
________________________
The following are other instances in which quantitative
research can contribute to the development of specific fields.
 Social Inquiry: to better understand the behavior &
social interactions among individuals
Sample Study: Malouff, J M., Schutte, N. S., Rooke, S. E., &
MacDonell, G. (2012). Effects on Smokers of Exposure to
Graphic Warning Images. The American Journal on
Addictions, 21 (6), 555-557.
 Arts: to investigate methods or approaches that
enhance one’s creativity
Sample Study: Brinegar, J., & Capra, R. (2011). Managing
Music Across Multiple Devices & Computers. In Proceedings
of the 2011 iConference (pp. 489-495).
 Information & Communications Technology:
to examine the trends and tendencies in the use of information
technology
Sample Study: Tripathi, M., & Kumar, S., (2014). Use of
Online Resources at Jawaharlal Nehru University: A
Quantitative Study. Program, 48 (3), 272-292.
 Science: to determine the effectiveness of a newly
developed medicine, treatment, or approach in
addressing health problems
 Sample Study: Fatma, H. (2013). Effect of Tempeh Dates
Biscuits on Nutritional Status of Preschool Children with
Tuberculosis. Malaysian Journal of Nutrition, 19 (2), 173-184.
 Agriculture & Fisheries: to examine how
agriculture in a particular community is influenced by
global trends
Sample Study: Namisiko, P., & Aballo, M. (2013). Current
Status of E-agriculture & Global Trends: A Survey Conducted
in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. International Journal of
Science and Research, 2 (7), 18-22.
 Sports: to understand the relationship between
one’s health and athletic performance
Sample Study: Jines, J. G., & Hardy, L. (1989). Stress and
Cognitive Functioning in Sports. Journal of Sports Sciences, 7
(1), 41-63.
 Business: to assess approaches that will help
companies in their decision-making practices
Sample Study: Ali, R., & Ahmed, M. S. (2009). The Impact of
Reward and Recognition Programs on Employee’s Motivation
and Satisfaction: An Empirical Study. International Review of
Business Research Papers, 5 (4), 270-279.
Exercise 1.4
A.Explain how quantitative research can be useful in
each of the following fields study. Substantiate
your explanation with examples.
Area Practical Importance &
Examples
Arts and Design
Education
Sports
Natural & Physical
Sciences, Technology,
Engineering, &
Mathematics
Business and Accounting
Agriculture and Fisheries
Humanities & Social
Sciences
Information &
Communication
Technology
Social Inquiry
B. Form groups of five members each. Present a role play
showing how quantitative research contributes to nation-
building. Limit your presentation to not more than five
minutes. You may use props and costumes to better convey
your message.
Rubric for the Role Play
Criteria VG GE SE LE N
E 3 2 1 0
 4
Content (50%)
The presentation incorporates the
significant concepts.
Creativity & Overall Presentation
(35%)
The presentation shows the group’s
creativity.
the presentation shows the group’s
preparedness and effort.
Other Elements (15%)
The group members effectively use
non-verbal cues to convey the
message of the play (eye contact,
 gestures, and movement).
The group uses props and costumes
appropriately and effectively.
The group members speak clearly.
TOTAL
Legend: VGE- to a very great extent GE- to a great extent
SE- to some extent LE- to a little extent
N- not at all
 SELECTING THE RESEARCH TOPIC
Research Topic- a general idea of interest that
you would like to pursue in your research.
Factors to Consider in Identifying & Selecting a
Research Topic
a. Relevance- it relates to the needs of you study’s
target audience or when it considered important in
people’s daily lives.
b. Interest- the research topic should appeal to the
readers of your study and encourage you to
continue pursuing it.
c. Manageability- the research topic can be studied
within your abilities and must be doable within a
specific time limit.
d. Available Resources-to utilize in exploring your
chosen topic.
 Avoid tackling topics that are very recent or
highly technical.
 Refrain from pursuing sensitive and
controversial topics that may offend certain
groups of people.
THE BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Background of the Study introduces important facets
that establish the general context where the study
revolves.
 It may include the description of the subjects
of the study or the history involving the research.
 Establish the research gap. A research gap is
an issue that has not been fully addressed by
previous studies. It can helps you show where
your research stands in the academic field.
Components to Consider in Establishing the Research Gap
1. The current state of the field
2. The current and conventional practices in
addressing the issue.
3. The research gap.
4. The contribution of the present study in the
research gap.
IDENTIFYING & SELECTING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
Research Problem refers to the particular issue which
you will address in your study as well as the specific
area of concern of the research. The research problem
states what is to be investigated, identifies the
variables, and discusses their relationships.
Steps to Follow in Identifying the Research Problem
1. Conduct preliminary research using all available
resources (print & non-print) in identifying your
research problem.
2. Based on your preliminary research, prepare a
concept map to generate and synthesize your ideas.
3. Identify your general research problem from the
group of concepts. You can also think of other
specific research problems based on this general
research problem.
After identifying your research problem, you now
have to state it and establish its place in your
study. This is the function of the problem statement.
 The problem statement formally points out the
issue that your study wants to address.
 A good problem statement does not only identify
the problem in the study but also answers the
question “Why is the problem worthy of being
investigated?”
It includes the following components:
1. A clear explanation of the problem as well as
its causes.
 2. Evidence that supports the existence of the
identified problem.
3. Definition of concepts relevant to the problem.
FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
Research Questions- are important components of
your research which will help define the research
problem of your study. It indicate specific concerns
related to your research problem that your study also
intends to answer.
Classification of Research Questions
1. General Research Questions- derived from the
main problem of the study. It must contain words
related to quantitative research, such as effects or
relationship. The words who, when, or where shall
not be placed in the general research question as
 these elicit factual questions that may not require
extensive investigation and discussion.
2. Specific Research Questions- are anchored on the
general research questions. They are helpful in
developing tools for collecting data, gathering
related references, organizing your paper, and
drawing valid conclusions from findings. It must
include the significant variables in the study and
the subject being analyze.
 Research objectives- or the goals that your research
aims to achieve.
Thesis Statement- serves as a one-sentence summary
of the arguments that you are presenting in your
study.
SELECTING RESEARCH QUESTIONS FOR
DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
The focus of descriptive quantitative research is to
observe and report on the measurable aspects of a
phenomenon. Specific research questions in this kind
of study can begin with phrases such as how often,
how frequently, how many, how much, what is/are, to
what extent, what proportion, and what percentage.
EXAMPLE: “A Study Involving a Group of
Employees’ Usage of Facebook”
1. How often do employees use Facebook in one
week?
 2. How many hours do employees spend on
Facebook per week?
3. What proportion of Filipino male and female
employees uses Facebook?
SPECIFIC RESEARCH QUESTIONS FOR
CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH
Correlational research is interested in finding out
the relationships among two or more variables.
However, it only establishes mere association and
not causal relationships. Research questions for
correlational studies usually begin with “Is there a
relationship?” or “What is the relationship?”
Example: “A Study on the Length of Preparation for
Examinations and the Scores Obtained by Test-
takers”
1. What is the relationship between the length of the
review and examination scores?
 2. Is there a relationship between the IQ of a test-
taker and his/her performance in review sessions?
3. Is there s relationship between the performance of
a test-taker in a previous examination and the
length of review he/she takes for a new one?
SPECIFIC RESEARCH QUESTIONS FOR EX
POST FACTO RESEARCH
Ex post facto studies attempt to discover the cause/s of
a phenomenon. This cause has already occurred or
taken effect on the subject even before the conduct of
the study, or has not been introduced in the study
itself. The causal relationship, however, is not as
strong as the one established in quasi-experimental
and experimental studies.
The presumed cause that exists even before the study
is undertaken must be incorporated in the questions.
This characteristics must also be observed when the
questions are comparative in nature. The questions
must not suggest that an experiment is to be conducted
in the study. They must not imply that the
manipulation of a variable during the study will cause
certain conditions to occur.
EXAMPLE: “Involving Digital Literacy and the Type
of Information Technology Education that Students
Obtain”
1. Are information technology education students and
vocational education students digitally literate?
2. Using the four components of digital literacy, what
can be identified as the strengths and weaknesses of
information technology education students and
vocational education students?
3. Is there a difference between the digital literacy
scores of information technology education
students and vocational education students?
SPECIFIC RESEARCH QUESTIONS FOR
 EXPERIMENTAL AND QUASI-
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
Specific research questions in experimental and quasi-
experimental studies suggest a stronger causal
relationship among the variables in the study. The
causal relationship is linked to the manipulation of a
certain variable during the study itself.
 The first two questions for both experimental &
quasi-experimental studies should be quantitative
in nature.
 The next question should have a qualitative
element to provide meaning to the numbers or
statistical data that will be analyzed.
This is one way of using the mixed method in
conducting research in general, or combining
elements of qualitative and quantitative research in
the analysis of data.
EXAMPLE: “Tutorial Sessions and Academic
Performance”
1. Is there a significant post-test gain on students’
academic performance?
2. Is there a difference between the post-test gains of
the control group and treatment group?
3. How do students rate their experiences in one-on-
one tutorial sessions?
EXERCISE 2.3Write one general research question
and three specific research questions for each of
the given research topics.
Research Topic: Effects of the wife’s employment
on the power structure of the family
Research Topic: The effects of online campaigning
on the preferred election candidates of young voters
Research Topic: The relationship between Internet
exposure and the digital literacy of students
Research Topic: Stress levels among the senior
citizens of Barangay Pulang Lupa
FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
Hypothesis is a statement that defines the testable
relationship you expect to see from examining the
variables in your research.
 From the hypothesis you can make statements
predicting what will happen in your research.
 Hypothesis formulation is employed when
conducting correlational, ex post facto, quasi-
experimental, and experimental studies.
TYPES OF HYPOTHESIS
1. Null Hypothesis (Ho)
States that there is no relationship between
variables.
In correlational studies, it states that this
relationship is, indeed, absent.
 In experimental, quasi-experimental, and ex post
facto studies, states that the independent variable
has no effect on the dependent variable.
2. Alternative Hypothesis (HA)
States that there is a relationship between
variables.
In correlational studies merely express the
existence of this relationship.
 In experimental, quasi-experimental, and ex
post facto studies, states that the independent
variable has an effect on the dependent
variable.
 A hypothesis can also state a direction. The
direction of a hypothesis points out if the variables
have a negative or positive relationship with each
other. It means that the increase or decrease of the
value of a variable has a relationship with the
increase or decrease of another.
 If the hypothesis explicitly suggest either a positive
or negative relationship between the variables, it is
now referred to as the directional hypothesis.
 If the hypothesis is according to one specific
direction, it is examined through a one-tailed test.
 If the hypothesis does not specify a particular
direction, it is now called, non-directional
hypothesis.
 Such a hypothesis merely states that there is a
relationship between two variables. This relationship
is not specified as negative or positive. The
hypothesis in this instance it is examined through a
two-tailed test.
Research Research Null Hypothesis Alternative
Type Title Hypothesis
Directional Non- Directional Non-
directional directional
Correla The There is There is There is a There is a
tional relationsh no positive no positive relationshi
ip relationshi relationsh relationshi p between
between a p between ip p between a person’s
person’s a person’s between a a person’s weight and
weight weight person’s weight the length
and length and the weight and the of time
 of time length of and the length of spent
spent time spent length of time spent watching
watching watching time spent watching TV
TV TV watching TV
TV
Experi The Group Group Group Group
mental effects of study will study will study will study will
group not not affect improve affect the
study an improve the the academic
academic the academic academic performan
performa academic performa performa ce of high
 nce of performa nce of nce of school
high nce of high high students
school high school school
students school students students.
students
Guidelines in Formulating Hypothesis
1. Identify the independent and dependent variables in
your study.
2. Your hypothesis must be falsifiable.
3. Your hypothesis must show a relationship between
your variables.
EXERCISE 2.4----Complete the following table by
writing the null and alternative hypotheses
appropriate for each of the given titles.
Research
Title
Null Hypothesis Alternative
Hypothesis
Directional Non-directional Directional Non-
directional
The effects of
the wife’s
employment on
the power
structure of the
family
The effects of
online
campaigning on
the preferred
election
candidates of
young voters
The relationship
between internet
exposure and
the digital
literacy of
students
WRITING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
STUDY
 This section details the contribution or benefit of
your study provides different people and
organizations, including the academe and other
sectors of society. Thus, the significance of the study
may be in practical, methodological, or theoretical
sense.
 It can be written topically or in an enumeration
format.
Topical Arrangement – is done in paragraphs and
based on the weight of the individual contributions.
 - it can be also based on how you sequence your
specific research questions.
- if you will uses this format, there should be one
paragraph corresponding to each of the
contributions or research questions.
Enumeration Format – the details must be arranged
according to the beneficiaries.
Examples of the That May Benefit From Your Study
Field of study (e.g., business, education)
Government agencies
Private organizations
Organizations or company involved in the study
Staff, heads, & administrators of a specific organization
or company
Population the participants belong to
Other researchers
Useful Phrases That Can Use In Writing The
Significance Of The Study
 The findings of this study will be useful to the
following entities:
This study will contribute to…
This study will benefit the following groups or
individuals:

WRITING THE SCOPE & DELIMITATION

describes the parameters to which the study is set. It
sets the boundaries of your research in terms of
certain aspects. The scope and delimitation include
(but are not limited to) the following items:
Topic of the study
Objectives of the study and the issues it will address
Time frame in which the study will be conducted
 Characteristics of the participants in the study (age,
sex, education, economic status, civil status, and
other traits)
Response formats used in the study (if applicable)
Make sure that there are reasons for the inclusion &
exclusion of some variables.
You may use the ff. phrases when writing this section:
This study covers… This study is limited to…
This study focuses on… This study does not cover…
The coverage of this study…
 WRITING THE RESEARCH TITLE
Title summarizes the main idea of the whole paper &
its notable part of the research paper. It must be
written using the fewest possible words w/o
compromising its clarity and idea.
Guidelines in Writing the Research Title
1.Avoid an overly general title.
2.Refrain from using abbreviations unless they are
commonly known.
3.Avoid using phrases such as “A Study of…” and
“An Investigation of…” as they show wordiness.
4.Indicate the subject and scope of the study by
specifying your dependent and independent
variables.
5.As much as possible, refrain from indicating the
year the study has been conducted. However, there
are exceptions to this rule, such as in a historical
study.
6.Employ either the declarative or question form in
formulating your title, but take note that question
form is used less frequently in research.
7.Use the current terminology in your field of study
when writing your research title.
fgd14
LESSON 3: Learning from Others and Reviewing
the Literature
Literature Review is an academic text that provides
an overview of a particular topic.
 It helps identify what is known and not known
about a certain subject of study.
 It involves the use of higher-order-thinking skills,
Such as the review, evaluation, & synthesis of
several scholarly works.
 It is an integral part of any research paper and
serves several functions.
1. It establishes the relevance of the study.
2. It further helps in establishing the research gap
that the study intends to fill.
3. It provides important information about your
topic and the concepts related to it.
4. It presents the contradictions between and
among previous literature.
 5. It justifies your research methodology, as its
effectiveness may be determined by a survey of
previous studies relevant to your research.
6. It presents and discusses your theoretical and
conceptual frameworks which are the backbone of
your study.
Stages in Writing the Literature Review
1. Searching for works relevant to the study
2. Analyzing the scholarly works
3. Drafting the literature review
Literature Search is the stage in which the researcher
systematically looks for and selects reference
materials relevant to the study.
Points to Remember in Conducting the Literature Search
1. Identify the topics concepts that you need to
incorporate into your paper.
2. Specify the type of sources that you will use.
3. Search for scholarly work by visiting the school
library or popular online details.
Examples:
Proquest Spinger Science Direct
Wiley JSTOR Taylor &
Francis
EBSCO Sage Publications Google Scholar
 As much as possible, include only references
published in reputable journals & publishers, and
those written by experts who specialized in your
selected topic. Include also the landmark studies,
articles, reports, or books related to your topic.
4. Use relevant key words to find your desired
sources.
Example: Effects of Online Games on the Digital
Literacy of Teenagers
5. When conducting literature search online, use links
that are considered reliable. These are the sites
that end in .gov, .mil, and .edu. Sites that end
in .com and .org are also acceptable as long as
they are associated with recognized companies and
organizations. Some of these sites are www.un.org
(United Nations), www.unesco.org (UNESCO),
www.edition.cnn.com (Cable News Network), and
www.rd.com (Reader’s Digest).
6. You may also utilize Boolean searching strategies
in conducting your literature search online.
Boolean searching strategies use certain keywords
to limit and focus one’s online search of a certain
topic. The ff. are some of the Boolean searching
strategies that can be used.
a. Use AND if you want to search for profiles or
texts that contain the terms connected by AND
(e.g., university AND colleges).
b. Use OR if you want to search for profiles or
texts that contain either of the terms connected by
OR (e.g., university OR colleges).
c. Use NOT if you want to exclude a particular
term in your search (e.g., university NOT
colleges).
d. Use quotation marks if you want to search for a
specific phrase (e.g., “Top Philippine
universities”).
 If you intend to use your school library to get
available materials for your research, you may follow
these steps:
1. Visit the online public access catalog (OPAC)
database of your school library.
2. Key in the important details about the materials
you want to find.
3. You can utilize print and non-print sources from
the library.
4. Use call numbers to locate your library materials,
particularly those in print. Call numbers are
unique identifiers of library materials.
5. Check the table of contents of the materials to see
whether they are useful for your research. If
needed, you may briefly read the actual content of
the materials.
6. After verifying the relevance of the materials, go to
the library counter to borrow the materials. If they
 cannot be borrowed, however, you make take notes
from the material while in the library.
fgd14

Evaluation and Analysis of the Selected Works

 This stage is performed once you have selected all
your potential references.
 This stage also further ensures that the materials
you will use in your paper are only those that are
closely related to your research topic.
 The following are strategies you can use in
evaluating and analysing your selected references.
1. Obtain an overview of the reference you
selected. This will help you determine the
relevance of its content to your research.
2. When evaluating research articles, found out if
they are published by reputable
publisher/journal and written by legitimate
scholars in your field of study. You may refer to
the Thomson Reuters Master Journal list
(http://ip-science.thomsonreuters.com/mjl/) or
Scopus Source List
(https://www.elsevier.com/solutions/scopus/cont
ent) for the list of reputable research journals.
3. As much as possible, refrain from using
references published by predatory journals or
publishers as they do not guarantee quality.
Predatory publishers and journals are those
that publish research papers for financial gain
and do not follow the ethics in producing an
academic work.
4. Refrain from using materials that do not
directly explain the concepts related to your
study.
5. As much as possible, use references that have
been published within last five years, unless you
are writing a historical paper, which may entail
the use sources from earlier periods of time.
6. Group the references according to the
categories you use during literature search. You
 may use online tools (e.g., Zotero) in tagging
(or labelling) and classifying these references.
7. If material appears to be relevant to your topic,
current, and reliable, continue reading its
content. However, if the material does meet the
these standards, exclude it from your literature
review.
8. Carefully read each of the materials you will
incorporate into your literature review. Note
 down the key information in these materials.
Determine which information you can include in
your literature review.
9. Use a concept map if you want to see the
relationship, similarities, and differences among
the materials you have read.
Drafting the Literature Review
 It is in this stage where you actually write your
literature review.
 In drafting your review, need to consider how you
are going to arrange the works you will cite.
 You also need to consider how these works will be
linked to one another, to better provide an overview
of the topic you are studying in your research.
1.Get a model paper that deals with a topic similar
to yours. You may pattern the sequence of your
ideas on your model paper.
 2.In the introductory portion, provide an overview of
what can be found in your literature review.
Example:
This section contains literature and studies on
acquisition-learning integration, the biological basis
behind the separation of learning and acquisition,
comprehensible input, grammar, affected factor, and
communicative competence. These materials were
gathered from books on language teaching,
psychology and curriculum development journals and
other periodicals, theses and dissertations, online
sources, and other unpublished materials. These
materials provided the researcher with an exhaustive
review of the topic and the essential background
knowledge to pursue this study.
3.Divide the literature review in two subsections: (a)
the conceptual literature sect ion which explains
concepts relevant to your study, and (b) the related
 studies section which presents studies similar to
your own.
4.When writing the conceptual literature, you may
use concepts from the title of the reference or the
specific questions and objectives of your research.
For the related studies, you may arrange them in
three ways: by theme (i.e., similar studies are
grouped together), by chronology (i.e., from the
earliest to the latest), or by type (foreign or local
studies). These three ways of writing the related
studies section depend on the objectives and
features of your review.
a.) Thematic Arrangement – if your intention is
to make the readers focus on how your study is
similar to or different from previous ones
b.) Chronological Arrangement – if you want to
emphasize the development and progress in a
specific field of study
 c.) Typological Arrangement – if there are
sufficient studies conducted locally about the
topic of your research.
5.At the end of the related studies section, write a
synthesis that shows the research gap.
6. Define important terms in your study. Aside from
formal and informal ways, definitions can be made
operationally or conceptually. An operational
definition is a type of definition specifically made
 for your study, while a conceptual definition is
the definition of a term which is generally used in
a specific discipline. This definition is oftentimes
used by scholars. Citations are often required
when using conceptual definitions.
7.If you cannot explain some concepts in detail due
to space constraints, you may direct the readers to
a particular scholarly work that discusses the said
 topic more extensively. This is done by using the
following citation format: (see author, year).
8. Use cohesive devices throughout the literature
review to link one idea to another.
Examples: transitional devices, conjunctions,
pronouns, and repetition of terms for referencing
ideas.
9. Use headings and subheadings. This will help you
organize the studies and references you have
 gathered. This will also aid the reader in making
sense of the ideas and related studies to your
research.
10. Be sure to apply the principle of cohesiveness
when writing your literature review. This means
that each paragraph should focus only on one
main idea, and these ideas should be linked to one
another.
11. Use direct quotation sparingly. Direct quotation
is typically used when stating laws and principles
and when explicitly showing an author’s intention.
You can also use direct quotation if you think that
it is best to present the ideas of certain historical
figures and experts in your field.
12. Write a brief synthesis at the end of the literature
review to show how these scholarly works shape
 your paper, and to further reinforce the research
gap that these studies have yet to fill.
13. Survey all possible sources before claiming that
no studies have been conducted on a particular
topic or saying that your topic is underexplored.
14. Cite your sources. Use the appropriate
documentation and citation style in your literature
review. Three of the most popularly used
documentation styles are from the American
 Psychological Association (APA) style, the
Modern Language Association (MLA), and the
Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). The
documentation and citation style you will use
depends on the subject matter of your research. Be
consistent in using it when documenting sources
and writing literature review.

Important Skills in Drafting the Literature Review

 There are two skills that are particularly important
in drafting the literature review. The first is
synthesizing. This skill involves the review of several
references that talk about the same subject and
consolidating them into one cohesive text.
Synthesizing can be done at the micro and macro
levels. Microlevel synthesis involves the consolidation
of ideas to explain a concept. To effectively perform
microlevel synthesis, you may follow these strategies:
1. Look into and take note of related ideas in the
materials you are examining.
2. Cluster the ideas shared among the materials,
determine those that are distinct, and put them in a
separate list.
3. Decide on how you will arrange the ideas. Discuss
first the common ideas to give a general overview
of the topic. Then, present the distinct ideas and
relate them to your study.
4. Use multiple citations if one idea can be found in
several sources.
5. Insert the corresponding citations while writing the
synthesis.

Macrolevel Synthesis
is performed when several studies are consolidated to
establish a research gap and not just to explain a
concept.
It also involves drawing conclusions based on the
similarities and differences of the reviewed
references and studies.
It does not only involve the description of certain
aspects in these materials such as the methods, and
conclusions generated.
It also relates the various issues and topics in these
materials to one another; and highlights how these
can be used in your paper. Here are some strategies
that you can use in synthesizing your references:
1.Note any similarities and differences across your
references that are relevant to your paper.
2. Take note of issues that were not addressed by
your references.
3. Arrange the related studies and references
logically, this can be done either thematically or
chronologically.
4. Draw conclusions about the materials in order tp
highlight their importance.
Note-taking
 is another skill that you can particularly use in
drafting the literature review as well as in the other
stages of the research undertaking.
  It involves writing information from a source text
and integrating this information into your current
study. Two of the most common forms of note-taking
in writing academic works are summarizing and
paraphrasing.
Summarizing is a form of note-taking that involves
condensing a lengthy piece of source material. It can
be done in two ways: an outline or a non-outline form.
Through effective summarizing, you can improve your
skills in studying, writing, and reading as well as
establish your credibility as a researcher. Below are
strategies you can use for effective summarizing.
1. Read the text carefully and fully understand its
content.
2. Annotate the text, if desired. Through annotation,
you will be able to jot down the important ideas in
your source material.
3. Take note of the author’s name, the title of the text,
and its year of publication. Write these information
in the first sentence of the summary.
4. If you are summarizing text that contains multiple
paragraphs, begin by identifying the main idea of
each paragraph and write them using your own
words.
5. Afterwards, combine these sentences into one
coherent paragraph using appropriate cohesive
devices.
6. Avoid adding comments to the summary as it may
change the tone and meaning of the original text.
7. Avoid repeating ideas unnecessarily.
8. Compare your summary to the original text to
ensure accuracy.
9. Take note of the bibliographical information you
listed earlier as you cite your source material.
Paraphrasing
is a form of note-taking that involves rewording
ideas from the original text in a more detailed way.
Since paraphrasing focuses on the details and not
only the main idea, the length of a paraphrased text
is almost the same as that of the original text.
Is typically done to simplify a complex text. Below
are the strategies you can use for effective
paraphrasing.
1. Read the passage thoroughly and comprehend it
fully.
2. Highlight the relevant words and phrases in the
passage and retain them in your paraphrased text.
However, you need to present these words and
phrases in a different manner.
3. You may also annotate the text if needed to help
you make sense of details from the original text in
your own way.
4. Refrain from constantly looking at the original
text when paraphrasing. Doing so may tempt you
to copy the exact words from the text.
5. When paraphrasing texts at the world level, use a
synonym that fits the text. Rephrase the words that
 can be changed (i.e., common terms) and retain
those that cannot be changed (i.e., proper terms).
6. When paraphrasing texts as the sentence level,
transform an active sentence into passive or vice
versa, and transform a complex sentence into
simple sentence or vice versa. This will further
ensure that the content from the original text is
expressed in a different way.
7. Retain the tone of the original text.
8. Compare the paraphrased text with the original
text to ensure accuracy.
9. Properly cite the source of the text you
paraphrased.

Usuall Sometime Seldom Never

y (3) s (2) (1) (0)
I choose a research topic that
is both interesting & relevant
to today’s issues and needs of
society.
I consider my resources when
choosing a research topic.
I conduct preliminary
research when writing the
introduction of my research
paper.
I provide justification for
conducting the study.
I state the research gap &
explain how my study fills the
gap.
I explain the scope &
delimitation of my study.
I specify the significance of
my study in the introduction
of my research paper.
I make sure that my research
questions are aligned with the
kind of quantitative research I
plan to conduct.
I formulate a thesis statement
based on my research
questions.
I know the conventions to be
observed when writing a title
for a quantitative study.