Grade
12
Self-Learning Module in INQUIRIES, INVESTIGATIONS AND IMMERSION
Lesson: Brainstorming for Research Topics
Quarter: III Week: 1 Day and Time: See Class program
You have learned the step-by-step procedure in writing a qualitative and quantitative
research in your previous subjects – Practical Research 1 and 2, respectively. As a
culminating activity, Inquiries, Investigations and Immersion is designed to heighten
your critical thinking and problem-solving skills through conducting another meaningful
study. This particular module is designed to assist you in choosing a significant topic that
will benefit your area of interest.
After this module, you are expected to:
1. identify issues and ideas in respective track or strand;
2. formulate a suitable research topic related to a track or strand; and
3. write a research plan about the selected research topic.
What I Know
There are 15 words that are possible sources for a research topic hidden in the wordsquare
below. Words appear vertically, horizontally, diagonally, backwards and forwards. Search
for these words and write your answers on your notebook.
T H E O R I E S D E E N X O N
I R X E S E A P R O B L E M S
N R P C I N T E R E S T H Q U
T Z E E D F H C G S U W V V A
U E R R I P H I L O S O P H Y
I R I U A X E A E L B B O A S
T M E T O D U L S E I S S O T
I H N A A R D I S S U E S U U
O G C R H C O Z O V I R D P D
N A E E N E D A N M I V C L I
O C S T C K D T S O W A N Q E
U A R I A N E I T E D T U C S
A T V L I O N O R E S I E A R
C D I S F U N N Z X E O E W Y
A P N O I T A S R E V N O C M
Lesson I.BRAINSTORMING FOR RESEARCH TOPICS
One of the most important considerations for every research is selecting a research topic.
A research topic serves as the basis of each research undertaking. It directs how the
research will be carried out.
A good researcher must carefully choose a topic that is doable and significant to a certain
discipline or field. Many researchers find selecting a research topic a difficult task. Some
do it through brainstorming or by observing their surroundings.
In this module, you will be guided on how to easily choose a research topic from your
area of interest.
What’s In
Taking into consideration your experiences from your previous research subjects, decide
whether each sentence must be a criterion in choosing a good research problem. On your
notebook, write YES if the statement can be considered as a criterion and NO if otherwise.
A research topic should…
1. be original.
2. be ambiguous.
3. fill in a research gap.
4. be costly and ambitious.
5. be general and not specific.
6. arouse intellectual curiosity.
7. be within the researcher’s interest.
8. make use of ineffective research instrument.
9. be completed beyond the given period of time.
10. be insignificant to the field of study or discipline.
What’s New
A common challenge when beginning to write a research paper is determining
how to narrow down your topic. To assist you in the selection process, here
are some guidelines given by Baraceros (2016:38-39):
1. INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT MATTER
Being interested in a topic is usually due to the richness of your stock
knowledge about it or because of its familiarity to you. Curiosity about
an issue/topic is one of the factors that motivate a person to unravel the
unknown in a topic. Thus, the researcher’s interest increases the
possibility of the success of the study.
2. RICHNESS OF AVAILABLE SOURCES OR SUPPORTING EVIDENCES
One of the things that you should do is to collect a lot of information on
your topic of interest. This enables you to find evidences that would
support your topic. You must ensure that your sources come from a wide
variety of literature such as books, journal, periodicals, online articles,
etc. Hence, going to the library and surfing the internet are some of
the activities that you should do as a researcher.
3. TIMELINESS AND RELEVANCE OF THE TOPIC
Your topic should be relevant and timely. A topic is relevant if it serves
as an instrument in improving the society or if it answers or solves
current issues which are some of the reasons why research is conducted.
4. LIMITATIONS OF THE SUBJECT
Aside from your interest, you must also consider the significance of
the topic in your track and strand. Remember that research is
conducted to contribute something valuable to a particular area or
discipline.
5. PERSONAL RESOURCES
Prior to finalizing your chosen topic, you must assess your research
abilities as a student. You may do so by taking your financial capability,
health condition, personal qualifications and trainings as a researcher,
needed facilities and time allotment into account. It is important that all of
these aspects are considered in order for you to guarantee the
accomplishment of your research.
What is It
Now that you have learned the considerations in formulating a research
problem, here are the steps that will guide you trim down your area of interest.
1. Focus on your track, strand or area of specialization.
• For example:
HUMSS
2. Recall the specific area, lesson or issue in your respective
field or strand that has piqued or aroused your interest the
most.
• Public Speaking
3. Generate an unanswered question or an unresolved
problem from your chosen area or lesson.
• Why do people feel anxious when speaking in public?
4. Assess the question or problem based on the five guidelines
stated above.
• I'm interested in the topic.
• There are available sources of data.
• It is timely and relevant.
• It will contribute to my strand.
• It is doable considering my personal resources.
5. Write your research problem.
• Factors Affecting the Speaking Anxiety of Students
When formulating an effective research title, take the following guidelines into
consideration:
1. Indicate accurately the subject and scope of the study.
2. The title must be limited to 10 to 15 substantive words. Conjunctions (and,
but, because), prepositions (in, on, at) and articles (the, a, an) are not
counted.
3. Do not include analysis of, study of, an investigation of and the like.
4. The title must be in the phrase form.
5. Avoid title that gives too much information
What’s More
A. Match the following descriptions in column A to their respective guidelines
in choosing a research topic in column B. Write the letter of the correct answer
in your Activity sheet.
A B
1. This refers to the a. limitations of the subject
researcher’s abilities, b. personal resources
financial capacity, resources c. interest in the subject matter
in terms of instruments, d. timeliness and relevance
facilities and time frame. e. richness of available resources or
2. This refers to the social supporting evidences of
applicability and appropriateness
appropriateness of the topic f. intellectual ability
to the current situation.
3. This refers to an individual’s
interest in a topic driven by
his or her schema about it.
4. This refers to the availability
of needed resources as
evidence for the topic.
5. This refers to the topic’s
contribution to a particular
field or discipline.
B. Arrange the following steps in correct sequence using numbers 1-5. Write
your answers in your Activity sheet.
6. Write your research problem.
7. Generate an unanswered question or an unresolved problem from your
chosen area or lesson.
8. Recall the specific area, lesson or issue in your respective field that has
piqued your interest the most.
9. Assess the question or problem based on the five guidelines stated
above.
10. Focus on your track, strand or area of specialization.
What I Can Do
Think of two specific research topics from the broad topics listed below
following the guidelines explained above. Write your answers in your
Activity sheet. (5 points each)
Fingerprinting DNA
Ethics and Genetics Insecticides
Humans and Wildlife Export and Import
Malnutrition Intermittent Fasting
Psychology of Plastic Surgery Food Nutrition
Vaccines Privacy Issues
Violence Mobile Games
Racism Computer Literacy
Sex Education Online Selling
Social Media Accounting System
Terrorism Marketing Strategies
Online Learning Technology and Business
Gender Roles Thermal Insulation
For example:
Broad Topic: Online Selling
Specific Topic: Influence of Internet Based Marketing Activities on
Digital Consumer’s Mind
Broad Topic:
Specific Topic:
SENIOR DEPARTMENT
Don Antonio Village, Rosales, Pangasinan
WORKSHEET
Name: INQUIRIES, INVESTIGATIONS
Subject:
Grade/Section: AND IMMERSION
Subj. Teacher: Week: 1
I. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Test/Activity Score
A. What’s In, p.1
B. What I Know, p. 5-6
II. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
A. Let us apply the five steps mentioned previously for you to arrive on your
specific research topic. Answer the following questions briefly.
(2 points each)
STEPS IN SPECIFYING THE ANSWER
RESEARCH TOPIC
1. What is your track and strand?
2. What is the specific lesson or
in your track and strand that has
issue
piqued your interest the most?
3. What is the unanswered
unresolved
question or problem, or issue
involved
in the lesson or issue?
4. Assess the question or problem Is it within your interest?
based on the five guidelines. Yes No
Are there available data,
resources and evidences that
will support the topic? Yes No
Is it timely and relevant? Yes No
Will it contribute to your track and
strand? Yes No
Is it within your personal
resources?
Yes No
5. If all of your answers are yes,
write down your specific research
then
problem. If no, reevaluate your
research
question or problem.
B. Based on the research problem that you have written above, write your
research plan by answering the following questions on the table below.]
(2 points each)
RESEARCH PLAN
1. Research Problem:
(What is your research problem?)
2. Rationale:
(Why do you want to conduct this study?)
3. Significance:
(Why is it important to be conducted?)
4. Objective:
(What is your goal to achieve in this study?)
5. Method and Design: Respondents:
(Is it a quantitative or a (Who or what will be the source of your
qualitative study?) data?)
Sample Size:
(How many respondents does your study
need?)
Sampling Technique:
(How will you choose your respondents or
source of data?)
C. Using the guidelines stated above, formulate a tentative research title
based on your chosen research problem in Assessment.
(15 points)
Research Tentative
Problem: Title:
The checklist below will guide you in assessing the tentative title you have
written. However, the research title may still be changed along the course of
the study.
Self-Assessment Checklist YES NO
1. Is it original?
2. Is it concise?
3. Is it clear?
4. Is it specific?
5. Does it reflect the topic to be explored?
III. REFLECTIVE ASSESSMENT
1. What concepts or skills did you learn well?
___________________________________________________________
2. What concepts or skills was difficult to understand?
___________________________________________________________
3. What activities did you enjoy the most?
___________________________________________________________
4. What activity was hard to execute?
___________________________________________________________
5. Did you ask help from your teacher? (Yes or No). ___________________
If Yes, did you immediately receive the needed assistance?
Was the given assistance helpful for you to understand better the lesson?____________
______________________________________
Rubric for What I Can Do
5 3 1
Criteria/Indicators Excellent/ Satisfactory Needs
Outstanding Improvement
Feasibility of The research The research The research
Research Problem problem is problem is problem is
practical and slightly practical completely
doable and may be impractical and
doable undoable
Specificity of The research The research The research
Research Problem problem problem is problem is still
uniquely slightly broad
belongs to a ambiguous
specific area of
the topic
Timeliness The research The research The research
Relevance of problem is problem is problem is
Research Problem highly slightly insignificant at
significant at significant at the the time being
the time being time being
Rubric for Additional Activity
15 POINTS
Criteria/ Originality Clarity Conciseness Specificity
Indicators The title is The title is The title is not The title
new and clear and stuffy and dull but demonstrates
different straight- gives readers some elements that
from what forward. idea at the outset point out the
has already (4 points) of what the angle of
been research will inquiry.
written contain. (3 points)
about. (4 points)
(4 points)
SCORE
TOTAL
