TIPS: How to Choose Research Ideas

Summary

The video discusses how to guide students in selecting research topics, emphasizing the importance of personal interest, relevance, and practical scope. Teachers are encouraged to help students align their projects with global and national research agendas, like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The speaker highlights the value of design thinking in research, advocating for understanding real-world problems by engaging with stakeholders directly. The process is iterative, encouraging ongoing refinement. There's also a focus on proper literature review, noting the balance between foundational and recent studies, and the importance of immersing in local contexts to identify impactful research questions.

Takeaways

• 📚 Choosing a research topic involves considering student interests and establishing relevance to current phenomena or societal needs.
• 🎓 High school and college students often engage in research through programs like research advisor programs where they may be assigned or propose their own topics.
• 🌍 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as a framework for identifying research topics that have global significance and can be tailored to local contexts.
• 🧠 Brainstorming and mind mapping are encouraged to visualize the research outcome and to ensure the topic is output-oriented.
• 🔍 The Philippine Department of Science and Technology's Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda provides focus areas for critical research, guiding student topics.
• 🏫 Teachers play a crucial role in guiding students to formulate research ideas that are feasible given resource limitations and their skill level.
• 🌱 Design thinking is a recommended approach for identifying research problems, involving understanding needs, engaging with stakeholders, and iterating solutions.
• 🌾 Practical examples, such as immersing in farming communities to understand local challenges, are used to demonstrate the design thinking process in action.
• 📝 Personal observations and fieldwork are valid components of research and can be cited in academic papers as personal communications or field notes.
• 📖 Literature reviews should be comprehensive, not limited to recent publications, to build on established knowledge and avoid redundant or incorrect research.
• ⏱ The importance of up-to-date literature is debated; while some educators require the last five years of publications, others recognize the value of older, fundamental works.

Q & A

What is the significance of choosing a research topic in the educational context?

Choosing a research topic is significant as it sets the direction for a student's inquiry and ensures that they pursue a subject that aligns with their interests and has social relevance, which is crucial for educational research.

How do high school students typically come up with research topics?

High school students often come up with research topics based on current phenomena or their line of study. They may also be assigned topics by teachers or work in groups under a research advisor program.

What is the role of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in guiding research topics for students?

SDGs serve as a framework for students to identify research topics that are relevant to global issues, ensuring that their research has a broader impact and aligns with international development priorities.

How does the Department of Science and Technology in the Philippines contribute to research topic selection?

The Department of Science and Technology in the Philippines rolls out a harmonized national research and development agenda, identifying focus areas that require critical research, thus guiding students to select topics with social relevance.

Why is it important for students to be interested in their research topic?

Student interest in their research topic is important because it drives motivation and engagement, leading to higher quality work and a more meaningful learning experience.

What is the purpose of mind mapping in the research process?

Mind mapping is used to visualize the research process, helping students to understand the connections between different aspects of their topic and to plan their research steps effectively.

How does design thinking apply to research problem identification?

Design thinking is a process that involves understanding the problem, engaging with stakeholders, and iteratively developing solutions. It allows students to immerse themselves in the issue, formulate research questions, and design studies based on real-world challenges.

What is the difference between a Capstone project and scientific research in the context of education?

A Capstone project is typically a culminating academic task that demonstrates a student's mastery of a subject, while scientific research involves systematic investigation and experimentation to contribute to the body of knowledge in a field.

How should personal observations be cited in academic research papers?

Personal observations can be cited as 'personal communication' in parentheses, acknowledging the source and the nature of the information, which is acceptable in academic writing.

What is the importance of reviewing literature in the research process?

Reviewing literature is crucial as it provides a foundation for understanding existing knowledge, avoiding repetition of previous work, and identifying gaps that the new research can address.

How should students approach the scope of their research given resource limitations?

Students should adjust their research scope based on their skill level and available resources, ensuring that their project is actionable and feasible within the constraints they face.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Choosing a Research Topic

The paragraph discusses the process of selecting a research topic, particularly for high school and college students. It emphasizes the importance of student interest and relevance to current phenomena or societal needs. The speaker introduces the concept of starting with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for identifying research topics. They also mention the role of research advisers in guiding students towards topics of interest and social relevance. The paragraph concludes with the suggestion to use mind mapping and outcome-oriented thinking when initiating research.

05:04

📚 Aligning Research with National Agendas

This paragraph focuses on aligning research topics with national priorities, such as the Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda in the Philippines. It underscores the significance of social relevance in research and the need for students to understand the scope of their research based on their skills and available resources. The speaker also introduces design thinking as a method for identifying research problems, which involves understanding the needs of stakeholders and designing solutions based on their input. The paragraph provides an example of agricultural research, where immersing oneself in the community and observing local challenges is crucial for formulating research questions.

10:06

🌱 Design Thinking in Research

The paragraph delves into the application of design thinking in research, highlighting its iterative and nonlinear nature. It explains that design thinking involves understanding the problem, researching, planning, and implementing solutions with minimal resources. The speaker suggests that this approach leads to impactful research and development by addressing real-world challenges. The paragraph also touches on the difference between capstone projects and scientific research, emphasizing the importance of personal observations and stakeholder engagement in research. Lastly, it mentions the practice of citing personal communications and the value of literature reviews in avoiding redundant work and enhancing the quality of research.

15:07

📈 The Value of Literature Reviews

In this brief paragraph, the speaker discusses the importance of literature reviews in research, particularly in educational contexts. They mention that some institutions require references from the last five years, but also acknowledge that fundamental knowledge remains valid regardless of its age. The paragraph concludes with a reminder of the value of high-quality literature reviews in saving time and preventing researchers from conducting unnecessary or incorrect experiments.

Keywords

💡Research Topic

A research topic is the central theme or subject that a research project focuses on. In the context of the video, selecting a research topic is crucial for students and is often based on their interests or current phenomena. The script mentions that students might choose topics based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or the Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda, which are relevant and socially significant.

💡SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)

SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations to address major social, economic, and environmental challenges. The video script emphasizes the importance of using SDGs as a framework for selecting research topics, ensuring that the research has a broader impact and aligns with global initiatives.

💡Advisor

An advisor in the context of the video is a mentor or guide who helps students in choosing and developing their research topics. The script discusses the role of research advisers in encouraging students to pursue topics of interest while also establishing relevance and social impact.

💡Outcome Orientation

Outcome orientation refers to the practice of focusing on the desired end result when starting a project. The video script suggests that students should begin with the end in mind, visualizing the outcome of their research, which helps in planning and staying focused on the research goals.

💡Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a visual tool used to organize information or ideas. In the script, it is mentioned as a method to help students brainstorm and visualize their research topics, making connections between different concepts and ideas related to their research.

💡Design Thinking

Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that involves understanding the needs of stakeholders, ideating, and prototyping solutions. The video script highlights design thinking as a method for students to immerse themselves in the problem, gather insights from stakeholders, and iteratively develop research questions and solutions.

💡Stakeholders

Stakeholders are individuals or groups who have an interest or are affected by the research. The video script discusses the importance of engaging with stakeholders, such as farmers in agricultural research, to understand their challenges and needs, which can inform the research direction.

💡Scope

Scope in research refers to the boundaries and limitations of the research project. The script mentions that students should identify a scope for their research based on their skills and resources, ensuring that the research is manageable and actionable.

💡Capstone Project

A capstone project is a culminating academic task that students undertake to demonstrate their learning and research skills. The video script differentiates capstone projects from scientific research, suggesting that capstone projects may be part of an educational system and are often a requirement for graduation.

💡Literature Review

A literature review is a comprehensive analysis of existing literature on a particular topic. The video script emphasizes the importance of conducting a high-quality literature review to save time, avoid重复研究, and ensure that the research is built on a solid foundation of existing knowledge.

💡Personal Observations

Personal observations are firsthand accounts or experiences that an individual has gathered through direct engagement with a subject or community. The video script discusses how personal observations can be incorporated into research, providing a unique perspective and adding credibility to the research findings.

Highlights

Importance of choosing a research topic that students are interested in.

Encouraging students to establish relevance with their research topics.

Utilizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for research topics.

The role of the national research agenda in guiding student research topics.

The significance of mind mapping in the research process.

The necessity of being output-oriented when conducting research.

How to approach research within the health field using SDG themes.

The importance of adjusting research scope based on available resources and skills.

The concept of design thinking as a method for identifying and solving research problems.

The value of immersing oneself in the local community to understand research problems.

The iterative nature of the design thinking process in research and development.

The difference between a Capstone project and scientific research.

Guidance on how to cite personal observations in academic papers.

The importance of a high-quality literature review in research.

The debate on the relevance of older research in the context of current educational standards.

The impact of literature review on saving time and avoiding incorrect experiments.

Transcripts

[Music]

okay so choosing a research topic so how

do we do this okay so if you are a

teacher a high school for example

[Music]

um scho

po usually

College

expence

uh we would join a group May research

advisor program so technically

topics up

originally process school do you assign

assign a topic or do the students come

up with the

topics okay based on current or

phenomenon

so by their line of senior high school

track topic to work on okay so uh this

is also quite quite encouraging

either

way for my class I introduced the first

national research agenda develop okay

that's very important but then to be

honest okay po where we start

is sdg okay that's that's very

encouraging okay um po um kudos to all

of you uh these are all great approaches

po so okay

so it is very important that students

pursue a topic that they're interested

but as research

advisers um does encourage for them to

pursue their areas of interest but then

also very

important and establish relevance so

actually okay there's a couple of ways

by which you can actually do this so so

that you begin with the end and mind so

you mind mapping so IDE but then you

also have to be able to visualize what

the outcome

is don't be output oriented that still

holds true okay

so you're going to perform

research what I was just trying to say

is you should welcome the outcome so you

should have you should begin with that

in mind ended result but then in

practicing

research so my mapping is say for

example if you want to pursue research

like along the lines like within the

health field

um resarch on health

ay for example we give General topics

based on you and sdg so even like from

from that perspective okay like sdg

themes but then those themes are still

like fairly broad so as if you're

advising students what what specific

element or aspect of that s sdg do you

want to work on

okay in the context of the

Philippines um

regularly uh the department of Science

and Technology rolls out what you call a

harmonized national research and

development agenda so po you set of

focus areas that um our government um

identifies um to be in need of critical

research and development activities

so would end up

identifying topics along or within these

areas that the ideas that they are going

to come up

with have social

relevance research effort

so guidance and then s sdg that's also

like a very important set of guidance

that's a global uh initiative no so

those are um Global uh

themes that we need to tackle from a

research and development

perspective

can enjoy a very high quality of life

all right okay so project ideation

so teachers is that okay when you

ideate School

concern

just because we also acknowledge

that limitation when it comes to

resources

actually resarch group unlimited funding

so what's very important that you are

also able to teach your students is that

when they form their ideas and they make

plans to implement their project they

also have to learn the skills

of PR preparing or identifying a scope

and scope should be based on their skill

level okay so meaning School

level resarch will require a PhD

[Music]

skills adjust or if not you have to seek

guidance or the expertise of those who

are experts in the field an resources

very

important you might have to adjust your

research topic and uh research questions

to tackle into a scope that is again as

I said

actionable as part of your research

all

right Mouse

ano

okay's National research

agenda

s so an

approach to

identifying a pro a research problem to

tackle

relevance is by practicing design

thinking so design thinking so um design

thinking is a nonlinear and iterative

process that your students can Implement

to first like understand the need or to

understand the problem and then more

importantly talk to people or

stakeholders who are faced with that

problem and then design a study or a set

of solutions based on what they learn

from those stakeholders

[Music]

so the best way to do this is by

tackling an example so for

example that is quite agricultural in

nature

and

um what you do with design thinking

is you don't go straight to the

books problem is local

Google

Scholar papers and

soltion

Bas Sometimes the best approach is you

immerse yourself you go to the farming

communities You observe and you talk to

the farmers for example

and challenges and Farmers that is

actually H how you formulate

your research

questions

challenges

gaps that's when you go and um look uh

and search the literature for potential

Solutions or studies uh that you can

actually take inspiration from to come

up with an answer to a local problem po

so times you have to immerse yourself

first and really observe before you go

to the literature and soltion

problem we think we know what they need

Without Really asking the

stakeholders that is design thinking you

go to your intended end user you ask

them what they need you ask them cap and

then you come up with a solution and to

be honest this is

actually a very impactful way of doing

research and development because you are

really designing the research based on

an existing and clearly understood

challenge

okay and this is iterative because

sometimes design thinking process you

talk you understand you do research you

come up with a

plan down to Perfection up to

Perfection basic idea you implement it

with minimal resources and then as you

test it

realize elements or advantages soltion

and then as you learn as you do it

iteratively until you come up with the

best

solution problem or perform research all

right so it requires

agility okay five minute question do you

have questions about what we just

discussed isang question

jeff which one what is the difference

between Capone project or scientific

research okay I will also have to say

this Capstone

project

uhip education system research um 12 um

but then I think bed

understanding

more research scientific research um

specify system but somebody please

correct me if I am wrong an

po how do you site those personal

observations in in the paper you know

what I actually po you can you can you

can say that Yeah we actually visited

this particular area and interviewed

like 10 Farmers or 10 fisher fisher

folks and

then and then perhaps you also did your

own investigation you took

pictures there's

notations

challenge when when coming up with the

conceptual framework or justification

for what we're

doing reference paper if you then I I do

that a lot so I at the end of my

sentence or

statement parenthesis first come

personal

communication yes yes and it is AC yeah

it's accepted

yes previewed journal and also

Trier

teachers basis for the information that

students would use in to to

contextualize their

research within the last five

years Einstein older than 5 years

invalidated 200y old

established fundamental knowledge that

remains True to this day

exactly encounter in trainings like

this there are institutions or Educators

requiring now within the last five years

par if for as long as the body of

knowledge is not

disproved that will remain valid that

can be used to contextual in my field

yeah yes in my field we always do review

of lit so it always comes like I mean

start from 50 years ago this is what

happened and now this is what it

is y okay so okay so thanks for the

clarification I'm hoping that

teiz that for educational research po

when I wrote my thesis last 10 years

requirement

m mom

Jenny I me it's quite unfortunate I have

to say

po your students my team missing out on

a lot of very

solid um body of

work five or 10 year period

and some and one very important thing po

high quality review of literature can

save you years worth of work and it will

also save you or prevent you from doing

the wrong

experiments usually 10

years 100 years like I said analogy to

challenge your

teachers

Einstein so

gun

[Music]

Lang