CHAPTER 1: THE INVESTIGATORY
PROCESS
SCIENCE 7
MS. JEAN MENDOZA
HOW TO THINK
LIKE A SCIENTIST
THE
INVESTIGATORY
PROCESS
Science utilizes the scientific
method, a systematic way of
acquiring knowledge and
solving problems. The
scientific method is also
known as the investigatory
process.
COMPONENTS
OF THE
INVESTIGATORY
PROCESS
THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
1.
A research problem is a statement about an
area of concern, a condition to be improved, a
difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling
question that exists in scholarly literature, in
theory, or in practice that points to the need
for meaningful understanding and deliberate
investigation.
An Experimental Unit is the
subject or property that is
being studied in a scientific
investigation.
A variable in research simply refers
to a person, place, thing, or
phenomenon that you are trying to
measure in some way.
Height, age, income, province or
country of birth, grades obtained at
school and type of housing are all
examples of variables.
Two main types of variables:
Dependent Variable (Effect)- is what you
measure in the experiment and what is affected
during the experiment.
1.
Independent Variable (Cause) - is a variable that
stands alone and isn't changed by the other
variables you are trying to measure.
2.
Note:
This interplay is called cause-and-effect
relationship, where the cause is the
independent variable and the effect is the
dependent variable.
Example:
In a study on the relationship
between screen time and sleep
problems.
A hypothesis is an educated guess
that is made based on what the
person thinks is the reason or
solution to the research problem he
or she has identified.
2. THE HYPOTHESIS
Component that presents the details of
the experiment.
Planning a set of procedures to
investigate a relationship between
variables.
3. THE EXPERIMENTAL
DESIGN
Note:
Fair Test
In designing an experiment, it is important to
remember that the experiment should be a fair
test, or one in which only one variable of the
experiment is changed at a time while the other
variables remain constant.
Data organization is the practice of
categorizing and classifying data to make it
more usable, so it can be easily accessed,
processed, and analyzed. You can use
classification, frequency distribution table,
picture representation, graphical
representation, etc.
4. DATA ORGANIZATION
In the investigatory process, these observations are
called DATA.
Qualitative Data- refer to pieces of information that are not
in numerical form. These includes color, odor, sound, taste,
and texture.
Quantitative Data- refer to numerical information that
involve measurements, such as dimensions, temperature,
and amount.
5. DATA INTERPRETATION
Data interpretation is a
process that involves
assigning meaning to the data.
Conclusion is a statement that
answers questions related to
research problem. It also shows
or presents the solution to the
problem.
6. CONCLUSION
The recommendation part of the investigatory
process should include suggestions for future
studies and other applications. It can also
include statements that propose
improvements on the study in terms of
research design, procedures, equipment to
be used, and other experimental units to be
tested.
7. RECOMMENDATION
8. SUMMARY
The summary of a science investigatory
process is called an abstract. It includes a
short description of the study and a brief
explanation of why it was conducted. It also
contains the hypothesis, importance of the
study, general description of the procedure
followed, findings, conclusion, and
recommendation.