2. Invention is the
"creation of a product or
introduction of a
process for the first
time." Thomas Edison
was an inventor.
3. Innovation happens when
someone “improves on or
makes a significant
contribution” to something
that has already been
invented. Steve Jobs was an
innovator.
4. Innovation and invention are different.
Whereas innovation may be defined as
“change that adds value”, invention may be
perhaps best defined as something “new, novel
and without precedent”.
Notwithstanding the above, most inventions
are in fact created by making improvements to
existing things. Indeed there are few totally new
inventions.
However, whereas novelty is an essential part
of an invention, novelty is not an essential part of
an innovation.
5. Take a look at Apple’s ubiquitous
iPhone, for example. Apple took a
stagnant product category - the mobile
phone - and completely rethought how
it could be used. They took an existing
product category and existing
technologies, but still somehow
reshaped modern society. Apple’s
innovations in design and user
interface sparked a tech revolution.
6. In the end, innovation does not need
to mean inventions like induced
pluripotent stem cells or anything else.
The emergence of new discoveries is
absolutely a good thing, but even
without inventions, a country or
company can still come out ahead. After
all, Japan didn’t invent the car or the TV,
but it certainly innovated on them and
built world-leading companies and
economies.
8. Hitchcock and Hughes (1989)
define research as a systematic
inquiry – an inquiry that is
characterized by certain
amount of rigor and governed
by sets of principles and
guidelines for procedures.
9. Best and Kahn (1998) described
research as the systematic and
objective analysis and recording of
controlled observations that may
lead to the development of
generalizations, principles, or
theories, resulting in the prediction
and possibly the ultimate control of
events.
10. Henson and Soriano (1999) simply
depict research as the systematic,
controlled and empirical inquiry
about a subject/topic through
problem-solving process using a
rigorous application of the
scientific method to the study of
a problem.
11. In a more comprehensive form, Calderon
and Gonzales (1993) define research as a
purposive, systematic and scientific
process of gathering, analyzing,
classifying, organizing, presenting, and
interpreting data for the solution of a
problem, for prediction, for invention, for
the discovery of truth, or for the
expansion or verification of existing
knowledge, all for the preservation and
improvement of the quality of human life.
13. Those who view research as an ivory
tower often fail to see that the primary
reason for research is concern for man.
This stimulates the researcher to seek
ways and means by which new or
additional knowledge can be best
utilized to improve man’s living
conditions whether in the area of
family life, schooling, religion or civic
participation.
14. Thus, it can be said that the main purpose of
research is to discover answers to meaningful
questions through the application of scientific
procedures.
Sources of Knowledge
Research as a source of knowledge does not
imply that research is the only source of
knowledge . The truth is that research is the
“youngest” among the possible sources of
knowledge; the others having been tried
before the scientific method in research has
been applied.
15. Ary et al. (1985) list these sources as:
• Experience
• Authority
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Scientific Method
a. Defining the problem
b. Stating the hypotheses
c. Deductive reasoning
d. Collection and analysis of data
e. Confirming or rejecting the hypotheses
16. Characteristics of Research
In order to further differentiate research
from any other source of knowledge, let us
look at the characteristics of the research
process which are listed by Tuckman (1972):
• Research is systematic.
• Research is logical.
• Research is controlled.
• Research is empirical.
• Research is critical.
18. Activity:
Name two of your characteristics as a
student and explain how each can facilitate
your work as a researcher.
Characteristics How facilitative
1.
2.
19. Activity 2: Characteristics of a Researcher
Complete the acrostics below:
I AM
R –
E –
S –
E –
A –
R –
C –
H –
E –
R –
20. Calmorin and Calmorin (1996) enumerated 10
characteristics or qualities of a good researcher.
R – Research-oriented
E – Efficient
S – Scientific
E – Effective
A – Active
R – Resourceful
C – Creative
H – Honest
E – Economical
R - Religious
22. 1. It is needed in the tapping of immense
natural resources and in harnessing them.
2. It is necessary in the enhancing production to
cope with the needs of the increasing
population.
3. It helps in determining the manpower needs
of the country and the ways to meet these
needs.
4. It enables the businessmen to forecast the
direction in which business will take or to
explore the possibilities of new industries.
23. 5. It enables the planners of education, industry or
government to make projections so that steps
can be taken to be ready for the future.
6. It maintains good health or in remedying illness.
7. It is an instrument of modernization, in order to
promote the progress of a country.
8.) It is urgently needed for energy production and
regulation of its use.
9.) It is needed in improving the quantity and
quality of major crops, in processing them and
transforming them to different forms of
marketable goods.
