WEEK 4 DEPT. RS & GIS INSTITUTE OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY Research Problem
Dec 30, 2015
WEEK 4DEPT. RS & GIS
INSTITUTE OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY
Research Problem
Formulating the research problem is, in itself, a BIG problem
(Prof. Gladys A. Cruz College of Social Sciences U. P. Baguio)
Research Problem
Any Question that you want answered
Input to a study on which outputs depend
Garbage in garbage out
Formulating an idea into a researchable problem is not an easy task!!!!
“Potential research questions may occur to us on a regular basis, but the process of formulating them in a meaningful way is not at all an easy task”
(Powers, et al. 1985)
Initially you may become more confused but this is normal and a sign of progression
Remember: confusion is often but a first step towards clarity
Take time
Research topics may arise from:
A concern with some social (or scientific) problem
An interest in some general theme or pattern of
behavior
Some part of theory
Some personal inclination or interest
(Selltiz 1976)
Moving from topic to problem!!!
Operationalizing the concepts to be used such that they are directly observable:
Concept
Variables
Indicators
Hypothesis (optional)
THE FIVE ‘WS’
What? is my research?
Why? do I want to do the research?
Who? are my research participants?
Where? am I going to do the research?
When? am I going to do the research?
Sum up your research project in one sentence
Discuss your sentence with others and revise if there is any confusion
Then move on to think about How you are going to collect your data
You must have a clear idea with regard to what it is that you want to find out about and not what you think you must find
In short, research problem should explicitly state
What relationship between what variables
about what units of analysis do I want to study?
• Importance• Sources of Research Problem• Issues to consider• Steps
Formulating Research Problem
Identification of a destination before undertaking a journey In absence of a destination, it is impossible to identify
the shortest or ANY routeA research problem is like the foundation of a
building The type and design of the building are dependent
upon the foundationMay take number of forms
Very simple to the very complex
Prerequisite is to know about
Knowledge of subject area
Knowledge of research methodology
Research problem vs. Research question
Example: Society & Technology Problem: Blind cannot communicate with majority of
society Question: How should a computer vision device be
developed to address the needs of the blind?
Example: Technology & Health Problem: Epilepsy cannot be understood
experimentally Question: Can a mathematical model be created to
understand and experiment with epileptic brain activity?
Evaluation of a Problem
Is the problem researchable? A researchable problem always concerns with the
relationship existing between two or more variables that can be defined and measured
Is the problem new?Is the problem significant?Is the problem feasible for a particular
researcher?
Consideration in selecting research problem
InterestMagnitudeMeasurement of conceptsLevel of expertiseRelevanceAvailability of dataEthical issues
Importance
In absence of a clear research problem, a clear and economical plan is impossible
Research problem serves as the foundation of a research study If it is well formulated, you can expect a good study to
follow
“If one wants to solve a problem, one must generally know what the problem is. It can be said that a large part of the problem lies in knowing what one is trying to do”
(Kerlinger 1986)
Sources of Research Problem
04 Ps:
PeopleProblemsPhenomenaPrograms
Steps in formulating research problem
Step 1: Identify a broad field/subject area of interest to you
Step 2: Dissect the broad into subareasStep 3: Select what is of most interest to youStep 4: Raise research questionsStep 5: Formulate objectivesStep 6: Assess your objectivesStep 7: Double check
Example: Dissecting the subject area
Domestic Violence (DV)
Profile of families with DV
Profile of victims
Extent and type of DV
Reasons
Impact on children
others
Formulation of research objectives
Main objectives Overall statement of the thrust of your study Statement of main associations and relationships that
you seek to discover or establishSubobjectives
Specific aspects of the topic that you want to investigate within the main framework of your study
Should contain only ONE aspect of the study Listed numerically Worded clearly and unambiguously Use action oriented words/verbs: to determine, to find
out, to ascertain, to measure, to explore.Wordings of your objectives define if your research is descriptive, correlational or experimental
Characteristics of Objectives
Establishing operational Definitions
Formulating Research Problem
Quantitative Approach: Usually employs a deductive approach Be as specific as possible Narrow the magnitude of your study and confine your search
within a frameworkQualitative Approach
researchers tend to employ an inductive approach Maintain flexibility, openness and freedom to include any new
idea or exclude any aspect found irrelevant at later stages Problem reformulated several times after you have begun
data collection Something very clear to you may be quite difficult for
yourself you explain in a manner that other may understand
How to find Research Questions?
The research area
Approach 1
The research topic
General research questions
Specific research questions
Data collection questions(Punch, 2008)
A research question
a question the research itself is trying to answer
A data collection question
a question which is asked in order to collect data in order to help answer the research question
data need to be linked to concepts, and concepts to data.
Research area
Research topic
General research question
s
Specific research question
s
Data collectio
n questions / items
Research areaYouth suicideAbsenteeism at workYouth culture in high schoolsLiving with Tourette’s syndromeAcademic success and failures at universityMembership of volunteer organisations (Punch, 2008)
Research area
Youth suicide
Research topic
Suicide rates among different groups [quantitative]
Factors associated with the incidence of youth suicide [quantitative]
Managing suicide behaviour among teenagers [qualitative]
Youth culture and the meaning of suicide [qualitative]
(Punch, 2008)
Research area
Youth suicide
Research topic
Factors associated with the incidence of youth suicide [quantitative]
General research questions
What is the relationship between family background factors and the incidence of youth suicide?
What is the relationship between school experience factors and the incidence of youth suicide?
Research area
Youth suicide
Research topic
Factors associated with the incidence of youth suicide [quantitative]
General research questions
What is the relationship between family background factors and the incidence of youth suicide?
Specific research questions
What is the relationship between family income and the incidence of youth suicide?
OR
Do youth suicide rates differ between families of different income levels?
What is the relationship between the emotional attachment to parents and the incidence of youth suicide?
ORDo youth suicide rates differ between families where parents and children have a close emotional attachment, and families where they are not?(Punch, 2008)
Research objectives
Approach 2
Research questions
Approach 3
Aims
Objectives
Research questions
Thank you…
RESEARCHING RESEARCH TOPIC
In Class Activity