FORMULATING A

QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
PROBLEM
 OBJECTIVES
1 Determine steps in formulating a
research problem
2 Construct appropriate research
objectives
3 Appreciate the importance of
literature review in formulating a
research problem
STARTING WITH YOUR
RESEARCH PROBLEM
 STARTING WITH YOUR RESEARCH PROBLEM
Once you have consulted enough literature and studies to develop a more
specific and relevant topic, the next step in the process is formulating a
research problem. Researchers start strong when they begin with a clear
statement of the problem (SOTP) (Leedy and Ormod, 2016).

A statement of the problem can be in question or descriptive form. It is a

carefully phrased sentence that represents the overall objective and
purpose of the research. A problem answers what exactly a researcher
wants to study (Babbie, 2014)
A situation that cause the researcher to feel apprehensive and confuse.
What is happening? Why is it happening?

However, not all topic or question can be transformed into research

problems. Researchers must remember that the process of formulating
meaningful research problem is not easy task. Before you come up with a
definite research problem, you have to first formulate a preliminary
question for the study.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH PROBLEM
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH PROBLEM
Qualitative and quantitative researchers tend to
adopt different approaches to turn a topic into a
focused research question (Neuman 2010). Qualitative
researchers often begin with vague or unclear
research questions, allowing the topic to emerge and
develop during the study.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH PROBLEM
1. Qualitative research problems explore the various dimensions
of the social world, including "features of everyday life, the
understandings, experiences, and imaginings of research
participants, how social processes, institutions, discourses and
relationships work, and the significance of the meanings they
create" (Sullivan, 2012).
CHARACTERISTICS OF A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH PROBLEM
2. Flexible and slowly encourages focusing on the topic
throughout the study. Qualitative research allows researchers
to improve, expand, and develop their topics as the study is
being conducted. You might find out more interesting ideas and
insights while doing your paper, therefore requiring you to
refocus your problem or objectives, especially during your
initial interviews.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH PROBLEM
3. Begins with a general topic. Qualitative researchers begin data gathering
with a general topic and notions of what will be relevant (Neuman, 2010).
Researches can continuously refine the topic during the data gathering and
once he/she started the preliminary analysis. This allow the researcher to
adjust and sharpen the research question because they rarely know the
most important issue or question until after they become fully immersed in
the data.
(2) because of its flexibility, the qualitative researcher is open to
unanticipated data constantly reevaluating the focus early in study. Thus,
you must be prepared to change the direction of research as new piece of
evidence or insight resurface during the process.
GUIDLINE
GUIDLINE FOR
FOR FORMULATING
FORMULATING
RESEARCH
RESEARCH PROBLEM
PROBLEM
GUIDLINE FOR FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEM
1. Since you already have one specific topic in
mind the next part is raising the research
problem. Researchers may start by listing all
possible questions that you would like to answer
that are related to the specific topic . You may
start with the 5ws and 1h: Who, What, when,
where, why, and how
GUIDLINE FOR FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEM

2. Go through your list questions and start a

process of elimination. Check which of these
question you are not interested, and remove
them
GUIDLINE FOR FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEM

3. Then go through your list again and check

which have been answered by existing literature
and studies. Continue the process until you find it
difficult to eliminate something.
GUIDLINE FOR FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEM

4. Adjust your questions as you learn more

through the literature review. Consult your
teacher, and interview experts and professionals
in the field to know more.
GUIDLINE FOR FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEM

5. Afterward, review again the list of questions

vis-à-vis your literature until you are left with
something meaningful and manageable in terms of
your interest, time, financial resources, and
expertise. Choose the one that fits these
requirements.
GUIDLINE FOR FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEM

6. With relevant sources at hand,

consider this question as your
preliminary question. The review is based
on the following:
GUIDLINE FOR FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEM
* Is it stated?
* Does it ask only one question?
* Does it require you to employ qualitative methods
and not quantitative ones?
* Do your resources (time, financial, expertise) allow
you to pursue it
* Would be interested in the findings of your study?
* How could the information be used?
GUIDLINE FOR FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEM

7. To help you decide whether it is a

good question, ask the following
questions to yourself:
GUIDLINE FOR FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEM
* Why pursue that question?
* Is it significant? Why?
* What will you study about it?
* Can I pursue that question?
* And for this subject, does it fit a qualitative
research project? (If unsure, go back to Lesson
4 to review the characteristics and purpose of
 REMINDER
Your research is not just about your interest.
Keep in mind that you are now a researcher, not
a mere data collector and that you do this for
your reader. Since you are doing qualitative
research, your topic, question, and the
statement of the problem will still develop as you
progress in your study.
What makes research
questions/problems
answerable?
 What makes research
questions/problems answerable?
1. It is about the real world. Instead of asking
what should the government do to effectively
respond to the COVID-19 crisis, better ask how
the people are responding to existing policies or
the experiences of people in the ground or
communities who are implementing those policies.
2. There are real-world definitions of the terms in the problem.
You have to clearly define the key terms in your research,
specifically those in your specific topic research question. For
instance, if your topic is about experiences of patients who
have used stem cells, and your preliminary question is "What
are the lived experiences of Elder Filipino patients who have
undergone stem cell treatment?" .", you have to define the
terms "live experiences", "elder Filipino patients", and "stem
cell treatment" so that the readers will know what you mean
by using them. Remember, definitions of these terms may vary
depending on the researcher's use.
3. It has a manageable set of possible answers. Researchers
have to focus their research questions on a particular list
of important possibilities. Instead of asking what will happen
if the government implements these health policies on
COVID-19, better ask what the people think of the
proposed COVID-19 policies. Instead of asking a generic
question like "how do teachers handle stress", why not
focus on a specific type of stress and how teachers cope
with it
 FORMULATING
RESEARCH
OBJECTIVES/SUB -
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
FORMULATING RESEARCH OBJECTIVES/SUB -
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Objectives are goals that guide the researcher on
what tasks or directions to undertake to address
the problem accurately and adequately. Your
problem is your overall framework - the vision of
your research. Your objectives are specific
aspects that you need to achieve to reach that
vision of your research (see Table 2 for example).
FORMULATING RESEARCH OBJECTIVES/SUB - RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
Generally, objectives grow out of the other research questions that have been
asked while you are formulating your main statement of the problem. While
research questions are in interrogative forms, objectives are declarative
statements that use action-oriented words such as "to determine"
", "to find out", "to describe", "to- examine, etc.
In other formats, instead of objectives, researchers ask sub-questions or
specific research questions. Regardless of how these are stated, researchers
must examine your objectives to determine the feasibility of achieving them,
again, in the light of your resources - time, finances, and expertise. Below are
some tips in writing your objectives:
Tips on writing your
objectives
 1. Refrain from putting too much
information into one
paragraph/objective.
Present each objective separately
(ex. numbered).
Avoided writing ambigous and confusing statement
Look at this example:
"This research aims to describe the learning
competencies of students with learning challenges'.
What are learning competencies? Is this related to
the main ideas expected both students while they
are studying? What are the learning challenges?
Do these refer to learning difficulties related to
learning disabilities?
 Do not mix objective
statements with
questions (follow your
school's format).
Sample Qualitative Statement
of a Problem
How do atheists live in
the Philippines with its
religious society?
(Cagascas, Rivera, and
Salas, 2019)
Sample Objectives/Sub-research Questions
1. What is the participants'profile in terms of
family, educational, and religious background
before conversion?
2. What are the specific experiences that led
them to atheism?
3. What are their shared beliefs, values,
philosophies in life, challenges, and practices?
4. How do atheists live in the Philippines (as
experienced by the participants)?
5. What are the challenges encountered by the
participants as atheists in a Christian-dominated
country?
 1. To know the experiences of emotionally abused,
What are the 2. neglected, and/or abandoned Filipino elders;
perspectives of Filipino To determine the reasons for the abuses they
elders, social workers, encountered;
3. To find out the responses and coping mechanisms of
and advocates on elder the elders against the abuses;
abuse? 4. To describe the interventions offered by nursing and
residential homes and advocates to the abused Filipino
(Alindayu, Lastimada,
elders;
Velayo and Yanga, 2019) 5. To find out the perspectives of selected nursing and
residential homes and advocates on Elder Abuse in terms
of common forms of, reasons for, and challenges
encountered in interventions of elder abuse;
6. To draw out recommendations of the social workers
from selected nursing and residential homes and
advocates about elder abuse in the Philippines
For ! !
li s t e n in g