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5 Elements of A Research Project
5 Elements of A Research Project
Learning Objective
To identify and describe the
elements of a research project
Key Understanding
Knowledge of the elements of a research
project is crucial in identifying the research
problem and formulating the research
questions.
Key Question
What are the elements of a research
project?
Meaning of Research Problem
The ultimate goal of the research is not only to
propose ways of studying things, people, places,
and events, but also to discover and introduce
new practices, strategies, or techniques in solving
a problem.
The word “problem” makes you worry and pushes
you to exert considerable effort in finding a
solution for it.
You consider research as the remedy for getting
over any problem.
Meaning of Research Problem
When you decide to do research, you begin with a
problem that will lead you to a specific topic to focus on.
For instance, you are beset by a problem of year-by-
year flash floods in your community. This problem
drives you to think of one topic you can investigate or
focus on for the solution to your community’s flood
problem. Perhaps, you can research only one aspect of
the flood problem, like examining only the
neighborhood lifestyle in relation to floods in the area,
the need to construct anti-flood structures, or the
practicability of more footbridges in the area. (Gray
2013)
Background of the Problem
First, spend time getting background knowledge
about the problem that triggered off your research
topic to discover its relation to what the world,
particularly the experts, professionals, and
learned people know about your topic.
Also, reading for rich background ideas about the
problem is also another way to discover some
theories or principles to support your study.
(Braun 2014; Woodwell 2014)
Research Questions
The research problem enables you to generate a set
of research questions.
To get a good idea of the problem, you must have a
rich background knowledge about the topic through
the RRL (Review of Related Literature), which
requires intensive reading about your topic.
Apart from having a clearer picture of the topic, it
will also help you in adopting an appropriate
research method and have a thorough
understanding of the knowledge area of your
research.
Research Questions
To give your study a clear direction, you have to
break this big, general question into several
smaller or specific research questions.
The specific questions, also called sub-problems,
identify or direct you to the exact aspect of the
problem that your study has to focus on.
Beset by many factors, the general question or
research problem is prone to reducing itself to
several specific questions, seeking conclusive
answers to the problem.
Research Questions
Research questions aim at investigating specific
aspects of the research problem.
Though deduced from the general or mother
question, one specific question may lead to another
sub-problem or sub-question, requiring a different
data-gathering technique and directing the research
to a triangulation or mixed method approach.
Referring to varied aspects of the general problem, a
set of research questions plays a crucial part in the
entire research work.
Research Questions
Through sub-questions, you can precisely determine
the type of data and the method of collecting,
analyzing, and presenting data.