CHAPTER: 3

Formulating The Research Questions

 3. FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
 Lecture Contents
• Theory and Social Research
• Purposes of research
• The Research Cycles
• Attributes of a good research topic
• Problem statements
• Research objectives
• Research hypothesis
• Units of Analysis
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 FORMULATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEMS…

1.Theory and Social Research

• Theory
• an explanation of observed regularities
• tentative abstract explanation; a
provisional belief
• Why theory?
To guide empirical inquiry. 04/15/22 3
 Theory: Deduction and
Induction
• Inductive reasoning usually Explains.
• Deductive reasoning usually Predicts.
• Induction and deduction - no hard-and-fast
distinction.

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 Theory: Deduction and Induction…
• Deduction - specific claims from general
theoretical principles (from theory to observation).
Theory

Hypothesis

Data collection

Findings

Hypothesis testing

Revision of theory
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Theory: Deduction and Induction...
• Induction - general principles that explain specific
observations (from observation to theory).
Observation/findings

Theory
Example: Ground theory and social science

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Theory: Deduction and Induction...

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 2. Purposes of research
1. Exploratory
• Goal is to generate many ideas.
• Develop tentative theories and conjectures.
• Become familiar with the basic facts, people and concerns involved.
• Formulate questions and refine issues for future research.
• Used when little is written on an issue.
• It is the initial research.
• Usually qualitative research.

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 Purposes of research….

2. Descriptive research
• Presents a profile of a group or describes a process, mechanism
or relationship or presents basic background information or a
context.
• Used very often in applied research.
• E.g.: General Household survey – describes demographic
characteristics, economic factors and social trends.
• Can be used to monitor changes in family structure and
household composition.
• Can also be used to gain an insight into the changing social and
economic circumstances of population groups.
• Often survey research.
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 Purposes of research….
3. Analytical (or explanatory) :
• goes beyond simple description to model
empirically the social phenomena under
investigation.
• It involves theory testing or elaboration of a
theory.
• Used mostly in basic research.

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Purposes of research….
4. Evaluation
• characterised by the focus on collecting data to
ascertain the effects of some form of planned
change.
• Used in applied research to evaluate a policy
initiative or social programme to determine if it
is working.
• Can be small or large scale, e.g.: effectiveness
of a crime prevention programme in a local
housing estate.

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3. The Research Cycles
a. Topic selection
b. Research Problem
c. Research question/hypothesis
d. Research objectives
e. Study design
f. Data collection
g. Data analysis
h. Interpretation of the results
i. Present the results
 Each to be discussed in detail.
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A. Choosing a research topic

• The title is the part of a paper that is read the most.

 Choose an environmental topic.
 Be creative! See the list of previous research projects to
get some ideas,
 the topic is the general domain in which the research is
focused.
 Must be guided by literature review.

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Choosing a research topic…

Factors to be considered in topic selection:

 Personal interest and personality traits,
 Experience and exposure,
 Availability and easy of access to data,
 Budget and funding entity constraints,
 Current issues?
• There are different ways of wording research topics,
 with the fewest possible words that adequately
describe the contents of the paper.
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 Choosing a research topic…
1. Descriptive Title:
Examining the Challenges and Opportunities of Implementing
BPR in the case …
2. Interrogative Title:
What Challenges and Opportunities does BPR implementation
entails ? :The case study of Nekemte Town?
3. Compound title :
Examining the Implementation of BPR in the case of Nekemte
Town: Challenges and Opportunities
4. Declarative title:
Introduction of BPR Creates more Problems than it
solves! 04/15/22 15
 Choosing a research topic…
Attributes of a good research topic:
1. Capability: is it feasible?
• Is the topic something with which you are really fascinated?
• Do you have, or can you develop within the project time frame, the
necessary research skills to undertake the topic?
• Is the research topic achievable within the available time?
• Will the project still be current when you finish your project?
• Is the research topic achievable within the financial resources that
are likely to be available?
• Are you reasonably certain of being able to gain access to data you
are likely to require for this topic?
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 Choosing a research topic…
2. Appropriateness: is it worthwhile?
• Does the topic fit the specifications and meet the standards set
by the examining institution?
• Does your research topic contain issues that have a clear link to
theory?
• Will your proposed research be able to provide fresh insights
into this topic?
• Does the research topic match your career goals?

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 B. Defining Research Problems

• A research problem, in general, refers to some difficulty which

a researcher experiences in the context of either a theoretical or
practical situation and wants to obtain a solution for the same.
• Usually we say that a research problem does exist if the
following conditions are met with:
(i) There must be an individual or a group which has some
difficulty or the problem.
(ii) There must be some objective(s) to be attained at. If one
wants nothing, one cannot have a problem.
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 Defining Research Problems…
(iii) There must be alternative means (or the courses of
action) for obtaining the objective(s) one wishes to attain.
• This means that there must be at least two means available to
a researcher for if he has no choice of means, he cannot have
a problem.
(iv) There must remain some doubt in the mind of a
researcher with regard to the selection of alternatives.
• This means that research must answer the question
concerning the relative efficiency of the possible alternatives.
(v) There must be some environment(s) to which the
difficulty pertains.
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 Defining Research Problems…
• Think through the process.
 Are you capable of addressing the issue?
 Can you foresee any pitfalls in data collection and
analysis?
 What tools are available for you to use?
 What research procedure will you follow?
• “A well defined problem is half solved problem”
(Creswell, 2005).
• Kerlinger and Lee (2000) suggested that “if one
wants to solve a research problem, one must
generally know what the problem is”.
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 Defining Research Problems…

• Argument to the problem statement “should

present:
 how the research builds on previous theory or;
 contributes to the development of new theory, and
 should describe the likely uses of the knowledge to be
gained and the potential importance of these uses”
(Jacobs, 1997).

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 Defining Research Problems…

• The technique for the purpose involves the undertaking of the

following steps generally one after the other:
(i) statement of the problem in a general way;
(ii) understanding the nature of the problem;
(iii) surveying the available literature
(iv) developing the ideas through discussions; and
(v) rephrasing the research problem into a working proposition.
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 C. Research problem, objectives, and
questions

Objectives is the major intent of the study used to

address the problem”
Research objective essentially details what the
research study intends to do in order to address the
problem, thereby answering the question: “What
will this study do?”
Objectives are operationalized by two or more
research questions.
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 Research problem, objectives….

Research questions “narrow the purpose or

objective into specific questions that the researcher
would like to answer or address in the study”
By attaining answers to those research questions,
the study objectives are met and a contribution
towards solving the problem is made.
• Wise to learn how to translate research ideas and
research objectives into research questions.
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Phrasing research questions as research
objectives

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 Research problem, objectives….

 There is a two-way relationship between the

research problem, objectives, and the associated
research questions and/or hypotheses.
1.The research problem being addressed delimits the
possible objectives, research questions/hypothesis.
2.Identifiable connection between the answers to the
research questions and the research problem
inspiring the study.
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 Research problem, objectives….

• Research Problem influences what types of methodology is

appropriate for the study.
• The methodology produces the results of the study, which in
turn produces the evidences needed to permit the conclusions
suggested.

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Research problem, objectives….

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 D. Units of Analysis
 Unit of analysis Can be:
• individuals,
• groups,
• organizations,
• behaviours (eg: social interactions, such as friendship choices, court
cases, traffic accidents.

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E. Other points to consider

• Time dimension – cross-sectional or longitudinal

• Conceptualisation – i.e. you must specify the
meanings of the concepts and variables to be
studied.
• Operationalization – how will we actually
measure the variables under study?

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F. Linking with the methodology,
results, and conclusions.
the methodology, results, and conclusions of a
study are directly impacted by the problem driving
the research.
 the methodology is structured by the research
questions.
The methodology is, essentially, the steps that will
be taken in order to derive reliable and valid
answers to those questions.
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 Linking with the methodology,
results..
the methodology determines the appropriateness of
a given research tool.
The methodology outlines the types of research
tools that the researcher will use to produce the
study’s results ( by referencing to literatures).
The study results include the data, or the evidences,
that can be used to answer the research questions.

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 Linking with the methodology,
results..
The results, in turn, permit the researcher to draw
conclusions that are, in fact, the answers to the
research questions ( by referencing to literatures).
Those answers constitute the manner in which the
research addresses the underlying problem (by
referencing to literatures).
Note that Literature serves as the foundation upon
which that research is built!!!
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THE END OF
CHAPTER 3

THANK YOU
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