Background to study

and
Problem Definition

Chapter Two
 What are the elements of a statement
of the problem?
1. Topic
2. Research problem
3. Evidence for the importance of the
problem
4. Knowledge about the problem that is
missing
5. Audiences that may benefit from the
new knowledge
How do you find the topic?
– Located in first few sentences of the
introduction
– The broad subject matter of a study
– Answers the question: “What is this study
about?”
– May generate interest by including
• Statistical data
• Provocative question
• Clear need for research
• Powerful quote
How do you identify the research problem?
– Appears within the first paragraph or two of
an article
– Conveys a strong sense of importance
– An issue, concern, or controversy that needs
to be solved
• A major concern
• Affects the lives of many individuals
• Has serious consequences
• A current issue for practitioners
• A problem about what is known about a topic
• Conflicting evidence in the literature
How do you recognize the justification for the importance of the problem?

– Scholarly evidence previously reported

in the literature
– Justification based on the impact on
professional settings*
– Personal experiences which support
the importance*
• *Often combined with evidence from the
literature to increase the scholarly value
of the argument
How do you recognize the knowledge about the problem that is missing?

– A gap/deficiency in knowledge that

needs to be filled
– Past results which need to be
replicated
– Previous results which need to be
extended
– The voices of marginalized people
need to be heard
– Practice needs to be improved
How do you identify the audiences who will benefit from the study?

–Usually near the end of the

Introduction section
–Mentions individuals and/or groups
who will potentially benefit
–May mention how the specific
audiences will be able to use the
new knowledge
Research problem
• The focal point of every research activity is a
research problem. It takes place when there is
a problematic situation and a need to solve
the problem. Link.pptx
• But what is a research problem?
• According to Kotari (2004:24), a research
problem 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.
Why is it important to define the problem
well?
“ a problem clearly stated is a problem half solved” saying
by Chicago scholar-Brande
Because a clear statement of the problem:
Is the foundation for further development of the
research proposal (research objectives, methodology,
work plan, budget, etc)
Makes it easier to find information and reports of similar
studies from which your own study design can benefit.
Enables you to systematically point out why the
proposed research on the problem should be undertaken
and what you hope to achieve with the study results.
Selecting the problem
• The identification of a research problem is
an important phase of the entire research
process.
• It requires a great deal of time, energy,
and logical thinking on the part of the
researcher.
• Therefore, a considerable care must be
taken while selecting a research problem.
Some important sources for selecting a problem:

• Professional Experience,

• Contact and Discussion with People,

• Inference from theory,

• Professional Literature, and

• Technological and Social Changes.
Kothari (2004:25-26) stated that the following criteria
should be observed by a researcher in selecting a research
problem :
• Subject which is overdone should not be normally
chosen
• Controversial subject should not become the choice of
an average researcher.
• Too narrow or too vague problems should be avoided.
• The subject selected for research should be feasible
• The importance of the subject, the qualifications and
the training of researcher
• the costs involved, and the time factor
 Considerations in selecting a research
problem (Kumar 2011:47-48)
• Interest-it is important to select a topic that greatly
interests you, otherwise it can be hard to sustain
interest and motivation in the study
• Magnitude- select a topic that you can manage in the
time available and to suit your resources and
knowledge ; narrow the topic down to something
manageable, specific and clear
• Measurement of concepts –make sure you know how
to measure all concepts included in the study problem
• Level of expertise-make sure you have adequate
expertise for the proposed research task
• Relevance- select a topic that is relevant to your
professional discipline and adds to the existing body
of knowledge
• Availability of data-make sure the required data will
be available to you in the format you want
• Ethical issues-consider ethical issues that may arise
during and out of the study and anticipate how to
overcome them.
Steps in formulating a research problem:
(Kumar 2011:48-50)
1. Identify a broad area of interest in your
academic /professional field.
2. Dissect the broad area in to sub areas
(brainstorm).
3. Select the sub area in which you have decided to
conduct the research (process of elimination).
4. Raise research questions that you
would like to answer through the study.
5. Formulate objectives for the study (one main
aim/objectives and three or four sub objectives).
6. Assess objectives to make sure that they
can be attained in time available, and with
financial human resources and technical
expertise available.
7. Double check you are sufficiently interested
in the study and have adequate resources for
doing it.
A research problem is explained in the
form of:
• Objective of the study
• Basic Research questions
• Hypothesis
Research Objectives
• Kumar 2011:50 notes that ‘objectives are the
specific goals you set out to attain in your study’.
• Since these objectives inform a reader of what you
want to achieve through the study, it is extremely
important to word clearly, completely, and
specifically, and are free from ambiguity.
• The objectives should be listed under the following
two headings:
• Main objectives/major
• Sub objective /specific
• The Main objective is an overall
statement of your study. It is also a
statement of the main associations and
relationships that you seek to discover or
establish.
• The sub objectives are the specific
aspects of the topic that you want to
investigate within the framework of your
study.
• Make sure that each sub objective
contains only one aspect of the study
• Use action oriented words or verbs when
writing your objectives. The objectives
should start with words such as ‘to
determine’, ‘to find out’, ‘to ascertain’, ‘to
measure’ and ‘to explore’.
• Be SMART when you state your
objective.
Research Questions
• Sarantakos (1998:119) emphasizes that choosing a
research question is one of the first steps a researcher
takes and believes it deserves serious considerations
as “… no research can be undertaken unless the
research question is chosen and accurately defined”.
• He also notes that the research question “…makes the
theoretical assumptions in the framework more
explicit, and most of all indicates what the researcher
wants to know .”
• The notion of research question emanates from the
effort to find a solution to the problem at hand.
Naturally therefore, a question needs to be posed
and the answer will be found during the study.
• A good statement of a problem must clarify what is to
be determined or solved. It must restrict the scope of
the study to specific and workable research questions.

• The most important step in this direction is to specify

the variables involved in the questions and define
them in operational terms.
How do you evaluate the statement of the problem in
a research study?

Indicators of Indicators of
Quality criteria
higher quality lower quality
Topic  Intriguing and pertinent  Boring and irrelevant
Problem  At least one clear  Unclear why there is a
problem problem
 Problem is stated  Problem is merely
succinctly implied
Justification  Evidence from several  Little evidence is
recent references as offered to justify its
well as personal importance
experiences
Deficiencies  Two or more clear  Only a nonspecific
(Gap) deficiencies are stated statement about a
general lack of
knowledge
 How do you evaluate the statement of the problem in a
research study?

Indicators of Indicators of
Quality criteria
higher quality lower quality
Audiences  Two or more audiences  Only a general
are identified audience is implied
 Specific examples of  No examples of how
how the knowledge the knowledge could be
could be used used
Study is  A logical, coherent, and  Argument is confusing,
warranted convincing argument unclear, and not
convincing
Passage is well  Engaging, concise, and  Uninteresting, overly
written easy to follow verbose, and hard to
follow
 How do you identify the purpose statement in a research study?

• Often found
– At the end of the Introduction section
– Immediately following the statement of the
problem
– At the end of the literature review
• Look for phrases such as
– The purpose of this study is.
– The goal of the study is…
– This study aims to…
 What does the purpose statement include?

– The study’s focus – the specific topic(s) of

interest
– The overall intent – what the researchers
want to learn about the topic
– The framework – the theory or framework
that guides the researchers
– The participants – the people or
organizations to be examined in the study
– The setting – where the study takes place
 What are research questions?
– Statements used to narrow the purpose
statement to specific questions
– Look for passages in which authors
identify the questions they are addressing
– Frequently stated as questions
– Sometimes phrased as statements or
referred to as objectives
– Study may include multiple research
questions
 How does the research purpose differ in
quantitative and qualitative studies?

Quantitative Research Qualitative Research

– Narrow and specific
– In response to a problem that
calls for explanation
– The focus is a small set of
specific factors (variables)
– Variables are examined in a
certain planned way
– Broad and general
– In response to a problem
that calls for exploration
– The focus is on one single
complex concept (central
phenomenon)
– Central phenomenon is
explored in an open,
comprehensive way
What is a central phenomenon in qualitative research?

• A central phenomenon is a concept, activity, or

process explored in a qualitative research study
• Researchers study a central phenomenon to:
– Understand its meaning for individuals
– Understand its complexity as it naturally occurs in people’s
lives
– Consider the multiple external forces that shape and are
shaped by this phenomenon
• Researchers cannot predict the nature of the external
forces
• Researchers may bring a conceptual framework that
informs their stance
 What are qualitative research
questions?
– Statements used to focus the purpose statement on
general open-ended questions
– Usually one general question and a few sub-questions
– Place emphasis on learning from participants, rather than
what the researcher expects to find
– Phrases as questions, beginning with the words “how” or
“what”
– Use neutral, exploratory language and refrain from
conveying an expected direction
– Are open to questions emerging or changing during the
study to reflect the participants’ views

•
 What is the difference between central
research questions and sub-questions?

Central research questions Sub-questions

– The overarching question
– Usually a brief and very
general question that
specifies the central
phenomenon
– Often begins with the word
“what” or “how” to signal
the need for an exploration
– Identifies the central
phenomenon and
participants
– Refine the central question
– Contain many of the same
elements
– Provide greater specificity
about the study’s direction
– May use an advocacy
approach and bring to the
research assumptions
about power imbalances
and alienation of
marginalized groups
 What is the purpose of the problem
statement?
–Generate interest in the study
–Articulate the importance of the
study
–Argue for the need of the study
–Suggest why the study has
significance
–Help readers decide if the study is of
interest to them
 How do you identify the statement of the problem in a
research study?

– Found in the introduction section

– May appear under the headings:
• Introduction
• Statement of the Problem
• The Research Problem
• Or have no heading
– Look for a sentence like:
• A major problem is.
How do you distinguish the research problem from the topic and purpose?

– Topic
• Very general
• What the study is about
– Problem
• Falls under the general topic
• The issue, concern, or controversy being addressed
• A real-world problem that needs to be solved
– Purpose
• Follows from the problem
• More specific
• What the author intends to do
 Why do researchers study research problems?

– To fill a gap in the existing literature

– To replicate past results by examining
different participants/sites
– To extend past results
– To examine the problem more thoroughly
– To learn from people whose voices have
not been heard
– To improve current practices
How are research problems different in quantitative and qualitative studies?

Quantitative Research Problems Qualitative Research Problems

Explain Explore

– The effect of a – How a process unfolds

treatment – The meaning of a
– The extent that groups phenomenon
differ – The complexity of a
– The trends in a large case
group – The stories of
individuals’ lives
 Evaluation of the Problem
• Before the final decision is passed on the investigation
of the problem, the feasibility of the problem has to be
tested in terms of personal suitability of the
researcher and social value of the problem.
• In short, the research problem should be evaluated in
terms of the following criteria:
• Is the problem researchable?
• Is the problem new?
• Is the problem significant?
• Is the problem feasible for the particular
researcher?
• In addition to the above-stipulated points, the
feasibility of the research problem should also
be examined from the point of view of the
researcher's personal aspects as stated
hereunder:
• Research competence
• Interest and enthusiasm
• Financial Considerations
• Time requirements
• Administrative considerations
Developing a Research Proposal
The Research Proposal
• After the selection of a research problem and
setting proper direction for investigation, the
researcher should write out a proposal, synopsis,
or plan for research.
What is the Research proposal ?
• The research proposal is a systematic plan, which
brings to focus the preliminary planning that will be
needed to accomplish the purpose of the proposed
study. It is just like a blueprint, which the architect
prepares before the construction of building starts.
The importance of research proposal:
• It serves as a basis for determining the
feasibility of the project.
• It provides a systematic plan of procedure for
the researcher to follow.
• It gives the research supervisor a basis for
guiding the researcher while conducting the
study.
• It reduces the probability of costly mistakes.
Components of the Research Proposal
The Title
• Serves as the focusing lens of the research
project.
• The title should not be too lengthy or too
involved.
• The title should not be too brief or too short.
• The title should not be burdened by pompous
words and should not include terms of
unscientific; rhetorical, argumentative,
emotional, or biased nature.
Background of the Study
• This section should contain a rationale for
your research which answers the following
questions:
– Why are you undertaking the research project?
– Why is the research needed?
• This rationale should be placed within the
context of existing research or within your
own experience and/or observation.
Statement of the Problem
More specifically, statement of the problem is
targeted towards the following:
• stating the background facts, which justify the
study to be in order
• developing hypotheses or key research
questions, and research objectives which may
show the direction of the whole exercise
Review of Related Literature
• The theoretical and empirical framework from
which the problem arises must be briefly
described.
• A brief resume of related studies found in
journals, magazines, abstracts and reports
should be made.
• This section of the research proposal has two
objectives:
• You want to show that you are already familiar
with the existing body of literature.
• You want to show that there are gaps in the
scientific knowledge
Significance of the Study
• The following are some of the points in
which the justification stresses:
• A wide time gap between the earlier study
and the present one.
• Existence of knowledge gaps that were
uncovered by the previous studies.
• Lack /shortage of information about a
problem.
Definition of Terms or Concepts
• The technical terms or words and phrases
having special meanings need to be defined
operationally by the help of special
dictionaries.
Delimitations of the Study
• Boundaries of the study should be made clear
with reference to:
• The scope of the study by specifying the
areas to which the conclusions will be
confined, and
• The procedural treatment including the
sampling procedures, the techniques of
data collection and analysis, the
development of measuring tools and their
use in the study.
Limitations of the study
• The possible sources of the limitations of the study
include:
• Practical weaknesses in the methodologies the
researcher adapted.
• Lack of access to the right data.
• Poor choice/development/ delivery of
instruments
• Sampling restriction
• Lack of up-to-date literature in the areas
• Usual time borne situation in the study site
Research methodology
• Clearly indicate the methods and techniques of data
collection either within a quantitative or qualitative or
both.
• A research proposal should clearly indicate the
population from which the researcher will draw
his/her sample, and describe the procedure he/she
will use to select the sample.
• In this section, the researcher describes how to
organize, analyze, and interpret data. The details of
the statistical techniques and the rationales for using
such techniques should be described in the research
proposal.
Bibliography/Reference
• This is a section where a list of books, journals
and other documents is offered.
• The researcher should list all reference
materials that he has used in selecting the
problem and which he may use during the
conduct of study.
Appendixes
Research instruments
• Questionnaire
• Interview guide
• Focus group discussion guide
Time Schedule
• The researcher should also prepare a realistic
time schedule for completing the study within
the time available.
• Dividing a study into phases and assigning
dates for the completion of each phase help
the researcher to use his time systematically.
Budget Schedule
• The research proposals which are submitted
to governmental or non-governmental
organizations for financial assistance should
also include a budget schedule. This is a
financial breakdown that helps to estimate the
cost of the study.
The End