CHAPTER TWO

Research problem formulation

Defining Research problem

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 Outline
• What is a Research Problem?
• Necessary of Defining the Problem
• How do we know we have a Research
Problem?
• Steps in defining research problem
• The technique of defining a research problem
• Criteria of a Good Research Problem

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 What is a Research Problem?

• The term ‘problem’ means a question or issue to be

examined.
• Research Problem refers to some difficulty /need
which a researcher experiences in the context of
either theoretical or practical situation and wants to
obtain a solution for the same.
• Anything that a person find unsatisfactory or
unsettling, a difficulty of some sort, a state of affairs
that need to be changed.

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Cont…

• . . . any situation where a gap exists between the

actual and the desired state.
• A problems involve areas of concerns to researchers,
for condition they want to improve, difficulties they
want to eliminate, questions for which they want to
seek answers.

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 Necessary of Defining the Problem
 “If one wants to solve a problem, one must generally
know what the problem is.”
 Defining your destination before beginning a journey:
• It determines,
– what you will do,
– will it withstand/opposition scientific
scrutiny/examination,
– how you will do it, and
– what you may achieve!

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 How do we know we have a Research Problem?

• Customer complaints
• Conversation with company employees
• Observation of inappropriate behavior or conditions
in the firm
• Deviation from the business plan
• Success of the firm’s competitor’s
• Relevant reading of published material (trends,
regulations)
• Company records and reports.

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 Steps in defining research problem
 It involves two activities:
•Identification / Selection of the Problem
•Formulation of the Problem

 Identification / selection of the research problem

• This step involves identification of a few problems

and selection of one out of them, after evaluating the
alternatives against certain selection criteria.

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Cont…

Sources of the problems

• Previous researches/studies
• Books/reports
• Resource persons/professors/
• Brainstorming
• Seminars, workshops/conferences
• Own critical observations
• Discussions with fellows, colleagues, friends, etc
• Academic Experience
• Exposure to Field Situations
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Consultations 8
cont…

Criteria of Selection
 The selection of one appropriate researchable
problem out of the identified problems requires
evaluation of those alternatives against certain
criteria. They are:
• Internal / Personal criteria – Researcher’s
interest, competence, own resource, finance and time.

•External Criteria or Factors – Research ability of

the problem, Importance and Urgency, Novelty of the
Problem, Feasibility, Facilities, Usefulness and Social
Relevance, Research Personnel.
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Cont…
 Considerations when selecting a research problem/topic in order
to ensure that, your study will be manageable and motivated are:

•Researchers interest
•Academic background of the researcher
•Researcher's experiences
•Researcher's purpose and objectives
•Availability of data and information
•Access to the study area
•Resource availability – money, manpower
•Time factor
•Sufficiently original
•Cooperation of the stakeholders
•Utility of the research
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 Formulation of the Research Problem

• Formulation is the process of refining the research

ideas into research questions and objectives.
• Formulation means translating and transforming the
selected research problem/topic/idea into a
scientifically researchable question. It is concerned
with specifying exactly what the research problem is.
• Problem definition or Problem statement is a clear,
precise and concise statement of the question or issue
that is to be investigated with the goal of finding an
answer or solution.

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Cont…
 Steps in the formulation of a research problem (based
upon the principle of ”narrowing the problem”)
•Identify a broad field or subject area of interest to
you.
•Dissect the broad area into subareas
•Select what is of most interest to you
•Raise possible research questions
•Formulate objectives
•Assess your objectives
•Double-check
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 The technique of defining a research problem
1. Statement of the problem in a general way;
2. Understanding the nature of the problem;
3. Surveying the available literature
4. Developing the ideas through discussions; and
5. Rephrasing the research problem into a working
proposition.

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Cont…
1. Statement of the problem in a general way:
• the problem should be stated in a broad general way,
keeping in view either some practical concern or some
scientific or intellectual interest.
• Read up, talk to various people concerned, talk to
experts, do field observations, perhaps even a
preliminary survey (pilot survey), find people who
may already be doing research in the same area, seek
out a guide who can help you grasp the scope and the
scale of the subject at hand, immerse yourself into the
subject.
• The feasibility of a particular solution should be
considered and kept in mind while stating the problem.
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Cont…
2. Understanding the nature of the problem
• Understand its origin and nature clearly (how did the
problem come to you? Where did you hear it first,
from whom? What induced you to consider the
problem at all?
• To discuss it with those who first raised it in order to
find out how the problem originally came about and
with what objectives in view.
• A discussion with those who have a good knowledge
of the problem concerned or similar other problems.
• Always consider the environment, the surrounding
within which the problem is to be studied and
understood.
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 Cont…
3. Survey available literature
 All available literature concerning the problem must necessarily be
surveyed and examined.
• It will be well-conversant with relevant theories in the field,
reports and records
• To find out what data and other materials -- “Knowing what
data are available often serves to narrow the problem itself as
well as the technique that might be used.”
• If there are certain gaps in the theories, or whether the
existing theories applicable to the problem under study are
inconsistent with each other, or whether the findings of the
different studies do not follow a pattern consistent with the
theoretical expectations and so on.
• for indicating the type of difficulties that may be encountered
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in the present study as also the possible analytical 16
shortcomings.
Cont…
4. Develop ideas through discussion
• often produces useful information
• Various new ideas can be developed
• Discuss problem with colleagues and others who
have enough experience in the same area or in
working on similar problems --- known as an
experience survey.
• People with rich experience are in a position to
enlighten the researcher on different aspects of his
proposed study and their advice and comments are
usually invaluable to the researcher --- sharpen his
focus of attention on specific aspects within the
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Cont…

5. Rephrasing the research problem

• The generalized statement of the problem now
becomes a working proposition. This is more
focused, clear and well defined.
• Once the nature of the problem is clearly understood,
the environment within which the problem has got to
be studied has been defined, discussions over the
problem have taken place and the available literature
has been surveyed and examined, rephrasing the
problem into analytical or operational terms is easy.

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Cont…
 The following points must also be observed while
defining a research problem:
•Technical terms and words or phrases, with
special meanings used in the statement of the
problem, should be clearly defined.
•Basic assumptions or postulates (if any) relating to
the research problem should be clearly stated
•Why was the problem selected? What is the value
of the investigation?
•Be explicit with the scope or limits of the
investigation.

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Example:
• Let us suppose that a research problem in a broad general
way is as follows:
“Why is productivity in Japan so much higher than in
India”?
– It has a number of ambiguities such as
• What sort of productivity is being referred to?
• With what industries the same is related?
• With what period of time the productivity is being
talked about?
• In view of all such ambiguities the given statement
or the question is much too general to be
amenable/willing to analysis.
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Cont…
• Rethinking and discussions about the problem may
result in narrowing down the question to:
• Example
– “What factors were responsible for the higher
labor productivity of Japan’s manufacturing
industries during the decade 1971 to 1980 relative
to India’s manufacturing industries?”
• Further rethinking and rephrasing might place the
problem on a still better operational basis as shown
below:
– “To what extent did labor productivity in 1971 to
1980 in Japan exceed that of India in respect of 15
selected manufacturing industries?
– What factors were responsible for the productivity
differentials between the two countries by
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industries?” 21
Cont…
 Example:
• With this sort of formulation, the various terms involved
such as ‘labor productivity’, ‘productivity differentials’,
etc. must be explained clearly.
• The researcher must also see that the necessary data are
available.
• In case the data for one or more industries selected are
not available for the concerning time-period, then the
said industry or industries will have to be substituted by
other industry or industries.
• The suitability of the time-period must also be examined.
Thus, all relevant factors must be considered by a
researcher before finally defining a research problem
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 Criteria of a Good Research Problem

• Clear and Unambiguous

• Empirical/experiential
• Verifiable
• Interesting
• Novel and Original
• Availability of Guidance
• Specifies the scope of the Research
• Clarifies the problem
• Provides Economy in Research
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 End of chapter 2…

THANK YOU !!

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