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Crafting Effective Research Problems

This document discusses how to identify and formulate a good research problem or question. It emphasizes that the research topic should be interesting, researchable, linked to theory, and have valuable potential outcomes. A good research problem clearly states the discrepancy between the actual and ideal situation. It demonstrates the problem's importance and consequences, and asks questions about why the discrepancy exists. The research questions should guide the study and remain focused. Sources of questions include literature, problems, and experience. Good questions are clear, researchable, and can contribute new knowledge. The document provides a framework for crafting research by identifying what is puzzling, its importance and justification, applicable theories, and investigative methods.

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43 views15 pages

Crafting Effective Research Problems

This document discusses how to identify and formulate a good research problem or question. It emphasizes that the research topic should be interesting, researchable, linked to theory, and have valuable potential outcomes. A good research problem clearly states the discrepancy between the actual and ideal situation. It demonstrates the problem's importance and consequences, and asks questions about why the discrepancy exists. The research questions should guide the study and remain focused. Sources of questions include literature, problems, and experience. Good questions are clear, researchable, and can contribute new knowledge. The document provides a framework for crafting research by identifying what is puzzling, its importance and justification, applicable theories, and investigative methods.

Uploaded by

andersonmapfirakupa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Research Problem Identification

Selecting a Research Title


Title of proposed research
• It tells the reader what the topic of study is.
• Should be short but informative.
• One must choose a broad area of interest or
that is suitable for the situation.
• Discuss or brainstorm with different people.
• Gather literature and examine the possibility
of getting data, the resources required and
accessibility.
• Identify two or more research topics
Attributes of a good research topic
• Interesting to study,
• Is researchable given time, skills, funds and
data.
• Is linked to economic theory.
• Has symmetric potential outcomes i.e results
would be valuable whether positive or negative.
• Forms the basis of well-defined research
questions/ objectives.
Definition of research problem/question/
problem statement
• Is the discrepancy between the actual (or
perceived) situation and the ideal (or desired)
situation.
• Or is the difference between what is known or
understood about a problematic situation and
what is needed (or desired) to be known to
improve the problematic situation.
• It is a gap in knowledge or a contradiction
between principle and practice.
Formulating a good research
problem/question/ problem statement
• Demonstrate with data or literature that the
problem is critical, for example, that it affects a
large proportion of the population or that
previous work indicates that the problem is
important.
• One can discuss the potential consequences if
the problem is not addressed.
• Reference (but not review) to the literature can
be made while discussing the research issue.
A good research problem/question/problem
statement
• It should contain some questions as to why
there is a discrepancy or contradiction
between the principle and practice.
• Should set the stage for what needs to be
discovered to close the knowledge gap.
• Should generally motivate the reader that
there is really a problem that requires an
urgent attention.
• Problem statements often have three elements:
the problem itself, stated clearly and with enough
contextual detail to establish why it is important;
the method of solving the problem, often stated
as a claim or a working thesis;
the purpose, statement of objective and scope of
the document the writer is preparing.
Research questions to be answered
• We discovered earlier on that a good problem
statement should contain some key questions
regarding the discrepancy between the
principle and practice.
• This means that after the research problem,
one needs to develop research questions to
focus your study
Importance of research questions
 Guide your literature search;
 Guide your decisions about the kind of
research design to employ;
 Guide your decisions about the source and
type of data to collect;
 Data analysis techniques;
 Help to remain focused in the right direction
of your study
Sources of research questions
• Marx (1997) suggests the following as possible
sources of research questions:
 Intellectual puzzles and contradictions;
 Existing literature (theoretical and empirical);
 Replication;
 Structure and functions;
 A social, economic, political, cultural or
technological problem;
 When common sense opposes scientific truths
Sources of research questions
 Empirical examples that trigger amazement;
 New methods and theories;
 New social and technical developments and
trends;
 Personal experience;
 Sponsors and tutors
Attributes of good research questions

Research questions should be:


 Clear/ understandable to you and others;
 Be researchable;
 Connect with established theory and research;
 Be linked to each other;
 Have potential for making a contribution to
knowledge;
 Be neither too broad nor too narrow
Framework for crafting research
• WHAT?
 What puzzles/intrigues me?
 What do I want to know more about/ understand
better?
 What are my key research questions?

• WHY?
 Will this be of enough interest to others to be
published as a thesis, book, paper, policy issue etc?
Framework for crafting research
 Can the research be justified as a contribution
to knowledge?
• HOW?
 What models, concepts and theories can I draw
on/ develop to answer my research questions?
 How can these be brought together into a basic
conceptual framework to guide my in my
investigation?
 What investigative styles and techniques shall
I use to apply my conceptual framework (both
to gather material and analyse it)?
 How shall I gain and maintain access to
information sources.

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