RESEARCH PROBLEM

By Muhammad Ridhuan Tony Lim Fong ?

Outline
What is a research problem ? Importance of research problem Sources of problems

Evaluating the problem

Stating the problem Identifying population and variables

What is a research problem?

A problem that someone would like to research Anything that a person find unsatisfactory or

unsettling, a difficulty of some sort, a state of affairs that need to be changed.

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.

Importance of research problem

Research problem determines
type of study design

type of sampling strategy

research instrument type of analysis

Sources of problems
Experiences - Personal interest - Conversation with colleagues or at professional conferences - Observation Literature - Journal, article, etc. - Literature reviews - Experts Theories Replication of studies

Evaluation of the problem

What caused the need to do the research (problem

identification) ? Why to bridge problem and purpose of research. Unclear problem = meaningless purpose & method

Evaluation of the problem

Interest Magnitude Measurement of concepts Level of expertise Relevance Availability of data Ethical issues

Evaluation of problem
1 Is the problem of current interest? Will the research results have social, educational or scientific value? Will it be possible to apply the results in practice? Does the research contribute to the science of education? Will the research opt new problems and lead to further research? Is the research problem important? Will you be proud of the result? Is there enough scope left within the area of reseach (field of research)? Can you find an answer to the problem through research? Will you be able to handle the research problem? Will it be practically possible to undertake the research?

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Evaluation of problem
9 Will it be possible for another researcher to repeat the research?

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Is the research free of any ethical problems and limitations?

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Will it have any value?

Do you have the necessary knowledge and skills to do the research? Are you qualified to undertake the research? Is the problem important to you and are you motivated to undertake the research? Is the research viable in your situation? Do you have enough time and energy to complete the project? Do you have the necessary funds for the research? Will you be able to complete the project within the time available?

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Do you have access to the administrative, statistic and computer facilities the research necessitates?

Examples of possible research questions:

Does client-centered therapy produce more

satisfaction in clients than traditional therapy? (traditional-experimental research). Does behavior modification reduce aggression in autistic children? (single-subject experimental research) Are the descriptions of people in social studies discussions biased? (grounded theory research)

Other examples of research problem..

What goes on in an elementary school classroom

during an average work? (ethnographic research)

Do teachers behave differently towards students of

different gender? (causal-comparative research)

How can we predict which students have trouble

learning certain kinds of subject matter? (correlational research)

More examples of research problems

How do parents feel about the school counseling

program? (survey research) How can a principal improve a faculty morale? (Interview research) Why these questions researchable?
NOTE: What makes these questions researchable is

that some sort of information can be collected to answer them.

Stating the Problem

Should philosophy be included in the high school

curriculum? What is the meaning of life? WHY? Why cant these questions be researched? What prevents us from collecting information to answer them?

Reasons why cant be researchable.

Should philosophy be included in the high -

school curriculum? It is a question of value and does not have any observable reference. The verb should: How can we observed or determine whether or not something should be done? What data could we collect? How about this: Do people think philosophy should be included in high school curriculum?

Reasons why cant be researchable.

What is the meaning of life? - This question is metaphysical in nature beyond the

physical, transcendental. - It lies beyond the accumulation of information.

Hhm what is earth? Is there a creature called HUMAN BEING?? ALIEN

Which ones (if any) do you think are researchable?

Is God good? Are children happier when taught by a teacher of

the same gender? Does high school achievement influence the academic achievement of university students? What is the best way to teach grammar? What would schools be like today if World War II had not occurred? Answer: Question 2 & 3 are researchables; 1, 4 & 5 arent.

Lets identify which are/arent researchable:

No: Not researchable
Should I put my youngster in preschool?

researchable
Do children enrolled in pre-school develop better social skills than children not enrolled? At which age is it better to introduce phonics to childrenage 5, 6 or 7?

Yes:

What is the best way to learn to read?

Lets identify which are/arent researchable:

No: Not

researchable
Are some people born bad?

researchable
Who commits more crimespoor people or rich people?

Yes:

Characteristics of Good Research Questions

1. The question is feasible (i.e., It can be investigated without an undue amount of time, energy, or money) 2. The question is clear (i.e., most people would agree as to what the key words in the question mean) 3. The question is significant (i.e., it is worth investigating; it contribute important knowledge about human condition) 4. The question is ethical (i.e., it will not involve physical or psychological harm or damage to human feelings, or to natural or social environment of which they are part)

Steps in Formulation of a Research Problem

Step I: Identify a broad field or subject area of interest to you Step II: Dissect the broad area into subareas Step III: Select what is the most interest to you Step IV: Raise research question Step V: Formulate objectives Step VI: Assess your objectives Step VII: Double-check

Identifying population and variables

Population- group of individuals to be included in your study . Sometimes specific potential population (eg. Age group) Where ? Sample - smaller number of items selected from

the population (Sample size n)

Variable - quantity that we measure

Variables
Independent (IV) and Dependent Variables(DV)

An independent variable is the presumed cause, whereas the dependent variable is the presumed effect. The IV comes first in time or is antecedent to the DV.

Identifying population and variables (cont)

Does high school driver education do any good?

Population
19 year old drivers

Variables
IV With or without drivers education DV number of accidents

There will be a statistically significant difference in graduation rates of at-risk high-school seniors who participate in an intensive study program as opposed to at-risk high-school seniors who do not participate in the intensive study program." (LaFountain & Bartos, 2002, p. 57) Population High-school seniors Variables IV Participation in intensive study program DV graduation rates

Identifying population and variables (cont)

Do age, height, and weight predict blood pressure in 45-50 year old

males? Population 45-50 year old males Variables IV age, height, weight DV blood pressure

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What is now my problem to research?