Research
This is part of Alice’s conversation with the
Cheshire Cat. In this Alice asks the Cat (Carroll
1989:63–4):
‘Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to walk
from here?’
‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get
to’, said the Cat.
‘I don’t much care where’, said Alice.
‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk’, said the
Cat.
Good Research Topic
Examples
RQ & RO
Literature
Evaluating
Evaluating
Evaluating
Sources
Evaluating
Research Problem
Research problem is a situation that needs a solution
and for which there are possible solutions. If a situation
has no possible solutions then it makes little or no sense
expending resources researching it.
Take this statement, “everybody wants to go to heaven
but nobody wants to die”. Dying looks like a problem that
needs a solution yet there is no possible solution to it.
People must die. A research on how people can live
forever makes little or no sense.
Research Problem
A research problem may be described as
an incongruence; a discrepancy between
what is and what ought to be. It may be
also described as the gap in knowledge
that needs to be filled.
WHAT IS A PROBLEM STATEMENT?
A problem statement is the description of
an issue currently existing which needs to
be addressed.
It provides the context for the research
study and generates the questions which
the research aims to answer.
The statement of the problem is the focal
point of any research.
A good problem statement is just one
sentence (with several paragraphs of
elaboration).
Problem Statement
For example it could be:
"The frequency of job layoffs is
creating fear, anxiety, and a loss
of productivity in middle
management workers."
Problem Statement
While this problem statement is just one
sentence, it should be accompanied by a few
paragraphs that elaborate on the problem.
The paragraphs could cover present persuasive
arguments that make the problem important
enough to study.
They could include the opinions of others
explanations of how the problem relates to
business, social or political trends via
presentation of data that demonstrates the
scope and depth of the problem.
Problem Statement
A well articulated statement of the problem establishes
the foundation for everything to follow in the proposal
and will render less problematic most of the
conceptual, theoretical and methodological obstacles
typically encountered during the process of proposal
development.
This means that, in subsequent sections of the
proposal, there should be no surprises, such as
categories, questions, variables or data sources that
come out of nowhere: if it can't be found in the
problem section, at least at the implicit level, then it
either does not belong in the study or the problem
statement needs to be re-written.
Components
Problem statements often have three
elements:
1. The problem itself, stated clearly and with
enough contextual detail to establish why it
is important
2. The method of solving the problem, often
stated as a claim or a working thesis
3. The purpose, statement of objective and
scope of the project being proposed.
Criteria
The statement of the problem should clearly
indicate what is to be investigated.
The actual statement may be in a declarative or in
a question form.
The statement should indicate the variables of
interest and the specific relationship between the
variables that are to be studied.
Please note: In some qualitative methodologies, a
statement of variables will not be possible and
should not be done. However, an explanation of
the qualitative methodology and the parameters of
the research methodology should be explained.
Role
The problem provides the context for the research
study and typically generates questions which the
research hopes to answer.
In considering whether or not to move forward with a
research project, you will generally spend some time
considering the problem.
In your proposal the statement of the problem is
oftentimes the first part to be read with scrutiny.
The problem statement should, therefore, "hook" the
reader and establish a persuasive context for what
follows.
Role
You need to be able to clearly answer the question:
"what is the problem"?
And "why is this problem worth my attention"?
At the same time, the problem statement limits scope
by focusing on some variables and not others.
It also provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate
why these variables are important.
Source
A good problem originates from a research question
formulated out of observation of the reality.
A literature review and a study of previous
experiments, and research, are good sources of
research questions that are converted to statements of
problem.
Many scientific researchers look at an area where a
previous researcher generated some interesting
results, but never followed up.
It could be an interesting area of research, which
nobody else has fully explored.
Source
Common sources of research problems
are:
Personal experience and interests of
researchers.
Various theories in the discipline of the
researcher.
Related Literature- Literature from one’s own
area of interest.
A reproduction of past research studies.
Example
Pose questions such as:
What "should" be occurring? (For example: Based
on the national average, small scale farmers in XYZ
district should be harvesting (xy) tons of maize per
acre)
What is occurring? (For example: A recent
household survey reported that 56% of these
farmers harvest only ( xy-ab) tons per acre.)
What could happen if the problem is not
addressed? (For example: persistent low farm
productivity in the district may lead to widespread
food insecurity and defeat the government policy on
the same.)
Evaluate
Is the problem of current interest? Is it topical?
Is the problem likely to continue into the future?
Will more information about the problem have practical application?
Will more information about the problem have theoretical
importance?
How large is the population affected by the problem?
How important, influential, or popular is this population?
Would this study substantially revise or extend existing knowledge?
Would this study create or improve an instrument of some utility?
Would research findings lead to some useful change in best
practice?
Is there evidence or authoritative opinion from others to support the
need for this research?
Example
An example question might be:
This research poses the question, “What is
the relationship between farm productivity
and farmer use of fertilizer”?
The information needed is (1) productivity
levels and (2) some measure of fertilizer use.
Assessing
A bad example might be: "What is the
best way to train for use of fertilizer"?
This is insufficient because:
What are the variables?
What will be measured?
What relationships will be examined?