TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC FPT CẦN THƠ

Session 2:
Chapter 2:
Formulating and clarifying the research topic
 Learning Objectives

1. Identify the attributes of a good research topic

2. Generate ideas and explore sources that will help you to
choose a suitable research topic;
3. Refine your ideas to clarify your research topic;
4. Turn research ideas into a research project that has a
clear research question(s) and objectives;
5. Draft a written research proposal.

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 ATTRIBUTES OF A GOOD RESEARCH TOPIC

 Meet the program requirements

 Have your genuine interest in
 Suit your capability: skills & access
 Have feasibility: financial & time resources
 Be linked to academic theory (literature)
 Have clear questions & objectives
 Symmetry of potential outcomes (values)
 Suit your future aspirations
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 GENERATING AND REFINING RESEARCH IDEAS

 Meet the program requirements

 Have your genuine interest in
 Suit your capability: skills & access
 Have feasibility: financial & time resources
 Be linked to academic theory (literature)
 Have clear questions & objectives
 Symmetry of potential outcomes (values)
 Suit your future aspirations
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 GENERATING RESEARCH IDEAS
 Examining staff research interests
1. Generating research ideas?  Looking at past project titles
 Discussion
1.1. Rational thinking  Searching the literature
 Scanning the media
RESEARCH
1.2. Creative thinking  Exploring personal IDEAS
preferences using
past projects
 Exploring relevance to  Define the problem
1.3. Use both rational business using the  Ask for suggestions
& creative techniques literature  Record suggestions
 Relevance trees  Review suggestions
 Brainstorming  Analyze suggestion
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 GENERATING RESEARCH IDEAS
1. Generating research ideas
Using a group of people who are either involved or
interested in the research idea to generate and
choose a more specific research idea (Robson 2011)
2. Refining research ideas
2.1. The Delphi technique
6-step group activity: briefing; clarifying;
generating 3; collecting ideas; commenting &
[Link] preliminary inquiry revising; reaching a consensus.
 Research idea => research question
 Literature review, discussions

2.3. Integrating ideas 2.4. Refining topics given by your

Working up and narrowing down employing organisation

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 TURNING RESEARCH IDEAS INTO
RESEARCH PROJECTS
 Descriptive: what, when, where, who, how
1. Writing research  Explanatory: why
questions  Evaluative: how
 Avoid: too simple, too difficult, too big, too small
 Goldilocks test: time, researcher, setting
 Russian doll principle: find the essence

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 TURNING RESEARCH IDEAS INTO
RESEARCH PROJECTS
1. Writing research questions  Detailed investigative questions/
objectives
2. Writing research objectives
 Objectives: purpose and direction
Criteria of useful research objectives:
 Transparency
 Specificity
 Relevancy
 Interconnectivity
 Answerability
 Measurability

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 TURNING RESEARCH IDEAS INTO
RESEARCH PROJECTS
1. Writing research questions The importance of theory in writing
2. Writing research objectives research questions and objectives

What is theory?
Whetten (1989) identified that theory is composed of four elements (6W-1H):
1. What are the variables or concepts that the theory examines?
2. How are these variables or concepts related? A key aspect
here is causality. Theory is concerned with cause and effect.
3. Why are these variables or concepts related? (It explains the
nature of the relationship between the variables or concepts)
4. Who does this theory apply to; Where does this theory apply; When
does this theory apply?
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 Theory (Scientific theories)

 In modern science, the term "theory" refers to scientific theories, a

well-confirmed type of explanation of nature, made in a way
consistent with scientific method, and fulfilling the criteria required by
modern science
(Trong khoa học hiện đại, thuật ngữ "lý thuyết" dùng để chỉ các lý thuyết khoa học, một kiểu giải thích
về tự nhiên đã được khẳng định rõ ràng, được thực hiện theo cách phù hợp với phương pháp khoa
học và đáp ứng các tiêu chí của khoa học hiện đại)

 Scientific theories are the most reliable, rigorous, and comprehensive

form of scientific knowledge, in contrast to more common uses of the
word "theory" that imply that something is unproven or speculative.
(Lý thuyết khoa học là dạng kiến thức khoa học đáng tin cậy, chặt chẽ và toàn diện nhất, trái ngược
với cách sử dụng phổ biến hơn của từ "lý thuyết" ngụ ý rằng một cái gì đó chưa được chứng minh
hoặc suy đoán)
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 Theory (Scientific theories)

Theo Kerlinger (1986,9) lý thuyết khoa học là: “Một tập những khái
niệm, định nghĩa, và giả thuyết trình bày có hệ thống thông qua các mối
quan hệ giữa các khái niệm, nhằm mục đích giải thích, dự báo các hiện
tượng khoa học”.
Khái niệm, chỉ các sự vật hiện tượng có các thuộc tính đặc trưng, phân
biệt được với các khái niệm khác, chức năng của khái niệm:
 Cơ sở cho truyền thông: tập các khái niệm được hiểu cùng một nghĩa;
 Đưa ra một quan điểm đối với thế giới thực;
 Phương tiện cho phân loại và tổng quát hóa
 Thành phần của lý thuyết, mô hình (theory, model).
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 Theory (Scientific theories)

Why is theory important?  Without theory we would be overwhelmed by

the unconnected detail we would have to recall!
There is probably no word that is more misused and misunderstood in education
than the word ‘theory’. It is thought that material included in textbooks is
‘theory’, whereas what is happening in the ‘real world’ is practice. Students who
saw earlier editions of this book remarked that they were pleased that the book
was not too ‘theoretical’. What they meant was that the book concentrated on
giving lots of practical advice.
Yet the book is full of theory. Advising you to carry out research in a particular
way (variable A) is based on the theory that this will yield effective results
(variable B). This is the causeand-effect relationship referred to in the definition
of theory developed above and is very much the view of Kelly (1955).
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 Theory (Scientific theories)

1. Why is theory important?

Scientific Research objectives Hyphothesis
theories

(6W-1H)
Research Research Theoretical Content
ideas topic Theory model research

Research Method
context research
Research questions

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 Theory (Scientific theories)

2. How is theory developed and how does this inform your research
question and research objectives?

Theory driven Data driven

Deductive approach Inductive approach
Where you wish to adopt a clear Where you wish to explore a topic and
theoretical position that you will test develop a theoretical explanation as
though the collection of data, your the data are collected and analysed,
research project will be theory driven your research project will be data driven

Research question and research objectives

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 Theory (Scientific theories)

3. What types of theoretical contribution might be made?

(e.g. Newton’s theory of gravity, Darwin’s theory
of evolution or Einstein’s theory of relativity)

Some of the theories of human motivation well

known to managers would be in this category

(e.g. Studying the implications of a cost-saving strategy in a

particular organisation would be an example of a substantive theory)
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 WRITING YOUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL

 Structured plan of your intended research

 A proposal requires broad knowledge:
 Literature/theory
 Research philosophy/approach
 Research design: methods, strategy, timing
 Access and ethical issues
 Sample selection
 Data collection
 Data analysis
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 WRITING YOUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Proposal checklist:
 What going to do?  Necessary data?
 Why doing this?  Intended participants?
 Why worth doing?  How to select sample?
 Position in literature?  How to collect data?
 How to analyze data?
 Relevant theory?
 How to develop theory?
 Research Q & Obj?
 Data quality issues?
 How conducting?  How to overcome?
 Research design?  Ethical issues?
 How to gain access?  How to overcome?
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 WRITING YOUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Proposal structure:
1. Title: concise summary of research
PROPOSAL ASSESSMENT:
question
2. Background: issues, worthwhile, literature 1. Coherence & lucidity:
3. Research questions & objectives: Fit for purpose & can direct
statements your research
4. Method: design, data, sample, analysis, 2. Ethical clearance:
ethics
Human participants, privacy,
5. Timescale: deadlines, stages in Gantt chart data storage
6. Resources
3. Feasibility:
7. References
Timing, data, finance, skills
(Example: Box 2.15 p56)
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 TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC FPT CẦN THƠ

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