AMOUD UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF IT AND COMPUTING
Research methods and technical writing in IT
Instructor
Mohamed Abdi Indha Yare
Emali: labaale201@[Link]
Tell: +252634471540
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH PROCESS
(PART II)
Research Problem
A research problem refers to what a researcher has identified as existing
in literature, in theory or in practice;
a condition which needs to be probed and a solution found.
It may arise from issues, difficulties, current practices or problems that
need to be solved or better understood
To identify a research problem, one should
answer YES to the following three questions
Is there a perceived inconsistency or discrepancy between
“what is” (the actual) and “what should be” (the ideal)?
Is there a question about why there is a discrepancy? In
other words, is the discrepancy understood or not?
Are there possible and reasonable solutions or answers
to the discrepancy?
Stating a Research Problem
Describe the ideal. This is a description of the expected performance,
status, conditions or relationships between the variables.
Describe the actual. Describe the actual performance, status,
conditions or relationships as they are in the target population.
Describe the discrepancy. Describe the discrepancy between the ideal
and the actual status of variables.
Characteristics of a Good Research Problem
Clarify what exactly is to be solved or to be determined.
Clearly specify the variables and the target population that is to be
investigated.
Be feasible and amenable to research; not too wide and data for solving
it should be available.
Not raise ethical issues.
Be original.
Be significant and should result in advancement of knowledge or
significant improvement of life.
Research Objectives
There are usually two categories of research objectives in research:
The general objectives or purpose, and specific objectives
The general objective, or purpose or aim or the goal of a study is a
description of the overall intention of the study.
Generally, a purpose statement:
States the overall expected outcomes of the study.
Is broad in nature.
Represents the expected impact of the study.
Specific Objectives
Specific objectives are specific targets arising directly from the purpose
of a study.
They are statements of immediate intended outcomes that directly
specify what the study is going to achieve.
They are specific small units that add up to the purpose, or more
specifically, a breakdown of the purpose into small manageable units.
Characteristics of a Good Research Objective
A well-stated research objective has five basic characteristics which can
be abbreviated as SMART. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound or timeliness.
Actions verbs for research objective:
Investigate, Analyze, Examine, Assess, Identify, Compare, Evaluate,
Determine, Explore, Develop, Design, Measure, Validate, Propose,
Implement, Optimize, Investigate, Synthesize, Construct, Generate
Research Questions
A research question is an objective re-stated in question form, and in a
manner that require collection of data to answer. It is this requirement for
data collection that makes a question a research question.
Characteristics of a Good Research
Questions
Feasible, and lends itself to investigation without undue amount of
time, money and energy within the constraints of the available
resources
Clear because it is the focus of investigation
Significant and worth investigating
Ethical,
Research Hypotheses
Concept of a Hypothesis
The term hypothesis originated from the term sub-thesis which meant
that it was derived from some more comprehensive thesis, preposition
or theory
Hypotheses form the elements of testing, and contain the variables
which a researcher wishes to consider or test in order to observe their
actions or reactions so that meaningful conclusions can be drawn
Research questions and hypotheses are usually used alternately. If
questions are posed, hypotheses are usually not stated at the same time
Types of Hypothesis
Null Hypotheses
Hypotheses may be stated either in a null (non-directional) form and
symbolized as (Ho), or in a research (alternative or directional forms and
symbolized as HA and H1 respectively) form.
Characteristics of a good Research
Hypothesis
Be testable
Be clear and precise
Indicate both the independent and dependent variables and the
expected relationship between them.
Be based on theory
Conceptual Framework
A conceptual framework (or a concept map, or an integrative diagram) is
a scheme of concepts or variables) which the researcher will
operationalize to achieve set objectives. It is a schematic (or
diagrammatic) presentation of a theory as a model where variables and
their relationships are translated into a visual picture to illustrate the
interconnections between the independent, extraneous, and dependent
variables as well any other variable significant to the study.
Characteristics of a good Research
Hypothesis
Be testable
Be clear and precise
Indicate both the independent and dependent variables and the
expected relationship between them.
Be based on theory
END
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