Research Methods

Lecture 02
Problem Definition & Proposal
What type of Research?
• Systems Analysis and Design
• Feasibility Study
• System Development
• Process Improvement
• System Plan
• Resource Plan
• Case Study

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Steps in Conducting Research

 Specific steps guide the research process

 Number of steps is indeterminate
 Various steps may be combined
 Order of steps may vary somewhat
 Importance of specific steps is variable
 “12 Steps of Research”
“12 Steps of Research”
1.Identify the research question
2.Initial review of literature
3.Distilling the question to a researchable problem
4.Continued review of literature
5.Formulation of hypothesis
6.Determining the basic research approach
7.Identifying the population and sample
8.Designing the data collection plan
9.Selecting or developing data collection instruments
10.Choosing the method of data analysis
11.Implementing the research plan
12.Interpreting the results
Connect Column A with B

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RESEARCH QUESTION
 RESEARCH Problem
Defining a research problem is the fuel that drives the scientific process, and is
the foundation of any research method and experimental design, from true
experiment to case study.

A thesis statement is a sentence that states what you want your paper to show,
what you want to convince your readers of after having read your thesis.

This is the foundation of the entire work and informs the reader exactly what
you wish to achieve with the paper, and what you wish to prove or disprove.

To make zoom into the problem

 ASKING QUESTIONS
Why have I decided to do some research?

Motivation

to remain motivated throughout your project. Research can be a

long process and take up much of your time. It is important to
stay interested in what you’re doing if you are to complete your
project successfully.
How can I remain interested in my research?

 choose a topic which interests you.

 be creative and think about something which will fascinate you.
 choosing a research method which interests you.
 Try running your own focus group?

What personal characteristics do I have which might

help me to complete my research?

 Think about your personal characteristics, likes and dislikes, strengths and
weaknesses when you’re planning your research.

 If you absolutely hate mathematics and statistics, go for large survey

research.
What skills and experience do I have which might help in
my research?

 Committee skills, organization skills and time management expertise.

 English professional.

 Think about your existing skills in relation to your proposed project as it

will help you to think about whether your knowledge, experience and skills
will help you to address the problem you have identified.

 It is extremely important to spend time thinking about your project before you
move on to the planning stage.
 THE FIVE ‘WS’
What is your research?
Why do you want to do the research? What is its purpose?
Who will be your participants?
Where are you going to conduct your research?
When are you going to do your research?

 The way you conduct the research and the way in which you report the results.
 Will your research generate enough material to write a dissertation of the required
length?
 will your research generate too much data that would be impossible to summarize
into a report of the required length?
 you should think about the type of people with whom you will need to get in touch
with and whether it will be possible for you to contact them.
 Think about the resources in terms of budget and time
 The way you conduct the research and the way in which you report the
results.

 Will your research generate enough material to write a dissertation of the

required length?

 will your research generate too much data that would be impossible to
summarize into a report of the required length?

 you should think about the type of people with whom you will need to get
in touch with and whether it will be possible for you to contact them.

 Think about the resources in terms of budget and time.

Where is the Research Problem Located
Look in the opening paragraphs and ask yourself:
 What was the issue or problem that the researcher wanted to address?
 What is the concern being addressed “behind” this study?
 Why was the study undertaken in the first place?
 Why is this study important?
Five Elements of a Problem Statement
Purpose of the problem Statement
Sources of Topic Selection
• Journals, books, and dissertations in your field
• Conferences, workshops, presentations
• Recommendations about future research
• Courses
• Workplace
• Expert consultations
• Online library services
Topic Selection Considerations

• Personal interest
• Organizational support
• Ethical issues
• Relevance of the study
• Contribution to the field
• Time constraints
• Breadth and scope
• Economic factors
Why the Research Problem Is Important
• It establishes the importance of the topic.
• It creates reader interest.
• It focuses the reader’s attention on how the study will add
to the literature
Stating the Research Problem

 State the problem in the opening paragraph (i.e., something that needs a

solution)

 Identify an issue – Research-based research problems – Practical

problems

 Reference the problem using the literature

 Defining the problem based on the solution

 How the Problem Differs From Other Parts
of Research
• A research problem is an educational issue or problem in the study.
• A research topic is the broad subject matter being addressed in a study.
• A purpose is the major intent or objective of the study.
• Research questions are those that the researcher would like answered or
addressed in the study.

Justifying the Importance of the Research Problem

• Justification based on what other researchers have found.

• Justification based on personal or workplace experiences.
• Justification based on the experiences that others have had in the workplace.
 Determining Whether a Problem Should
Be Researched
• Can you study the problem?
– Do you have access to the research site?
– Do you have the time, resources, and skills to carry out the research?
• Should you study the problem?
– Does it advance knowledge?
– Does it contribute to practice?

• Will your study fill a gap or void in the existing literature?

• Will your study replicate a past study but examine different participants and
different research sites?
• Will your study extend past research or examine the topic more thoroughly?
• Will your study give voice to people not heard, silenced, or rejected in
society?
• Will your study inform practice?
Key Concept
 Research Questions:
 Used to analyze and investigate a topic. It is written as a question and is
inquisitive in nature.
 A properly written question will be clear and concise.
 It should contain the topic being studied (purpose), the variable(s), and the
population.

Why is the Research Problem Important

Hypothesis:
 It is predictive in nature and typically used when significant knowledge already
exists on the subject which allows the prediction to be made.
 Data is then collected, analyzed, and used to support or negate the hypothesis,
arriving at a definite conclusion at the end of the research.
 It is always written as a statement and should be developed before any data is
collected.
 A complete hypothesis should include: the variables, the population, and the
predicted relationship between the variables.
 Commonly used in quantitative research, but not qualitative research which often
seeks answers to open-ended questions.
 Examples: A company wellness program will decrease the number sick days claimed
by employees. Consuming vitamin C supplements will reduce the incidence of the
common cold in teenagers
Types of Research Questions
 Conceptualize that a research study can ask three types of
questions:
 Descriptive question
 Relationship question
 Difference question
 This general classification scheme helps not only with the
design of the study, but also in choosing the type of data
analysis procedure
 Three main types of questions:
Causal Questions: Compares two or more phenomena and determines if a
relationship exists. Often called relationship research questions. Example:
Does the amount of calcium in the diet of elementary school children effect
the number of cavities they have per year?

Descriptive Questions: Seek to describe a phenomena and often study “how

much”, “how often”, or “what is the change”. Example: How often do college-
aged students use Twitter?

Comparative Questions: Aim to examine the difference between two or more

groups in relation to one or more variables. The questions often begin with
“What is the difference in...”. Example: What is the difference in caloric
intake of high school girls and boys?
Descriptive Question
 Seeks to describe phenomena or characteristics of a
particular group of subjects being studied
 Answers the question “what is”
• Asking questions of the research participants
• Testing or measuring their performance
 Survey research

 Example
 What are the attitudes of rural parents toward the inclusion of
sexuality education in the school curriculum? (Welshimer &
Harris, 1994)
Suggested Readings:
 Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods. Oxford university press.
 Alon, U. (2009). How to choose a good scientific problem. Molecular Cell,
35, 726-728.
 Cox, C. (2012). What makes for good research? [Editorial] International
Journal of Ophthalmic Practice, 3(1), 3.
 Creswell, J. W. (2002). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and
evaluating quantitative. Prentice Hall.
 Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and
mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.
 Isaac, S., & Michael, W. B. (1971). Handbook in research and evaluation.
 Robson, C. (2002). Real world research (Vol. 2). Oxford: Blackwell
publishers.
 Taylor, D. (1999). Introduction to Research Methods. medicine, 319, 1618.
  problem is stated in complete, grammatical sentences
 is clear how the area of study will be limited or focused
 is more than a simple exercise in gathering information,
answering a yes/no question or making a simple comparison.
 includes a discussion of methods and approaches to verify
the hypotheses.

examples of poorly stated problems:

Security on wireless products
Metrics for large systems
Green Concrete

lack clarity, no context, no reachable goals

Writing Tips for Problem Statement
Do not paint the problem in general terms:
“little is known about ..”
“no research has dealt with ..”
Usually arguing for something that isn’t makes for a weak need
statement.
Instead explain the consequences of the information void.

Refine Your Problem Statement

1. Complete the checklist.
2. Think about sub-problems and further delineate your statement.
 1.4 Research problem
All work activities on the construction sites are considered as dangerous (HSE, 2006),
regardless of their nature or size, while the health and safety regulations of the
construction site are not applied or controlled by Health and Safety experts on the
construction site. Besides, the most critical problems related to Occupational Health and
Safety in the Republic of Yemen are the activities on construction site, which are beyond
the compass of regulations drawn up by the European Occupational Health and Safety at
Work. The problem is further intensified by worker ignorance of Health and Safety
procedures that might protect them from on-site accidents during their work on the
construction project. Furthermore, there is little or no real supervision or an authorized
Health and Safety experts on the worksite to monitor whether the workers are adhering
to and implementing the health and safety regulations. Moreover, many equipments
being used on the construction sites are either outdated or so old as to place it beyond
health and safety regulations. Therefore, it is important to educate and train the new
generation of engineers and workers on health and safety issues on construction sites by
developing a knowledge based system.
 Example of Problem Statement
These days, survival of any company is strictly on its competitiveness in the market. The
competition may be in a national or international level. As technology grows fast , The ability
to design and operate manufacturing facilities that can quickly and effectively adapt to
changing technological and market requirements is becoming increasingly important to the
success of any manufacturing organization. using the poor plant layout will not be able to
exhibit high levels of flexibility and response to market requirements and fluctuations in
product .
Most companies in Yemen have inefficient layout that affects on its flexibility.
Central workshop for Hayel Saeed Anaam group which will be transformed to new company
its name Yemeni company for engineering industries is one among these that lack efficiency
in plant layout . Most Yemen companies face problems on inflexible plant layout , so they
have more problem like:
1- Increase production cost
2- Increase production waste
3- Less resources utilization
4- Low productivity
5- Increase accidents
6- Bottlenecks operation in the production line

Since production waste are very high for most companies. much attention is being turned to
design efficient layout that provide smooth product flow .
Thus flexible plant layout design improves the productivity of the industries by minimizing the
above problems to maximize efficiency productivity.
Example 3:
Example 4:
Example 5:
Research Problem Statement.
Recently the storage of green-based electricity provided by the solar energy has received
an increasing attention by Yemeni people. The results of our questionnaire in the three
major cities (Sana’a, Aden, and Taiz) shows that the most popular energy storage device
that can be used with solar energy systems is lead acid battery by 65%. And lead acid
battery is recognized as the battery that can be successfully recycled up to 98% of its
components. The questionnaire results also indicate that the average life span of LABs is
1.6 years and after that they are treated as exhausted batteries which sold to scrap
traders for $985 per ton. And 700,000 batteries is the annual average number for the
product of LABs which are imported to the Yemeni market by Yemeni ports (this
information is provided by high classified personnel in Yemeni ports). As a result the
need for studying the feasibility for constructing recycling facility to locally recycle and
remanufacture those exhausted LABs is came up.
Example 6:
Research problem
Yemen as a third-world country, faces several political, economic and population risks.
Although gasoline and LPG are both produced in the country, LPG is produced with extra
quantities and then exported with less prices as compared to the gasoline. Therefore, a
primeval conversation technology of gasoline vehicles to run on LPG fuel have
exponentially grown these days without any scientific knowledge. These common
conversion technologies undoubtedly have several practical drawbacks. In addition,
nowadays almost all buses drivers are willing to convert their gasoline vehicle’s combustion
system to run on LPG fuel, plausibly due to its low cost as compared to gasoline (the cost
ratio is about one-third). However, there are still many questions in this regard need to be
addressed. To the best of the researcher’s knowledge, a research based on the conversion
technologies in Yemen is not available. The economic and scientific investigations of these
conversion technologies are also unclear. This study is exclusively made to answer the
raised questions among this conversion technology and to address scientific and
economical recommendations.
 Research Title
The title summarizes the main idea or ideas of your study. A good title contains the fewest
possible words that adequately describe the contents and/or purpose of your research paper.

The title is without doubt the part of a paper that is read the most, and it is usually read
first. If the title is too long it usually contains too many unnecessary words, e.g., "A Study to
Investigate the....“

On the other hand, a title which is too short often uses words which are too general. For
example, “Yemen Politics" could be the title of a book, but it does not provide any information
on the focus of a research paper.

Renewable Energy (Wrong Title)

Education in Yemen (Wrong Title)
Epidemics (‫ )االوبئة‬in Yemen (Wrong Title)
Graphene: a wonder material (Wrong Title)
Recycling Plastic (Wrong Title)

Landmine in Yemen during civil war 2014-2019.

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TQM (ISO certification) implementation in small and medium enterprises at Taiz Governorate.
 Research Title
A good research title:
 Condenses the paper’s content in a few words

 Captures the readers’ attention

 Differentiates the paper from other papers of the

same subject area

There are three basic tips to keep in mind while writing a title:
1] Keep it simple, brief and attractive.
2] Use appropriate descriptive words.
3] Avoid abbreviations and jargon.
4] Make sure your title is between 5 and 15 words in length.
Jargon: special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are
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difficult for others to understand.
 Research Title

Sustainable approach for recycling waste tire rubber and polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) to produce green concrete with resistance against sulfuric acid attack.

1) This title is directed toward the environmental field.(Sustainable, waste, green)

2) It is specific for only one property.
3) Applicable and the facilities to perform it are available.

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 Title before correction

Green Concrete

Title after correction

 Make sure your research title describes :
(a)the topic,
(b)The method,
(c)The sample, and
(d)The results of your study.

Use of recycled plastics in wood plastic composites – A review

Use of recycled plastics in concrete: A critical review

Sustainable approach for recycling waste tire rubber and polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) to produce green concrete with resistance against sulfuric acid attack
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Steps in Research
1. Identify a broad problem area
What is general area of concern?
ex. drop in sales, frequent production
interruptions, incorrect accounting results, low
yielding investments, disinterestedness of
employees in work, customer switching

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 Identify a broad problem area
 Having an area of interest or research does not signify
the actual research question that you will be addressing.
 The aim of a thesis is not mere description; its aim is to
provide answers to a question and you need to formulate
a question that needs answering. For example, a topic
such as the Internet and Crime is broad.
 A number of different questions are possible:
 How should Internet crime be addressed.
 Should government be involved.
 Which are the most serious Internet crimes.

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 What is the difference between research
question and research problem?
The research problem is a broader, more general statement of a theoretical or
empirical uncertainty you are having. You solve that problem by breaking it
down into a set of related research questions and finding the answers to
them. In other words, Specifying one's research questions is one step in the
direction of actually solving your research problem.

It is easier to understand the terms by looking at the hierarchy. The first is the
field or discipline at the outermost circle, then the Research Area, the
Research Topic, the Research Problem and finally the Research Question and
Hypotheses (if any) at the innermost circle.

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 Steps in Research
3. Develop hypotheses
Variables are examined as to their contribution or
influence in explaining why the problem occurs
and how it can be solved; network of associations
among variables theoretically woven, together
with justification as to why they influence the
problem; certain hypothetical or educated
conjectures can be generated
Ex. overpricing, competition, inconvenience, and
unresponsive employees affect customer switching
must be verifiable, testable, validated

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Steps in Research
4. Determine measures
measurement of variables; unless variables are
measured in some way, we cannot test our
hypothesis
5. Data collection
data with respect to each variable
6. Data analysis
statistics, tools
7. Interpretation of data
are hypothesis supported or not by interpreting
the meaning of the results of the analysis?
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Data

• Data can be:

- quantitative (from records/archives/standards/
codes)
- qualitative (answers from
interviews/questionnaires/observations)

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