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Researchproblem2 190829112206
Researchproblem2 190829112206
Researchproblem2 190829112206
QUESTION
Research Process
“ Research is organized curiosity ”
- Curiosity involves asking questions;
- If others do not know the answers, research is needed;
What is research?
“Research is the term applied to any form of systematic and
organised investigation to establish facts or collect information,
and is usually related to a problem that needs to be solved.”
Research Cycle
Identify the Research Question:
The first research problem is to find
something to research, which we call 'the
research question’…
The Research Cycle
Practical Problem
motivates
helps to solve
Research Problem
Research Answer
finds defines
Research Question
Formulating Research Questions:
A most important part of research,
The first step in the research process is the selection of a
suitable problem from the field chosen by the researcher,
The choice and fomulation of a suitable problem is one of the
most difficult tasks for a researcher,
This problem is narrowed down to a more specific research
question, which then represents the central issue being
addressed,
The features of a good research problem:
a) Significance,
b) Originality,
c) Feasibility,
Cycles of Research Question Development
6
DEVELOPING THE RESEARCH QUESITON
Research Question is:
a statement that identifies the phenomenon to be studied
a formulation of uncertainty about science … that you wish to
explore or resolve [Hulley SB & Cumming SR, 1988]
• It should be the central question of a research,
• It is a problem that someone would like to investigate,
• It is considered a situation that needs to be changed or addressed,
Overall research process
Question
These problems consist of:
Research problem
Feasible
Interesting
Novel
Ethical
Relevant
A strong research question should be:
Evocative,
Relevant,
Clear,
Researchable,
Evocative
Evocative questions are ones that catch the interest of the
reviewer and draw her/him into the research,
Questions tend to be evocative because of the ways they engage
with challenging topics,
Make it timely:
Evocative questions are often distilled from very contemporary
social or theoretical concerns,
Frame it as a paradox:
Frame your question around a provocative paradox,
why have indigenous organizations in Bolivia markedly declined while the
number and quantity of funding sources has increased?
or
why have violent conflicts over forest resources increased in the last ten
years while the very people involved in these conflicts have become less and
less dependent on forest resources for their livelihoods?
Relevant
Questions that clearly demonstrate their relevance to
society, a social group, or scholarly literature and
debates are likely to be given more weight by reviewers,
CLEAR
Clear questions tend to be short and conceptually
straightforward,
Work to keep your questions as lucid and simple as
possible,
Keep your questions close to the topic or place you are
researching,
Limit variables:
If a question is burdened with too many variables, it will
become both difficult to read and difficult to research,
“Was the decline of population growth in Brazil the
result of government policies?”
“Was the decline in population growth in Brazil related
more to sex education, the distribution of birth control,
or resource depletion?”
RESEARCHABLE
Research questions need to be clearly “doable”,
• One of the most common rationales for rejecting
proposals is that the question is simply too
expansive to be carried out by the applicant,
Common problems with research questions
The question is too broad to be manageable:
What is the history of Christianity?
How are environmental disasters being fought?
Is the United States seriously addressing the problem
of prisoner abuse?
Try instead,
How did the conversion of Emperor Constantine affect
the history of Christianity?
How effective are the current practices for cleaning oil
spills?
To what extent has the U. S. military addressed the
problem of prisoner abuse since the Abu Ghraib
discoveries?
The question is too narrow:
Does Sweden have nationalized healthcare?
Try instead,
What was the political process that enabled
Sweden to establish nationalized healthcare?
• How did the UAW affect the economy in
Dayton, Ohio in 1973?
Try instead,
What influence did the automobile labor unions
have on the economy in the early 1970's?
The question cannot be answered:
What are the pros and cons of evolution?
How many girls are forced into prostitution
each year?
Try instead,
How does teaching of evolution in public
schools affect children who are raised in
religions that embrace creationism?
What are the traits that make girls vulnerable
for being forced into prostitution?
Evaluation of the Research Problem
The followings are points to consider when choosing a
research problem:
Is the problem researchable?
Is the problem new?
Is the problem significant?
Is the problem feasible?
Can interest be sustained by it?
Is the problem solvable?
Will it lead to other research problems?
Is it manageable in size?
Are you, or will you become, competent to solve it?
Types of Research Questions
Existence,
Description and Classification,
Composition,
Relationship,
Descriptive-Comparative,
Causality,
Causality-Comparative,
Existence Questions
Does X exist?
• Design to systematically rule out rival
explanations:
– Does Al Qaeda exist?
– Can neonates perceive color?
– Is there such a thing as ESP?
– Do older adults suffer from general slowing?
Questions of Description and Classification
What is X like?; Is it variable or invariant?;
What are its characteristics?
Examples:
– What are the characteristics of attention?
– Is attention uni-dimensional or
multidimensional?
– Is attention variable or constant?
Questions of Description and Classification