Formulating a research

Question
 Learning outcomes

• Tell the importance of formulating a research problem

• Explain the considerations in selecting a research problem

• List the steps in formulating a research problem

• Formulate research objectives

• construct the hypothesis
• List the characteristics of a hypothesis
 Research process
Phase Steps
Phase I: deciding 1. reviewing the literature
what to do
Step1: formulating a
2. Formulating a research
research question question
3. Identifying variables
Phase II: planning a Step II:conseptualising a research Selecting a study design
research study design
Step III:constructing an instrument Methods and tools of data collection
for data collection

Step IV:selecting a sample Sampling methods

Step V:writing a research proposal

Phase III conducting a Step VI:collecting data

research study Step VII: processing and displaying
data
Step VIII: writing a reserach report
 Research process
Phase Steps
Phase I: deciding
what to do
Step1: formulating a 1. reviewing the literature
2. Formulating a research
research question
The formulation of a research question
3. Identifying variables
problem
Phase II: planning a is the firstaand
Step II:conseptualising most Selecting a study design
research
research study design

important step of
Step III:constructing
for data collection
the
an research
instrument Methods and tools of data collection

process. It is likea sample

Step IV:selecting the identification of
Sampling methods

a destination
Step V:writingbefore undertaking a
a research proposal

journey.
Phase III conducting a Step VI:collecting data
research study Step VII: processing and displaying
data
Step VIII: writing a reserach report
 Why is a research question essential to the research
process?

• Research questions help researchers focus

their research by providing a path through the
research

• In the absence of clear research problem, a

clear and economical plan is impossible.
 What is a research question?

• A research question is a clear, focused, concise,

complex and arguable question around which you
center your research

• Any question that you want answered

• Any assumption or assertion that you want to

challenge or investigate
 Sample Research Questions
clear
Why are social networking sites harmful?

Doesn’t specify which social networking sites

or suggest what kind of harm the sites are causing
It also assumes that this “harm” is proven and/or accepted
How are online users experiencing or addressing
privacy issues on such social networking sites as
Facebook?
specifies sites, the type of harm, and who the issue is
harming.
 Sample Research Questions
focused

What is the effect on the environment from global

warming?
The unfocused research question is so broad that
it couldn’t be adequately answered

How is glacial melting affecting penguins in

Antarctica?
The focused version narrows down to a specific
cause (glacial melting), a specific place (Antarctica),
and a specific group that is affected
 Sample Research Questions Complex

How are doctors addressing diabetes in the Turkey?

this question can be looked up online and answered in a
few factual sentences. TOO SİMPLE

What are common traits of those suffering from

diabetes in Turkey, and how can these
commonalities be used to aid the medical
community in prevention of the disease?
MORE COMPLEX VERSİON
The way you formulate a problem determines
almost every step that follows:

1.The type of study design that can be used;

2.The type of sampling strategy that can be

employed;

3.The research instrument that can be used or

developed;

4.Type of analysis that can be undertaken.

 RQ determines study design
• the question aimed to find the incidence of a disease in
population will lead to conducting a survey

• to find risk factors for a disease will need case–control

study or a cohort study

• RQ may also culminate into clinical trial.

– effect of administration of folic acid tablet in the perinatal
period in decreasing incidence of neural tube defect.
 Steps in formulating a research
problem
1. Identify a broad field or subject area of interest
to you.
2. Dissect the broad area into subareas.
3. Select what is of most interest to you
4. Raise research questions
5. Constructing hypothesis
6. Formulate objectives
If you dont know what specific research topic,
7. Double check idea, questions or issue you want to research
(which is not uncommon among students) first
go through the following steps
• If you have a specific idea for your
resaerch, you don’t need to go through this
step
• should make sure that your idea is
researchable
– as not all problems lend themselves to research
methodologies
 Considerations in selecting a
reserach topic
• Interest-

• Magnitude-

• Measurement of concepts

• Level of expertise

• Relevance

• Availability of data

• Ethical issues
 Interest

• If you select a topic which does not greatly

interest you, it chould become extremely
difficult to sustain the required motivation
and put in enough time and energy to
complete it.
 Magnitude-

• it is extremely imp to select a topic that you

can manage within the time and with the
resources at your disposal.
 Measurement of concepts

• if you plan to measure the effectiveness of a

programme, you must be clear as to what
determines effectiveness and how it will be
measured.

• Do not use concepts in your research problem

that you are not sure how to measure.
 Level of expertise

• Make sure you have an adequate level of

expertise for the task you are proposing
 Availability of data
• Secondary data
 Ethical issues

• How ethical issues can affect the study

population

• How can be overcome

• should be examined at the problem

formulation stage.
 Steps in formulating a research
problem
1. Identify a broad field or subject area of interest
to you.
2. Dissect the broad area into subareas.
3. Select what is of most interest to you
4. Raise research questions
5. Constructing hypothesis
6. Formulate objectives
7. Double check
2-Dissecting the subject area of domestic violence into subareas

Subject area subareas

Profile of families in which DV occurs

Profile of the victims of DV
Profile of the perpetrators
Domestic violence
Reasons for DV
Extent and types of DV
Impact of DV on the family
Impact of DV on children
Services available to the victims of DV
Effectiveness of the services provided to the victims of DV
Extent of DV in a community
3-Select what is of most interest to
you
 4-Raise research question

• what is it that I want to find out about in this

subarea?

• Make a list of whatever questions come to

your mind

• go through the process of elimination (select

video
 5-constructing the Hypothesis

• A proposition that is stated in a testable form

and that predicts a particular relationship
between two or more variables
 The functions of a Hypothesis

• The formulation of a hypothesis provides a

study with focus.

• A hypothesis tells you what data to, thereby

providing focus to study.
The characteristics of a hypothesis

1. A hypothesis should be simple, specific and

conceptually clear.
– The average age of the male students in this class
is higher than that of the female students.
The characteristics of a hypothesis

• Suicide rate vary inversely with social cohesion

• What determines social cohesion? How can it

be measured? This problem makes it more
diffucult to test this hypothesis.
The characteristics of a hypothesis

2. A hypothesis should be capable of

verification

• Methods and techniques must be available for

data collection and analysis.
The characteristics of a hypothesis

3. A hypothesis should be related to the existing

body of knowledge
 Types of hypothesis

1. Null hypothesis (hypothesis of no difference)

2. Alternative hypothesis (hypothesis of

difference)
• You want to study the smoking pattern in a
community in relation to gender differentials
– Null hypothesis?

– Alternative hypothesis?
the smoking pattern in a community in relation
to gender differentials

1.There is no significant difference in the

proportion of male and female smokers in the
study population.

2.A greater proportion of females than males

are smokers in the study population.
6-formulation of research objectives

• Your objectives grow out of your research questions.

• The main difference btw research question and research

objectives

• Objectives transform these questions into behavioral aims

• Action- oriented words

• to find out, to determine, to assertain, to examine.

• You can prefer to have only research questions or only

objectives
 The formulation of research
objectives
The main objective is an overall statement of
• Main objectives; the thrust of your study. It is also a statement
of the main associations and relationships that
• Subobjectives. you seek to discover and establish.

spesific aspects of the topic that you want to

investigate within the main framework of your
study.
Formulate questions
subarea: effectiveness of community responsiveness in the
delivery of health services
• Raise questions
– How do the health administrators , planners,
service providers and consumers define
community responsiveness?
– What indicators can be used to evaluate the
effectiveness of community responsiveness
strategies?
• Formulate objectives
• Main objective: to evaluate the effectiveness
of community responsiveness startegies in
the delivery of health services
• Specific objectives:
– To find out the understanding of the
concept’community responsiveness’ among
health administrators, planners, service
providers and service consumers
– To develop a set of indicators to evaluate the
effectiveness of the strategies used in
implementation of community
responsiveness
• The wording of your objectives
determines the type of research design
you need to adopt to achieve them.
– Descriptive studies

– analtical studies

– Experimental studies
 Example

• Suppose you want to conduct a study in

the area of alcoholism.

• In formulating your research problem

take the following steps.
 Step 2

Dissect
1. Profile of
Step 1 Step 3
alcoholics
Identify 2. The causes of Select
alcoholism
Alcoholism The effects of
3. The process of
alcoholism on
becoming an
the family
alcoholic
4. The effects of
alcoholism on
the family
«The effects of alcoholism on the family»
Step 5
Step 4 Formulate objectives
Raise questions Main objective:
to find out the effects of
1. What impact has
alcoholism on the family
alcoholism on marital
Specific objectives:
relations?
1. To ascertain the impact of
2. How does it affect
alcoholism on marital
the various aspects of
relations
children’s lives?
2. To determine the ways in
3. What are the effects
which alcoholism affects
on the family’s
the different aspects of
finances?
children’s lives
3. To find out the effects of
alcoholism on the financial
situation of the family
Step 6 Step 7
Make sure Double-check
Assess these objectives 1. That you are really
in the light of: interested in the study
1. The work involved 2. That you agree with
2. The time available to the objectives
you 3. That you have
3. The financial adequate resources
resources at your 4. That you have
disposal technical expertise to
4. Your technical undertake the study
expertise in the area