CHOOSING A RESEARCH PROBLEM

PREPARED BY LESSIE MAE L. DELA CRUZ

What is a research problem?

the main questions to be answered the issue to be settled in the study

to be identified and defined to give direction to the research

a broad problem that needs to be dissected into specific sub problems to clarify the direction of the research specific steps to be taken

What areas of study in sciences can serve as sources of research problems?

Everything under the sun can be source of a certain study such as in the field of BIOLOGY CHEMISTRY PHYSICS and other fields that deal with problems around us.

 Reading critically the literature to the topic of interest, particularly articles in scientific journals, and looking for gaps in knowledge about a topic, hypotheses that need to be resolved, facts or phenomenon that need explanation, and problems that need solution. Attending professional lectures, research colloquia, seminars, workshops and conferences

What can a student do to sharpen his or her skills in discovering and identifying a problem?

Being closely observant of situations and events in the community-analyzing needs and practices of the community Thinking out the possibility of research about the topics or lessons taken in major courses Conducting mini-researches (e.g. laboratory projects) and noting the obtained findings closely for possible follow-up studies. Some breakthroughs in science , e.g. discovery of penicillin, started from serendipity.

What can a student do to sharpen his or her skills in discovering and identifying a problem?
Visiting various libraries and websites containing relevant materials, and building up a personal collection of materials in the field of interest Reading brochures or research agencies such as DOSTPCASTRD and DOST-PCHRD about research priorities and funding

Consulting experts and researchers working in the field of interest

Discussing with colleagues possible projects particularly those that could be divided into several thesis problems

What factors should be considered in selecting a research problem?

Must be genuinely interested in the research topic and convinced that the research can yield an important contribution to the field of study Must be competent to carry out the research. Research topic must also be appropriate to the degree and major area the student is working for. The study must be original- the research problem and data to be gathered are new. The expected output of the study must be an original contribution to the fund of knowledge in the field of study. Replication of a past study, however may be acceptable if there is a strong reason to verify its findings in a different population or a different setting. The research problem must be significant and relevant to current needs and concerns of the population, system or discipline it is intended for. The expected output of the study must have a relatively broad application and must make a substantial positive impact on the target clientele.

What factors should be considered in selecting a research problem?

The research problem must be researchable and manageable, and should not require value judgment. A researchable problem has the following features: 1. The required data are obtainable and verifiable 2. Data could be gathered accurately and objectively 3. The formulated tentative answers to the questions asked are testable (maybe accepted or rejected based on the data). 4. There are equipment and instruments that can give valid and reliable results. Examples: Poor: Is human cloning immoral? (requires value judgment) Better: What percent of the population think that cloning is immoral? (can be answered by empirical means)

What factors should be considered in selecting a research problem?

The student should have or be able to obtain the financial resources to find the research

The study can be completed within the allotted period of time.

If the study involves use of confidential records, organisms that are considered threatened or endangered, or organisms from protected areas (e.g. marine, freshwater and terrestrial areas that have been declared by the government as parks or sanctuaries), permits must be obtained from proper authorities. If using human subjects, the researcher must obtain the informed consent of those subjects; that is, the subjects must be informed about the nature of the research, and then they must agree to participate in that research.

What factors should be considered in selecting a research problem?

The study must not involve serious hazards- physical, chemical , biological, social or legal to the researcher, the persons and agencies involved, or the community.

How is the research problem identified, delimited and defined?

After searching for possible research topics based on the general guidelines mentioned earlier, choose the general topic that is most acceptable to you. Example 1: parasites of fishes in Lake Duminagat Example 2: adverse effects of malathion on reproduction of mammals

Determine the kind of information you intend to obtain about the topic. a. Are you interested in describing characteristics of a system or phenomenon? If so, what characteristics? Define clearly those characteristics.
b. Are you interested in relating two or more factors? If so, what factors? Define clearly those factors.

How is the research problem identified, delimited and defined?

Write down the problem in question form. Example 1: Are fishes in Lake Duminagat infested by parasites? Example 2: What are the adverse effects of malathion on reproduction of mammals? Clarify the problem. Based on the review of related literature, dissect the problem into more specific subproblems, then ask questions based on those subproblems. Focus on questions not yet answered by past studies. Example 1: What fishes in lake Duminagat are infested by parasites? What kinds of parasites infest those fishes? How prevalent are those parasites? What parts of the fish are affected by each parasite?

How is the reseach problem identified, delimited and defined?

Example 2: Can malathion reduce fertility in mice? Can malathion cause sterility in mice? If the questions asked above still require too much work or expense, break them down into smaller subproblems Example 1: What endoparasites infest Puntius tumba? How prevalent are those parasites? What internal organs of the fish are affected by each parasite? Example 2: Can malathion reduce litter size in female mice treated orally? Can malathion induce abortion in mice treated orally? Can malthion reduce ovulation in mice treated orally?

How is the reseach problem identified, delimited and defined?

Decide which of the specific questions you will answer in your study. Depending on the scope of your study , you may want to answer only one question or several questions. The questions you have chosen to answer will guide you in setting your objectives, and in choosing what subjects, methods, conditions, variables and parameters to include in your study, and if applicable, the period or time of study. Formulate and appropriate title for the study.

How is the title of the research formulated?

Generally, the title is formulated before the start of the research work. It may be revised and refined later if there is a need, e.g. because of some changes in the methodology or to emphasize a striking finding of the study. The title must contain the subject matter of the study, the variables being investigated and the main concepts of the study. As such, it should include key words related to the specific field of study. It must be broad enough to indicate what is expected to be found in the research report. It must be clear, specific and as brief and concise as possible. Titles that include names of unfamiliar subjects must give not only the common names but also the scientific names. Titles of studies focusing on particular areas or localities must also mention the names of those places. Abbreviated words should be avoided except those whose meanings are common knowledge to the expected readers.

How is the title of the research formulated?

Shorter, simpler and more familiar words are preferred. Phrases such as An Analysis of, A study of, An Investigation of and the likes should be excluded. All these things are understood to have been done or to be done when the research is conducted. It should attract the readers interest. If the title contains more than one line, it must be written like inverted pyramid, all words in capital letters.

How is the title of the research formulated?

The title serves the following functions: a. It draws, in summary form, the content of the entire research. b. It serves as a frame of reference for the whole research. c. It serves to differentiate the research from other researches particularly those of the same or related topics. d. Keywords in the title are used for indexing the work so that other researchers can quickly determine the relevance of the study to their own study. Some journals show a list of keywords below the title of the article. Some keywords for the article, however, may not be included in the title. Example: DETERMINANTS OF BONE AND BLOOD LEAD LEVELS AMONG TEENAGERS LIVING IN URBAN AREAS WITH HIGH LEAD EXPOSURE Keywords: bone lead,blood lead, K X-ray fluorescence, teenager