Selecting a Research Problem

Problem!
1. A question raised for inquiry,
consideration or solution
2. An intricate unsettled question

Source: Webster’s 7th New Collegiate Dictionary

 What do we do with
Problems?
• Ignore them
• Talk about them
• Try to solve them
 What is a Research Problem?
• It is a problem that someone would like to
investigate.
• It is considered a situation that needs to be
changed or addressed.
• These problems consist of:
• Areas of concern
• Conditions to be improved
• Difficulties to be eliminated
• Questions seeking answers
 The Research Problem
• In educational research, the research
problem is typically posed as a
question.
 Factors to consider in
Selecting a Research Problem
• The topic should be important (significant)
– Writing a thesis or dissertation is an exercise to
learn how to conduct research.
– However, graduate students can learn the
research process on an important topic just as
easy as learning the research process on a piddle
topic!
 More Factors to Consider…
• Consider the feasibility of the project.
– How much time do you have available
• Do you really want to do a longitudinal study that will
take 3 years to complete for a MS thesis?
– How difficult is it. Are data available?
– How much will it cost?
 More Factors…
• Make sure the topic is ethical to study.
 Factors to Consider in
Selecting a Research Problem
• You should have a personal interest in
the topic.
– By the time you are done, you may really
be tired of the topic
 More Factors to Consider…
• The “newness” of the topic may hold
you interest longer, however there is
some value in repeating previous
research
 More Factors…
• Make sure the research question is
clear.
Researchable vs. Non-researchable
Questions
 Writing Clear Questions
• Don’t use words open to interpretation
– Humanistic, teacher centered classroom
• Be very specific
– 4-H agents, not extension agents
• It is measurable
– End of Course Test Scores, not learning
 Defining Terms
• There are 3 ways to clarify important terms or
meaning in a research question:
1) use of constitutive definition (the dictionary
approach)
2) use of proper example(s)
3) use of operational definition (specifying operations
used to measure or identify examples of the term)

See p. 53, “Key Terms to Define in a Research Study”

When Operational Definitions would be Helpful (Figure 2.2)
 How does one find
topics to research?
• Become a scholar in an area of specialization
• Read, listen, discuss and think critically
• Follow up on ideas that stem from present
research
• Explore areas of dissatisfaction
 Steps in “Zeroing In”
on a Problem
• Identify a broad area that interests you
• Read the literature
• Narrow the area to 2 or 3 topics
• Thoroughly examine the literature on the 2-3
topics
• Select a single problem from 2-3 topics
 Refining the Topic
• The topic has to be “sized”!
– Generally this means reducing the scope
of the topic, occasionally it might be
expanded.
– Graduate students often select topics that
are too broad
 I want to research the
effect of providing
immediate feedback to
university students!

Way too general and broad!

 Refining the Topic
• The topic has to be “clarified”!
– The topic needs to reworded so that it
states clearly and unambiguously the
matter to be investigated, the variables to
be investigated, and participants, if any,
that will be involved.
 I want to research the
impact of providing
immediate feedback via e-
Instruction responders in
AEE graduate classes!
Much
Better!
 Refining the Topic
• A series of research questions or one or
more hypotheses, or both, should be
stated.
• Such questions and hypotheses orient
the study, add cohesiveness, and are
essential in helping solve the problem.
Does the use of e-Information
responders to provide
immediate feedback to
graduate students in AEE
classes:
1. Increase student learning?
2. Improve student evaluations of
classes?
 It is hypothesized that:
• Graduate students in AEE classes who
use the e-Instruction responders will
score higher on mid-term and final
exams than graduate students in AEE
classes who do not use the e-
Instruction responders.
 It is further hypothesized that:
• Graduate AEE classes in which e-
Instruction responders are used will
have higher course evaluations than
will graduate AEE classes in which the
e-Instruction responders were not used.
 The Research Process
• Select and define the problem
• Accumulated pertinent knowledge and information
• Develop specific objectives
• Design the study, the collect and analyze data
• Interpret data
• Prepare the research report
 The Research
Proposal/Report
• For graduate students, the research proposal
is presented to your committee for their
approval before you conduct the research or
• For others, the research proposal is typically
presented to a funding agency, school board
or extension administration for
approval/funding
 The Research
Proposal/Report
• A research proposal is future tense, a
research report is past tense
• A research report may be longer (as in the
case of a thesis or dissertation) or it may be
shorter (as is the case in a journal article or
research paper presented at a conference)
 What should be in a
research proposal/report?
• Typically a thesis or dissertation in AEE has five
chapters/sections.
– Introduction
– Review of the Literature
– Methodology
– Findings
– Conclusions/Implications
 Research proposal/report
• The length of a thesis or dissertation will be from
50-150 pages.
• A journal article or research paper will contain
the same content in the same sequence as listed in
the previous slide but will be greatly abbreviated.
• A research proposal will contain the first 3
chapters listed in the previous slide.
 Introduction Section or
Chapter
• The introductory section introduces the
problem to be studied and could range from
3 or so paragraphs to several pages
• This is often followed by a section titled
“Need for the Study”. This is 1- 3 paragraphs
in length. Here you make the case for
studying the problem you have selected.
 Introduction Section
• Statement of the Problem is next. This
is one or two sentences clearly stating
what it is being study. If often starts
with “The purpose…”
The purpose of this study is to determine if
immediate feedback in AEE graduate classes
improves student learning and course evaluations.
 Introduction Section
• Research questions and/or hypothesis follow.
– Descriptive research often uses just research
questions. It is permissible to have a hypothesis.
– In experimental, quasi-experimental,
correlational or ex post facto research a
hypothesis is generally expected. You can also
have research questions if desired.
 Research Question(s)
• Sample Research Questions
– Does the use of e-Information responders to
provide immediate feedback to graduate students
in AEE classes increase student learning?
– Does the use of e-Information responders to
provide immediate feedback to graduate students
in AEE classes improve student evaluations of
classes?
 Research Question(s)
• One may have several research question
• For data analysis avoid research questions
with an “and”
– Does the use of e-Information responders to
provide immediate feedback to graduate students
in AEE classes increase student learning and
improve student evaluations of classes?

One part of the question may be yes and the

other no. It is best to compartmentalize
everything.
 The Hypothesis
• In proposing or reporting research, two types of
hypotheses are normally stated:
– Directional
• AEE graduate students will learn more in classes in which e-
Instruction responders are used than in classes where they are not
used.
– Null
• There will be no difference in AEE graduate student learning in
classes in which e-Instruction responders are used and in classes in
which they are not used.
 The Hypothesis
• It is possible to have a nondirectional
hypothesis. This is stated the same as a
null hypothesis.
• When one performs a statistical test,
they are actually testing the Null
hypothesis
 Introduction continued…
• The introductory section generally
contains:
– Assumptions – you think people will
answer honestly, they have knowledge of
the subject, they are representative, etc.
Typically this is included in a proposal and in
theses and dissertations but is not reported in
journal articles or research presentations.
 Introduction continued…
• The introductory section generally
contains:
– Limitations – Things that happened during
the study they may impact on your
findings or the generalizability of the
research
Typically this is included in a proposal and in
theses and dissertations but is not reported in
journal articles or research presentations unless
there is a glaring problem.
 Introduction continued…
• The introductory section generally
contains:
– Definitions – Define the terms in your
research that the average person might not
know
Typically this is included in a proposal and in
theses and dissertations but is not reported in
journal articles or research presentations.It is
assumed your audience will know the words.
 Section 2 – Review of
Literature
• By the time you finish your research,
you should know more about the topic
than anyone else, including members
of your committee. You accomplish
this by a thorough review of existing
research regarding the problem.
 Literature Review
• In a thesis or dissertation, this section may be
10-50 pages.
• In a journal article it may only be 2-3 pages
at the most. You have to prove you know the
research but can’t go overboard because of
page limitations on manuscripts.
 Literature Review
• It is generally best to start globally and
then narrow it down to the specific
research question you have.
• Next week’s class focuses on how to
conduct a literature review.
 Literature Review
• You want to synthesize and merge what others had done,
not just string a bunch of quotes together!!!!
– Moving around the classroom helps to maintain student interest
(Banks, 2001; Carpenter, 1996; James, 1998)
– Banks (2001) says it is important to move around in the classroom.
– Carpenter (1996) believes movement in the classroom helps
YES! students to focus on the teacher.
– James (1998) says teachers should change their position every 3-4
minutes in order to keep student attention.

NO!
 Section 3- Methods
• Describe the research methodology (correlational,
descriptive, etc.) you are used (or plan to use) and why.
• Describe the population you are studying and how it is
described.
• If a sample is used, tell how big the sample is, why that
sample size was chosen, and the sample was selected
(I.e stratified random sample, cluster sample, etc.)
 Section 3 - Methods
• If the research is experimental, describe
the research design and what was done to
control extraneous variables.
• If the research is historical discuss
sources of data.
 Section 3- Methods
• Describe the research instrument used.
– How many sections and items or on it and how do people
respond.
– What is the rating scale? What is a high score? What is a low
score?
– How was it developed.
– Was it field tested?
– How do you know it is valid.
– How do you know it is reliable.
 Section 3- Methods
• Describe how the data were collected
(Personal interview, Mail survey, etc.)
• When and where were the data collected
• What was done about non-respondents?
• How were the data coded.
 Section 3- Methods
• Describe the statistical process used in
analyzing the data. Why did you use
the statistics you did.
 Section 4- Findings
• Report the data you have collected.
• Follow the same sequence in presenting the data so that
is corresponds with your research questions or
hypotheses.
• Data should be reported both in writing and in graphic
form (tables, graphs, etc.)
• Report any statistical tests.
• Just report the facts, don’t make any interpretations.
 Section 5- Conclusions
• Based upon the findings section, what can be
concluded?
• What are the implications of this research for
practice?
• What recommendations do have for further
research?