HOW TO FIND A RESEARCH PROBLEM

Dr. Jayanthi Gunasekara

Research project is a work related to a
research problem
All the activities should be developed for the
purpose of solving or investigating the problem
Demonstrate how the researcher understood
the process of research and how various
research methods are applied
Define the research problem
Work out how this problem can be investigated
Carry out investigations
Coming to conclusions on the basis of findings
Report the outcome
What are you going to do ?
Why are you going to do it?
How are you going to do it ?
When are you going to do it ?
A problem statement is:
a concise and precise description of the nature, scope,
causes, severity, and the effect or impact of a problem
the specific description of a problem which is essential to
understand it properly
the initial step before venturing in to any kind of research

It is necessary to formulate a good and effective problem

statement to ensure that the research is successful
Limited – to the scope of the research project.
Significant – no point doing trivial research.
Novel – ideally some new knowledge or greater
understanding should be uncovered.
Clearly defined – so that the purpose of the research is
obvious.
Interesting – In order to motivate you while doing the
work.
You should be able to state the problem clearly and concisely.
It should be of great interest to you.
The problem should be significant (i.e. not trivial or a repeat of
previous work).
It should be delineated. You will not have much time, so restrict
the aims of the research.
You should be able to obtain the required information.
You should be able to draw conclusions related to the problem.
The point of research is to find some answers.
Experience
Deductions from theory
Related literature
Policy decisions
Contemporary field of education
The problem selection involves two sub activities
1. Problem identification
Refers to the process of finding or determining what
research idea is to be studied.
2. Problem Distillation
Refers to the process of redefining the problem or idea and
making it sufficiently specific for investigation.
It is usually the results of a GAP in the information available in
an area.
An information GAP is exist because:
- no previous investigation
- previous work are poorly executed
Problem identification is simply, the generation of research ideas.
Problem idea is conceived in very general terms, often vague and
nebulous or ill defined.
Problem Distillation:
is a continuous process.
is a process of making the problem into more
specific form: the precise specification of the topic
Problem distillation allows the researcher to
become very clear about what is being studied and
the nature of the research questions
Find an interest in a broad subject area (problem
area)
Narrow the interest to a plausible topic.
Question the topic from several point of view.
Define a rationale for your project
Can the problem be split down into different aspects that
can be investigated separately (e.g. political, economic,
cultural, technical)?
Are there different personal or group perspectives that
need to be explored (e.g. employers, employees)?
Are different concepts used that need to be separately
investigated (e.g. health, fitness, well-being, confidence)?
Does the problem need to be considered at different scales
(e.g. the individual, group, organization)?
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