CHAPTER III

Dr. Basu Prasad Subedi

Unit III: Problem Definition and
Hypothesis formulation—3 hours
• Problem definition – concept and steps in Problem formulation;
Research Questions; Hypothesis – functions and types; criteria of
good hypothesis statement
How to write your background of your
study?
• Elaborate your theme of the topic
• Write your argument
• Claim your argument
• Write a concluding paragraph explaining the need of research
What is problem statement? How to write?
While writing the problem statement you need to write the answer of
the following questions
1. What is the problem?
2. What happens if we do not solve the problem?
3. What attempts have been made to solve the problem?
4. Where is the gap in Knowledge?
Research Questions
• A research question is 'a question that a research project sets out to
answer'.
• Choosing a research question is an essential element of both
quantitative and qualitative research.
• Investigation will require data collection and analysis, and the
methodology for this will vary widely.
Research Questions- Examples
• What effect does social media have on people’s minds?
• What effect does daily use of Twitter have on the attention span of under-
16s?

The first question is not specific enough: what type of social media? Which

people? What kind of effects? The second question defines its concepts
more clearly. It is researchable through qualitative and quantitative data
collection.
Research Questions- Examples
• Why is there a housing crisis in the Netherlands?
• What impact have university internationalisation policies had on the
availability and affordability of housing in the Netherlands?

• Starting with “why” often means that your question is

not focused enough: there are too many possible answers and no clear
starting point for research. By targeting just one aspect of the problem
and using more specific terms, the second question offers a clear path
to finding an answer.
Research Questions- Examples
• Does the US or the UK have a better healthcare system?
• How do the US and the UK compare in health outcomes and patient
satisfaction among low-income people with chronic illnesses?

• The first question is too broad and overly subjective: there’s no clear
criteria for what counts as “better”. The second question is much
more researchable. It uses clearly defined terms and narrows its focus
to a specific population.
Research Questions- Examples
• What should political parties do about low voter turnout in region X?
• What are the most effective communication strategies for increasing
voter turnout among under-30s in region X?

It is generally not feasible for academic research to answer broad

questions about “what should be done”. The second question is more
specific, and aims to gain an understanding of possible solutions in
order to make informed recommendations.
Research Questions- Examples
• Has there been an increase in homelessness in San Francisco in the past
ten years?
• How have economic, political and social factors affected patterns of
homelessness in San Francisco over the past ten years?

• The first question is too simple: it can be answered with a simple yes or
no. The second question is more complex, requiring in-depth
investigation and the development of an original argument.
Research Questions- Examples
• What factors led to women gaining the right to vote in the UK in
1918?
• How did Irish women perceive and relate to the British women’s
suffrage movement?

• The first question is too broad and not very original. It has been
extensively researched by historians, and it would be very difficult to
contribute new knowledge. The second question identifies an
underexplored aspect of the topic that requires investigation and
discussion of various primary and secondary sources to answer.
Research Questions- Examples
• How can sexual health services and LGBT support services in district X
be improved?
• How can sexual health clinics in district X develop their services and
communications to be more LGBT-inclusive?

• The first question is not focused enough: it tries to address two

different practical problems (the quality of sexual health services and
LGBT support services). Even though the two issues are related, it’s
not clear how the research will bring them together. The second
integrates the two problems into one focused, specific question.
Research Questions- Examples
• Where do the majority of immigrants to Germany come from?
• What are the similarities and differences in the experiences of recent
Turkish, Polish and Syrian immigrants in Berlin?

• The first question is too simple, asking for a straightforward fact that
can be easily found online. The second is a
more complex comparative question that requires data collection and
detailed discussion to answer.
Research Questions- Examples
• How is race represented in Shakespeare’s Othello?
• How have modern adaptations of Shakespeare’s Othello dealt with
the theme of racism through casting, staging and allusion to
contemporary events?
The first question is not original or relevant — it has been answered so
many times that it would be very difficult to contribute anything new.
The second question takes a specific angle with scope to make an
original argument, and has more relevance to current social concerns
and debates.
Research Questions- Examples
• How can drunk driving be prevented?
• What effect do different legal approaches have on the number of
people who drive after drinking in European countries?

• The first question asks for a ready-made solution, and is not focused

or researchable. The second question is a clearer comparative
question, but note that it may not be practically feasible. For a smaller
research project or thesis, it could be narrowed down further to focus
on the effectiveness of drunk driving laws in just one or two countries.
Hypothesis
• A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a
hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires
that one can test it.
• Scientists generally base scientific hypotheses on previous
observations that cannot satisfactorily be explained with the available
scientific theories.
Hypothesis
• A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a precise, testable statement of
what the researcher(s) predict will be the outcome of the study.
• This usually involves proposing a possible relationship between two
variables: the independent variable (what the researcher changes) and
the dependent variable (what the research measures).
• In research, there is a convention that the hypothesis is written in two
forms, the null hypothesis, and the alternative hypothesis (called the
experimental hypothesis when the method of investigation is
an experiment).
Types of Research Hypotheses
Alternative Hypothesis
• The alternative hypothesis states that there is a relationship between
the two variables being studied (one variable has an effect on the
other).
• It states that the results are not due to chance and that they are
significant in terms of supporting the theory being investigated.
Example: Regularity in the class increases the Grade of the students.
Words of mouth increases the sales of the particular business.
Types of Research Hypotheses
Null Hypothesis
• The null hypothesis states that there is no relationship between the two
variables being studied (one variable does not affect the other).
• It states results are due to chance and are not significant in terms of
supporting the idea being investigated.
Example: There is no relationship between regularity and student
achievement
There is no relationship between words of mouth and the sales of the
particular business.