research problem and hypothesis
- 2. Introduction • Research is the heartbeat of science • A research problem refers to a difficulty which a researcher or a scientific community or an industry or a government organization or a society experiences • In all field of endeavors, several problems exist which have reference to pure, applied or action research • Problem identification involves spotting and uncovering a phenomenon, understanding its source and crystallizing its implication
- 4. Continued. • Articulation (reporting or stating such identified problems) of research problem is very important • “Research problems” indicate gaps in the scope of our knowledge • Such gap may result from whether there had been no research ever conducted on them or • Whether there were some elements of inadequacy or loopholes noted or observed in the previous researches on such subject matters • Potential research questions may occur to us on a regular basis, but the process of formulating them in a meaningful way is not at all an easy task
- 6. The importance of formulating a research problem • The formulation of a research problem is the first and most important step of the research process • It is like the identification of a destination before undertaking a journey • The research problem serves as the foundation of a research study: if it is well formulated, you can expect a good study to follow • “If one wants to solve a problem, one must generally know what the problem is. It can be said that a large part of the problem lies in knowing what one is trying to do” (Kerlinger, 1986)
- 7. Types of research problems • There are three types of research problems • Theoretical research problem: It is the theoretical explanation of a research problem • It gives only theory and meaning of the problem. It defines the problem theoretically • This type of research has no need of hypothesis and verification • It is exploratory and provide basic meaning
- 8. Continued. • Applied Research Problem: An applied social research problem is a practical use of the theoretical knowledge • In that type the field work and visits to the problematic situation is necessary • It has the design of hypothesis and verification • It is practical in nature • It has exploratory hypothesis
- 9. Continued. • Action Research Problem: Action research problem is that one for which the immediate solution is required • This type of research is continuous and needs quick solution in emergency basis • It is welfare oriented. • It is service oriented. • It is sensitive and immediate decision required for solution
- 10. Sources of research problems/ideas • Experience & Observation: Everyday experience and observations of what goes on around us can serve as rich sources of ideas • Theory: a theory allows you to predict the behavior expected under new combinations of variables • Knowledge Gap (Literature Review): while reading research articles, certain questions may come in your mind • Contradictory Results: some results described in papers may be contradictory, you can conduct a study to verify them • Books: can also be a good source of research ideas • Meetings: Conventional and professional
- 11. Considerations in selecting a research problem • There are a number of considerations to keep in mind which will help to ensure that your study will be manageable and that you remain motivated • Interest: should be the most important consideration • Research is usually time consuming and need hard work, if you the topic is of no interest to you, there will be no motivation for you • Magnitude: You should have sufficient knowledge about the research process involved in completing the proposed study • Narrow the topic to something manageable, specific and clear
- 12. Continued. • Level of expertise: Make sure you have an adequate level of expertise for the task you are proposing • Allow for the fact that you will learn during the study and may receive help from your research supervisor and others, but remember that you need to do most of the work yourself • Relevance: Select a topic that is of relevance to you as a professional • Ensure that your study adds to the existing body of knowledge, bridges current gaps or is useful in policy formulation • The problem should be significant
- 13. Continued. • Availability of data: If your topic entails collection of information from secondary sources (office records, client records, census or other already-published reports, etc.) make sure that this data is available and in the format you want before finalizing your topic • Ethical issues: Another important consideration in formulating a research problem is the ethical issues involved
- 15. Hypothesis • “A hypothesis can be defined as a tentative explanation of the research problem, a possible outcome of the research, or an educated guess about the research outcome” • “An hypothesis is a statement or explanation that is suggested by knowledge or observation but has not, yet, been proved or disproved”