Formulating a research problem

The research problem
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A research problem can be any question that you want
to answer and any assumption or assertion that you
want to challenge or investigate.
• Power, Meenaghan, & Twoomey (1985: 38),
‘Potential research questions may occur to us on a
regular basis, but the process of formulating them in
a meaning way is not at all an easy task’.
PREPARED BY:PROF.D.V.PATEL
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What is research problem?
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• Any question that you want answered and any
assumption or assertion that you want to
challenge or investigate.
• However;
• not all questions can be transformed into
research problems.
• the process of formulating them in a
meaningful way is not at all an easy task.
• it requires considerable knowledge of both the
subject area and research methodology.
2

What is research problem?
• A research problem is a perceived gap between what is
and what should be.
• Research problem arise from:
1. Evolution of theories.
2. Peers and supervisors etc.
3. Published research (literature review).
4. Day-to-day experience
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S C H O O L O F N U T R I T I O N A N D D I E T E T I C S • U N I V E R S I T I S U L T A N Z A I N A L A B I D I N
Research
problem is like
an identification
of destination
before
undertaking
research journey
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Clear research problem would
result in clear and economical
research plan.
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RESEARCH PROBLEM IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE
RESEARCH STUDY
6
WHATIT IS THATYOUWANT TOFIND OUT ABOUT AND
NOTWHATYOU THINK YOU MUSTFIND
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The way we formulate the research
problem determines every step that
follows:
• type of study design that can be used
• type of sampling strategy that can be
employed
• research instrument that can be used or
developed
• type of analysis that can be undertaken
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Formulating a research problem
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The certain aim of this chapter is to detail the process
of problem formulation.
The specific process that you are likely to adopt
depends upon:
 Your expertise in research methodology
 Your knowledge of the subject area
 Your understanding of the issues to be examined
 The extent to which the focus of your study is
predetermined
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The importance of formulating a
research problem
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The formulation of a research problem is the first and
most important step of the research process.
Kerlinger (1986: 17) ‘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’.
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The importance of formulating a
research problem (con)
The ways you formulate a problem determine
almost every step follow:
 The type of study design that can be used
 The type of sampling strategy that can be
employed
 The research instrument that can be used or
developed
 The type of analysis that6can be undertaken
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Establishing operational definition
• Working definitions or operational definitions are
pre-defined concepts that you plan to use either in your
research problem and/or in identifying the study
population in a measurable form.
• Used only for the purpose of your study and could be
quite different to legal definitions, or those used by
others.
• Working definitions will inform your readers what exactly
you mean by the concepts that you have used in your
study to avoid ambiguity and confusion.
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Establishing Operational Definitions
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In every study there are two components:
1. the subject area
2. the study population
The main aim of formulating a research problem
is to clearly and precisely define the research
problem.
In a research study it is important to develop, define
or establish a set of rules, indicators or yardsticks in
order to clearly establish the meaning of such
words/items. PREPARED BY:PROF.D.V.PATEL

Aspects of research problem
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Establishing Operational Definitions
(con)
Examples studies help to explain the main objectives:
• to find out the number of children living below the
poverty line in Australia;
• to ascertain the impact of immigration on family roles
among immigrants;
• to measure the effectiveness if a retraining program
designed to help young people
Although these objectives clearly state the main thrust of
the studies, they are not specific in terms of the main
variables to be studied and the study populations.
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Identifying research problem
• Differentiate between research vs. non-research
problems.
• Non-research problems are answered by these
questions:
– Can it be solved by administrative changes?
– Are there already solutions available that can be used?
– Is the problem due to lack of manpower and resources?
– Is there data showing that it is not a significant issue?
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Prioritizing research problem
Relevance
• How important?
• Size, severity, health & social consequences?
Duplication
• Is the answer already available from other studies?
Feasibility
• Feasible to carry out remedial actions?
• Are the manpower, time and resources available?
Applicability
• Potential solution is effective under ideal conditions?
• Will managers accept and use it?
1
2
•3
•4
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Prioritizing research problem
Cost effectiveness
• Are the resources invested worth the outcome?
• Will the solution be too expensive to implement?
Timeliness
• Will the answer come quick enough?
Ethics
• Will the project be acceptable to the respondents?
Political acceptability
• Will the managers and community accept the
results?
•5
•6
•7
•8
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Considerations in selecting a research problem
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Considerations in selecting a research problem
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When selecting a research problem/topic there are a
number of considerations to keep in mind. There are
seven main points such as:
• Interest: should be the most important
consideration in selecting a research problem.
• Magnitude: should have sufficient knowledge
about the research process to be able to visualize
the work involved in completing the proposed
study.

Considerations in selecting a
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Measurement of concepts :
if you are using a concept in your study, make sure
you are clear about its indicators and their
measurement.
For example: if you plan to measure the effectiveness
of a health promotion program, you must be clear as
to what determines effectiveness and how it will be
measured. Do not use concept in your research
problem that you are not sure how to measure.

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• Level of expertise : Make sure you have an
adequate level of expertise for the task you are
proposing.
• Relevance : select a topic that is of relevance to
you as a professional. Ensure that you study adds to
the existing body of knowledge, bridges current
gaps or useful in policy formulation.

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• Availability of data : if your topic entails
collection of information from secondary
sources(office record, client , records, census or
other already-polished reports, ect..) before
finalizing your topic make sure that these data are
available and in the format you want.
• Ethical issues : other important consideration in
formulating a research problem is the ethical
issues involved.

Steps in formulating research
problem
STEP 1
Identify broad
field
STEP 2
Dissect to sub-
areas
STEP 3
Select interested
sub-area
STEP 4
Raise questions
STEP 5
Formulate
objectives
STEP 6
Assess objective
STEP 7
Double check
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Steps in the formulation of a research
problem
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A step in the formulation of a research problem is
the most crucial part of the research journey on
which the quality of the entire project depends.
Steps in formulating research problem alcoholism
Step1: Identify a broad field or subject area of
interest to you.
Asked yourself, what is it that really interest me
as a professional?

problem (con)
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Step 2: Dessert the broad area into subareas
You will relies that all the broad areas mentioned
above youth welfare, refugees, domestic violence,
consumer behavior and HIV/AID have many
aspect.

- Profile of families in which DV
occurs
- Profile of the victims of DV
- Profile of the perpetrators
- Reasons of DV
- Extent and types of DV
- Impact of DV on the family
- Impact of DV on children
- Services available to the victims
of DV
- Effectiveness of the services
provided to the victims of DV
Domestic
violence
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- Extent of DV in a community
problem (con)
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Step 3: Select what is of most interest to you.
- It is neither advisable nor feasible to study all subareas.
- Select issues or subareas about which you are
passionate.
Step 4: Raise research questions
1. What is it that I want to find out about in the subareas?
2. Asked the question what you want to find yourself in a
situation.
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problem (con)
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problem (con)
Step 5: Formulate objectives
Formulate your main objectives and your sub objectives
-The main difference between objectives and research
questions is in to behavioral aims by using action –oriented
words such as to find out, to determine’ , ‘to ascertain and ‘to
examine’
Step 6: Assess your objectives
-Now examine your objectives to ascertain the feasibility o
achieving them through your research endeavor.
-Consider them in the light of the time, resources (financial
and human) and technical expertise at your disposal.
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problem (con)
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Step 7: Double-check.
- Go back and give final consideration to whether or
not you are sufficiently interested in the study, and
have adequate resources to undertake it.
- Ask yourself , am I really enthusiastic about this
study?
- Do I really have enough resources to undertake it?
- Answer these questions thoughtfully and
realistically.

Functions of research objectives
• Focus the study (narrowing it down to
essentials).
• Avoid the collection of data which are not strictly
necessary for understanding and solving the
problem you have identified.
• Organize the study in clearly defined parts or
phases.
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Formulation of research objectives
• What is an ‘objective’?
– A clear and specific goals you set out to attain in
your study.
• Two types of objectives;
– Main objectives
• Specific objectives / sub-objectives
MAIN OBJECTIVES
• Overall statement of the thrust of
your study.
• It is also a statement of the main
associations and relationships
that you seek to discover or
SUB-OBJECTIVES
• The specific aspects of the topic
that you want to investigate
within the main framework of
your study
• One sub-objective contains one
establish aspect only
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-The main objective is an overall statement of the trust of
your study.
-It is also a statement of the association and relationships that
you seek to discover or establish.
-The subjective are the specific aspects of the topic that you
want to investigate within the main framework of your study.
• Sub-objectives should be numerically listed.
• Worded clearly and unambiguously.
• Use action-oriented words or verbs when writing your
objectives.
• E.g. start with;
– ‘to determine’, ‘to find out’, ‘to ascertain’, ‘to measure’ and
‘to explore’
• the wording of your objectives determines the type of
research design you need to adopt to achieve them.PREPARED BY:PROF.D.V.PATEL
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Characteristics of objectives
Clear Complete Specific
Main
Variables
Direction
Descriptive studies
Correlation studies (experimental and non-experimental)
Hypothesis testing studies
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Research Designs
Exploratory Research:
Typically carried out to satisfy the researcher’s desire for
better understanding, or to develop preliminary
background and suggest issues for a more detailed
follow-up study.
Descriptive Research:
Normally directed by one or more formal research
questions or hypotheses.
Cross-sectional study
Longitudinal research
Casual Research:
Experiments in which researchers manipulate
independent variables and then observe or measure the
dependent variable or variables of interest.
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Formulating a research problem

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