This document discusses identifying research problems and developing hypotheses. It explains that properly formulating the research problem and developing a hypothesis are preliminary steps. Some key points: - Research problems can come from previous research, practical needs, political concerns, and funding priorities. - A good research problem is significant, researchable, original, and interesting. It should contribute new knowledge. - The purpose statement outlines what the researcher intends to study about the problem. Research questions and hypotheses further refine and predict the relationship between variables.

1. Prof.Dr.Chinna Chadayan.N
RN.RM., B.Sc (N)., M.Sc (N)., Ph.D (N).,
Professor,
Enam Nursing College – Savar,
Bangladesh
IDENTIFICATION OF
RESEARCH PROBLEM
M.SC(N)
UNIT - 2
Unit 2 Identification of Research
Problems
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2. INTRODUCTION
 Formulation of a research problem and developing hypothesis are been
preliminary step in the research process. The research problem, often called
as problem statements and the question that is to be asked in the study.
 Both qualitative and quantitative researchers identify a research problem
within a broad topic area of interest to a more circumscribed problem that
specify exactly what the researcher intends to study.
 Most investigators try to define their research problem as precisely as
possible. The purpose of research is to “solve” the problem or to contribute
to its solution by accumulating relevant information. If the formulation of
the problem as precisely statement is effectively addressed, the remaining
steps in the research process flow with relative ease.
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3. PROCESS OF IDENTIFICATION OF
A RESEARCH PROBLEM
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Problems
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4. SOURCES OF RESEARCH
PROBLEMS
Problems that require research to answer are derived from many sources,
including
 previous research
 popular conceptions
 empirical interests
 practical needs
 political concerns
 typical priorities of those who fund research
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5. PREVIOUS RESEARCH:
 The critical appraisal of research studies that appear in journals may
indirectly suggest a problem area by stimulating the readers thinking. The
organized body of nursing knowledge contains information about
previous research.
POPULAR CONCEPTIONS:
 While taking care of health, certain traditional practices have been
practiced according to their cultural beliefs those are certain old practices
of the new world.
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6. EMPIRICAL INTEREST:
 The sudden insight, which may arise from seeing things in a different way is another
sources of research problems.
PRACTICAL NEEDS:
 Clinical practice provides a wealth of experiences from which research problems can
be derived.
 e.g.: OPD patients getting severe dyspnea on treatment.
POLITICAL CONCERN:
 The political climate, which places emphasis on constraining health care cost, cause
and effect of treatment of diseases and improving the standards of health, and
implementation of vertical health programmes, has provided many avenues for
research.
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7. PRIORITIES:
 There are so many problems emerging in health care services. Nursing
have identified priorities for nursing research that will result in the
creation of knowledge that nurses need to care for future generations. The
lists of priorities can serve as a source of research problems for the nurse
investigator.
 e.g: Nursing service, Nursing administration, Nursing education,
Medical-Surgical nursing, Paediatric Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing,
Community Health Nursing.
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8. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD
RESEARCH PROBLEM
 Research problem selected should be significant to nursing and solvable.
 Research problem should have signification to build body of knowledge
 It should be researchable and feasible.
 It should be original and creative
 It should be interesting to others
 It should have administrative approval
 It should be practical in terms of facilities required to conduct studies
 The problem should so meaningful to the body of knowledge and practical
 Problem area should be the area of interest of investigator to do best.
 The researcher should have depth knowledge regarding research problems.
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9. CRITERIA OF RESEARCH
PROBLEM
Every problem selected for research must satisfy the following criteria.
ORIGINALITY :
 While selecting the problem novelty should be maintained. The
purpose of research is to fill the gaps in existing knowledge to discover new
facts and not to repeat already known facts.
NEITHER GENERAL NOR SPECIFIC:
 The problem should test very general to vague topic of interest.
 The topic of interest should be very specific.
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10. SIGNIFICANCE:
 The researcher should pose the following kind of questions.
 Is the problem important one?
 Will the result lead to practical implication?
SOLVABILITY:
 The problem should be solvable one
FEASIBILITY :
 The feasibility of research problem must be premised in the light of
pragmatic considerations such as time and availability.
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11. Format of the Research Problem Title
 The research problem title should include the
following elements:
 Type/Design of the study
 Main purpose of the study
 Population under study
 Setting of the study
Example: An experimental study (design of the study) to assess the
comparative efficacy of heparin saline and normal saline flush for
maintaining patency of intravenous lines (primary purpose of the study)
among patients admitted to EMCH, Savar (population and setting of the
study).
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12.  “A STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
GARLIC POWDER IN REDUCING THE BLOOD
PRESSURE AMONG CLIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION
IN A SELECTED AREA AT SAVAR”
 A COMPARATIVE STUDY TO ASSESS THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF HONEY APPLICATION VERSUS
CHLORHEXIDINE MOUTH WASH IN REDUCING
ORAL MUCOSITIS AMONG CHILDREN OF 5 – 10
YEARS ADMITTED IN HEMATOLOGY WARD,
INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HOSPITAL FOR
CHILDREN, CHENNAI
 Quality of Nursing Courses as Perceived by
Students: Relationship with Their Academic
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13. EVALUATING RESEARCH PROBLEM
 LITERATURE REVIEW:
A preliminary literature review reveals related factors that
appear critical to the research topic of interest and aids in further
definition of the research problem.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROBLEM:
A crucial factor in selecting a problem to be studied is its
significance to nursing especially to nursing practices.
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14.  RESEARCHABILITY:
The problem must be researchable, that is it must be
capable of being empirically investigated.
 FEASIBILITY:
The feasibility of research problem must be examined
with the time, availability of subjects, money, facilities and
equipment, experience of the research and ethical issues.
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15.  EXPERIENCE AND CREATIVITY:
Good research problems stem from clear understanding of the
theoretical, empirical and practical aspects of the subjects derived
from personal experiences, and form a thorough review of the
literature.
 COMMUNICATING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
It is clear that a study cannot progress without the choice of a
problem it is less clear, but nonetheless true, that the problem and
research questions should be carefully stated in writing before
proceeding with the design of the study or with field work.
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16. RESEARCH PURPOSE
 The research purpose is a clear, concise
statement of the researcher's specific focus or
aim: the reason the study was performed. The
research purpose is a short statement, usually a
single sentence.
 In a research proposal, the purpose statement is
couched in the present tense, “The purpose of
this research is to investigate …”
 and in a research report, in the past tense, “The
purpose of this research study was to
demonstrate …”
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17.  Typically , a purpose statement comes out of a
problem statement.
 The problem statement lays out the problem
and the purpose statement outlines what you as
a researcher intend to do to the study the
problem.
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18. Research question
1. A question which the research sets out to
answer
Importance of a research question
Help refine broad topics into researchable
variables
Characteristics of a good research question
 Relevant (relate to the topic)
 Interesting
 Focused and specific
 Researchable
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20. Hypothesis
 A hypothesis is a tentative prediction or explanation
of the relationship between two or more variables.
 The relationship between the independent and the
dependent variable is described using a connective
phrase such as ‘more than’, ‘greater than’ or ‘less
than’ or ‘no different from’ or ‘the same as’.
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21. Hypothesis
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Characteristics
 Hypothesis should be simple
 Hypothesis should be specific
 Hypothesis should be stated in advance
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22. Hypothesis
Types
 Null hypothesis/Statistical hypothesis: It states that
there is no relationship between two or more
variables. The null hypothesis is the formal basis for
testing statistical significance.
 It is denoted by the symbol H0, which means:
 The researcher does not expect the groups to be different
 The researcher does not expect the variables to be related
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23. Hypothesis
 Alternative/Research hypothesis (H1): It is the
opposite of the null hypothesis. It depicts the
relationship between variables as believed
in/expected by the researcher.
For example: There will be a significant difference between the
knowledge, attitudes and practice of Class 9 students who
receive BLS training and those who do not receive this
training as measured by a structured knowledge questionnaire,
attitude scale and observation checklist at 0.05 level of
significance.
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24. Hypothesis
One- and two-tailed alternative hypotheses
 One-tailed (or one-sided) hypothesis specifies the direction of
the association between the predictor and outcome variables.
Example: Students with previous exposure to the CPR course will have
a higher pretest mean CPR knowledge score than students with no
exposure to the CPR course.
 Two-tailed hypothesis states only that an association exists; it
does not specify the direction.
Example: The prediction that students with previous exposure to the
CPR course will have a different knowledge score, either higher or
lower, than those with no exposure to the CPR course .
The word ‘tail’ refers to the tail ends of the statistical distribution,
that is used to test a hypothesis. 24
Unit 2 Identification of Research
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25. Hypothesis
Simple versus complex hypothesis
 A simple hypothesis contains one independent
variable and one dependent variable.
For example: the post-test knowledge score of the
experimental group will be higher than the control
group at 0.05 level of significance.
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26. Hypothesis
Simple versus complex hypothesis
 A complex (multivariate) hypothesis predicts the
relationship between three or more variables.
For example: There will be a significant association
between the knowledge, attitudes and practice and
the selected demographic variables of Class 9
students who receive the BLS training programme
and those who do not receive the training, as
measured by a structured knowledge questionnaire,
attitude scale and observation checklist at 0.05 level.
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27. Formulating
Research Question
 A research question is one that can be answered
directly through the analysis of data.
 Well-articulated research questions have the
following qualities:
 It is clear, uncomplicated and can be easily understood
by others.
 It should state the relationship between two or more
variables.
 It should mention variables that are measurable.
 It can be answered in the available timeframe and with
the available resources.
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28. Research Problem
vs
Research Question
What is a Research Problem?
 A research problem introduces the significance of the topic that is being
addressed in the research study. It gives a clue about the direction of the
research. At the same time, a research problem places the research in a
specific context, defining the constraints of the research. It also gives
a framework to report results. In addition, it indicates the need to conduct
the research and explains how the findings will present the information.
What is a Research Question?
 A research question refers to a specific inquiry the research study expects
to provide answers. A research question in a research study shows the path
of the research process. A research question is considered the first step of a
research project. Basically, a research question of the research determines
the methodology and hypothesis. Furthermore, the research question guides
the stages like analyzing and reporting data in research.
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29. Unit 2 Identification of Research
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30. Research Question
‘FINER’ criteria for a good research question
 F-Feasible
 I-Interesting
 N-Novel
 E-Ethical
 R-Relevant
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31. Research Question
‘PICOT’ format to develop research questions
 P: Population (patients)
 I: Intervention (for intervention studies only)
 C: Comparison group
 O: Outcome of interest
 T: Time
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32. The Questioning Part What the Researcher
Wants to Know
Population Population
What are What are What are What are the characteristics of
population X?
What is Incidence of B Population X What is the incidence of B in
population X?
Is there Incidence of C Populations X1 and
X2
Is there a different incidence of
C in population X1 than there is
in population X2?
What is Correlation between D and
E
Population Y What is the correlation between
D and E in population Y?
Research Question Research Question Probable Design
What are the characteristics of
population X?
The purpose of this study is to identify the
characteristics of population X.
Descriptive
What is the correlation between D
and E in population Y?
The purpose of this study is to measure the
correlation between D and E in population Y.
Correlational
In population Z, does K cause L? he purpose of this study is to determine
whether K causes L, in population Z.
Causational (experimental
or quasi-experimental)
What is Correlation between D and E Population Y
Quantitative Research Questions, Purposes, and Probable Designs
A Quantitative Research Question's Components
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33. The Questioning Part What the Researcher
Wants to Know
Population Research Question
What are Characteristics of the culture
and the nature of its
members, experiencing - E
Population W What are the characteristics
of the culture of population
W and the nature of its
members experiencing E?
What is Lived experience of persons
with the characteristics G
Population U What is the lived experience
of persons with G (in the
population U)?
Research Question Research Question Research Question
What are the characteristics of the
culture of population W and the nature
of its members experiencing E?
What are the characteristics of the culture of
population W and the nature of its members
experiencing E?
Ethnography
What are the (concepts and processes
that characterize the) experiences and
perspectives of individuals of population
V, in the situation F?
The purpose of this study is to identify the
(concepts and processes that characterize the)
experiences and perspectives of individuals of
population V, experiencing F.
Grounded
theory research
What is the lived experience of persons
with G (in the population U)?
The purpose of this study is to discover the lived
experience of persons with G (in population U).
Phenomenology
What is the story of occurrences related
to the concept L, during the ____ time
period, within the population S?
The purpose of this study is to tell the story of
occurrences related to L that occurred during the
____ time period, in population S.
Historical research
What are the collective perceptions about J, in
the population Q?
The purpose of this research is to present qualitative data
related to J in population Q.
Exploratory descriptive
qualitative research
A Qualitative Research Question's Components
Qualitative Research Questions, Purposes, and Probable Designs
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34. Critique: PROBLEM STATEMENT
  Is the problem statement clear?
  Does the investigator identify key research questions and
variables to be examined?
  Does the study have the potential to help solve a problem that
is currently faced in clinical practice?
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