Defining Research Problem

and Research Design

“ research is what I'm doing when i don't known what I'm doing” - Wernher von braun.

Research Problem
A research problem is a statement about an area of concern, a condition to be improved, a
difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in
theory, or in practice that points to the need for meaningful understanding and deliberate
investigation.
A problem statement is the description of an issue currently existing which needs to be
addressed. It provides the context for the research study and generates the questions
which the research aims to answer. The statement of the problem is the focal point of any
research

Directly link to all other components of the research project. if the question is too
broad, there is no clear guide in deciding what data to collect. if the question is too narrow,
they may leave out many things that are important to the goals of the study.

The purpose of a problem statement is to:

1 Introduce the reader to the importance of the topic being studied. The reader
is oriented to the significance of the study and the research questions or
hypotheses to follow.
2 Places the problem into a particular context that defines the parameters of what
is to be investigated.
3 Provides the framework for reporting the results and indicates what is probably
necessary to conduct the study and explain how the findings will present this
information.
Qualities of a good research problem
What Makes a Good Research Statement?
A good problem statement begins by introducing the broad area in which your research is
centred and then gradually leads the reader to the more narrow questions you are posing.
The statement need not be lengthy but a good research problem should incorporate the
following features:

Compelling topic

Simple curiosity is not a good enough reason to pursue a research study. The problem
that you choose to explore must be important to you and to a larger community you share.
The problem chosen must be one that motivates you to address it.



Supports multiple perspectives

The problem most be phrased in a way that avoids dichotomies and instead supports the
generation and exploration of multiple perspectives. A general rule of thumb is that a good
research problem is one that would generate a variety of viewpoints from a composite
audience made up of reasonable people.



Researchable

It seems a bit obvious, but you don't want to find yourself in the midst of investigating a
complex  research project and realize that you don't have much to draw on for your
research. Choose research problems that can be supported by the resources available to
you. Not sure? Seek out help  from a librarian!
NOTE:  Do not confuse a research problem with a research topic. A topic is something to
read and obtain information about whereas a problem is something to solve or framed as
a question that must be answered.
Avoid Circular reasoning.

Questions to be asked/selecting a topic

Interest
what are the main lines of knowledge already established in my interest area?
what is the ideological lineages of ideas I'm interested in?

Focus
what leading theories inform these lines of knowledge?
are there obvious differences in points of view, different school of thoughts?
How does each entry shed light on the direction I should go?

Available Knowledge
Who are the leading thinkers or what are the iconic works in this field?
Do current events suggest that leading works can be updated in light of new development
can any of the established findings be applied in new ways, in new settings?
are there gaps in this interest area that the literature, so far as i can see, does not cover?
what do all of the above have to do with my research interest?
What does entry x teach me? what insight does it offer? what weakness i can improve
upon?
Data availability
Sources, data, time, money and Skill.

Sources of problem to investigate

Deductions from Theory


From a theory, the research can formulate a research problem or hypothesis stating the
expected findings in certain empirical situations.
Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Identifying a problem that forms the basis for a research study can come from academic
movements and scholarship originating in disciplines outside of your primary area of
study. A review of pertinent literature should include examining research from related
disciplines, which can expose you to new avenues of exploration and analysis. An
interdisciplinary approach to selecting a research problem offers an opportunity to
construct a more comprehensive understanding of a very complex issue than any single
discipline might provide.
Interviewing Practitioners

The identification of research problems about particular topics can arise from formal or
informal discussions with practitioners who provide insight into new directions for future
research and how to make research findings increasingly relevant to practice. Discussions
with experts in the field, such as, teachers, social workers, health care providers, etc.,
offers the chance to identify practical, “real worl” problems that may be understudied or
ignored within academic circles. This approach also provides some practical knowledge
which may help in the process of designing and conducting your study.
Personal Experience

Your everyday experiences can give rise to worthwhile problems for investigation. Think
critically about your own experiences and/or frustrations with an issue facing society, your
community, or in your neighbourhood. This can be derived, for example, from deliberate
observations of certain relationships for which there is no clear explanation or witnessing
an event that appears harmful to a person or group or that is out of the ordinary.
Relevant Literature

The selection of a research problem can often be derived from an extensive and thorough
review of pertinent research associated with your overall area of interest. This may reveal
where gaps remain in our understanding of a topic. Research may be conducted to: 1) fill
such gaps in knowledge; 2) evaluate if the methodologies employed in prior studies can
be adapted to solve other problems; or, 3) determine if a similar study could be conducted
in a different subject area or applied to different study sample [i.e., different groups of
people]. Also, authors frequently conclude their studies by noting implications for further
research; this can also be a valuable source of problems to investigate
Defining research problem

Generating and refining research Ideas.

- finding connections -
- brainstorming - no judgement, no criticism, the more the merrier
- movement ladder - from the bottom up
- random words - fun, challenging
- mind mapping - visual, creative, logic,
- ideas association - reinventing, connect, creating new ways, thinking outside the
box

Formulating Your Research Problem

1. SPECIFY THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

A clear statement defining your objectives will help you develop effective research.
It will help the decision makers evaluate the research questions your project should
answer as well as the research methods your project will use to answer those questions.
It’s critical that you have manageable objectives. (Two or three clear goals will help to
keep your research project focused and relevant.)
2. REVIEW THE ENVIRONMENT OR CONTEXT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
As a marketing researcher, you must work closely with your team of researchers in
defining and testing environmental variables. This will help you determine whether the
findings of your project will produce enough information to be worth the cost.
In order to do this, you have to identify the environmental variables that will affect the
research project and begin formulating different methods to control these variables.
3. EXPLORE THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM
Research problems range from simple to complex, depending on the number of
variables and the nature of their relationship. Sometimes the relationship between two
variables is directly related to a problem or questions, and other times the relationship is
entirely unimportant.
If you understand the nature of the research problem as a researcher, you will be able to
better develop a solution to the problem.
To help you understand all dimensions, you might want to consider focus groups of
consumers, salespeople, managers, or professionals to provide what is sometimes much-
needed insight into a particular set of questions or problems.
4. DEFINE THE VARIABLE RELATIONSHIPS
Marketing plans often focus on creating a sequence of behaviors that occur over time, as
in the adoption of a new package design, or the introduction of a new product.
Such programs create a commitment to follow some behavioral pattern or method in the
future.
Studying such a process involves:
• Determining which variables affect the solution to the research problem.
• Determining the degree to which each variable can be controlled and used for the
purposes of the company.
• Determining the functional relationships between the variables and which variables
are critical to the solution of the research problem.
During the problem formulation stage, you will want to generate and consider as many
courses of action and variable relationships as possible.
5. THE CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION
There are always consequences to any course of action used in one or more projects.
Anticipating and communicating the possible outcomes of various courses of action is a
primary responsibility in the research process.

Layers of research
insert graphics here

Paradigms - pattern - model

Positivism - every justifiable assertion can be scientifically verified
Truth
Mathematical, scientific
Reason, Logic
Interpretivism - idealism
understanding the world as experienced
- art, painting, ethnography etc.

Constructivism - anti-positvsm
- all things depend on humans to create meaning about them
- Cultural
Phenomenology - Series of ideas
- developed thru time

Symbolic interactionism - Role playing, acting

- experiencing from within

Research strategy

Experiment
survey/interview
casestudy
action research
grounded therory
Approaches
Deductions and inductions
these two allows us to make an informed decisions about the research design

Deduction - involves developing a theory that is tested and presents more of scientific
approaches. - objective - scientific
• more scientific
• from theory to data emphasis on quantitative
• structured approach
• researcher is separate from the research process
• need generalise result by selecting samples of sufficient size

Induction - forming theory based on a data, give meaning to people attached context.

• gives an understanding of meaning people attached to various context

• gives an understanding of the research context
emphasis on Qualitative data
Flexible
researcher is part of the process
less need to generalise result

NOTE: Identifying Research Problem is part of Research Design.

finding a Purpose
research process
Definitions
Identifying problems/decide on the problem
Searching the literature base / review of literature
Developing the questions and/or propositions/
Theoretical Base
Sampling strategies
Data-collection techniques
Approaches to qualitative and quantitative data analysis
Interpretation of results Types of research question/problem

Descriptive questions
These questions are useful for really getting to know the subject you are investigating.
They are usually the starting point of research and will help you to get clear on the
topic of your dissertation.
Descriptive questions are about the here and now. Their answers may describe a
situation, concept or person based on your own observations or information you have
collected.
Examples of descriptive questions
What is the world’s population?
What steps will the government take in the coming year to reduce the tax burden?
What measures are primary schools in the US taking for children with autism?
Comparative questions
Comparative questions are useful if you want to explore the differences and
similarities between two or more items.
Examples of comparative questions
What is the difference between sign language and body language?
What are the similarities of the political systems in the Netherlands and Russia?
Defining questions
Defining questions allow you to determine how your topic relates to the larger picture.
They are useful for characterising and classifying a phenomenon.
Examples of defining questions
How can the new subclass that is emerging in Germany be characterized?
How can socialists be classified within this emerging subclass?
Evaluative/normative questions
Evaluative or normative questions are used when you want to determine the value of
something (for example, how desirable, good, normal or usable it is), as they enable
you to provide an opinion or judgment. They are also sometimes called ethical
questions.
Examples of evaluative questions
It is desirable that workers be closely supervised?
What is the value of having a healthy work environment for employees?
Explanatory questions
Explanatory questions are designed to determine the cause of a problem. As a result,
they are also called “why” questions (although they may instead use words such as
“what” and “how”).
Examples of clarifying questions
What is cause of the high sickness rate at Apple headquarters?
Why is it that every substance melts at a certain temperature?
Why do leaves change color in the fall?
Predictive questions
As the name implies, predictive questions are used to predict something that will
occur in the future. You can use them to identify an expected consequence.
Examples of predictive questions
How many mortgages will fail if the economic crisis continues until 2020?
What is the new tax plan’s possible impact on elderly people living alone?
Will public transportation remain affordable in the future?
Framing/problem-solving/advisory questions
Framing questions are used when you want to identify new solutions to existing
problems, with a focus on the near future. They are often phrased as “How can
we…?”
In many cases, framing questions cannot be tackled until explanatory questions are
answered. If your main question is framing, it’s therefore common to use some
explanatory sub-questions.
Examples of framing/problem-solving/advisory questions
How can we ensure that the UK will have 50% fewer illiterates within the next three years?
How can we reduce youth unemployment?
One risk of using a framing question is that it may lead you to provide advice about how to
solve a particular problem – which is not your job as a researcher. Your goal is instead to
provide research that those involved in a problem can use to help solve it.
Advisory plan
Advisory questions are helpful when your research is designed to make
recommendations. This kind of research often involves preparing a separate advisory
report for a particular client at the end of the dissertation process. In such cases, it
can be useful to include at least one advisory sub-question.
Inferential questions
Inferential questions can be used if you want to measure a certain effect and most
often give rise to at least one hypothesis. They should be closed questions (e.g., with
“yes” and “no” as possible answers).
Because inferential questions are designed to measure an effect, they are answered
with the help of experiments. As such they are common in scientific research.
Examples of inferential questions
Do students obtain better exam scores if they take classes online instead of attending
lectures in person?
What effect does conducting preventive alcohol checks have on the number of people
who drive after drinking?

MAXWELL’S TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS BY PAIRS:

Generic vs Particularistic.- Generic imply answers to general set factors. while later being
specific.
Instrumental vs Realist - instrumental refers to keeping the data to what is observed, while
realist tend to treat unobserved phenomena as real, and data is as evidence to be used
critically to developed and test ideas about the existence and nature of phenomena
Variance vs Process - variance refers to the fact or quality of being different, divergent, or
inconsistent. Process refers to a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a
particular end.
Research Design
The research design refers to the overall strategy that you choose to integrate the
different components of the study in a coherent and logical way, thereby, ensuring you will
effectively address the research problem; it constitutes the blueprint for the collection,
measurement, and analysis of data.

A detailed outline of how an investigation will take place.

Constitutes the blue print for the collection, measurement and analysis of data.

Purpose
A research design is to ensure that the evidence obtained enables us to answer the initial
question as unambiguously as possible.

Research method vs design


RESEARCH METHODS
Research methods are generalised and established ways of approaching research questions (e.g.,
qualitative vs. quantitative methods).
Not all methods can be applied to all research questions, so the choice of method is limited by the
area of research that you wish to explore.

RESEARCH DESIGN
Research design involves determining how your chosen method will be applied to answer your
research question.

The design of your study can be thought of as a blueprint detailing what will be done and how this
will be accomplished.

RELATIONSHIP
Choice of research methods and design should be thought of as a reciprocal process
extending well into your study.

For example, it may arise over the course of your study that there is a flaw in the design.

Characteristics of a sound research design

• identify the problem clearly and justify its selection
• review previously published literature dealing with the problem area
• clearly and explicitly specify hypotheses central to the problem selected
• clearly described the data which will be necessary for an adequate test of hypotheses
and explain how such data will be obtained
• describe the method of analysis which will be applied to the data in determining wether
or not the hypotheses are false.
• is it theory-grounded?
• Does it reflect the settings of the investigations?
• is it feasible?
• is it flexible?
• is it efficient?

KINDS of METHODS AND DESIGN

QUANTITATIVE METHOD/DESIGN
It uses mathematical formulations and statistical analysis to produce objective results. The
hypothesis must be able to be proven or disproved by the standard format used in
quantitative experiments.

ADVANTAGE
- Its advantage comes from the statistical analysis used to formulate the results.
- unbiased and legitimate answer to the hypothesis tested.

DISADVANTAGE
must be carefully planned and can be costly.

QUALITATIVE METHOD/DESIGN
It focuses on observing variables in their natural state.

It produces subjective and descriptive results.

Two common forms of qualitative research are case studies and surveys

ADVANTAGE
its ability to answer broad questions requiring more than a yes or no answer.

DISADVANTAGE
The possibility for researcher bias and limited validity of the results.
This review provides an overview of qualitative methods and designs using examples of
research. Note that qualitative researchers frequently employ  several methods in a single
study.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH
This type of design requires the use of a control group, randomly assigned sample groups
and test subjects that are randomly assigned to either the control or experimental groups.
Use statistical analysis to yield results providing a yes or no answer and should be
replicable by other scientists.

ADVANTAGE
use statistical analysis to yield results providing a yes or no answer and should be
replicable by other scientists.

DISADVANTAGE
It places the test subjects under complete control by removing them from a natural
environment.

the high standards used to collect results, which can be costly and lead to an unanswered
hypothesis.

Developing research design and strategy

This step is focused on created a research plan or overall approach on how you are going
to solve the issue or problem identified. A research plan or approach is a framework or
blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. It details the procedures
necessary for obtaining the required information, and its purpose is to design a study that
will test the hypotheses of interest, determine possible answers to the research questions,
and provide the information needed for decision making.

Design construction

Most research design, wether inductive or deductive, can be constructed from four basic
elements:

Time
The change or cause
Observation
Groups or individual

Strategy for design construction

you need to decide which potential threats or validity and credibility are best handled by
design rather than by argument,measurement, analysis or preventive action. Although
there is no best way to do this, it can be useful to work through below stages
first begin with the design task, set forth a design which depicts a possible relationship
between the cause and the effect.

secondly, deliberately over-extend this basic design by expanding across time, change,
observations and groups. the emphasis is on accounting for as many alternative
explanations as possible using the design.

Finally, trimming down the expanded versions, considering the effect of eliminating each
design component. at this point you will face difficult decisions concerning the cost of each
design component and the advantages of ruling out specific threats using other
approaches.

Creating the design frame work.

Decide on a problem
A research project starts with a problem that you have defined within your broad area of
interest.
- Indication of something hidden that might be revealed by research
- occurrence of an event for which is no adequate explanation
- apparent relationship between items not explained.
in-depth research usually requires lot of work and patience. this means you need to be
highly motivated to stay on course, need to be solvable in a given time frame, with skills
and resources.

Setting objectives: learning objectives and vehicle objectives

- set yourself some tentative objectives right from the start, discuss learning and vehicle
objectives.
- remember learning objectives are important of the two
- is it flexible, is it still relevant as you progress
- may adjust methodology for the remainder of your work
- might not successful in achieving the vehicle objective, greatest learning comes from
following struggle in pursuing objectives.
- keep track of the change and causes of these changes of the objectives.

Define a research questions or hypothesis

- narrowing and refining the original research problem.
- Develop a hypothesis or number of hypotheses by converting the question into
predictive form and creating a null hypothesis by which falsification maybe achieved.

Literature Review
- use to refine your topic by exploring different areas and fuelling down deep enough
focus on an area of interest.
- by critically examining the literature, you will develop the ability to identify any faults in
argument.
- typical structure of literature review:
- define your terms
 - provide a brief overview of key ideas
- summarise, then compare the work of key writers
- narrow down to highlight the works most relevant to your research
- consider this in detail - building your argument
- highlight and define the questions you are going to look in detail
- lead the reader into subsequent sections of your project which will explore these
issues

Clarifying your methodology

- need to think of your methodology and methods to be use at the start, before doing
detail work
- your methodology should be the subject of continual review and revisions as you
progress
- Tools to be use:
- idea generation
- literature search and importance of theory
- investigation design
- analysis or evaluation of data
- information
- critical, theoretically informed engagement with data
- as you progress you might start from the start again

Project report - a reflection of your learning

- finish product. literature review, project methodology, discussion and conclusion should
reflect the learning objective.
- presented in the following format but not typical:
- A word count
- Definition of problem
- Statement of learning objectives
- review of literature
- methodology
- provide analysis of the way the research subjects perceive their situation and their
places in it.
- Discussion
- Conclusions

7 types of research process.

will discuss by next reporter
- identify terms of refernce
- survey past work
- plan your approach
- collect the data
- allays the data
- discuss your findings
- present the findings.
Conclusion
In defining research problem we must understand and follow certain steps procedures and
methods in order to come up with a good question, as well as a good and sound research design.
Research problem and Research design can influence and affect each other. Defining research
problem will determine how we formulate research design, then the research design can refine our
research problem and vice versa.
Research problem should not too broad that there is no clear guide in deciding to collect and
should not too specific, that it may leave out important things that are necessary to your goal. In
narrowing the research problem or question we can select and combine different approach and
method.
Research design is a complex and multifaceted topic. Knowing the basic principles of research
design will guide us in formulating them. These principles include relevance, methodology,
collaboration, ethics and originality.
Research Problem and Research Design is a fractal of each or themselves.

Overview of Methods
1. Interview / survey
What is the difference between an interview and a survey? Primarily, open-ended
questions differentiate the two. Qualitative researchers are concerned with making
inference based on perspective, so it is extremely important to get as much data as
possible for later analysis. Researchers spend a considerable amount of time designing
interview questions. Interviews are designed to generate participant perspectives about
ideas, opinions, and experiences.

2. Observation (Individual, group, location)

How is data derived from an observation? The researcher may use a variety of methods
for observing, including taking general notes, using checklists, or time-and-motion logs.
The considerable time it takes for even a short observation deters many researchers from
using this method. Also, the researcher risks his or her interpretation when taking notes,
which is accepted by qualitative researchers, but meets resistance from post-positivists.
Observations are designed to generate data on activities and behaviors, and are generally
more focused on setting than other methods.

3. Document Analysis (Content analysis of written data)

What types of documents do qualitative researchers analyze? Virtually anything that
supports the question asked. Print media has long been a staple data source for
qualitative researchers, but electronic media (email, blogs, user Web pages, and even
social network profiles) have extended the data qualitative researchers can collect and
analyze. The greatest challenge offered by document analysis can be sifting through all of
the data to make general observations.

A Few Qualitative Research Designs

1. Biographical Study
A biographical study is often the first design type that comes to mind for most people. For
example, consider O’Brien’s John F. Kennedy: A Biography. The author takes a collection
of archival documents (interviews, speeches, and other writings) and various media
(pictures, audio, and video footage) to present a comprehensive story of JFK. In the
general sense, a biographical study is considered an exhaustive account of a life
experience; however, just as some studies are limited to single aspects of a phenomenon,
the focus of a biographical study can be much narrower. The film Madame Curie is an
example. Crawford studies the film from a biographical perspective to present the reader
with an examination of how all aspects of a film (director’s perspective, actors, camera
angles, historical setting) work to present a biography. Read the introduction and scan the
text to get a feel for this perspective.

2. Phenomenology
Your first step should be to take this word apart – phenomenon refers to an occurrence or
experience, logical refers to a path toward understanding. So, we have a occurrence and
a path (let’s go with an individual’s experience), which leads to a way of looking at the
phenomenon from an individual’s point of view. The reactions, perceptions, and feelings of
an individual (or group of individuals) as she/he experienced an event are principally
important to the phenomenologist looking to understand an event beyond purely
quantitative details. Gaston-Gayles, et al.’s (2005) look at how the civil rights era changed
the role of college administrators is a good example. The authors interview men and
women who were administrators during that time to identify how the profession changed
as a result.
3. Grounded Theory
In a grounded theory study, interpretations are continually derived from raw data. A
keyword to remember is emergent. The story emerges from the data. Often, researchers
will begin with a broad topic, then use qualitative methods to gather information that
defines (or further refines) a research question. For example, a teacher might want to
know what effects the implementation of a dress code might have on discipline. Instead of
formulating specific questions, a grounded theorist would begin by interviewing students,
parents, and/or teachers, and perhaps asking students to write an essay about their
thoughts on a dress code. The researcher would then follow the process of developing
themes from reading the text by coding specific examples (using a highlighter, maybe) of
where respondents mentioned common things. Resistance might be a common pattern
emerging from the text, which may then become a topic for further analysis.
A grounded theory study is dynamic, in that it can be continually revised throughout nearly
all phases of the study. You can imagine that this would frustrate a quantitative researcher.
However, remember that perspective is centrally important to the qualitative researcher.
While the end result of a grounded theory study is to generate some broad themes, the
researcher is not making an attempt to generalize the study in the same, objective way
characteristic of quantitative research. Here is a link to a grounded theory article on
student leadership.

4. Ethnography
Those with sociology or anthropology backgrounds will be most familiar with this design.
Ethnography focuses on meaning, largely through direct field observation. Researchers
generally (though not always) become part of a culture that they wish to study, then
present a picture of that culture through the “eyes” of its members. One of the most
famous ethnographers is Jane Goodall, who studied chimpanzees by living among them
in their native East African habitat.

5. Case Study
A case study is an in-depth analysis of people, events, and relationships, bounded by
some unifying factor. An example is principal leadership in middle schools. Important
aspects include not only the principal’s behaviors and views on leadership, but also the
perceptions of those who interact with her/him, the context of the school, outside
constituents, comparison to other principals, and other quantitative “variables.” Often, you
may see a case study labeled “ethnographic case study” which generally refers to a more
comprehensive study focused on a person or group of people, as the above example.
Case studies do not have to be people-focused, however, as a case study to look at a
program might be conducted to see how it accomplishes its intended outcomes. For
example, the Department of Education might conduct a case study on a curricular
implementation in a school district – examining how new curriculum moves from
development to implementation to outcomes at each level of interaction (developer, school
leadership, teacher, student).