BUS5301

Research Methods and Ethics

Week 3
Research Problem, Hypothesis, Research Question and Determination of
Variables
Dr. Nihal Yurtseven
[email protected]
Research Problem
• Researchers begin by identifying a research problem that they need
to address in a study.

• They write this problem in the introduction of their work and basically
provide the reader with the justification as to why the work is
important and why it should be read.
Research Problem

What is the specific issue

or topic I need to
address?

Who will benefit from

the information I have Why is this problem
gained about this important?
problem?

How will my work

contribute to what we
already know about this
problem?
The Differences of a Research Problem from the Other Elements
of Research

• Research topic is the broad topic covered in the research. However,

the research problem can be a general problem or a controversial
issue that narrows or limits the subject of the research.

• Research purpose is the target or intention that enables the

researcher to address the problem.

• Research question is the question(s) that limits the purpose of the

study to specific questions.
General Research Topic Foreign Language Teaching

Research Problem Low Motivation in EFL Classes

The purpose of this study is to

Purpose Statement examine the factors affecting EFL
students’ motivation.

Does foreign language learning

Specific Research Question(s) anxiety affect foreign language
learning motivation?
How to decide whether the research problem is
worth doing a research?
If it fills a gap in the existing literature.

If it repeats a past study but examines different participants or different working places.

If it expands a previous research and it offers an in-depth study.

If it makes the voices of the silent groups in the society heard (critical groups such as
children, women under threat, employees that face mobbing etc.)

If it provides practical information for the implementers.

Quantitative and Qualitative Research Problems
Quantitative Research Qualitative Research

Measuring variables Learning about the opinions of individuals

Evaluating the effect of the variables on an Evaluating the process of something over time
output

Testing theories Developing theories based on participants'

perspectives

Generalizing results to a large number of people Obtaining detailed information about a small
number of people
Rationalizing the Research Problem
• In the introductory section that provides evidence to demonstrate the
need to examine the problem, one or more paragraphs of justification
are included to rationalize the research.

Recommendations
Practitioners' Personal
of other
experiences experiences
researchers
The Purpose of the Research

• It is identified in two levels:

1. General (basic) purpose : It is a general statement that sets out
the objectives of the study.
2. Sub-Purposes: Indicates which specific objectives are to be
achieved to achieve the overall purpose.

Research Question

Hypothesis
Research Question
1. Descriptive Studies (What is …?)
• What is the school's leadership capacity?
• What are the students' views on alternative methods?
2. Correlational Studies (Is there a correlation / relationship between…?)
• Is there a correlation between the number of books at home and children's
reading skills?
• Is there a relationship between students' attitudes towards technology and
distance learning course achievement?
3. Comparative Studies (Is there a significant difference ……?)
• Is there any difference between children's reading skills by gender?
• Do girls have higher reading skills than boys?
Sub-questions
• Questions that are added under the main question.
• They make the main research question more specific.

What is self-esteem for high school students? (Main question)

• What is self-esteem seen through friends? (Sub-question)
• What is self-esteem experienced by extracurricular activities at
school? (Sub-question)
Hypothesis
Statements created to be tested in the research.

Null
Hypothesis Alternative
Hypothesis
Hypothesis
Null Hypothesis: It refers to the absence of difference or correlation.
• There is no significant difference between the social skills of
children who use mobile phones frequently and rarely.
• There is no significant relationship between the frequency of using
mobile phones and children's social skills.

Alternative Hypothesis: It refers to the existence of difference or

correlation.
• Children's internet usage time affects their academic success.
• There is a correlation between the frequency of children’s using
mobile phones and their social skills.
Hypothesis: Exercises
Is there a relationship between the Null Hypothesis
academic achievement of children
and the socio-economic level of
their families? Alternative Hypothesis

Is there any difference between the Null Hypothesis

academic achievement scores of
students with and without
technology addiction? Alternative Hypothesis

Your Research Question: Null Hypothesis

Alternative Hypothesis
 Quantitative and Qualitative Research Questions
Quantitative Qualitative

1. Hypotheses are used. Researchers test hypotheses 1. Research questions are used.
with statistical methods.

2. Many variables are defined and tried to be 2. The term variable is not used; instead, data is
measured. collected through a single concept or phenomenon.

3. Researchers test theories to be derived from the 3. Instead of testing theory, researchers want to
association of variables. share the ideas of the participants and create general
themes based on these ideas.
4. Before the study starts, variables are defined in 4. The case being studied may undergo change and
order to collect data; measurement tools are research questions may be modified based on the
selected; data are collected during the study without responses of the participants.
changing the research question / hypothesis.
5. The researcher tries to measure the differences 5. The researcher does not compare groups or
between two or more groups and the extent of these associate variables. Instead, s/he examines the views
differences. of a group or a single individual in depth.
Variable
• It is the characteristic or qualification of an individual or institution
that varies between individuals or institutions under investigation.

• A variable is sth that can be measured or observed by the researcher.

• Variables are the key ideas on which researchers try to gather

information to address the purpose of their work.

• They can be measured, monitored and evaluated with a

measurement tool.
What results am I trying to explain in the research? (the dependent
variable)

What factors affect results? (independent variable)

Which variables do I need to measure to ensure that these factors

affect results, not other factors? (control variables)

What non-measurable variables can affect results? (Confounding

variable)
 Variables

Variables

Structure Value Cause-Result

Continuous Dependent Independant

Quantitative Non-continuous
Qualitative
 • The property of the variable can be described as
Quantitative V. number and quantity (e.g achievement score,
length, weight).

• The property of the variable can be classified and

Qualitative V. the numbers used has no natural meaning (e.g
gender, marital status, department, hair color).

• The measured property can only have a limited

Non-Continuous V. number of values (e.g gender, marital status).

• The measured property can have an infinite number

Continuous V. of values (eg LYS score, number of children in the
family, distance between home and school).
Dependent
Variable Independant
Variable
Dependent Variable
• A property that is dependent on an independant variable or is
affected by it.

• In a study, there can be one or more dependent variable.

• Academic achievement, self-efficacy perception, organizational

climate, foreign language learning anxiety, leadership skills,
mathematics course attitude, attitude towards technology use…
Independant Variables
• A property that affects a result or output.

• In the researches, independent variables are named as factors,

determinants or predictors.

• Researchers define these variables as an important part of their

research, expecting that independent variables affect the outcome of
the research.

• Ability, intelligence, gender, age, race, socio-economic level…

Example

In the morning, you drive to work and there is traffic on the road. On the one
hand, it's raining, on the other hand, you're moving in the form of stop-and-go
and a message comes to your mobile phone. As you read the message, the
traffic stops suddenly and you cannot stop and hit the vehicle in the front
slightly.

üNot being able to stop and hitting – dependant variable (result)

üUsing mobile phone while driving– independant variable (factor)
üRain could have caused this, but the reason is not rain - control variable
üYour lack of sleep may have distracted your attention - confounding
variable
 Research Questions Dependant Variable Independant Variable

1. Do students' levels of acts of violence increase

as the time they play computer games increases?
2. Do students' achievements and motivation
levels in the internet-supported teaching
environment differ according to their prior
knowledge and attitudes towards the Internet?
3. Does the web-based teaching environment
have an effect on eliminating the students'
misconceptions about acid-base?
4. Do the students' achievements in history
course differ according to the learning strategies
they use?
5. Does project-based learning affect students'
achievement, attitudes, and critical thinking skills
in science?
Your Research Problem:
The Significance of the Study
• Although the significant of the study is emphasized while defining
the research problem in general, it is expected to be given under a
separate heading in theses.
• This heading looks for answers to two questions:
1. What contribution will the results of this research bring to the
existing practices? For which problem will it provide solutions?
Which situation will it improve? How?
2. What kind of contirbution will it make to the existing theoretical
knowledge in the literature?
• When writing the significance of the study, phrases such as «The
study is expected to….» or «The study is considered to …» should be
used.
 The Assumptions of the Study

• The propositions based on the research and accepted without the

need to prove its accuracy.
• In the research process, the hypothesis is tested by accepting the
accuracy of the assumptions.
• The assumptions can be done towards the problem or method of the
research. However, it is recommended that the researchers avoid
frequently used assumptions such as «The participants answered the
questionnaire sincerely» or «The sample represents the population».
• In fact, the researcher should check and report the mentioned
assumptions.
 Assumptions of the Study
• In a study examining the effects of enriched learning environments on
students' performance in history lessons, the following assumptions
can be made:
"Students' performance in the course is independent of the socio-
economic environment they come from."
• The results of the study are valid according to the accuracy of the
assumption.
Limitations of the Study
• Limitations are the things that cannot be done in the research and have
to be abandoned due to some reasons.
• Acknowledgement of a study's limitations also provides the researcher
with an opportunity to demonstrate that s/he thought critically about
the research problem, understood the relevant literature published
about it, and correctly assessed the methods chosen for studying the
problem.
• Keep in mind that acknowledgement of a study's limitations is an
opportunity to make suggestions for further research.
• Ex: The study is limited to 5th and 6th grade students studying in
Çankaya district of Ankara.
• Time interval, sample size, the major being studied.
Definitions

• This is the section where the keywords used in the research indicate
what they mean.
• Located at the end of the introduction part.
Literature review and reporting: Sandglass Model
Factors affecting
the achievement
Cognitive, psychological,
demographical variables

Comprehensive review of the results of the study

related to the research topic and sub-topics
Psychological
Review about the general research area variables

Review for the research problem

Motivation, self-efficacy
Review for the interpretation of the
findings

Problem
statement
Benefits of Literature Review
1. Helps to limit the research problem.
• The problem is limited by discussing the conceptual framework and
previous research.
2. Contributes to determine the significance of the research.
• It provides options on what kind of contribution the theory and / or
practice can provide to the results to be achieved if the problem is solved.
3. Contributes to the development of the method.
• Similar research conducted previously sheds light on the development of
the research methodology.
4. Helps to interpret the results of the research
• The theoretical information obtained through literature review and the results of
previous researches are used as criteria for interpreting the research results.
Resources for Literature
1. Primary resources
• Research reports: Theses etc.
• Journals in which research articles are published
• Original books
2. Secondary resources
• Encyclopedias
• Books produced from various sources
• Compilation articles, etc.
Systematic Steps in Literature Review

• Who made the research?

1 Who?

• When was it conducted?

2 When?

• Why was the research done?

3 Why?

• How was the research done? What is the research design, sample, data
4 How? collection method / tool, analysis method?

• What was found out at the end of the research?

5 What?
Sample
Key Word: Assessment Preferences
Who? Şener Büyüköztürk
Yasemin Gülbahar

When? 2009
Why? By determining the assessment preferences of higher education students, to examine
whether the differences observed in preferences differ according to department and class
variables.
How? Comparative design was used. It was done on 476 volunteer students at a foundation
university. Evaluation Preferences Scale was used as data collection tool and MANOVA was
used for analysis.
What? The findings indicated that higher education students prefer alternative assessment
methods, namely “formative assessment,” which leads to deeper learning. Placing
importance on the “self-concept” by higher education students also emerged as an
important dimension of the findings.

Büyüköztürk, Ş. & Gülbahar, Y. (2010). Assessment preferences of higher education students. Eurasian Journal of
Educational Research, 41, 55-72.
Recommendations
• Each research should have a purpose statement, hypothesis /
research question.
• Differences between variables should be known in quantitative
studies. The dependent and independent variables to be studied
must be defined.
• The relationships between variables in research questions should
have a theoretical basis.
• When writing research questions, it should be considered whether to
describe a single variable, to associate variables or to compare
groups.
• The importance of the main phenomenon in qualitative research
should be known and this phenomenon should be a phenomenon
that can be defined in the research.