FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEM

INTRODUCTION

There are several steps involved in a research process that help individuals
associated with a study conduct successful testing. Defining a research problem is
an important step in any research process and can help outline the process of
your study. There are several types of research problems you may encounter, and
understanding how they differ may help you decide which approach is best for
you.

A research problem is a statement that addresses a gap in knowledge, a challenge

or a contradiction in a particular field. Scientists use research problems to identify
and define the aim of their study and analysis. You may decide to conduct
research based on a problem if you're interested in contributing to social or
scientific change or supplying additional knowledge to an existing topic. A
research problem may also help identify key concepts and terms, overarching
questions and variables associated with a study.

METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

1. IDENTIFY A GENERAL AREA OF INTEREST

As you determine an area of study, consider areas that haven't been explored
thoroughly or present challenges within a particular field. Assess how you might
address the area of concern and whether you can develop a research problem
related to this issue. If your research is action-based or applied, consider
contacting those who work in a relevant field to attain feedback about problems
to address. You can also follow up on research that others have already
conducted.

Consider these various aspects when choosing an area of interest:

a. Contradictions between two or more theoretical perspectives

b. Situations or natural relationships that haven't been investigated thoroughly

c. Processes in an institution or organization that you and your research team
could improve

d. Areas of concern raised by individuals who work or are experts in a particular

industry

2. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROBLEM

The next step is to learn more about the area of interest. Ask yourself what you
need to know about a particular topic before you begin your study. Assess who or
what it might affect and how your research could address those relationships.
Consider whether other research groups have already tried to solve the problem
you're interested in analyzing and how your approach might differ.

3. REVIEW THE CONTEXT OF THE INFORMATION

Reviewing the context of your research involves defining and testing the
environmental variables in your project, which may help you create a clear and
focused research problem. It may also help you note which variables are present
in the research and how to account for the impact that they may have on it. By
reviewing the context, you may easily estimate the amount of data your research
is likely to require.

4. DETERMINE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VARIABLES

After identifying the variables involved in your research, you can learn how
they're related to one another and how these relationships may contribute to
your research problem. Consider generating as many potential perspectives and
variable interactions as possible. Identifying the relationships between variables
may be useful when deciding the degree to which you can control them in your
study and how they might affect potential solutions to the problem you're
addressing.

5. SELECT AND INCLUDE IMPORTANT VARIABLES

A clear and manageable research problem typically includes the variables that are
most relevant to the study. A research team summarizes how they plan to
consider and use these variables and how they might influence the results of the
study. Selecting the most important variables can help the study's audience better
understand the trajectory of your research and the potential impact of the
solution.

6. RECEIVED FEEDBACK

Consider contacting mentors, teachers or industry experts for feedback on your

research problem. They may present you with new information to consider or
suggest you edit a particular aspect of your research design. Revising your
research problem can be a valuable step in creating impactful and precise
research, as well as developing beneficial research skills.

However, before asking for feedback, try asking yourself these guiding questions:

a. Does my research problem allow for several solutions and outcomes?

b. Am i creating a study that has a testable hypothesis or theory?

c. Am i defining all the terms correctly?

d. Is my research objective comprehensive?

e. Are all parts of my project understandable?

If you answer affirmatively to most or all of these questions, it's likely that you
have an effective research problem and can progress with your study.

RESULTS/FINDING

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE RESEARCH PROBLEM

There are several factors that ensure a research problem is clear, well-defined
and easy to follow throughout the duration of a study. Understanding these
aspects of a research problem can help as you identify and create your own.
Some characteristics to consider when aiming to define a research problem
include:
1. Reflecting on issues or required knowledge in a particular field prior to
conducting a study

2. Ensuring that the topic you aim to examine has a sufficient amount of relevant
data

3. Relying on reputable evidence and data and disregarding information that you
can't verify

4. Remaining practical, manageable and communicative with researchers involved

in data collection and analysis.

5. Adhering strictly to a budget and timeline

TYPES OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

Here are three types of research problems that can help you decide on the best
format to use:

1. THEORETICAL RESEARCH PROBLEM

Theoretical research problems allow you to contribute to the overall information

and knowledge in an area of study. These kinds of research problems are
exploratory and provide basic definitions of a problem's overarching nature or
areas of informational gaps. Theoretical research problems can address
contradictions between two or more perspectives or address an unresolved
question. Researchers develop their hypotheses for these problems according to
a particular theory, typically stemming from social philosophy. For example,
Albert Einstein's theory of relativity began as a theoretical research problem
before he eventually proved it in the early 20th century.

2. APPLIED RESEARCH PROBLEM

Applied research problems, or nonsystematic problems, involve the practical use

of theoretical knowledge, meaning that scholars may use a particular theoretical
framework to gain information. It also includes an exploratory hypothesis and
tests to verify the accuracy of the hypothesis. Social scientists typically use
applied research problems in studies where the objective is to provide practical
and applicable solutions to help specific individuals and groups if they encounter
challenges. For example, a marketing company may define an applied research
problem of how to better market its services to a particular audience.

3. ACTION RESEARCH PROBLEM

Similar to applied research problems, action research problems also aim to

provide solutions for problems but are typically more time-sensitive in nature.
Action research problems can also be one component of a larger reflective
process that combines ongoing research, analysis and action. Researchers
develop and implement a research strategy to create innovative solutions and
discoveries as soon as possible. For example, an action research problem in
education might include finding a solution for a district-wide problem impeding
student success. This may include school staff members working together and
using district-wide action research data to find a solution.

CONCLUSION

A research problem has to indicate the possibility of empirical investigation- that

is, of data collection and analysis.

A research problem has to indicate the possibility in order to make your research
problem appreciate, we need to follow the above characteristics, and then finally
we need to resolve the original problem by using the research we have done.
Without these the research may fall apart, the problem may not appear to be
fully solved or may not be seen fully.

REFERENCE

Pardede, Parlindungan. (2018). Identifying and Formulating the Research

Problem.https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/research-
problem.

Sivakumar, S. & Szalinski, C. (2016). How to choose a research area.

https://www.ascb.org/compass/compass-points/choose-research-area/