MODULE 04

FORMULATING
RESEARCH PROBLEMS
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
COMPLETE RESEARCH PROJECT (RESEARCH GAP)
SAED A MOHAMED
 After studying this module, you should be
able to :
● Understand what research problem is
● Identify sources and nature of research
problems
MODULE ● Identify type and nature of research

OBJECTIVES variables by convert concepts into

variables.
● Identify types of measurement scales.
● Differentiate types of hypotheses and
their applications
● Explain analytical forms of Hypotheses
● Express the process of testing a
hypothesis
 ● Research problem is a specific issue,
difficulty, contradiction, or gap in
knowledge that you will aim to
address in your research.

Research ● A research problem is a perceived gap

between what is and what should be.
Problems
● Research problem is any question that
you want answered and any
assumption that you want to
challenge or investigate.

● Research problem is like an

identification of destination before
undertaking research journey
 ● Research problems can arise from various
sources and contexts.
● The researchers derive their research
problems from;
● Theoretical problems aimed at expanding
knowledge.
sources of research
Conducting a thorough review of
problems
○

existing literature in a specific field

or topic often reveals gaps,
● Practical problems aimed at contributing
to change.

○ Researchers may identify research

problems based on real-world
observations, experiences, or
challenges in their professional or
personal lives.
 • Research problems can have various natures
depending on the field of study and the specific
context.

• Here are some common types of research

Specify problems:
Nature of
Problems

EXPLORATORY DESCRIPTIVE CASUIST RELATIONAL COMPARATIVE

RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH
PROBLEM PROBLEM PROBLEM PROBLEM PROBLEM
 1. Exploratory research gap are
characterized by a
lack of existing knowledge or limited
understanding of a particular subject.
➢ They involve exploring and generating new ideas,
Specify hypotheses, or lines of inquiry to expand the
knowledge base.
Nature of
Problems aim to describe and
2. Descriptive research gap
document phenomena or characteristics.
➢ They often involve observational studies or
surveys to gather data on existing conditions,
behaviors, or attitudes.
 1. Casuist research gap aim to explain the relationships
between variables or the underlying causes and effects of a
phenomenon.
➢ They typically involve hypothesis testing, quantitative data
analysis, and the identification of causal relationships.

Specify 2. Relational research gap aim to explore the nature, strength,

Nature of direction, or mechanisms of relationships between
variables.
Problems ➢ It focuses on understanding the relationships, connections, or
interactions between variables, concepts, or entities.

3. Comparative research gap involve comparing two or more

groups, conditions, variables, or contexts to identify
similarities, differences, patterns, or relationships.
➢ Comparative research can provide insights into causal
mechanisms, cultural variations, or effective interventions..
 • Start by identifying the key variables involved in your
research question.
➢ Variables are the concepts or factors that you want to
investigate and analyze.

Identify • Choosing which variables to observe or measure is

central to good research design.
Research ➢ You need to know which types of variables you are working
with in order to choose appropriate statistical tests and
Variables interpret the results of your study.

• You can usually identify the type of variable by asking

two questions:
➢ What type of data does the variable contain?
➢ What part of the experiment does the variable represent?
 Identify Research Variables
ACTIVE VARIABLES • AV are variables that are actively observed or
manipulated/controlled by the researcher.
STUDY DESIGN
ATTRIBUTE • Those variables that reflect the characteristics of
VARIABLES the study population e.g. age, gender, education,
income
CONTINUOUS •
T YPES UNIT OF
VARIABLES
a variable that can take any value within a certain
range such as: age, weight, temperature, and time.
MEASUREMENT
OF CATEGORICAL
VARIABLES
• a variable that represents distinct categories or
groups such as: gender, educational level and
VARIABLES marital status.
INDEPENDENT • IV is the variable that is observed or manipulated
VARIABLE by the researcher. It is the presumed cause or
predictor variable that have an effect on the DV.
DEPENDENT • DV is the variable that is measured or observed to
VARIABLE determine the effect of the IV. It is the outcome or
CAUSAL MODEL response that is expected to be influenced by IV.
INTERVENING • are the variables that are held constant factors
VARIABLE that may potentially influence the relationship
between IV and DV.
EXTRANEOUS • EV are all those variables that can impact the
VARIABLE dependent variable other than the independent
variable.
 Develop that your research question
will address. by considering three
Develop aspects; relevance, novel and Feasible,
Relevance: It should be relevant to
Interesting 1.
the field of study and have
Research significance in addressing a specific
problem, need, or gap in knowledge.
Questions 2. Novelty: It should generate new
knowledge, challenge existing
assumptions, or propose alternative
explanations.
3. Feasibility: It should be feasible in
terms of resources, time, and access
to data or participants.
 • A hypothesis is a specific statement or
proposition that suggests a possible
explanation for a phenomenon or a
relationship between variables.

Construct • Hypotheses are formulated based on existing

Hypotheses knowledge, theories, observations, or logical
reasoning.

• A hypothesis consists of two primary

components:
➢ Null Hypothesis (H0):
➢ Alternative Hypothesis (H1 or Ha):
 • Null Hypothesis (H0):

➢ The null hypothesis states that there is no

significant relationship or difference between
variables.
Construct
Hypotheses ➢ It represents the default position or the absence
of an effect.
(Null Hypothesis)
➢ It is denoted as H0 and is often formulated to
challenge or test the proposed alternative
hypothesis.
 • Alternative Hypothesis (H1 or Ha):

➢ The alternative hypothesis proposes a specific

relationship or difference between variables.
Construct
➢ It suggests that there is an effect, association, or
Hypotheses difference that is different from what would be
(Alternative expected by chance or random variation.
Hypothesis)
➢ The alternative hypothesis is denoted as H1 or
Ha.
 Hypothesis examples
Research question Hypothesis Null hypothesis
Higher levels of parental involvement Higher levels of parental involvement
How does parental involvement
positively correlate with higher academic positively does not correlate with higher
impact academic achievement in
achievement in elementary school academic achievement in elementary
elementary school children?
children school
What is the relationship between Increased social media usage is not
Increased social media usage is associated
social media usage and self- associated with lower self-esteem
with lower self-esteem among teenagers.
esteem among teenagers among teenagers.

What is the impact of employee Participation in employee training Participation in employee training
training programs on job programs positively influences job programs does not influences job
satisfaction and productivity? satisfaction and productivity. satisfaction and productivity.

What is the effect of caffeine Increased caffeine consumption Increased caffeine consumption does not
consumption on sleep quality? negatively affects sleep quality affects sleep quality

Positive customer experiences, perceived

What factors contribute to Positive customer experiences, perceived
value, and brand trust does not positively
customer loyalty in the retail value, and brand trust positively impact
impact customer loyalty in the retail
industry? customer loyalty in the retail industry.
industry.
 Analytical Forms of Hypothesis Testing

1. Association: where you directly state the predicted relationship between

variables.
➢ There is significance relationship between a first-year student attendance
more lectures, and their exam scores.

2. Influence: where you directly state the predicted effect between variables.
➢ The number of lectures attended by first-year students has a positive effect on their
exam scores.

3. Difference: If you are comparing two groups, the hypothesis can state
what difference you expect to find between them.
➢ First-year students who attended most lectures will have better exam
scores than those who attended few lectures.
The process of testing a hypothesis

Data Collection Decision Making

Collect data in a way Decide whether to reject
designed to test the or fail to reject your null
hypothesis. hypothesis.

01 02 03 04 05

Hypothesis Formulation Analytical Method Presentation

State your research hypothesis as Present the findings in
Perform an appropriate
a null hypothesis (H0) and alternate your results and discussion
statistical test.
hypothesis (Ha or H1). section.
 •Understanding the nature of
measurement and data analysis is crucial
for ensuring accurate and meaningful
research findings.
➢ Be specific and measurable:
Specify
➢ Ensure that your hypotheses are specific and
Measurement
measurable.
➢ Clearly define the variables and how they will be
measured.

•This will allow you to test and analyze the

hypotheses accurately.
 • Levels of measurement, also called scales of
measurement, tell you how precisely variables are
recorded.
➢ In scientific research, a variable is anything that
can take on different values across your data set
(e.g., height or test scores).
Specify
There are 4 levels of measurement:
Measurement
1. Nominal: the data can only be categorized.
2. Ordinal: the data can be categorized and ranked
3. Interval: the data can be categorized, ranked, and evenly
spaced
4. Ratio: the data can be categorized, ranked, evenly spaced,
and has a natural zero.
 • Nominal scale
➢ enables the classification of individuals, objects or
responses based on a common/ shared property or
characteristic.
➢ Each subgroup has a characteristics/ property which is
common to all classified within that subgroup.
Specify
Measurement
• Example
(Nominal ➢ Gender
Scale) • Male, Female.
➢ Marital status
• Single, Married, Widowed, Divorced.
➢ Medical history
• Hypertension, Diabetes, IHD, Cancer, Obesity.
➢ Color
• Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Black.
 • Ordinal scale
➢ enables the classification of individuals, objects
or responses based on a common/ shared
property or characteristic.
➢ Arranged in ascending or descending order.
Specify
Measurement • Example;
(Ordinal Scale) ➢ Income
• above average, average, below average.
➢ Obesity
• underweight, normal, overweight, obese.
➢ Likert scale
• strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly
agree.
 • Interval Scale
➢ It has all the characteristics of an ordinal
scale.
➢ Divided into equally spaced units/ intervals.

Specify
Measurement • Example
(Interval Scale) ➢ Income:
• $501 – $1000, $ 1001 – $1500,
➢ Body fat:
• 11% - 15%, 16% - 20%, 21% - 25%
➢ Age group:
• 31 – 40 y/o, 41 – 50 y/o, 51 – 60 y/o
 Ratio Scale
• It has all the properties of an interval scale
• It has a fixed starting point e.g. a zero
point
Specify
Measurement • Example
(Ratio Scale) ➢ Income: dollar
➢ Age: years/ months
➢ Weight: kg
➢ Height: cm
➢ Physical activity: METmin/week
➢ Energy intake: kcal
 ● The first condition of solving a
problem is understanding the
problem, which can be done by
way of a problem statement.

Formulate ● A problem statement is a concise

Problem Statement description of an issue to be
addressed or a condition to be
improved upon.

● It identifies the gap between the

current (problem) state and
desired (goal) state of a process
or product.
 An effective problem statement is
concise and concrete by considering.

1. Put the problem in context

(what do we already know?)
Formulate
Describe the precise issue that the
Problem Statement 2.
research will address
(what do we need to know?)

3. Show the relevance of the problem

(why do we need to know it?)

4. Set the objectives of the research

(what will you do to find out?)
Teacher performance is a key determinant of the quality of education and in any
organization, good performance of staff leads to attaining of set goals and objectives
(Mullins, 2002). This can be judged on the rate of commitment of the workers, pupils‟
academic progress and ability to achieve institutional aims, goals and objectives.
Unfortunately however, teacher performance in the Universal Primary Education
(UPE) schools in Nyenga Sub-county is very low after observing that teachers report
late and leave early before the end of official time; they have low commitment to
accomplish their duties in specified time and they have negative attitude towards
responsibilities (Mumanyire, 2005).
This poor teacher performance has led to undesirable outcomes such as, constant
break down of institutional work, low productivity or no result at all, pupils indiscipline,
low job satisfaction and bad image of the school. While there are several contributory
factors affecting teachers performance in Nyenga Sub-county, motivational factors
may have 5 played a major role (Maicibi, 2005).
Hence, the need for this study to appraise the association of motivational factors on
the performance of Universal Primary Education (UPE) school teachers in Nyenga
Sub-county, Mukono District.
THANK
YOU