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Problem Statement Research Questions Types of Data

The document provides an overview of the initial stages of a research project, including developing a problem statement, identifying research questions, and determining the types of data needed. It discusses key aspects like specifying a topic of interest, writing a problem statement, generating general and specific research questions, and differentiating between primary and secondary data sources. Guidance is offered on crafting a good problem statement and developing effective research questions to focus and direct the research.

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KamarulNS
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327 views

Problem Statement Research Questions Types of Data

The document provides an overview of the initial stages of a research project, including developing a problem statement, identifying research questions, and determining the types of data needed. It discusses key aspects like specifying a topic of interest, writing a problem statement, generating general and specific research questions, and differentiating between primary and secondary data sources. Guidance is offered on crafting a good problem statement and developing effective research questions to focus and direct the research.

Uploaded by

KamarulNS
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LECTURE 1

Problem Statement
Research Questions
Types of Data
Pre-Empirical Stage
Identification of Topic
What are the issues related to the topic?
Pick an issue that you would like to know
more
Develop a problem statement
What kind of approach?

We will use the Pre-specified Structure,


but not too tight so that you can
accommodate both Research Design.
Research Area
An area identifies the general field of
inquiry where we can identify many
research questions, general and specific
Types of Data
Primary Data
– Transcription of an interview
– Speeches/Minutes
– Organization’s /Government Documents
– Photograph
– Results from SPSS (Quantitative)
Secondary Data
– Articles, readings about data that has been
analyzed by others
Topic selection
Personal experience
Curiosity based on something in the media
State of knowledge in the field
Solving a problem
Personal values
Everyday life
What are we trying to find out?
Question Development (QD)
– First: generate some possibilities
– Second: do question sub-division-> split
general question to components
– Third: ordering the questions and becoming
more focus
What is a Problem Statement?
A problem statement is your organization
of thoughts regarding the topic that you
are going to study. The thoughts will lead
toward an identification of a puzzle that
you want to focus on and examine further.
The puzzle will be presented in a
paragraph that will make it clear to the
reader the nature of your study
Characteristics of a Problem
statement

A few paragraphs where you lead your


reader toward the issue that you want to
study
A statement where you present the
problem starting with words such as:
– However, Nevertheless, Despite,
Finish with a paragraph that would lead to
the case study / country/organization
A Bad Problem statement
More than 10 pages

Long winded

Unfocused

Broad time frame


A Good Problem Statement

Maximum of 3-5 pages


Using the funnel approach in writing
Succinct and focus
Research questions
From the problem statement you can now
work toward developing some questions
that you would like to answer

Limit the questions to about 2-3


(remember, you have limited time to do
the work)
Note: Difference between research area and
research question
Types of Research Questions
General Questions (grand tour): Guide our
thinking and help us to organize our
project

Specific Questions (mini tour): come from


the general questions, will direct empirical
procedures, and will be the questions that
we are going to answer in the research
Types of Data
Primary data Secondary data
 data collected by  data that has been
using survey method analyzed by another
 data from intensive researcher
interview  data cited in a text
 speeches (books, articles,
 Archival newspaper)
documents
 Government doc.
Role of Research Questions
Organize project, give it direction, and
coherence
Delimit project and show boundries
Keep researcher focus on project
Provide framework to write up project
Point to data that will be needed
Some points to take note during
QD

In the brainstorming state, you will come


up with many questions
May feel anxiety, don’t panic, natural
phenomena
Disentangling and ordering of questions
must be done..
Bring down to size (managability)
Exercise

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