Identifiction and Problem

Formulation in the Research

Process

Seema Dhami
 Introduction
• Research is a scientific and systematic search for
pertinent information on specific topic, without
problem research cannot be obtained .
• Identification and formulation of problem
constitute the starting phase of research .
• Identification and formulating the research problem
is a key stage in research process.
• It is a foundation of research on which whole
research study is build.
• If we imagine the research in social vacuum, then
it is not more than the house in the air .So for any
form of research some problem must be existed .
 Cont...
• Identification and formulation of research problem
helps to design the shole research project .
• The entire existed problem cannot be the matter of
research, so determination of the problem from
bunch of socitel problem can be defined as the
formulation of research problem .
• A research problem is not the same thing as social
problem.
• This does not imply that a social problem can not
turn into a research problem .A social problem may
turn into a research problem once it is so formulated
by researcher.
• A research problem is defined by intellectual curiocity
while social problem is defined by the values of a group.
 Definition
• R.S Woodworth define problem as “ a situation
for which we have no ready and sucessful
response by instinct or by previously aquire
habit.We must findout what to do”
• John Dewey stated “the need of clearing of a
confusion , of straightening out an ambiguity of
overcoming abstacle , of covering the gap
between things as they are and as they may
be when transferred is, in germ , a problem”
• Oxford dictionary defines problem as a “thing
that is difficult to deal with or understand”
 Cont...
• Thus from these definitions , a problem is
confusing , ambigious, unexpected situation
or thing that is difficult to deal with or to
undetstand . So the identification and
formulation of problem is to determine and
theorized the exisiting confusing , ambigious,
unexpected situation or thing , which is difficult
adn hard to understand or deal however, it
should by the help of research.
 Sorces of finding a research problem
• Research supervisior
Research supervisior is a complicated task .The
problem of research should be correctly chosen
and must be coped with the changes of time
and necissity of society. So the students try to
be far from its selection adn do not want to
strain thier mind That’s why the supervisior have
a crucial role for the selection of research
problem .
• Research literature
• Research funding agencies
 Characteristics of Research problem
• It should raise a question about the
relationship between variables

• The relationship between the variables should

be stated and expalined clearly

• The problem sttement should suggest a

method of resaerchin a question
 Importance of research problem
• The proper formulation of research problem
gives the proper direction to the entire
research
• It helps to determine the objectivies of the
research and also derives the limitation of
research
• Research problem makes possible to put out
proper hypothesis
• it helps to collect the data
 Criteria for selecting a resaerch problem
• Subject which is overdone should not be normally
chosen
• Subject should be uncontroversial
• Too narrow and too vague problem should be
avoided
• Subjet should be familiar and fesible , so that the
related research materail or source of research are
within the reach
• The selection of subject , the qyalification and the training
of a researcher , the cost, the time , equipment , data
collection method and sponsorship and administration’s
cooperations are aslo be conisdered
Prerequisite for identifying and formulating the research problem
While formulating research problem , it is necessary
to be aware about different factors.There factors can
be define as prerequisites , for identification and
formulation of research area following should be
considered :
• Resarcher must be aware of research area or scope
• she/he should have adequate knowledge of various
theroies relating to research problem
• Researcher must know findings of previous
research , published in different research report,
because to minimized repetition of research in the
same field in same perspective.
 Cont...
• Researcher must be equally aware of inconsistent
theories and gaps between theory and practice.
• Researcher must acquire knowledge and suggestion
from experts or professionals.
• Researcher must have critical , unbiased curious
and imagination in the mind
• Formulating research problem shouold be
practicable both in terms of investigation , result
and cost
• Research problem should be formulated with
regard to availability of data adn research personal
Identification and formulation of research problem in legal research
• Scope of legal research is to the extent where the law is
feasible. It means legal research has wide scope. If we
cannot confine it within particular and specific topic we
cannot conduct a proper resaech.
• Identification and formulation of legal research means to
determine specific or concrete problem from general
problems existed in legal field. As the formulation of
research problem involves two steps:

1. Understanding the problem throughly

2. Reshaping that understanding into meaningful
terms to arrive at a concrete result .
Identification and formulation of research problem &steps
1. Framing the title: A title is a formal short hand
statement of the problem. It is supposed to signify the
focus of inquiry. Generally one comes across two
types of title descriptive and analytical.

2. Formulating research issues : The specific term of

inquiry may be formulated either in term of research
question or guiding hypothesis.

3.Operationalisation :It is another task involved in

problem formulation .Operationalisation means
making empirical reference of an abstract cocept.
 Example of research problem
• Is the individual communication mechanism accessible to all
individual ?
• Whether the individual communication mechanism competent to
provide remedy for victims ?
Example of research objectives:
• To examine the accessibility to the individual communication
mechanism
• To evaluate the individaul communication procedure
• To scrutinize the competency and efficiency of the Human Rights
Commission
• To find out the situation of individual comunication field in the
Human Rights Committee alleging violation by Nepal
• To analyze the responses of the states parties to the remedy
recommended by the Human Rights Committee through its final
views
• To suggest the measures
 Stages in Research Process
In a research process, in the context of
preparation of the research design, there
are mainly two stages, which constantly
overlap.
• In the first stage, the research process progress from
Identification and formulating the topic to
research problem, assumptions that underlie the
study and the main research questions.

• In the second stage, the researcher moves to

prepare the more formal Research Proposal which
is normally required for obtaining (academic)
approval of the project/or obtaining funding.
 Decision on the Topic
In deciding on the topic of the research and whether it is
worth pursuing, the research must follow the steps listed
below:
1. Selection of a Research Area
2. Preliminary Formulation of the Research Topic
3. Preliminary Bibliography
4. Topic Outlining
5. Identification and formulating Research Problem and
Principal Research Questions
6. Determination of Assumptions or Suppositions
7. Formulation Detailed Research Questions
8. Identification of Sources and Methods
9. Review of the Problem Formulation and the Research
Process
 Guiding Principles for Selection of Research Area
• Interest on research area is determined by several
factors, and limitations of time, fund, etc., and
objectives are also important.
- A student of anthropology had been offered to engage in a
study on “domestic violence” in Panauti Municipality of
Kavre. This offer had financial benefit for the student.
However, she/he preferred to look into “legal psychology
of the Nepalese people as it was, for them, was the
primary element of the “good governance” issue.Her/ His
area of research was thus related to “observation of the
sociology of law in relation to the good governance
issue”. This area had been taken to be pursued for
intellectual inquisition of the researcher. The selection of
area of research is thus driven by the interest of the researcher
which in itself is influenced by several factors surrounding
her/him .
• The research process commences with the identification of
an area of or issue, of interest to the researcher.
• It is necessary for researcher to be sensible to select the
area. Generally, the area is chosen from amongst which
captures his/her immediate and long term interest. If
the interest is weak, the imaginative capacity of the
researcher will also be weak and the chances for new
discoveries will be smaller.

• However, a researcher who is contracted to undertake a

particular research project will have to work on the area
imposed on him/her. Thus, he/she will have no choice in
the matter. Nevertheless, various areas of research fall in
broader sense to areas of interest of different researchers.
Hence, in terms of ethics it is believed that a researcher will
disagree to take research project which does not fall in
his/her areas of interest.
 Preliminary Formulation of Research Topic
• After the first step of identifying an area which
appears to have potential for investigation the
researcher, usually, needs to narrow the ambit of the
projected research.

• At this point, the researcher may not have adequate

information or knowledge about the area so as to be
capable of precisely formulating the topic.
- The selection of topic of research may be inspired by
the researcher's experiences. It is, in accordance with
Grounded Theory of Legal Research, legitimate and
often advisable for a researcher to be influenced by
her/his own experiences in selecting and defining an
area or issue to research. One’s practical experiences
may provide the rich background data around which to
begin the process of problem formulation. Such
experience may be taken as a great inspiration for
“formulating the research topic during preliminary
stage”.
 Preliminary Bibliography
• Once the tentative identification of the research topic
has been made, the researcher moves to the compiling
of a preliminary bibliography which forms the
foundation for her background reading.

• The primary purpose of the background reading is to

determine what are the unanswered questions and issues
in the field which the researcher wishes to investigate.
• Once the preliminary bibliography has been compiled the
material must be read carefully to ascertain the areas,
within the selected topic.

• There is normally no point in carrying out a research

project on a topic that has been adequately investigated by
others.
 Topic Outlining
• Once the researcher has finished the
preliminary reading he/she should have a
clearer idea as to what his/her specific topic
will be. S/he should then try to formulate the
topic tightly and concisely as possible.
• Choosing the topic is, even after the preliminary
reading, a complex process.
• Many researchers and students writing
dissertation make the mistake of believing that a
topic must be broadly defined so as to afford
them the opportunity to consult a wide range
of literature and access a large data
collection base.
• The following example will serve to show broad and
amorphous topics.
a. “Women and the Criminal Justice System in Nepal”
b. “Women’s Property Right Law in Nepal”.
c. Women and Participation in Development Process in
Nepal”
d. “Impact of Conflict on Women in Nepal”.
e. “Situation of Domestic Violence in Nepal”.
f. “Analysis of Evidence Law in Nepal”
These topics, apart from being too general and
vague, are inherently indeterminate and are thus not
good research topics. The topic has to be focused
so that it reflects the specific issue of concern to
the researcher. For instance, the first topic prompts
the question: Does it focus women as victims,
woman as perpetrators, women as witnesses,
women as enforcers or women as adjudicators?
Women’s role as the perpetrators in
domestic violence would probably be a
good topic to concentrate.
 Research Problem and Principal
Research Questions
• Research Problem is the main issue or
issues which require investigation. Such
issues may be formulated in terms of
statement of a problem to be investigated
and further developed by formulating
principal research questions.
• The broad general area of interest is thus
refined to ensure that there are a number of
specific and clear issues to be addressed.
• There is, however, a need to emphasize that
the principal research question is not written
in stone and may and often does change, or
at least, the emphasis may change once the
process of data collection.
• Research Problem:
“Existing legal Provisions concerning
transfer of property to wife following the
death of the husband”
• Principal Research Questions:
- Extent to which the widows are dispossed of
their deceased husband’s property after his
death by his relative.
- Customary laws helping the widow obtaining
inheritance of the deceased husband.
These emphasis however may change once
the data collection is started.
 Assumptions/Suppositions
• Assumptions are hypotheses. Assumptions and
suppositions, in this context, are formed by theorizing
about how certain phenomena are connected and
interrelated. These ideas may be informed by the
researchers’ own experiences and observations or
sources of the preliminary reading.
• The choice of impact of conflict on poor hill families as a
research topic may, for example, have been underpinned by
the following assumptions:
- That poor hill families have been compelled to join the
rebellion without their independent choice
- That poor hill families have limited access to government
support and protection
- That the lack of government protection results in
necessary involvement of such families in rebellion
- That the guarantee of adequate food supplies and
protection will ensure defense against the rebels’
compulsion to join the rebellion.
 Detailed Research Questions
• Having the hypothesis or assumptions developed,
the researchers will be in a better position to
formulate the main questions he/she needs to
answer.
• Based on the assumptions on conflict made above, the
following detailed questions may be formulated:
- How many hill families are in direct impact of the
conflict?
- How is their present situation of life style?
- What reaction they have been facing from the
government?
- What kind of insecurity problems they have been
subjected to?
• In carrying out this exercise, it is important to
check that every assumption is addressed by a
research question and that every research
question relates to an assumption.
• Any mismatch needs to be addressed and
unrealistic or superfluous assumption or
question needs to be deleted.
• This is ongoing process throughout the research
as the assumptions are constantly changing with
the progress of process, and thus research
questions needs to be changed accordingly.
• It is very important that the first set of research
questions as well as the later questions are
carefully formulated as they control the
boundaries of the research project.
 Sources and Methods
• Before a topic is finally settled upon, the
potential viability of the project needs to be
thoroughly reviewed. Can it be effectively
accomplished? For each major research
question the researcher must decide how to
source the appropriate data to provide an
answer to the question.
• He/she must consider where this data can be
found and how to collect it.
• For example some of the questions may be
answered by studying legal sources such as
textbooks, acts, court records, or administrative
records. Some of the questions may only be
answered through interviews with the interested
parties or key informants.
Reviewing the Problem Formulation
and Research Process
• Before final decision as to what to research, the
researcher should review the topic and research
problem in the light of the total research process
including the design and planning process and
the development of the data collection methods.
This will enable the researcher not only to focus
on the problem which he/she wishes to
investigate but also to consider the scope the
research in the light of other factors which
inevitably affect the research project.
 Research Proposal

• Development of the research proposal

starts once the preliminary formulation of
the research topic, the assumptions and
principal questions are formulated.