Formulating problem

Chapter 3

Formulating problem/issue
Precedence to formulating problem is a
research topic
Identify the source of your problem
formulation i.e own or working experience,
readings etc
Ensure a symptom is not identified as problem
A very important task

Why importance to formulate

problem?
A problem is something that bothered us and we
want to solve it.
Problem is also in the form of improvement of
the existing practices to attain superior
performance
It is important to formulate problem because a
wrongly identified problem will affect the overall
study
If no problem identified, meaning no research to
be conducted

Formulating a problem
What can be an issue or problem to a research?

Is an improvement on policy, method in an

organisation considered as an
issue/problem that is worth to investigate?

The Process of Research:

Identify the Research Problem

What is a problem?
A problem occurred when actual state not equal
the expected condition
In the context of your study, think of an
expected state that is not attain in actual
condition?

Your Research Problem

What is your area of interest?
Where could you look for help in deciding upon a specific
research problem?
What criteria will you apply when deciding upon a specific
research problem?
How could you narrow down your research problem?
How might your value-judgments (preconceived ideas)
affect your research endeavors?

The Research Problem

Students experience some difficulty in

narrowing down their general interest.

Often referred to as defining the
research problem and leads on to setting
the research question(s).
The classic way is to consider the
literature and identify any gaps, as these
indicate original area to research.
Many academic articles incorporate
suggestions for further research in their
conclusions.

You will need to focus your ideas, decide

the scope of your research and set
parameters. For example, perhaps your
study will investigate a broad financial
issue, but focus on a particular group of
stakeholders, size of business, industry,
geographical area, or period of time.

Types of problem in research

Problem currently exist in organisational
setting and need to be solved
Areas believed need to be improved
Conceptual or theoretical issues that needs to
be tightened up for basic researcher to
understand certain phenomens
Research questions (RQ) that a basic
researcher want to answer

A Problem Statement is a description of a

difficulty or lack that needs to be solved or at
least researched to see whether a solution can be
found. It can also be described as either a gap
between the real and the desired or a
contradiction between principle and practice.

The ultimate goal of a problem statement is

to transform a generalized problem
(something that bothers you; a perceived
lack) into a targeted, well-defined problem
one that can be resolved through focused
research and careful decision-making.

Writing a Problem Statement should help you

clearly identify the purpose of the project you will
propose. Often, the Problem Statement will also
serve as the basis for the introductory section of
your final proposal, directing your readers
attention quickly to the issues that your proposed
project will address and providing the reader
with a concise statement of the proposed project
itself.

How formulate a
Research problem ??

A persuasive problem statement consists of three parts: 1) the ideal,

2) the reality, and 3) the consequences.

Part A the ideal: Describes a desired goal

or ideal situation; explains how things
should be.
Part B the reality: Describes a condition that prevents
the goal, state, or value in Part A from being achieved or
realized at this time; explains how the current situation
falls short of the goal or ideal.

Part C the consequences: Identifies the

way you propose to improve the current
situation and move it closer to the goal or
ideal.

Part A
According to the XY university mission
statement, the university seeks to provide
students with a safe, healthy learning
environment. Dormitories are one important
aspect of that learning environment, since 55%
of XY students live in campus dorms and most
of these students spend a significant amount of
time working in their dorm rooms.

Part B
Students living in dorms A B C, and D
currently do not have air conditioning units,
and during the hot seasons, it is common for
room temperatures to exceed 80 degrees F.
Many students report that they are unable to
do homework in their dorm rooms. Others
report problems sleeping because of the
humidity and temperature. The rooms are not
only unhealthy, but they inhibit student
productivity and academic achievement.

Part C
In response to this problem, the study
proposes to investigate several options for
making the dorms more hospitable. The study
plans to carry out an all inclusive
participatory investigation into options for
purchasing air conditioners (universityfunded; student-subsidized) and different
types of air conditioning systems. The
research will also consider less expensive
ways to mitigate some or all of the problems
noted above (such as creating climatecontrolled dorm lounges and equipping them
with better study areas and computing space).

What source to get research problem?

Conduct preliminary survey/interviews to find
out about the specific issues of the research
topics eg to get their perceptions
Critically review the literature find gap

How to formulate research problem?

Problem definition
~ as any situation where a gap exists
between the actual and the desired ideal
states.
~ involves a succinct statement of the
question or issue that is to be investigated
with the goal of finding an answer or
solution.

How to formulate research problem?

Critically writing literature review where gap or

problem will be identified

 To what extent do the structure of the

organization and type of information
systems installed account for the variance
in the perceived effectiveness of managerial
decision making?

Examples
of welldefined
problems

To what extent has the new advertising

campaign been successful in creating the
high-quality, customer-centred corporate
image that is was intend to produce?
How has the new packaging affected the
sales of the product?
Has the new advertising message resulted
in better recall?

How do price and quality rate in consumers

evaluation of products?
Does better automation lead to greater
asset investment per dollar of output?

What is a Research Question?

~ is a statement that identifies the
phenomenon to be studied

A Research Question Must Identify

1. The variables under study

2. The population being studied
3. The testability of the question

Variables in Research
Independent
variable:
has a presumed
effect on the
dependent variable
(outcome)
May or may not be
manipulated

Dependent variable:
Something that
varies with a change
in the independent
variable
Outcome variable

Variables in research
For qualitative, the variable that affects other
variables is known as independent and the
affected variable is dependent variable
Dependent variable is the main focus of the
study

REASONS WHY RESEARCH QUESTIONS ARE

CRUCIAL
GUIDE YOUR LITERATURE SEARCH
GUIDE YOUR DECISIONS ABOUT THE KIND OF RESEARCH
DESIGN TO EMPLOY
GUIDE YOUR DECISIONS ABOUE WHAT DATA TO COLLECT
AND FROM WHOM
GUIDE ANALYSIS OF YOUR DATA
GUIDE WRITING-UP OF YOUR DATA
STOP YOU FROM GOING OFF IN UNNECESSARY
DIRECTIONS

Steps in Formulating the Research Questions

Ask these questions
Do I known the field and its literature well?
What are the important research questions in my field?
What areas need further exploration?
Could my study fill a gap? Or lead to greater understanding?
Has a great deal of research already been conducted in this topic
area?
Has this study been done before? If so, is there room for
improvement?
Is the timing right for this question to be answered? Is it a hot topic, or
is it becoming obsolete?
Will the study have a significant impact on the field?

Research Questions and

Hypotheses
A process of asking a question, or a series of
related questions, and then initiating a
systematic procedure to obtain valid answers to
that question.

Formulating Research Question /

Hypotheses
A well-thought-out and focused research question leads
directly to your hypotheses.
Hypotheses are more specific predictions about the
nature and direction of the relationship between two
variables.
Hypotheses,
Gives insight into a research question
Are testable and measurable by the proposed
experiments
Each hypothesis is matched with a specific aim and has
rationale.

Directional vs. Non-Directional Hypotheses

Directional hypothesis
Specifies the direction of the relationship between
independent and dependent variables

Non-directional hypothesis
Shows the existence of a relationship between
variables but no direction is specified