Problem Formulation

PROBLEM
Formulation
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Page 1
What is Research?
 The researcher asks a question.
 The researcher collects data.
 The researcher indicates how the data

answered the question.

Page 2
Importance of Research
Research adds to our knowledge.
oAddresses gaps in knowledge

oExpands knowledge
oReplicates knowledge
oAdds voices of individuals to knowledge

Page 3
Importance of Research (cont’d)
Research helps improve practice.
new ideas.
new insights into approaches.
connect with other researchers.

Page 4
Problems with Research Today
 Contradictory or vague findings
 Questionable data
 Unclear statements about the intent of the study
 Lack of full disclosure of the data collection procedure
 Inarticulate rendering of the research problem

Page 5
The Process of Research

Page 6
The Process of Research:
Identify the Research Problem

Page 7
The Process of Research:
Specify a Research Purpose
Identify the purpose statement
The major intent of the study

The participants in the study
The site of the study
Narrow the purpose statement
Quantitative: Write research questions and/or hypothesis

Qualitative: Identify a central phenomenon and write subquestions.

Page 8
Scientific Research Process
Theoretical framework or
Network of associations
Hypotheses
Constructs
Concepts
Operational definitions
Data Research
collection design
Page 9
Literature Review
2. Research
problem

Page 10
Research topic
Research
problem
From research topic to research problem

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Research topic and Basic research
problem Applied research
Explore
Describe
Understand RESEARCH ‘What’ questions
Predict QUESTIONS ‘Why’ questions
Change and purpose ‘How’ questions
Evaluate
Assess impact
RESEARCH Inductive
STRATEGIES Deductive

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Overview of the
research process

Page 13
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.

Page 14
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.

Page 15
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.

Page 16
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.

Page 17
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
reader’s attention quickly to the issues that your proposed
project will address and providing the reader with a concise
statement of the proposed project itself.

Page 18
A persuasive problem statement consists of three parts: 1) the ideal, 2) the
reality, and 3) the consequences.

Page 19
1
a mp l e Part A
Ex
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.

Page 20
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.

Page 21
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 (university-funded;
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
climate-controlled dorm lounges and equipping them
with better study areas and computing space).

Page 22
Step 1 (Statement 1)
p l e 2
Ex am
The government of Malaysia has a goal to industrialize by

the year 2030 (quote). In this regard it has encouraged
growth oriented micro and small enterprises (MSEs) that
should graduate into medium and large enterprises capable
of contributing to the industrialization goal. There are
several sessional papers (quote/cite) that contain specific
measures to encourage and support MSEs.

Page 23
Step 2 and 3 (Statement 2)
Despite the said government efforts there is slow growth

of micro into small enterprises and even slower growth
of small into medium scale enterprises (quote, show
statistics). The government has officially acknowledged
that there exists a ‘missing middle’ in Malaysia meaning
that there is a gap between small and large enterprises in
the country (cite, quote).

Page 24
Statement 3
Should the ‘missing middle’ gap persist then

the industrialization goal may be difficult to
achieve. Need therefore arises to investigate
why despite government efforts there is a
persistent ‘missing middle’

Page 25
le 3
Statement 1
p
am
Ex
In order to accomplish their missions public

universities need motivated workforces.

Page 26
Statement 2
There are however frequent and severe

disciplinary actions, absenteeism as well
as various forms of unrests in public
universities which affect the
accomplishment of the set missions. Our
preliminary investigation reveals to both
non-management and management staff
are not adequately motivated.

Page 27
Statement 3
Without effective motivational packages and

procedures the said vices are likely to
continue and retard the achievement of the
universities missions.
Need arises to examine the public universities
motivation systems and procedures hence this
proposed research.

Page 28
am pl e4 Statement 1
Ex
The Ministry of Youth is dedicated to allocating

enterprise development funds to both the youth and
women. These funds are made available in order to
start entrepreneurial ventures that create and expand
employment. (provide relevant statistics and quote)

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Statement 2
One of the main focuses of the ministry is

consistency. Unfortunately, consistency is allocating
in allocating funds to the next generation of recipients
requires prior knowledge of previous allocations and
established practices. The current continuous
disbursement method does not allow for adequate
analysis of previous disbursements before a current
disbursement is done.

Page 30
Statement 3
Continuing with this current disbursement method

prevents consistency and causes decisions to become
grossly political, which in turn inhibits the
achievement of the goals of the funds. Developing a
more informed disbursement system could help better
implement the consistency focus of the ministry
better monitor and evaluate its funds.

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Statement 4
This proposed research aspires to explore options for

a new funds disbursement system that would focus
on consistency. To do this, the researcher will carry
out a full stakeholder analysis and use it to propose
appropriate policy interventions.

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A Research Question Must Identify
1.The variables under study

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

Page 33
Variables in Research
• Independent • Dependent
variable: variable:
– has a presumed – Something that
effect on the varies with a
dependent variable change in the
(outcome) independent
– May or may not be variable
manipulated – Outcome variable

Page 34
Examples of Good Research Problems
(in the form of questions)
• Does client-centered therapy produce more satisfaction in clients than
traditional therapy? (experimental design)
• Does behavior modification reduce aggression in autistic children? (single-

subject experimental design)
• Are the descriptions of people in social studies discussions biased?

(grounded theory design)
• What goes on in an elementary school classroom during an average

week? (ethnographic design)
• Do teachers behave differently toward students of different genders?

(causal-comparative design)
• How do parents feel about the school counseling program? (survey design)
• How can a principal improve faculty morale? (interview design)

Page 35
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?
Page 36
What is a Research Question?
~ is a statement that identifies the

phenomenon to be studied

Page 37
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

Page 38
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?

Page 39
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.

Page 40
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.

Page 41
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

Page 42
Research Objectives
• The research objectives pursued in order

to answer the research questions.

Page 43
Scope of Research –
Masters vs PhD
• Amount of research work
• Standard of writing
• Level of independency

Page 44
Expected Outcome of Research
RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
•State clearly why this research is important, what the
benefits will be and how your work will contribute to
knowledge in your field. This may include commercial
benefits, changes in current practice, a new perspective on
an old issue or other benefits to the community. You need
to
•indicate why it is significant and how it advances
understanding of the issues under discussion.

Page 45
Summary Points
• Preliminary steps in the • Research questions

research process include illustrate a relationship
forming a research between variables,
problem, questions and identify independent and
hypotheses dependent variables,
• A hypothesis attempts to include a population, and
answer the question imply that a problem is
posed by the research testable
question

Page 46

Problem Formulation

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PROBLEM

Free Powerpoint Templates

 The researcher asks a question.

 The researcher collects data.

 The researcher indicates how the data

Free Powerpoint Templates

Research adds to our knowledge.

oAddresses gaps in knowledge

Free Powerpoint Templates

Research helps improve practice.

Free Powerpoint Templates

Free Powerpoint Templates

Free Powerpoint Templates

Free Powerpoint Templates

Identify the purpose statement

The major intent of the study

Narrow the purpose statement

Quantitative: Write research questions and/or hypothesis

Free Powerpoint Templates

Free Powerpoint Templates

From research topic to research problem

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Free Powerpoint Templates

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• Students experience some difficulty in narrowing

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Free Powerpoint Templates

Free Powerpoint Templates

Free Powerpoint Templates

Free Powerpoint Templates

Free Powerpoint Templates

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In response to this problem, the study proposes to

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The government of Malaysia has a goal to industrialize by

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Despite the said government efforts there is slow growth

Free Powerpoint Templates

Should the ‘missing middle’ gap persist then

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In order to accomplish their missions public

Free Powerpoint Templates

There are however frequent and severe

Free Powerpoint Templates

Without effective motivational packages and

Free Powerpoint Templates

The Ministry of Youth is dedicated to allocating

Free Powerpoint Templates

One of the main focuses of the ministry is

Free Powerpoint Templates

Continuing with this current disbursement method

Free Powerpoint Templates

This proposed research aspires to explore options for

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1.The variables under study

Free Powerpoint Templates

Free Powerpoint Templates

• Does behavior modification reduce aggression in autistic children? (single-

• Are the descriptions of people in social studies discussions biased?

• What goes on in an elementary school classroom during an average

• Do teachers behave differently toward students of different genders?

• How can a principal improve faculty morale? (interview design)