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    Chapter 4 RESEARCH PROBLEM

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    Melody Pardillo
    This chapter discusses formulating a research problem. It explains that properly formulating the research problem is the most important first step, as it lays the foundation for the entire study. The chapter outlines sources of research problems, considerations for selecting a problem, and steps to take which include identifying a broad topic of interest, narrowing it into subtopics, selecting what is of most interest, and raising research questions to guide objectives. Qualitative research may require reformulating the problem during data collection to fully capture a phenomenon or focus on certain aspects. Overall, clearly defining the research problem determines how the rest of the study is designed and conducted.

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    Chapter 4 RESEARCH PROBLEM

    Uploaded by

    Melody Pardillo
    322 views25 pages
    This chapter discusses formulating a research problem. It explains that properly formulating the research problem is the most important first step, as it lays the foundation for the entire study. The chapter outlines sources of research problems, considerations for selecting a problem, and steps to take which include identifying a broad topic of interest, narrowing it into subtopics, selecting what is of most interest, and raising research questions to guide objectives. Qualitative research may require reformulating the problem during data collection to fully capture a phenomenon or focus on certain aspects. Overall, clearly defining the research problem determines how the rest of the study is designed and conducted.

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    Chapter-4-RESEARCH-PROBLEM

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    This chapter discusses formulating a research problem. It explains that properly formulating the research problem is the most important first step, as it lays the foundation for the entire study. The chapter outlines sources of research problems, considerations for selecting a problem, and steps to take which include identifying a broad topic of interest, narrowing it into subtopics, selecting what is of most interest, and raising research questions to guide objectives. Qualitative research may require reformulating the problem during data collection to fully capture a phenomenon or focus on certain aspects. Overall, clearly defining the research problem determines how the rest of the study is designed and conducted.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    322 views25 pages

    Chapter 4 RESEARCH PROBLEM

    Uploaded by

    Melody Pardillo
    This chapter discusses formulating a research problem. It explains that properly formulating the research problem is the most important first step, as it lays the foundation for the entire study. The chapter outlines sources of research problems, considerations for selecting a problem, and steps to take which include identifying a broad topic of interest, narrowing it into subtopics, selecting what is of most interest, and raising research questions to guide objectives. Qualitative research may require reformulating the problem during data collection to fully capture a phenomenon or focus on certain aspects. Overall, clearly defining the research problem determines how the rest of the study is designed and conducted.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 25

    Chapter 4

    Formulating a Research Problem


    In this chapter you will learn about:
    The importance of formulating a research
    problem
    Sources of research problems
    Considerations in selecting a research problem
    Specific issues to consider when formulating a
    research problem in qualitative research
    Steps in formulating a research problem
    How to formulate research objectives
    The importance of establishing operational
    definitions
    The research problem
    According to Powers, Meenaghan and
    Twoomey (1985: 38),
    ‘Potential research questions may occur to us
    on a regular basis, but the process of
    formulating them in a meaningful way is not at
    all an easy task.’
    As a newcomer it might seem easy to
    formulate a problem but it requires
    considerable knowledge of both the subject
    area and research methodology.
    First identifying and then specifying a
    research problem might seem like
    research tasks that ought to be easy and
    quickly accomplished
    It is essential for the problem you
    formulate to be able to withstand
    scrutiny in terms of the procedures
    required to be undertaken.
    The importance of formulating a research
    problem
    The formulation of a research problem is
    the first and most important step of the
    research process
    the identification of a destination before
    undertaking a journey
    Serves as the foundation of a research
    study
    If it is well formulated, you can expect a
    good study to follow
    The way you formulate a problem
    determines almost every step that follows:
    the type of study design that can be used;
    the type of sampling strategy that can be
    employed;
    the research instrument that can be used or
    developed;
    the type of analysis that can be
    undertaken.
    Example:
    Main topic: Depression
    Sub-topic: regarding services available to patients
    with depression living in a community
    A. to find out the types of service available to
    patients with depression
    -the study will dominantly be descriptive and
    qualitative in nature.
    -These types of studies fall in the category of
    qualitative research and are carried out using
    qualitative research methodologies.
    B. if you want to find out the extent of use of
    these services, that is the number of people
    using them
    -it will dominantly use quantitative
    methodologies even though it is descriptive in
    nature describing the number of people using a
    service.
    C. If your focus is to determine the extent of use
    in relation to the personal attributes of the
    patients
    d. if your aim is to find out the
    effectiveness of these services
    -the study will again be classified as
    correlational and the study design used,
    methods of collecting data and its
    analysis will be a part of the quantitative
    methodology.
    Remember!!!
    Confusion is often but a first step
    towards clarity.
    Take time over formulating your
    problem, for the clearer you are about
    your research problem/question, the
    easier it will be for you later on.
    Remember, this is the most crucial step.
    Sources of Research Problems
    Considerations in selecting a research
    problem
    Interest
    Magnitude
    Measurement of concepts
    Level of expertise
    Relevance
    Availability of data
    Ethical issues
    Steps in formulating a research problem
    Step 1: Identify a broad field or subject area of
    interest to you.
    Step 2: Dissect the broad area into subareas.
    Step 3: Select what is of most interest to you.
    Step 4: Raise research questions.
    Step 5: Formulate objectives.
    Step 6: Assess your objectives.
    Step 7: Double-check.
    The formulation of research objectives
    Objectives are the goals you set out to attain in
    your study.
    Objectives should be listed under two headings:
    The main objective is an overall statement of
    the thrust of your study. It is also a statement of
    the main associations and relationships that you
    seek to discover or establish.
    The sub objectives are the specific aspects of
    the topic that you want to investigate within the
    main framework of your study.
    EXAMPLE
    HOW TO IDENTIFY THE GAP? ASK YOURSELF:

    • To help locate your research problem for your


    study, ask yourself such questions as:

     What was the issue/problem you want to study?

     What is the concern being addressed “behind” this


    study?

     Why do you want to undertake this study?

     Why is this study important to the laboratory?


    Logical Presentation of a research problem
    LONGER TURN-AROUND TIME OF LAB RESULTS
    PROBLEM
    COMPLAINTS ABOUT STAFFS BECOMING UNDER
    MAGNITUDE OF MOTIVATED AND DOES NOT HELP ON PROCESSING
    SAMPLES. THUS, MAKING THE TAT LONGER. ALSO
    THE PROBLEM THERE WERE COMPLAINTS FROM
    PATIENT/WATCHERS.
    WHAT HAS BEEN CREATING A FLOW CHART INDICATING THE TURN-
    DONE? AROUND TIME OF TESTS.

    UNCLEAR ASSIGNMENT OF RENSPOSIBILTIES/ DUTY


    GAP ASSIGNMENT PER SHIFT.

    POSSIBLE STEPS IN CREATING A POLICY ON THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND


    SOLVING THE DUTIES OF THE MEDTECHS ON EACH SHIFT 7-3, 3-11,
    11-7.
    PROBLEM
    AIM OF THE STUDY ORGANIZE THE TASKS ASSIGNED ON EACH SHIFT
    POSSIBLE OUTCOME
    OF THE STUDY SHORTER TURN-AROUND TIME OF LAB RESULTS.
    MEDTECHS WILL BE OBLIGED TO DO THEIR SPECIFIC
    ASSIGNMENTS.
    The study population
    from whom the required information to find
    answers to your research questions is obtained
    As you narrow the research problem, similarly
    you need to decide very specifically and clearly
    who constitutes your study population, in order
    to select the appropriate respondents.
    EXAMPLE: a study to ascertain the needs of
    young people living in a community
    Establishing operational definitions
    Formulating a research problem in
    qualitative research
    In quantitative research you strive to be as specific
    as possible, attempt to narrow the magnitude of
    your study and develop a framework within which
    you confine your search.
    On the other hand, in qualitative research, this
    specificity in scope, methods and framework is
    almost completely ignored.
    strive to maintain flexibility, openness and freedom
    to include any new ideas or exclude any aspect that
    you initially included but later consider not to be
    Qualitative research primarily employs inductive
    reasoning.
    In contrast to quantitative research, where a research
    problem is stated before data collection, in
    qualitative research the problem is reformulated
    several times after you have begun the data
    collection.
    The research problem as well as data collection
    strategies are reformulated as necessary throughout
    data collection either to acquire the ‘totality’ of a
    phenomenon or to select certain aspects for greater

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