defining research problem/problem definitionkasim/eng_design/research... · research context &...
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Defining Research Problem/Problem Definition
1
Research Process
Research AreaIdentification
ProblemIdentification
TheoreticalFramework
MethodologyResearch Design
Data Collection & Analysis
Conclusions
Literature Review! Literature Review!Literature Review !Literature Review! Literature Review!Literature Review !Literature Review! Literature Review!Literature Review !Literature Review! Literature Review!Literature Review !Literature Review! Literature Review!Literature Review !Literature Review! Literature Review!Literature Review !
Philosophy of Graduate Education
MENTORSHIP! - Work with a professor or researcher that has established a research
agenda
Research Classifications
System #1:o Basic research
o Applied research
System #2:o Quantitative research
o Qualitative research
System #3:o Experimental research
o Nonexperimental research
Basic vs. Applied Research
Basic
– Pure, fundamental research
– Discovery of new knowledge; theoretical in nature
– Takes many years for the results of basic research to find some practical utility
Applied
– Central purpose to solve an immediate problem
– Improved products or processes
– Infers beyond the group or situation studied
– Interpretation of results relies upon Basic research
Research Success Factors
Correctly define the “beginning” as a precise statement of goals and justification.
Identify the sequential steps necessary for writing a good research plan
Successfully execute and organize and the research project
Research Plan/Proposal
How well a research project is planned and how well the steps in the plan are integrated can make the difference between success or failure.
The process of writing a research plan should start as soon as possible in the development of research ideas.
A research plan consists of two general areas:
1. Research concepts and context
2. Research logistics
Research Context & Concept1. Literature survey
o Become familiar with the literature to identify a research problem andto explore the areas that may impact the research plan.
o Explore ways that enhance the integration of the study into broaderdisciplines and ways to collect, analyze, and present your data so thatthey are useful to others
2. Carefully and clearly state the problem in form of concisequestions or as working or null hypotheses.
3. Make a list of possible scenarios related to your researchquestions and then rank the most probable ones.
4. Discuss all aspects of the research proposal with colleagues asyou develop them. Investigators that work in the same orclosely related fields are valuable sources of information.
5. Write a detailed research proposal.
Identifying the Problem
First, and arguably the most important, stepo Several sources
Theoretical basis
Professional practice
Personal experience
Shear curiosity
o Starts as a broad question that must be narrowed
o Problem statement; experimental approach to the problem; etc.
Identifying the Problem
Three categories when selecting a research problem
o Those who know precisely what they want to do and have a well conceived problem
o Those who have many interest areas and are having difficulty deciding exactly what they want to study
o Those who do not have any idea about a worthwhile research problem
Literature Review
the probability that a research idea will arise in a vacuum isvanishingly small, the probability of having a good researchidea is higher for an investigator with experience andknowledge of the literature than it is for a novice
The immediate goal of a literature survey is to determine ifthe research idea is worth pursuing (the research may havebeen done, or new publications may have revealedproblems with the research idea).
A second goal is to maximize the usefulness of researchresults by integrating them into the specific research topics(i.e., the results of others working in the same area) and intobroader topics and disciplines.
Research Questions
If the research idea is still viable afterreviewing the literature, it is time to developthe research questions or hypotheses to betested.
represent an important link between the conceptual and logistic aspects of planning a research project
Research QuestionsExample 1
1. Why can an interest group approach to politics be applied to the study of socialist and Chinese politics?
2. What do we mean by "interest", "group", and "interest group"?
3. How could Chines elite interest groups be identified?
4. What factors gave rise to the formation of Chinese elite interest groups and how did they recruit members?
5. What were the respective interests of the identified groups?
6. In terms of power politics, i.e. disputes over personal power allocation and policy disputes respectively, what were the major issues at stake during the conflict of different interest groups?
7. How do the interest groups act to defend or advance their interests, that is, what were the modes of interaction between interest groups and decision makers and with what success?
Research Questions
Hypotheses
A hypothesis can be defined as "a shrewd guess, anassumption, an opinion, a hunch, an informed judgment,or an inference that is provisionally adopted to explainfacts or conditions or to guide how one starts to attack aproblem
Specific hypotheses or research questions depend onthe context of a study.
In a research context, a hypothesis can also be asuggested solution to a problem so that research cantake a certain direction, otherwise much time can bewasted in an investigation without direction. It will affectthe kind of data to be collected and the method analysisof the data.
Hypotheses
Formulating a Hypothesis
Hypothesis:
o A belief or prediction of the eventual outcome of the research
o A concrete, specific statement about the relationships between phenomena
o Based on deductive reasoning
o 2 types of hypotheses:
Null hypothesis (HO)– All is equal; no differences exist
Alternative (research) hypothesis (HA)– Usually specific and opposite to the null
New Questions Arise
Results Interpreted
Data Collected
Question Identified
Hypotheses Formed
Research Plan
Closed-loop conceptualization of the research process (Drew, Hardman,
and Hart, 1996)
Types of Research Questions
3 Types
o Descriptive questions
o Difference questions
o Relationship questions
Descriptive Questions
Purpose:
o To describe phenomena or characteristics of a particular group of subjects being studied
Survey research
Qualitative research
Difference Questions
Purpose:
o To make comparisons between or within groups.
o Is there a difference?
Experimental research– Treatment vs. control
– Pre- vs. post-test comparisons
Nonexperimental research– Compare one group to another based on existing
characteristics
Relationship Questions
Purpose
o To investigate the degree to which two or more variables covary or are associated with each other
Rather than analyzing the differences between groups, researchers characterize the relationships among them.
Extent to which variables are related
Not to establish cause-and-effect
Theory vs. Hypothesis
Hypothesiso A belief or prediction of the eventual outcome of the
research
o A concrete, specific statement about the relationships between phenomena
o Based on deductive reasoning
Theoryo A belief or assumption about how things relate to each
other
o A theory establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between variables with a purpose of explaining and predicting phenomena
o Based on inductive reasoning
Hypotheses
Theories
Laws
In an ideal
world…
Empiricism
Acquiring information and facts through the observation of our world
o Pragmatic observations
o Developing theory through experience and observation
o Non-scientific
o Quick and practical solution to a problem
With little interest in explaining when, how, or why
o Example: Anabolic steroid use (abuse)…
The Introduction
provides a "map" of what is ahead
makes the reader want to find out more about your research.
tell the reader:
o What is the study about?
o Why is it important?
o What is the problem, question, hypothesis, theory to be tested, etc.?
o What is some of the most important relevant work done in this area?
o What further research is needed in this area?
o What can be the usefulness of your study?
Making the Purpose Clear
The general purpose of the study can bestated at the end of the introduction
The purpose of a study can be expressed inthree ways:
o as aims and objectives
o as research questions
o as hypotheses
o or a combination of these
Aims And Objectives
Aims And Objectives
Assignment
Revisit your Research Background & Research Statement
Improve based on my comments
Formulate your Research Questions
Prepare a PowerPoint slide presentation in preparation for your Proposal Defense
Email me: [email protected] by Sunday, 19th April 2015, 5pm