Scientific Research Methodology Unit 4_Formulating A Research Problem PDF

Scientific Research Methodology Unit 4: Formulating A Research Problem Al Ain University College of...

Scientific Research Methodology Unit 4: Formulating A Research Problem Al Ain University College of Business First semester 2022-2023 R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 1 / 23  Outline Topics covered 1 Research Problem 2 Sources of Research Problem 3 Formulation of a Research Problem R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 2 / 23  Research Problem Research Journey R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 3 / 23  Research Problem What is a Research Problem? Any question that you want to answer or any assumption or state- ment that you want to challenge or investigate or examine can become a research problem. The research problem according to Powers, Meenaghan & Twoomey (1985, p. 38) 1 “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” Formulating a problem requires a considerable knowledge of both the subject area and research methodology. Formulating an idea into a researchable problem starts by identifying and then speci- fying a research problem. 1Powers, G. T., Meenaghan, T. M., & Toomey, B. G. (1985). Practice focused research: Integrating human service practice and research. Prentice Hall. R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 4 / 23  Research Problem Examples of Research Problems Questions ) Is there any relationship between motivation and productivity? ) What are the effects of TV programs on children behavior? ) Is there a relationship between using social media and the per- formance of college students? Assumptions/Hypotheses ) Taking Aspirin daily reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes. ) Males use the Internet more than women. ) Good performing firms have better corporate governance. Statements/Challenges ) Exploring phenomenon, customer satisfaction with products, ser- vice or program. ) Improving productivity, quality of service or program ) Investigating the strategic planning practices in UAE. R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 5 / 23  Research Problem The importance of formulating a research problem The formulation of research problem is the first and most important step of the research process. In the absence of a clear research problem, a clear and economical plan is impossible. Albert Einstein’s view of the research process “The formulation of a problem is far more often essential than its so- lution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks read advance in science” R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 6 / 23  Sources of Research Problem Sources of research problems Most research in humanities revolves around four Ps: ) People ) Problems ) Programs ) Phenomena The emphasis on a particular p may vary from study to study but generally, in practice most research study based upon at least a combination of two ps. You may select a group of individuals (a group or a community as such-people), either to examine the existence of a certain issues or problems relating to their lives, to ascertain attitude of a group of people towards an issue (problem) to establish existence of a regularity (phenomenon) or to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention (program). R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 7 / 23  Sources of Research Problem Aspects of a research problem Aspect of a study About Study of Study population People Individuals, organization, They provide you with groups, communities the required information or you collect informa- tion from or about them Problem Issues, situations, associ- Subject area ations, needs, population, composition, profiles, etc. Program Content, structure, out- Information you need to come, attributes, satisfac- collect to find answers tion, consumers, service to your research providers, etc. questions Phenomenon cause-and-effect rela- tionships, the study of phenomenon itself, etc. R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 8 / 23  Sources of Research Problem Other Sources of Research Problem - Everyday life - Practical - Issues -Past research (perhaps most important) - Theory-Explanation or explanatory system that discusses how a phenomenon operates and why it operates as it does. - Personal experience and interests of researchers. - Various theories in the discipline of the researcher. - Related Literature-Scientific R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Literature from one’s own area Research Methodology 2020 of 9 / 23  Sources of Research Problem Considerations in Selecting a Research Problem Interest: you must select a topic that interests you most. Magnitude: you should have sufficient knowledge to be able to estimate the work needed. Measurement of concepts: make sure you are clear about con- cepts’ indicators and their measurements. Level of expertise: make sure you have an adequate level of ex- pertise for the task you are proposing. Relevance: select a topic that is of relevance to you. Availability of data: make sure that these data are available and in the format you want. Ethical issues: do no harm to person/society involved. R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 10 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Steps in the formulation of a research problem If you don’t know what specific research topic, idea or issue you want to research first go through the following steps: 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 most interest to you. Step 4: Raise research questions. Step 5: Formulate objective. Step 6: Assess your objective. (e.g. work involved, time available, financial resources at your disposal) Step 7: Double check. R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 11 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Research Questions Research questions express the research objectives in terms of questions that can be addressed by research. They act as the basis against which data are analyzed, as the analysis must lead to answering the questions or testing the hy- pothesis. The research question is the researcher’s translation of the prob- lem into a specific inquiry. ) Help to develop well-formulated, specific hypotheses that can be empirically tested. ) Help the researcher design a study that will produce useful results. Research questions should be related to the objective, hence, if objective is unclear it will be difficult to formulate research ques- tions. R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 12 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Examples of Research Questions To what extent has the new advertising campaign been successful in creating the high-quality, customer-centered corporate image that it was intended to produce? What are the effects of downsizing on the long-range growth pat- terns of companies? What are the best practices and strategies to improve the public awareness about diabetic symptoms? What are the main reasons for the relatively low electronic com- merce adoption in GCC countries? What are the determinants of self-medication with antibiotics in Arab countries? Is there a relationship between information technology acceptance and organizational agility in UAE? What network system is best suited for Tawam Hospital? R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 13 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem The formulation of objectives Objective are the goals you set out to attain in your study. Since these objectives inform a reader of what you want to achieve through the study, it is extremely important to word them clearly and specifically. Objective should be listed under two headings: ) Main objectives: an overall statement of the thrust of your study. ) Sub objectives: the specific aspects of the topic that you want to investigate within the main framework of your study. Usually use the action words such as: to study, to analyze, to explore, to assess, to interpret, to develop, to elucidate, to identify, to articulate, to establish, to construct, to propose, to argue, to compare. Some researchers are satisfied only with research questions and do not formulate objective. R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 14 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Characteristics of Research Objectives A well-worded research objective will be Clear Complet e Specific Identify the main variables to be correlated Identify the direction of relationship R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 15 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Examples of Research Objectives To find out what motivates consumers to buy a product line. To determine factors that increase employee commitment to the organization. To assess the e-government provided services in GCC countries. To establish success factors regarding the adoption and use of information systems. To examine the impact of national culture on the rate of software piracy. To compare the effectiveness of different teaching methods on the comprehensive students. To investigate the Hypertension prevalence for working population in UAE. To assess patient satisfaction with current community pharmacy R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh servicesScientific in the UAE. Research Methodology 2020 16 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Example: Health Suppose you want to conduct a study in the area of health Step 1: Identify the main subject area Health Step 2: Dissect into sub-areas 1 Health services provided to the 2 community, effectiveness of the 3 services, 4 cost of the services, 5 health insurance scheme available to 6 people, training of health professionals, 7 attitude of the consumers towards health services, R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 17 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Example: Health Step 3: Select sub-areas of most interest Community responsiveness in the delivery of health services. Step 1 4: Raise How research do the questions health administrators,planners, service providers and consumers define community 2 responsiveness? 3 How can community responsiveness be achieved? What indicators can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of com- munity responsiveness strategies? R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 18 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Example: Health Step 5: Formulate objectives Main objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of community re- sponsiveness strategies in the delivery of health services. Specific 1 objectives: To find out understanding of the concept of community respon- siveness, among health administrators, planners, service providers and service consumers. 2 To identify the strategies to implement the concept of community responsiveness in health services. 3 To develop a set of indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies used in implementation of community responsiveness. R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 19 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Example: Health Step 6: Assess objectives Assess the objective in the light 1 of Work involved. 2 Time available to you. 3 Financial resources at your 4 disposal. Your technical expertise in the area. Step 7: Double- check Ask your self: 1 Are you really interested in the 2 study? Do you agree with the 3 objectives? Do you have adequate R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 20 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Example: Fertility and Mortality R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 21 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Establishing Operational Definitions In defining the problem you may use certain words or items that are difficult to measure and/or the understanding of which may vary from respondent to respondent. In such cases you need to develop operational definitions for the variables you are studying and for the population that becomes the source of the information for your study. Operational definition is an operational meaning to the study pop- ulation and the concepts used. Depends upon researcher and type of study. Avoid ambiguity and confusion in a research study. Develops a framework for the study Operational definitions may differ from day-to-day R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 22 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Establishing Operational Definitions The main objectives of a study are: To find out the number of children living below the poverty line in Arab World. To ascertain the impact of immigration on family roles among immigrants. To measure the effectiveness of a training program designed to help young people. R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 23 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Establishing Operational Definitions The main objectives of a study are: To find out the number of children living below the poverty line in Arab World. To ascertain the impact of immigration on family roles among immigrants. To measure the effectiveness of a training program designed to help young people. R. Hijazi & M. Rahrouh Scientific Research Methodology 2020 24 / 23  Formulation of a Research Problem Interesting suggested Themes for research  Green education  Climate change  Water Scarcity, Food security, and Clean energy suggested solutions  Sustainability R. Hijazi & M.