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Unit-2-Investigations of a Research Problem

The document outlines the process of selecting and defining a research problem, emphasizing the importance of identifying gaps in knowledge and ensuring the problem is relevant and feasible. It provides guidelines for researchers, including avoiding overdone or controversial topics and conducting preliminary studies. A well-defined research problem is crucial for effective data collection and analysis, ultimately leading to meaningful research outcomes.

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2 views

Unit-2-Investigations of a Research Problem

The document outlines the process of selecting and defining a research problem, emphasizing the importance of identifying gaps in knowledge and ensuring the problem is relevant and feasible. It provides guidelines for researchers, including avoiding overdone or controversial topics and conducting preliminary studies. A well-defined research problem is crucial for effective data collection and analysis, ultimately leading to meaningful research outcomes.

Uploaded by

adithya.im22
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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UNIT-2

INVESTIGATIONS OF A RESEARCH PROBLEM


SELECTING THE PROBLEM
What is research problem?
• Research problems are those topics the researcher “would
like to address, investigate, or study, whether descriptively
or experimentally”
• A difficulty experienced by researcher for which he/she tries
to seek solution.
• Research problems are characteristically motivated by
incomplete knowledge or flawed understanding
SELECTING THE PROBLEM
The following is a list of what could constitute a real research
problem.
• A gap in the field’s knowledge
• Something the field has not or should not have finished researching
• An unexplained observation, an observation that sticks out
• Something that has not yet been categorised, analysed (with these particular
methods/ theories; this systematism; this degree of detail or from this
particular angle)
• Something that does not seem right
• Contrasts that can still be discussed
• Something that is currently being debated in the field
• Something that can and should be argued for (or against, i.e. all
representatives of the field are not already familiar with or agree with the
argumentation)
• Something that is in conflict with the general view
• Something that must be (re)evaluated, changed, transformed, constructed or
needs new designs
SELECTING THE PROBLEM
• The research problem undertaken for study must be carefully
selected.
• The task is a difficult one help may be taken from a research
guide in this connection.
• Every researcher must find out his own salvation for research
problems cannot be borrowed.
• A problem must spring from the researcher’s mind like a plant
springing from its own seed.
• A difficulty experienced by researcher for which he/she tries to
seek solution
• A research guide can at the most only help a researcher
choose a subject.
Following points may be observed by a researcher in
selecting a research problem or a subject for research

(i) Subject which is overdone should not be normally chosen, for it will be
a difficult task to throw any new light in such a case.
(ii) Controversial subject should not become the choice of an average
researcher
(iii) Too narrow or too vague problems should be avoided.
(iv) The subject selected for research should be familiar and feasible so that
the related research material or sources of research are within one’s
reach.
(v) The importance of the subject, the qualifications and the training of a
researcher, the costs involved, the time factor are few other criteria that
must also be considered in selecting a problem
Following points may be observed by a researcher in
selecting a research problem or a subject for research
(v) Before the final selection of a problem is done, a researcher must ask himself
the following questions
(a) Whether he is well equipped in terms of his background to carry
out the research?
(b) Whether the study falls within the budget he can afford?
(c) Whether the necessary cooperation can be obtained from those
who must participate in research as subjects?
• If the answers to all these questions are in the affirmative, one may become
sure so far as the practicability of the study is concerned
(vi) The selection of a problem must be preceded by a preliminary study. This is
applicable to a research closely similar to one that has already been done. But
when the field of inquiry is relatively new and does not have available a set of
well developed techniques, a brief feasibility study must always be
undertaken.

If the subject for research is selected properly by observing the above


mentioned points research will be appreciative
NECESSITY OF DEFINING THE PROBLEM

 The problem to be investigated must be defined unambiguously for that will help to
discriminate relevant data from the irrelevant ones.
 A proper definition of research problem will enable the researcher to be on the track
whereas an ill-defined problem may create hurdles.

Questions
 What data are to be collected?
 What characteristics of data are relevant and need to be studied?
 What relations are to be explored?
 What techniques are to be used for the purpose?

Similar other questions crop up in the mind of the researcher who can well plan his
strategy and find answers to all such questions only when the research problem has
been well defined.
TECHNIQUE INVOLVED IN DEFINING A
PROBLEM
The research problem should be defined in a systematic manner,
giving due weightage to all relating points.

The technique for the purpose involves the undertaking of the


following steps generally one after the other:

(i) statement of the problem in a general way;


(ii) understanding the nature of the problem;
(iii) surveying the available literature
(iv) developing the ideas through discussions; and
(v)rephrasing the research problem into a working
proposition.
.
TECHNIQUE INVOLVED IN DEFINING A
(i) PROBLEM
Statement of the problem in a general way:
 Field observation and as such the researcher may undertake
some sort of preliminary survey or what is often called pilot
survey.
 Ambiguities which must be resolved by rethinking over the
problem and the feasibility of a particular solution has to be
considered and the same should be kept in view while stating
the problem
(ii) Understanding the nature of the problem:
 A better understanding of the nature of the problem involved,
he can enter into discussion with those who have a good
knowledge of the problem concerned or similar other problems,
 The researcher should also keep in view the environment within
which the problem is to be studied and understood.
TECHNIQUE INVOLVED IN DEFINING A
PROBLEM
(iii) Surveying the available literature:
o All available literature concerning the problem at hand must
necessarily be surveyed and examined before a definition of the
research problem is given.
o Researcher must be well-conversant with relevant theories in the field,
reports and records as also all other relevant literature.
o This is done to find out what data and other materials, if any, are
available for operational purposes.
“Knowing what data are available often serves to narrow the problem
itself as well as the technique that might be used.”
o This would also help a researcher to know if there are certain gaps in
the theories, or whether the existing theories applicable to the problem
under study are inconsistent with each other, or whether the findings of
the different studies do not follow a pattern consistent with the
theoretical expectations
TECHNIQUE INVOLVED IN DEFINING A
(iv) Developing the ideasPROBLEM
through discussions:
 Discussion concerning a problem often produces useful
information.
 Various new ideas can be developed through such an exercise.
 Hence, a researcher must discuss his problem with his
colleagues and others who have enough experience in the
same area or in working on similar problems.
 This is quite often known as an Experience survey
 People with rich experience are in a position to enlighten the
researcher on different aspects of his proposed study and
their advice and comments are usually invaluable to the
researcher.
TECHNIQUE INVOLVED IN DEFINING A
PROBLEM
(v) Rephrasing the research problem:
 Finally, the researcher must sit to rephrase the research
problem into a working proposition.

 Once the nature of the problem has been clearly understood, the
environment (within which the problem has got to be studied) has
been defined, discussions over the problem have taken place and
the available literature has been surveyed and examined,
rephrasing the problem into analytical or operational terms is not
a difficult task.

 Through rephrasing, the researcher puts the research problem in


as specific terms as possible so that it may become operationally
viable and may help in the development of working hypotheses.
TECHNIQUE INVOLVED IN DEFINING A
In addition to what hasPROBLEM
been stated above, the following points
must also be observed while defining a research problem

(a)Technical terms and words or phrases, with special meanings used in


the statement of the problem, should be clearly defined.

(b) Basic assumptions or postulates (if any) relating to the research


problem should be clearly stated.

(c) A straight forward statement of the value of the investigation (i.e., the
criteria for the selection of the problem) should be provided.

(d) The suitability of the time-period and the sources of data available
must also be considered by the researcher in defining the problem.

(e) The scope of the investigation or the limits within which the problem
is to be studied must be mentioned explicitly in defining a research
problem
AN ILLUSTRATION
“Why is productivity in Japan so much higher than in India”?

In this form the question has a number of ambiguities such as: What sort of
productivity
is being referred to? With what industries the same is related? With what period of
time the productivity is being talked about?
In view of all such ambiguities the given statement or the question is much too
general to be amenable to analysis.
Rethinking and discussions about the problem may result in narrowing down the
question to:
“What factors were responsible for the higher labour productivity of Japan’s
manufacturing industries during the decade 1971 to 1980 relative to India’s
manufacturing industries?”
This latter version of the problem is definitely an improvement over its earlier version
for the various ambiguities have been removed to the extent possible.
Further rethinking and rephrasing might place the problem on a still better operational
basis as shown below:
“To what extent did labour productivity in 1971 to 1980 in Japan exceed that of India
in respect of 15 selected manufacturing industries? What factors were responsible for
the productivity differentials between the two countries by industries?”
CONCLUSION
Conclusion is by saying that the task of defining a research problem, very often,
follows a sequential pattern—the problem is stated in a general way, the ambiguities
are resolved, thinking and rethinking process results in a more specific formulation of
the problem so that it may be a realistic one in terms of the available data and
resources and is also analytically meaningful.
All this results in a well defined research problem that is not only meaningful from an
operational point of view, but is equally capable of paving the way for the
development of working hypotheses and for means of solving the problem itself.

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