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Handout for Research Methods What is a Research Problem? A problem that someone would like to research. It can be anything that a person finds unsatisfactory or unsettling, a difficulty of some sort, a state of affairs that needs to be changed, anything that is not working as well as it might. Problems involve areas of concern to researchers, conditions they want to improve, difficulties that they want to eliminate, questions for which they seek answers. Research Problems Classified According to Practical Purposes The Columbia University Bureau of Applied Social Research, research problems may be classified according to practical purposes: a. DiagnosticYou determine if an action is required. You look at the magnitude and extent of the problems, changes and trends since the past appraisal (e.g., changes in level of tensions in the community) and differences among affected groups, areas and institutions. b. PrognosticYou forecast trends in order to plan for future needs. Among the things you can look into would include analyzing market trends among affected groups, areas and institutions c. Differential PrognosisIn this category, you deserve choices among alternatives. These are essentially policy alternatives. Example: public reaction to deregulation of telecommunications d. Evaluative--This is basically the appraisal of the effectiveness of programs. Examples. Assessing he effectiveness of the communications campaign on environmental issues. e. Educative researchThis deals with issues regarding providing information to the public with the purpose of countering misconceptions. Characteristics of Good Research Questions: Is it feasible? (i.e., it can be investigated without an undue amount of time, energy, or money) Is it clear (i.e., most people would agree as to what the key words in the question mean). Is it significant? (is it worth investigating because it will contribute important knowledge about the human condition) Is it ethical? (i.e., it will not involve physical or psychological harm or damage to human beings, or to the natural or social environment of which they are a part). Three ways to clarify terms A constitutive definition is the dictionary approach/definition. However, this approach is somewhat unclear. It has limitations.

2 Next approach is to clarify by example. This approach however, has its problems. This is because, our descriptions may not be as clear to others as they would like. The third is through operational definitions. These specify the actions or operations necessary to measure or identify the term. Operational definitions are useful tools and should be mastered by all students of research. Remember that the operations or activities necessary to measure or identify the term must be specified. Rules in Defining a Research Problem These rules should guide you in defining your research problem: 1. Be sure that the topic you choose is neither too vague nor too broad in scope 2. To make the problem clearer and more understandable, state it as a question which will require a definite answer 3. Carefully state the limits of the problem, eliminating all aspects and factors which will not be considered in the study 4. Define any special term that must be used in the statement of the problem Three other important questions toask about a researchquestion; 1. How might answers to this question advance knowledge in my field? 2. How might answers to this question improve practice in my profession/ 3. How might answers to this question improve the human condition? Types of Research Experimental research- describes what will be when certain variables are carefully controlled or manipulated. The focus is on the relationship of variables. Deliberate manipulation is always a part of the experimental method. It approaches possible cause and effect relationship of certain variables through control and manipulation. Descriptive Research- describes what is. It involves describing, analyzing and interpreting the conditions that now exist. It involves some kind of comparison and contrast a, and may attempt to discover relationship between existing nonmanipulated variables. Historical Research- describes what was. The process involves investigating, recording, analyzing, interpreting events of the past for the purpose of discovering generalizations that are helpful in understanding the present, and to a limited extent, in anticipating the future. Survey Research- obtains data to determine specific characteristics of a group. There is so-called descriptive survey which involves asking sets of questions (often in the form of a written questionnaire or ability test) of a large number of individuals either by mail, by telephone, or in person. When answers to a set of questions are solicited in person, the research is called an interview.

3 Ethnographic research- the emphasis of this research is on documenting or portraying the everyday experiences of individuals by observing and interviewing them and relevant others. This is a type of qualitative research. Action Research- this is focused on the immediate application, not on the development of theory, not upon general application. It puts emphasis on a problem, here and now, in a local setting. Its findings are to be evaluated

Formulating the Objectives of the Study Objectives must be specific and achievable. It is always wise to list them in more than a sentence a piece in approximate order of their importance or potential contributions. They must neatly fit into the problem statement

Describing the Importance of the Study Set of statements about the possible contributions of the study. You must point to the way in which the research contribute to the theory or knowledge of a general or specific phenomenon You must describe the value of specific applications of knowledge to be gained and the potential importance of these applications. Delimiting the Study Describe the limitations of the study in terms of methodology and generalizability of the results to be obtained from the study. Most student researches are limited by the size of sample, the locale of the research and some other factors. Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks The theoretical framework presents the theory from which the research problem was derived (in the case of experimental studies), or to which it I linked (in the case of come survey studies). In formulating the theoretical framework of your study, look at the various theories upon which you can base your study. In other words, this is a discussion of the theory which serves as the basis fir the study. The conceptual framework presents the relationship between the specific concepts that may be studied. The concepts used at this level should be derived from the concepts used in the theoretical framework. They should be more CONCRETE. An example of relationship of the two is shown below: Level Theoretical Conceptual Independent V Stimulus 16 mm film Mental set; motivation Intervening V Dependent V Response Knowledge Gain