IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH AREA

IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH AREA

The research process starts by formulating a research problem that can be investigated through research procedures.

Identifying a research problem

The first step in selecting a research problem is to identify the broad area that one is interested in. Such an area should be related to the professional interests and goals of the researcher e.g. low-cost housing, productivity of workers, small-scale businesses etc.

The second step is to identify a specific problem within it that will form the basis of the research study. The research problem should be an important one i.e. it should

Ø  Lead to findings that have widespread implications in a particular area

Ø  Challenge some commonly held truism

Ø  Review the inadequacies of existing laws, views or policies

Ø  Cover a reasonable scope e.g. not too narrow or too general.

Defining the research problem

A research problem refers to some difficulty which the researcher experiences in the context of either a theoretical or practical situation and wants to obtain a solution for the same. A research problem exists if the following conditions are met:-

Ø  There must be an individual or a group which has some difficulty or the problem.

Ø  There must be some objective(s) to be attained.

Ø  There must be alternative means or courses of action for obtaining the objective(s) one wishes to attain.

Ø  There must be some doubt in the mind of a researcher with regard to the selection of alternatives.

Ø  There must be some environment(s) to which the difficulty pertains.

Selecting the problem

The following points must be observed by a researcher in selecting a research problem or a subject of study:

Ø  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.

Ø  Controversial subject should not become the choice of an average researcher.

Ø  Too narrow or too vague problems should be avoided.

Ø  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.

Ø  The importance of the subject, the qualifications and the training of a researcher, the costs involved and the time factor must be considered.

Ø  The selection of a study must be preceded by a preliminary study.

Defining the problem

It involves the task of laying down boundaries within which a researcher shall study the problem with a predetermined objective in view. The following steps can be followed:-

Ø  Statement of the problem in a general way

Ø  Understanding the nature of the problem: Understand the origin and nature of the problem e.g. by discussing it with those who raised it in order to find out how the problem originally came about. The researcher should keep in view the environment within which the problem is to be studied and understood.

Ø  Surveying the available literature: the researcher must be well conversant with relevant theories in the field, reports and records as also all other relevant literature.

Ø  Developing ideas through discussions:

Ø  Rephrasing the research problem: Its putting 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.

The following should also be observed when defining a research problem:

Ø  Technical terms and words or phrases with special meanings used in the statement of the problem, should be clearly defined.

Ø  Basic assumptions or postulates if any relating to the research problem should be clearly stated.

Ø  A straight forward statement of the value of the investigation should be provided.

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

Ø  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.

Certain factors determine the scope of a research study. These include:

Ø  The time available to carry it out

Ø  The money available to carry it out

Ø  The availability of equipment if needed to carry it out

Ø  The availability of subjects or the units of study.

Ways of identifying a specific research problem from the broad area.

 (a)       Existing theories

 (b)      Existing literature

 (c)       Discussions with experts

 (d)      Previous research studies

 (e)       Replication

 (f)       The media

 (g)      Personal experiences.