Constructing Research Problem1

Professor Dimbab Ngidang PhD 1. Introduction

In any research undertaking, whether it is a field study or a desktop research the process begins with a specific topic of interest. A research topic may contain a range of issues. Nonetheless, not all issues are researchable; some research issues are not worth examining because they are too ob ious or simplistic.

Singleton, Jr., R. A. & Straits, B.C. 2005. Approaches to Social Research. 4th Edition. NY !"#ord $ni%ersit& 'ress. Read Chapter (, page ()(*. +h& st,d& Research -ethods. +e can e"a/ine this 0,estion #ro/ t1o perspecti%es 2(3 as a cons,/er o# research ) 4o,rnal articles and research reports #or 1riting ter/ papers5 ac0,iring 6no1ledge #or decision)/a6ing. +ho are cons,/ers o# research e%idence. St,dents, 4o,rnalists, li7rarian, pro#essional, doctors, la1&ers, etc. and 223 as a prod,cer o# 6no1ledge researchers, scientists ,nderta6ing R&8 As a cons,/er, it is i/portant to 6no1 ho1 6no1ledge is ac0,ired and as a prod,cer it is cr,cial to 6no1 ho1 6no1ledge is prod,ced.

!et us begin with the definition of what research is in its most simplistic term and"or form. It is a process of attempting to find an explanation to what is unknown or a phenomenon or to find out a solution to a problem. In the process of doing so, a researcher is likely to carry out the following acti ities#
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a field in estigation"sur ey $obser ations% a conducting an experiment

A working paper presented at the Department of &ommunication 'tudies( &ollo)uium on *+ No ember *,--, .aculty of 'ocial 'ciences, /ni ersity 0alaysia 'arawak, 1+2,, 3ota 'amarahan (

a desktop study $content analysis%

In social sciences and"or humanities there are two broad categories of social research# )ualitati e and )uantitati e research. A )ualitati e research is a descripti e analysis of a phenomenon $issue%, which is often being used by anthropological and ethnographical studies. A )uantitati e research differs from )ualitati e analysis both in terms of data collection $sampling procedures, design of sur ey instrument, research design, whether it is an experimental, a time series $longitudinal%, or one4 shot cross4sectional sur ey research design% and statistical analysis being used by a researcher. 5e are not going to engage in a debate on the differences between the two approaches here; it is beyond the scope of this paper. 6ut what I want to discuss in this collo)uium today is to highlight the following concepts# 2. 'tatement of the problem A world problem and a research problem 7esearch )uestion 7esearch ob8ecti es 7elationship between research )uestion and research ob8ecti es Statement of the Problem

9he statement of the problem is fundamental in research proposal or thesis. It contains four core elements# research )uestion, ob8ecti es, scope and significance of the study. 5hen a researcher writes an introduction of a research proposal he or she is expected to highlight these elements. 9herefore by definition, the introduction is essentially constitutes the statement of the problem. In so doing, the first chapter is stated as the statement of the problem instead of stating it as an introduction. 9hey are e)ually right, whether a writer states the first chapter as the statement of the problem or puts the first chapter as the introduction. :owe er, it is important to note here that if you list the statement of the problem as section in the introduction, then the research problem is stated ia research )uestions in the section. 'ee an illustration below.

Chapter 1. Introduction Background Statement of the problem Research objectives Significance of the study

Chapter 1. Statement of the Problem Introduction The Problem Research Objectives Significance of the study

3.

Research Problem Versus World Problem

I coin the term world problem to reflect a uni ersal problem or reality, which we encounter in our e eryday life; it is a world4wide phenomenon that occurs e erywhere across the globe. .or instance, common issues and"or problems that you and I hear almost daily such as participation, po erty, logging, en ironment, water supply, de elopment, labor conflicts, consumers demand, I&9 users, sexual harassment, kidnapping, balk kampung, drug and human trafficking, political and"or economic refuge, street demonstration, iolence, wars, terrorism, tourism, migration, crimes, national unity, di ersity, etc., all of which are abstract concepts. 9hese concepts are often being used to describe and reflect issues of concern to a society and"or a community at large. 5e can add endless strings of human problems to this list, yet we are not an inch closer to the definition of a research problem. 3nowing what a research problem is and what a world problem is crucial. A world problem is a uni ersal problem of human race. It exists e erywhere and"or anywhere in any human society across the globe. .ormulating research problem is a skill ac)uired through learning and field experience. 9he ability to identify specific research problem allows a researcher to set the agenda for research. 9hat agenda is essentially knowing and"or asking the right )uestions# what, how and why. 9hus, a research problem is a construct that deals with a reality by examining theoretical, empirical and methodological elements. It in ol es understanding, an interpretation and a representation of relationships between and"or among factors related to a social reality. .or instance, po erty is a world problem; it is complex and abstract concept. 9here are many issues and"or factors related to po erty such as low le el of education, inaccessible to capital, information and know4 how, etc. *

A ery important )uestion to ask here is that how do a researcher construct a research problem; 9o answer this )uestion, first of all, there are two interrelated elements that we need to take note. .irstly, it is important that to pinpoint that a uni ersal human problem such po erty is linked to many other issues and"or factors. In other words, po erty is not a single ariate phenomenon; it is a multi ariate. 6ecause it is a multi ariate there must be an existence of a relationship or connection between ariables. 5hen a research attempts to construct a research problem concerning po erty study, the former needs to pose pertinent )uestions related to probable links between ariables# land tenure, access to information and capital, economic opportunities, etc. 9his leads us to the second important element, i.e., in order to construct a research problem <from a uni ersal human problem= re)uires a researcher to pose three most important )uestions# What, Ho and Wh!" .or instance, we can pose the following )uestions# under what condition$s% po erty pre ails, how does it link to structural issues and"or factors and why de elopment programs do not necessary effecti e for eradicating po erty among rural poor;

9herefore, constructing a research problem in ol es framing specific and"or pertinent )uestions related to a particular world problem $in this case, po erty%. .or instance, rural po erty is an abstract concept that depicts socio4economic depri ation in rural areas. If you pose a rele ant )uestion concerning rural po erty, for instance, what is the impact of po erty on the educational achie ement of rural students in primary school; 9hat empirical )uestion becomes a research )uestion; it re)uires specific techni)ue of data collection $methodological discourse% to pro ide empirical explanation to the )uestion.

#o$ % #rea&ing 'e (round) *rom Bejalai to Reconstruction of Bilik *amilies in Iban Communit! in +rban ,b-ironment in .uching Statement of the Problem In the past two decades, saw some glaring changes in bilik families in the Iban community as a direct conse)uence of wage labor in a market economy. 3edit(s $-112% thesis pro ides an in4depth cultural explanation such change in terms of belajalai an Iban term for migration or enturing a far way land in search for knowledge, experiences and e en fortune. In the *-st century, the term bejalai has shifted from its cultural discourse to economic reasoning, most of which are related to off4farm employment outside the longhouses $0orrison, -11>; /li, -11?%. 6ut the term bejalai in Iban also implies that indi iduals would go to far away places and return to their longhouses after sometimes. 'o in reality, going in and out of the longhouses do not change the structure of the bilik family at all as opposed to permanent migration. 5hat was ery distinct about the functions of bilik in the past was that it was the center of social relations, rituals and sexual di ision of labor and space $3edit -112; .reeman, -1@@%. /li $-11?% in his field study highlights some changes in the li elihood of bilik families. 9he researcher made a comparison on three selected localities# 6egunan, Paku4!ayar and Pakit4/ndop and found out that A,.*B of pepper smallholders in 6agunan area, ++.+B of those in ol ed in cocoa scheme in Paku4!ayar and 2-.AB oil palm scheme participants, were engaged in off4farm employment, which may indicate probable changes in di ision of labor among family members of bilik families under studied. Ngidang $*,,+% stated that +*.1B of @,*>* of Iban households sur eyed had family members migrating to towns. Cf these, 2+B of them had at least one family members, >.2B had between + and A family members, and -.1B had more than > family members migrating to arious places within and outside 'arawak. 9his implies that rural4urban migration among the Iban was )uite high. 9oday, it is a common sight in a longhouse that what is left in the bilik families are either ery old people and those schooling age children, while the able4 bodied young men and women ha e gone to work in town centers. Dxamining the breakdown of household cash income, we disco ered that A+B of household cash income was deri ed from non4farming sector, while only 2AB household cash income was contributed by farming. 9hese non4farm incomes, were deri ed from a ariety of 8obs such as employment in the pri ate sector $22B%, go ernment 8obs $-?B%, construction labor $->B%, logging $-+B%, remittance $AB%, forest products $+B%, retail $-B% and miscellaneous sources $>B%. 9he abo e data can be interpreted in three ways. .irst, surplus labor is now being channeled to a non4farming sector. .arming is no longer a ma8or income generator to the Iban community. 5hen labor mo es from the traditional farming sector to other economic sector, it affects the manner in which bilik families operate as social and production units. 9he second interpretation of the data is that something is not )uite right with respect to the social4economic situation in rural areas that compel people to lea e their longhouses and EfarmF in the city. 9hirdly, those who stay put in their longhouses possibly engaged in a ariety of acti ities for sur i al. 9here is big empirical gap between the findings of Ngidang(s $*,,+% recent field study and what .reeman $-1@@% and 3edit $-112% ha e said in understanding whether the function, structure and forms of bilik families in Iban community remain in status )uo or whether they ha e changed dramatically o er the years. 9o4date, no field study has e er been done to understand the social transformation of bilek families in Iban community after .reeman(s $-1@@% classic work of Iban traditional agriculture. D en what .reeman did was only describing the relationship between shifting culti ation and di ision of labor based on gender rather than studying bilik family per se because his primary ob8ecti e was to in estigate the subsistence mode production associated with a pioneer shifting culti ation. Also, as I ha e already pointed, 3edit(s $-112% thesis only limits his discussion in passing concerning the function of bilik family, and does not pro ide an in4depth explanation of the changes of bilik families as a conse)uence of bejalai. Again, 3edit(s $-112% main concern was on bejalai, not bilik per se. 9herefore, one would strongly feel that a study on bilik families in Iban community is long o er due. /his ga0 arrants the 0resent stud! to 0ose se-eral research 1uestions. Ho do the Iban toda! reconstruct their li-elihoods in the midst of changing socio2economic en-ironment" What ha00en to their land and non2landed 0ro0erties hen the! e$it their longhouses and settle in cities" 3o bilik families ha-e commonalit! of interest and e$hibit similar cultural 0ractices and4or characteristics" If not, ho do their relate to the former hen famil! members e$it from the longhouses" 9he present study attempts to pro ide empirical explanations to a pertinent research problem posited in the abo e4mentioned )uestions.

5. Research 6uestions and Research 3esign

9he purpose of research )uestion$s% is to pro ide a fundamental framework of in)uiry# research ob8ecti es, literature re iew $theoretical discourse%, techni)ues of data collection and"or direction $methodology% for a research to be conducted and as well as the means of empirical discourse.

:ow many research )uestions should a research poses; A well thought research problem does not re)uire a researcher to pose too many research )uestions. 9wo or three research )uestions are good enough, pro ided all the )uestions are rele ant and"or pertinent to the issue being studied. In other words, a researcher has to concretiGe the research )uestions around three core )uestions# hat, ho and h!"

9he next )uestion is why it is important to ha e a clear research )uestion; 7esearch )uestion$s% and ob8ecti es are closely related; the two are independent of the other; they are intertwined. A clear research )uestion helps guide a research to formulate specific research ob8ecti es. 0oreo er, if we are to examine ma8or concepts and"theories in the literature re iew and the research methodology , we definitely will see that explicit research )uestions, not only assist you to formulate specific research ob8ecti es, but the issues raise in these )uestion are crucial for re iewing rele ant literature, while at the same time, a clear research )uestion and specific research ob8ecti es will lead to specific techni)ues and"or clear research methodology for data collection and how data should be analyGed $see .igure -%.

&onceptualiGing 7esearch Problem from EworldF problem Asking or posing 7esearch Huestion$s%# 5hat; :ow; and 5hy;

.ormulating 7esearch Cb8ecti es in order to in estigate research )uestion$s%

7ethod) Ho

do !ou carr! out the research"

.ield study or desktop $library% research; 5hat type of research design or approach do you use; Huantitati e Population and 'ampling Sur-e! instrument 'elf4administered )uestionnaire; Inter iew schedule; 9ape recorder" ideo camera CperationaliGation of ariables $concepts% Data collection

Data Analysis Methodological issues

.igure -. 7elationship between concepts in research process :

5. Research 6uestions and Research 8b9ecti-es As I stated earlier, by posing pertinent research )uestions $what how and why%, it set the stage for formulating crucial research agenda; 5hat are the research agenda; :ere the research agenda is referring to the research ob8ecti es. As I ha e already pointed out the earlier discussion, the purpose of research ob8ecti es is to pro ide empirical )uestions to the research )uestions# hat, ho and h!. 9hese are important and"or fundamental )uestions, which are framed or constructed that needs to be addressed by the research ob8ecti es. 9he next subse)uent )uestion is, how do we formulate research ob8ecti es; 6efore we answer this )uestion, let me mention in passing here that the most common problem found in research proposal and"or thesis is stating the same things $research )uestions% in the ob8ecti es. !ike what; As far as an illustration below is concerned, there is only one ob8ecti e, i.e., Eto determine.F 5e should combine the listed ob8ecti es into a single ob8ecti e. 7esearch ob8ecti e -. 9o determineI. *. 9o determine I 2. to determine !et us examine the following research )uestions that we ha e discussed earlier. /nder what condition$s% po erty pre ails, how does it link to structural issues and"or factors and why de elopment programs are not effecti e for eradicating po erty among rural poor; :ow do state the research ob8ecti es then; It is not acceptable to state the following research ob8ecti e, say# 9o determine under what condition$s% po erty pre ails; to analyGe how does po erty link to structural issues and"or factors and to assess why de elopment problems do not necessary effecti e for eradicating po erty among rural poor;

5hy is it not right to the state the abo e )uestion in the research ob8ecti es; .irst, you are stating the same thing or asking the same )uestion. 'econd, ;

you are not supposed to ask )uestions in the ob8ecti es, and thirdly, ob8ecti es are formulated to pro ide answers to the research )uestions. Again, it is commonplace to see research )uestions being stated after research ob8ecti es. 9his is not acceptable. 5hy; 7esearch )uestions are supposed to be stated before research ob8ecti es. 7esearch ob8ecti es ser e as a framework for answering research problems. +.-. Jeneral ob8ecti e K broad purpose of the study. +.*. 'pecific ob8ecti es are designed by Ebreaking4upF or mapping the general purpose of the study into focus, i.e., narrowing down the purpose into a specific concepts, area or problem that you want to study. Let us look at the following research questions again: Under what condition(s po!ert" pre!ails, how does it link to structural issues and#or factors and wh" de!elopment programs are not effecti!e for eradicating po!ert" among rural poor$ /sing the principle of mapping, we can break the conditions in which po erty pre ails into arious ariables so that we can state the specific ob8ecti e of the study. In other words, a researcher should identify pertinent conditions where depri ation is most likely to occur in a society. Lou cannot use the same research )uestion as the ob8ecti e. Instead, the ob8ecti e of the study can be stated as follows# to determine $assess% the socio4economic characteristics, accessibility to credit and market, land tenure, li elihood strategies, participation in de elopment programs and agro4economic acti ities that farming households undertake in the study area. An example how research )uestions appended on page + $6ox A% are linked to research ob8ecti es concerning the study on E6reaking New Jround# .rom %ejalai to 7econstruction of %ilik .amilies in Iban &ommunity in /rban Dn ironment in 3uching E is shown in 6ox 6 below.
Research 1uestions

6ox 6

:ow do the Iban today reconstruct their li elihoods in the midst of changing socio4economic en ironment; 5hat happen to their land and non4landed properties when they exit their longhouses and settle in cities; Do bilik families ha e commonality of interest and exhibit similar cultural practices and"or characteristics; If not, how do their relate to the former when family members exit from the longhouses; 9he present study attempts to pro ide empirical explanations to a pertinent research problem posited in the abo e4mentioned )uestions. Research 8b9ecti-es 'pecifically, the present study is designed# $-% to determine the relationship between migrant bilik families in town and bilik families in their longhouses with regard to landownership, property rights and their social obligation of migrant bilik families to the longhouse bilik families;

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$*% to identify the li elihood resources, strategies and socio4economic characteristics of bilik families in new settlements, in situ, s)uatters and low4cost housing schemes, and the aspirations and expectations these ariant bilik families in their pursuit to impro e their socio4economic status, and $2% to assess the degree of adaptation of the reconstructed bilik families in coping with the lifestyles in the urban en ironment and potential net gain from rural4urban migration.

.igure *# 7elationship between research )uestions and ob8ecti es

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:. Significance of the stud! 9he significance of the study refers to a 8ustification carrying out the study. 5hy the study is important; A researcher can 8ustify the importance of the study in terms of the following as aspects. Policy makers Practitioners 3nowledge and theory building 'ociety"community

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*inal Remar&

If we are to examine ery closely the relationship between the statement of the problem and"or research )uestions and research ob8ecti es of a study, we notice that the two, as we ha e discussed earlier, essentially define and"or determine the scope of a study. It sets a boundary of inclusion and exclusion, i.e., what needs to be included and what are to be excluded in the study. 9he )uestion is what is the scope of the study; It defines the width and breath of an in estigation. A researcher should not be too ambitious. It is important to narrow down the scope of a study into a manageable le el. After all, you are not expected to sol e world problem.

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