Chapter 2

Planning Educational
Research

What is a research problem

and why it is important?
The most challenging aspect of
conducting research is to clearly
identify the problem that lead to a
need for purpose of your study.

What is a research problem?

Exactly - that a problem that someone would

like to research.
Is the focus of a research investigation.
A problem can anything that a person find
unsatisfactory or unsettling, a difficulty of some
sort, a state of affairs that need to be changed,
anything that is not working as well as it might.

 Research problems:

Areas of concern to researchers

Conditions they want to improve
Difficulties they want to eliminate
Questions for which they seek answers.

Fraenkel, Wallen & Hyun 2012

Research problem are the:

Educational issues
Controversies
Concerns that guide the need for
conducting study
Creswell 2008

Selecting the problem

Research interest

Idea
Need
Literature review (books, journals
and theses)
Talk to your supervisor

Ask yourself:
1. What was the issue, problem, or
controversy that the researcher
wanted to address?
2. What controversy leads to a need
for this study?
3. What was the concern being add.
behind this study?
4. Is there a sentence like the
problem add. In this study is .?

Defining the problem

Literature research
Two kinds
Conceptual literature
Related research

Three primary criteria should be

considered:
1. Does the problem interest you?

2. Is the problem worthwhile

# Value of a problem .research
topic/interest
# does the problem and its
solution make a contribution to
the body of knowledge within of
the study? (theoretical or
practical)

3. Is the problem manageable

Not to large or to
complex
Expenses
Time
instrument

Without knowing the

research problem, readers
do not know why the study
is important and why they
should read the study

Differences among this part of

research?
Research topic: is the broad subject matter add by the
study:
Seek to study weapon possession by student in school

Research problem: general edu issues, contro.add in

research that narrow the topic.
Escalating violence in school due, in part, to students
possessing weapons.

Purpose: obj of the study/purpose of study

The purpose of my study will be to identify factors that
influence the extent to which students carry weapons in high
school

Research Q: narrow the purpose into specific Q

Do peer influence student to carry weapon?

 Research problems are usually

identified :
Lit Rev
Problem in practice or work related
contexts
Personal history (current or past ex,
identities, race, ethnicity, gender, class
background, family customs, religion
etc)

Distinguishing among the topic, research problem, purpose and research

Questions

General
topic ----------------------Distance learning
Research Problem-----Lack of student in
distance
education classes
Purpose statement----to study why students do
not
attend distance edu classes
Research Q---------------Does the use of a web
site tech in
the classroom deter students
from
enrolling in a distance edu class?
Specific

Can and should problems be researched?

Can you gain access to people and

sites?
Need to gain permission to enter a site and
involve people at the location of the study.
Multiple levels of approval

Can you find time, locate resources, and

use your skills?
Time
Resources (equipment, budget)
Skills (qualitative and quantitative)

Should the problem be researched?

What your study will contribute to knowledge and practice?
There are 5 ways to assess whether you should research a
problem.
1. Study the problem if your study will fill a gap or avoid in the
existing literature.
2. Study the problem if your study replicates a past study but
examines different participants and different research sites.
3. Study the problem if your study extends past research or
examines the topic more thoroughly.
4. Study the problem if your study gives voices to people silenced,
not heard, or rejected in society.
5. Study the problem if your study informs practice.

How does the research problem differ in

Quantitative and Qualitative research?
Quantitative
Measure Variables
Assess the impact of
these variables on an
outcome
Test theories or broad
exp.
Apply results to a
large number of
people

LearnQualitative
about the views
of individuals
Assess a process over
time
Generate theories
based on participant
perspectives
Obtain detailed
information about a
few people or research
sites

How do you write a statement of

the problem section?
After :
Identified your research problem
Determined that it can and should be
researched
Specified either quantitative or
qualitative appr.
Now it is the time to begin writing
about the problem in a statement of
the problem section that introduces your
research study.

Statement of the problem

1. The topic
2. The research problem
3. A justification of the importance of the
problem as found in the past research
and in practice
4. The deficiencies in our existing
knowledge about the problem
5. The audiences that will benefit from a
study of the problem

The topic
Encourage readers to cont. reading
Generate interest in study
Provide initial frame of reference for
understanding the entire research
topic
Spark interest

The research problem

Edu. Issue, concern or controversy

that the researcher investigates.
What types of RP do you study?
1. Practical research problem (policy)
2. Research-based research problemfurther research gap exists / extend
the research into other area
3. Both (1 & 2)

A justification of the importance of

the problem
Provide reasons
In several para in an intro (the need
to study the problem)
Citing evidence from:
1. Other researchers and experts as
reported in lit rev
2. Experience others (workplace)
3. Personal Exp

Deficiencies in what we
know
In the statement problem .student
need to summarize how our present
state of knowledge.
Both from research & practice
Deficiencies need to extend
research, replicate a study, explore
the topic, add to practice.

The audiences
Benefit
Researchers, practitioners, policy
makers, coaches, athletes and
individuals participating in the
studies.

Strategies for writing the statement of the

problem section?

Sample statement of the

problem section

Strategies for writing the statement

of the problem
Topic
Research Problem
Justification
Deficiencies in the evidence
Relating the diss to audiences

Research questions
Posed as a question, which serves as
the focus of the researchers
investigation.
Research Q should dictate the
research type and paradigm
(qualitative, quantitative or mixed
method)

 Many research problems are stated

as questions.
The essential characteristic of a
researchable question is that there
be some sort of information that ca
be collected in an attempt to answer
the question.

Characteristics Of a Good Research

Questions (RQ)
1. RQ should be feasible- that is,
capable of being investigated with
available resources.
2. RQ should be clear
3. RQ should be sig
4. RQ should be ethical
5. RQ often (although not always)
suggest a relationship to be
investigated.

Researchable vs nonresearchable
Questions
Not Researchable
Should I put my
youngster in
preschool?

What is the best way

to learn and read?
Are some people born
bad?

Researchable
Do children enrolled in
preschool develop better
social skills than children
not enrolled?
At which age is it more
helphful to introduce
phonics to children age 5,
age 6 or age 7?
Who commits more crimes
poor people or rich
people?