Research Problem Identification
Selecting a Research Topic
Title of proposed research
• It tells the reader what the topic of study is.
• Should be short but informative.
• One must choose a broad area of interest or
that is suitable for the situation.
• Discuss or brainstorm with different people.
• Gather literature and examine the possibility
of getting data, the resources required and
accessibility.
• Identify two or more research topics
Attributes of a good research topic
• Interesting to study,
• Is researchable given time, skills, funds and
data.
• Is linked to economic theory.
• Has symmetric potential outcomes i.e results
would be valuable whether positive or
negative.
• Forms the basis of well-defined research
questions/ objectives.
Definition of research
problem/question/ problem statement
• Is the discrepancy between the actual (or
perceived) situation and the ideal (or desired)
situation.
• Or is the difference between what is known or
understood about a problematic situation and
what is needed (or desired) to be known to
improve the problematic situation.
• It is a gap in knowledge or a contradiction
between principle and practice.
Formulating a good research
problem/question/ problem statement
• Demonstrate with data or literature that the
problem is critical, for example, that it affects a
large proportion of the population or that
previous work indicates that the problem is
important.
• One can discuss the potential consequences if the
problem is not addressed.
• Reference (but not review) to the literature can
be made while discussing the research issue.
A good research
problem/question/problem statement
• It should contain some questions as to why
there is a discrepancy or contradiction
between the principle and practice.
• Should set the stage for what needs to be
discovered to close the knowledge gap.
• Should generally motivate the reader that
there is really a problem that requires an
urgent attention.
• Problem statements often have three elements:
• the problem itself, stated clearly and with enough
contextual detail to establish why it is important;
• the method of solving the problem, often stated
as a claim or a working thesis;
• the purpose, statement of objective and scope of
the document the writer is preparing.
Research questions to be answered
• We discovered earlier on that a good problem
statement should contain some key questions
regarding the discrepancy between the
principle and practice.
• This means that after the research problem,
one needs to develop research questions to
focus your study
Importance of research questions
Guide your literature search;
Guide your decisions about the kind of
research design to employ;
Guide your decisions about the source and
type of data to collect;
Data analysis techniques;
Help to remain focused in the right direction
of your study
Sources of research questions
• Marx (1997) suggests the following as possible
sources of research questions:
Intellectual puzzles and contradictions;
Existing literature (theoretical and empirical);
Replication;
Structure and functions;
A social, economic, political, cultural or
technological problem;
When common sense opposes scientific truths
Sources of research questions
Empirical examples that trigger amazement;
New methods and theories;
New social and technical developments and
trends;
Personal experience;
Sponsors and tutors
Attributes of good research questions
Research questions should be:
Clear/ understandable to you and others;
Be researchable;
Connect with established theory and research;
Be linked to each other;
Have potential for making a contribution to
knowledge;
Be neither too broad nor too narrow
Framework for crafting research
• WHAT?
 What puzzles/intrigues me?
 What do I want to know more about/ understand
better?
 What are my key research questions?
• WHY?
 Will this be of enough interest to others to be
published as a thesis, book, paper, policy issue
etc?
Framework for crafting research
Can the research be justified as a contribution
to knowledge?
• HOW?
What models, concepts and theories can I
draw on/ develop to answer my research
questions?
How can these be brought together into a
basic conceptual framework to guide my in my
investigation?
What investigative styles and techniques shall
I use to apply my conceptual framework (both
to gather material and analyse it)?
How shall I gain and maintain access to
information sources.