Defining the Research Problem
WHAT IS A RESEARCH PROBLEM?
A research problem,
in general, refers to some difficulty which a researcher experiences in the context
of either a theoretical or practical situation and wants to obtain a solution
for the same. Usually we say that a research problem does exist if the
following conditions are met with:
(i) There must be an
individual (or a group or an organisation), let us call it ‘I,’ to whom
the problem can be attributed. The individual or the organisation, as the case
may be, occupies an environment, say ‘N’, which is defined by values of
the uncontrolled variables, Yj.
(ii) There must be at
least two courses of action, say C1 and C2, to be pursued. A
course of action is defined by one or more values of the controlled variables.
For example, the number of items purchased at a specified time is said to be
one course of action.
(iii) There must be
at least two possible outcomes, say O1 and O2, of the course of
action, of which one should be preferable to the other. In other words, this
means that there must be at least one outcome that the researcher wants, i.e.,
an objective.
(iv) The courses of
action available must provides some chance of obtaining the objective, but they
cannot provide the same chance, otherwise the choice would not matter. Thus, if
P (Oj | I, Cj, N) represents the probability
that an outcome Oj will occur, if I select Cj in N,
then PbO1| I , C1, Ng ¹ PbO1|
I , C2 , Ng . In simple words, we can say that the choices must
have unequal efficiencies for the desired outcomes. * We talk of a research
problem or hypothesis in case of descriptive or hypothesis testing research
studies. Exploratory or formulative research studies do not start with a
problem or hypothesis, their problem is to find a problem or the hypothesis to
be tested. One should make a clear statement to this effect. This aspect has
been dealt with in chapter entitled “Research Design”. Over and above these
conditions, the individual or the organisation can be said to have the problem
only if ‘I’ does not know what course of action is best, i.e., ‘I’,
must be in doubt about the solution. Thus, an individual or a group of persons
can be said to have a problem which can be technically described as a research
problem, if they (individual or the group), having one or more desired
outcomes, are confronted with two or more courses of action that have some but
not equal efficiency for the desired objective(s) and are in doubt about which
course of action is best. We can, thus, state the components1 of a research
problem as under:
(i) There must be an
individual or a group which has some difficulty or the problem.
(ii) There must be
some objective(s) to be attained at. If one wants nothing, one cannot have a
problem.
(iii) There must be
alternative means (or the courses of action) for obtaining the objective(s) one
wishes to attain. This means that there must be at least two means available
to a researcher for if he has no choice of means, he cannot have a problem.
(iv) There must
remain some doubt in the mind of a researcher with regard to the selection of alternatives.
This means that research must answer the question concerning the relative efficiency
of the possible alternatives.
(v) There must be
some environment(s) to which the difficulty pertains.
Thus, a research
problem is one which requires a researcher to find out the best solution for
the given problem, i.e., to find out by which course of action the objective
can be attained optimally in the context of a given environment. There are
several factors which may result in making the problem complicated. For
instance, the environment may change affecting the efficiencies of the courses
of action or the values of the outcomes; the number of alternative courses of
action may be very large; persons not involved in making the decision may be
affected by it and react to it favourably or unfavourably, and similar other
factors. All such elements (or at least the important ones) may be thought of
in context of a research problem.
SELECTING THE PROBLEM
The research problem
undertaken for study must be carefully selected. The task is a difficult one, although
it may not appear to be so. Help may be taken from a research guide in this
connection. Nevertheless, every researcher must find out his own salvation for
research problems cannot be borrowed. A problem must spring from the researcher’s
mind like a plant springing from its ownseed. If our eyes need glasses, it is
not the optician alone who decides about the number of the lens we require. We
have to see ourselves and enable him to prescribe for us the right number by cooperating
with him. Thus, a research guide can at the most only help a researcher choose
a subject. However, the following points may be observed by a researcher in
selecting a research problem or a subject for research:
(i) 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.
(ii) Controversial
subject should not become the choice of an average researcher.
1 R.L. Ackoff, The
Design of Social Research, Chicago University Press, Chicago, 1961.
Research Methodology
(iii) Too narrow or
too vague problems should be avoided.
(iv) 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. Even then it
is quite difficult to supply definitive ideas concerning how a researcher
should obtain ideas for his research. For this purpose, a researcher should
contact an expert or a professor in the University who is already engaged in
research. He may as well read articles published in current literature
available on the subject and may think how the techniques and ideas discussed there
in might be applied to the solution of other problems. He may discuss with
others what he has in mind concerning a problem. In this way he should make all
possible efforts in selecting a problem.
(v) The importance of
the subject, the qualifications and the training of a researcher, the costs involved,
the time factor are few other criteria that must also be considered in
selecting a problem. In other words, before the final selection of a problem is
done, a researcher must ask himself the following questions:
(a) Whether he is
well equipped in terms of his background to carry out the research?
(b) Whether the study
falls within the budget he can afford?
(c) Whether the
necessary cooperation can be obtained from those who must participate in
research as subjects? If the answers to all these questions are in the
affirmative, one may become sure so far as the practicability of the study is
concerned.
(vi) The selection of
a problem must be preceded by a preliminary study. This may not be necessary
when the problem requires the conduct of a research closely similar to one that
has already been done. But when the field of inquiry is relatively new and does
not have available a set of well developed techniques, a brief feasibility
study must always be undertaken. If the subject for research is selected
properly by observing the above mentioned points, the research will not be a
boring drudgery, rather it will be love’s labour. In fact, zest for work is a
must. The subject or the problem selected must involve the researcher and must
have an upper most place in his mind so that he may undertake all pains needed
for the study.
NECESSITY OF DEFINING THE PROBLEM
Quite often we all
hear that a problem clearly stated is a problem half solved. This statement
signifies the need for defining a research problem. The problem to be
investigated must be defined unambiguously for that will help to discriminate
relevant data from the irrelevant ones. A proper definition of research problem
will enable the researcher to be on the track whereas an ill-defined problem
may create hurdles. Questions like: What data are to be collected? What
characteristics of data are relevant and need to be studied? What relations are
to be explored. What techniques are to be used for the purpose? and similar
other questions crop up in the mind of the researcher who can well plan his
strategy and find answers to all such questions only when the research problem
has been well defined. Thus, defining a research problem properly is a
prerequisite for any study and is a step of the highest importance. In fact,
formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution. It is only
on careful detailing the research problem that we can work out the research
design and can smoothly carry on all the consequential steps involved while
doing research.
TECHNIQUE INVOLVED IN DEFINING A PROBLEM
Let us start with the
question: What does one mean when he/she wants to define a research problem? The
answer may be that one wants to state the problem along with the bounds within
which it is to be studied. In other words, defining a problem involves the task
of laying down boundaries within which a researcher shall study the problem
with a pre-determined objective in view. How to define a research problem is
undoubtedly a herculean task. However, it is a task that must be tackled
intelligently to avoid the perplexity encountered in a research operation. The
usual approach is that the researcher should himself pose a question (or in
case someone else wants the researcher to carry on research, the concerned
individual, organisation or an authority should pose the question to the researcher)
and set-up techniques and procedures for throwing light on the question
concerned for formulating or defining the research problem. But such an
approach generally does not produce definitive results because the question
phrased in such a fashion is usually in broad general terms and as such may not
be in a form suitable for testing. Defining a research problem properly and
clearly is a crucial part of a research study and must in no case be
accomplished hurriedly. However, in practice this a frequently overlooked which
causes a lot of problems later on. Hence, the research problem should be
defined in a systematic manner, giving due weightage to all relating points.
The technique for the purpose involves the undertaking of the following steps
generally one after the other: (i) statement of the problem in a general way;
(ii) understanding the nature of the problem; (iii) surveying the available
literature (iv) developing the ideas through discussions; and (v) rephrasing
the research problem into a working proposition. A brief description of all
these points will be helpful.
(i) Statement of the problem in a general way: First
of all the problem should be stated in a broad general way, keeping in view
either some practical concern or some scientific or intellectual interest. For
this purpose, the researcher must immerse himself thoroughly in the subject
matter concerning which he wishes to pose a problem. In case of social
research, it is considered advisable to do some field observation and as such
the researcher may undertake some sort of preliminary survey or what is often
called pilot survey. Then the researcher can himself state the problem
or he can seek the guidance of the guide or the subject expert in accomplishing
this task. Often, the guide puts forth the problem in general terms, and it is
then up to the researcher to narrow it down and phrase the problem in
operational terms. In case there is some directive from an organizational authority,
the problem then can be stated accordingly. The problem stated in a broad
general way may contain various ambiguities which must be resolved by cool
thinking and rethinking over the problem. At the same time the feasibility of a
particular solution has to be considered and the same should be kept in view
while stating the problem.
(ii) Understanding the nature of the problem: The
next step in defining the problem is to understand its origin and nature
clearly. The best way of understanding the problem is to discuss it with those
who first raised it in order to find out how the problem originally came about
and with what objectives in view. If the researcher has stated the problem
himself, he should consider once again all those points that induced him to
make a general statement concerning the problem. For a better understanding of the
nature of the problem involved, he can enter into discussion with those who have
a good knowledge of the problem concerned or similar other problems. The
researcher should also keep in view the environment within which the problem is
to be studied and understood.
(iii) Surveying the available literature: All
available literature concerning the problem at hand must necessarily be
surveyed and examined before a definition of the research problem is given. This
means that the researcher must be well-conversant with relevant theories in the
field, reports and records as also all other relevant literature. He must
devote sufficient time in reviewing of research already undertaken on related
problems. This is done to find out what data and other materials, if any, are
available for operational purposes. “Knowing what data are available often serves
to narrow the problem itself as well as the technique that might be used.”2. This
would also help a researcher to know if there are certain gaps in the theories,
or whether the existing theories applicable to the problem under study are
inconsistent with each other, or whether the findings of the different studies
do not follow a pattern consistent with the theoretical expectations and so on.
All this will enable a researcher to take new strides in the field for
furtherance of knowledge i.e., he can move up starting from the existing
premise. Studies on related problems are useful for indicating the type of
difficulties that may be encountered in the present study as also the possible
analytical shortcomings. At times such studies may also suggest useful and even
new lines of approach to the present problem.
(iv) Developing the ideas through discussions: Discussion
concerning a problem often produces useful information. Various new ideas can
be developed through such an exercise. Hence, a researcher must discuss his
problem with his colleagues and others who have enough experience in the same area
or in working on similar problems. This is quite often known as an experience
survey. People with rich experience are in a position to enlighten the
researcher on different aspects of his proposed study and their advice and
comments are usually invaluable to the researcher. They help him sharpen his
focus of attention on specific aspects within the field. Discussions with such
persons should not only be confined to the formulation of the specific problem
at hand, but should also be concerned with the general approach to the given problem,
techniques that might be used, possible solutions, etc.
(v) Rephrasing the research problem: Finally,
the researcher must sit to rephrase the research problem into a working
proposition. Once the nature of the problem has been clearly understood, the environment
(within which the problem has got to be studied) has been defined, discussions
over the problem have taken place and the available literature has been surveyed
and examined, rephrasing the problem into analytical or operational terms is
not a difficult task. Through rephrasing, the researcher puts 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.* In addition to
what has been stated above, the following points must also be observed while defining
a research problem:
2 Robert Ferber and
P.J. Verdoorn, Research Methods in Economics and Business, p. 33–34.
* Working hypotheses
are a set of suggested tentative solutions of explanations of a research
problem which may or may not be the real solutions. The task of research is to
test and establish such hypotheses. Hypotheses should be clearly and precisely
stated in simple terms, they should be testable, limited in scope and should
state relationship between variables. They should be amenable to testing within
a reasonable time and should be consistent with most of the known facts
(Testing of
hypotheses has been dealt with later in the book).
Defining
the Research Problem
(a) Technical terms
and words or phrases, with special meanings used in the statement of the problem,
should be clearly defined.
(b) Basic assumptions
or postulates (if any) relating to the research problem should be clearly stated.
(c) A straight
forward statement of the value of the investigation (i.e., the criteria for the
selection of the problem) should be provided.
(d) The suitability
of the time-period and the sources of data available must also be considered by
the researcher in defining the problem.
(e) 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.
AN ILLUSTRATION
The technique of
defining a problem outlined above can be illustrated for better understanding
by taking an example as under: Let us suppose that a research problem in a
broad general way is as follows: “Why is productivity in Japan so much higher
than in India”? In this form the question has a number of ambiguities such as:
What sort of productivity is being referred to? With what industries the same
is related? With what period of time the productivity is being talked about? In
view of all such ambiguities the given statement or the question is much too
general to be amenable to analysis. Rethinking and discussions about the
problem may result in narrowing down the question to: “What factors were
responsible for the higher labour productivity of Japan’s manufacturing industries
during the decade 1971 to 1980 relative to India’s manufacturing industries?” This
latter version of the problem is definitely an improvement over its earlier
version for the various ambiguities have been removed to the extent possible.
Further rethinking and rephrasing might place the problem on a still better
operational basis as shown below: “To what extent did labour productivity in
1971 to 1980 in Japan exceed that of India in respect of 15 selected
manufacturing industries? What factors were responsible for the productivity
differentials between the two countries by industries?” With this sort of
formulation, the various terms involved such as ‘labour productivity’, ‘productivity
differentials’, etc. must be explained clearly. The researcher must also see
that the necessary data are available. In case the data for one or more
industries selected are not available for the concerning time-period, then the
said industry or industries will have to be substituted by other industry or
industries. The suitability of the time-period must also be examined. Thus, all
relevant factors must be considered by a researcher before finally defining a
research problem.
CONCLUSION
We may conclude by
saying that the task of defining a research problem, very often, follows a sequential
pattern—the problem is stated in a general way, the ambiguities are resolved,
thinking and rethinking process results in a more specific formulation of the
problem so that it may be a realistic
Research
Methodology
one in terms of the
available data and resources and is also analytically meaningful. All this
results in a well defined research problem that is not only meaningful from an
operational point of view, but is equally capable of paving the way for the
development of working hypotheses and for means of solving the problem itself.
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