The Research Problem

CHARLES OMANE-ADJEKUM, PhD

OUTLINE
⊸The Research Problem and its
Statement
⊸Characteristics of a Good research
Problem
⊸Research Problem Identification
⊸Sources of Research Problems
⊸Research Objectives and Questions
⊸Research Hypotheses
⊸Significance of the Study
⊸Delimiting the Study
The Research Problem
⊸In order to understand the term research problem better, let
us look at how some authorities in the field of research have
also defined and explained it. Frankel and Wallen (2000) note
that a research problem is the focus of a research
investigation.

⊸In fact, it is exactly what its name implies – a problem that

a researcher wishes to investigate. Polit and Hungler (1995)
indicate that a research problem is exactly that issue which
someone would like to research.

⊸A research problem can be anything that a person finds

unsatisfactory or uncertain; a difficulty of some sort; a state
of affairs that needs to be changed; anything that is not
working as well as it is expected to be.
The Research Problem (CON’T)
•Let us take the business setting into consideration with its attendant
problems. Some of the issues that we may have to investigate include
why sometimes employees productivity is low (i.e., low performance of
accounting officers), what strategies can be used to enhance employees’
performance/achievement.

•Factors in the business environment that inhibit accountants’

performance, management factors that serve as a hindrance to
employees’ productivity (supervisor absenteeism and laziness), the
leadership style of the business as a factor working against the progress
of the business in diverse ways, the business climate serving as a
negative factor in the smooth running of the business.

•Non-availability of raw materials in the business and how they affect

employees productivity.
Characteristics of a Good
Research Problem
•The problem must be significant
The significance of the problem is critical. The problem
should be such that its solution will contribute to the body
of organised knowledge in accounting.
•The Problem should be feasible
The feasibility here implies whether the researcher will be
able to do the study within the circumstances he finds
himself. It is about whether the problem is reasonable and it
is possible for the researcher to solve it within his/her
means.
•It should be researchable
A fundamental characteristic of a good research problem in
quantitative research is being researchable.
Characteristics of a Good
Research Problem (CON’T)
•The Problem should be clearly and unambiguously stated
The importance of a clear and concise research problem cannot
be overemphasized. The problem should be stated clearly using
terms whose meanings are generally agreed upon.
•It should ask about a relationship between two or more
variables
A good research problem in any a quantitative study must be
concerned with a relationship, difference or similarities
between quantifiable variables.
•The Problem should be stated in a question form
The statement of the research problem should preferably be in
a question form.
Characteristics of a Good Research Problem (CON’T)
•The problem should not represent a moral or ethical position
but should be ethically appropriate
Research problems such as ‘‘should people avoid cheating/lying
under all circumstances?’’, and ‘‘Are all managers equally
inspiring?’’ represent moral and ethical issues and should be
avoided.
•The problem should indicate the type of research to be
conducted
If your identified problem is clear and meet all the conditions of a
good research problem discussed, when one reads the statement of
the problem, he/she should be able to determine the type of research
that fits the problem.
•The Problem should not result in a yes or no answer
A problem that results in yes or no answer does not explore details
about the answer or try to find evidence to support the answer
provided.
RESEARCH PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND
SELECTION
•First, identify a general problem area that is related to your area of
expertise and of particular interest to you. This is the first important step
to take. Here, you need to focus on a general issue in need of
investigation not a topic of the study even though your supervisor will
ask you to bring your topic of the study. The topic is not exactly the
same thing as the research problem. The topic of a study is a concise
description of what the study is about. At this level, you are looking for a
research problem, so look for a general problem area at this point.

•Second, having identified a broad problem area, you now narrow down
the general problem area to a specific researchable problem. This is what
is known as the funnel approach to problem identification and selection.
Research Problem Identification and
Selection (CON’T)
•Lastly, consider your expertise in the area as well as time and
resources you need to carry out the study before settling on it.

•In the selection of the problem, you must choose a problem

that interests, intrigues and motivates you.

•It is also important to note that a problem should not be too

specific or too general. If an identified research problem is too
specific it will not be have sub-problems to be dealt with. On
the other hand, if the problem is too general the problem tends
to become unfocused and can haunt you throughout the
research
Sources of research problems

1. Theory
2. Experience
3. Literature
4. Ideas from external sources
5. Experts
6. Replication/previous studies
Sources of Research Problems
(CON’T)
•Borg and Gall (1989) summarised four reasons for
conducting replication studies as to check:
i. the findings of a minor or milestone study. That is,
replication can confirm or disconfirm the validity of a study
that produces new evidence or that reports findings that
challenge previous research or theory.
ii. the validity of research findings with different subjects.
iii.trends or change overtime. Replications can be used
effectively to see if vital findings hold overtime.
iv.important findings using different methodologies.
 Sources of Research Problems
(CON’T)
•Clarification of Contradictory Results:
Contradictory results/findings exist on many topics
in the literature. Some studies indicate one
conclusion, and other studies of the same
phenomenon come to an opposite conclusion.

•Current Social and Educational issues: Current

events and educational issues can serve as a source
of a research problem. Issues in your professional
practice or everyday events can serve as the
beginning point of research problem identification.
Sources of Research Problems (CON’T)
•Attendance of Professional conferences: The last,
but not the least, source of research problem discussed
in this text is attendance of professional conferences.

•At such conferences, current empirical studies are

presented in different disciplines in accounting and
recommendations for further studies done. These can
serve as a source of research problems for interested
individuals and groups of people. You are urged to be
interested in professional conferences because there is a lot to
be learnt at such conferences in addition to networking.
Research topic/title
⊸ The research topic/title is a “summary”
of the research problem which shows in
concise form the essential elements of
the study.

⊸ It is suggested that the title should

contain not more than fifteen (15) words,
or at worst twenty (20) words
Background to the Problem
⊸ This is a presentation of the general overview of
the problem
⊸ it involves the following:
▫ tracing the source of the problem
▫ presenting the scale of the problem
▫ describing the context of the problem

⊸ The common practice in presenting the

background to the study is to adopt the funnel
approach – tracing the problem from the larger
scale to the smaller scale or global to local scale

⊸ Definition of terms should be avoided as much as

possible in writing the background to the problem
Background to the Problem and Statement
of the research Problem

⊸ The statement of the research problem is usually

preceded by some background information to provide
the context and give meaning to the problem under
investigation. The description of the background to the
problem should be concise and help the reader to
understand and appreciate the specific problem to be
investigated and its objectives.
⊸ The background description may be historical and must
include relevant literature to show what have been
done or exists leading to what you want to do.
Background to the Problem and Statement
of the research Problem [CON’T]
⊸ The background information situates the study by
developing the ideas regarding the problem either
historically or structurally, pointing out what others have
done leading to what needs to be done which is your
problem in the current study. In most project works, the
background to the study has a section with a caption –
Background to the Problem.
⊸ The statement of the research problem is very pertinent and
must be considered with all the seriousness that it deserves.
A good research statement of the problem should serve as a
guide to the researcher in the process of designing the study.
What ingredients should then be included in the problem statement?
Statement of the Research Problem
(CON’T)
⊸ A research problem may also be presented in an
interrogative form, that is, as in a question after the
background to the study and the rationale and
relevant evidence to support the idea have been
presented.

⊸ For example, the problem expressed in statement form above

can be stated in a question form as: “What is the difference
between the retention level of students who are taught
with concrete materials and those who are taught
without concrete materials?”
Problem Formulation

⊸ What makes the issue under

investigation a problem?
⊸ This involves stating clearly why the
problem is worth investigating into
⊸ It requires a clear illumination of the gap
that needs to be filled
⊸ A good review of literature provides a
strong basis for a clear statement of the
problem
 Problem Formulation
⊸ One way of stating the problem is to:
▫ highlight what should have been the ideal condition
▫ Highlight what is happening (supported with empirical
evidence) or what seems or appears to be happening
(where your assertions are based on personal observation
and unsubstantiated)
▫ Highlight what measures have been put in place to arrest
the situation
▫ Highlight the weaknesses or gaps in measures put in place
and establish the persistence of the problem and
repercussions if existing conditions are left unchecked
Problem Formulation
⊸ In stating the problem, identify gaps in research. The
gaps could be:
▫ aspects of the problem that have not been
investigated into by previous studies,
▫ methodologies that have not been tried in dealing
with the problem
▫ limitations and delimitations of previous studies
▫ new contexts or environments where the problem
has not been adequately looked at, etc.

⊸ A good statement of the problem will always include

the thesis statement for the entire research study
 Problem formulation
⊸The key parts of the statement of
the problem are:
▫ Introductory sentence
▫ The problem
▫ The gap in literature and
▫ The thesis statement
Aims/purposes/objectives of the study
⊸ This requires a statement of what the
research/researcher seeks/sought to do

⊸ The main aim or purpose of the study must be in line

with the thesis or topic of the study

⊸ The specific purposes or objectives must be in line with

the sub-problems of the study. This is because one key
characteristic of research is to deal with the main
problem through sub-problems

⊸ The way objectives are stated determines the kind of

analysis that should be carried out by the researcher
Research Questions
⊸ Research questions are based on the specific purposes
or objectives of the study
⊸ They should be stated in such a way that an
investigation needs to be carried out before they can
be adequately answered
⊸ The way questions are posed determines the kind of
analysis that should be carried out
Specific Research Questions
⊸ These are specific questions that deal with sub-
problems and the objectives of the main problem
being investigated at the same time.

⊸ Most descriptive and exploratory studies lend

themselves to the formulation of specific research
questions that will be answered. They are
interrogative in nature.
Research Hypotheses

⊸Hypothesis is a suggested answer to

a problem (Tuckman, 1994).

⊸A hypothesis is an
informed/educated guess about an
answer to a question (Amedahe,
2002).
Importance of Hypothesis
1. The research hypothesis provides a
focus and direction for the study.
2. It often provides a clear framework and
a guide when designing the data
collection instruments and when
collecting, organizing, analyzing and
interpreting the data.
3. It allows the investigator/researcher to
confirm or disconfirm a theory and help
advance knowledge.
4. A hypothesis helps the researcher to
Types of Hypotheses
• Research Hypothesis
• The research hypothesis is the substantive hypothesis, that is, it is
the hypothesis of interest to the researcher. A research hypothesis
is a statement of expected relationship between variables. It states
an expected relationship or differences between two variables. In
other words, it states what relationship the research expects
through the collection and analyses of data.

•Statistical Hypothesis (Null Hypothesis)

•It is impossible to test research hypotheses directly. The only way
you can judge the credibility of a research hypothesis is to state a
null hypothesis (symbolized Ho) and assess the probability that
this is true. It is called the null hypothesis because it states that
there is no difference or relationship between the variables in the
population.
 Characteristics of a good research
hypothesis
⊸ The research hypothesis should be empirically testable

⊸ The hypothesis should be stated in a declarative form and

not in a question form
⊸ A hypothesis should have at least two variables. A
hypothesis must have at least two variables and must indicate how the
variables are related
⊸ The research hypothesis should be clear and concise

⊸ The research hypothesis should follow from the research problem. Do not
use variables in the hypotheses that have not been identified by the
Significance of the Study
⊸ This is a statement of how useful the
study will be to:
▫ Policy formulation
▫ General practice
▫ Knowledge
⋅ What new knowledge would the
research add to existing knowledge?

⊸ How the significance of the study is

stated and the results of the study
should guide the kind of
recommendations the researcher makes
Delimiting the Study
⊸ This involves defining the boundary or scope of
the study
⊸ The delimitation should include a limitation of
the:
▫ Content coverage
▫ Geographical coverage
▫ Methodological coverage, etc.
⊸ No single research study can adequately deal
with all the dimensions of a particular problem
of interest
⊸ The researcher must first indicate the scale of
the problem in terms of content coverage (this
is most important), geographical coverage,
Limitations of the Study
⊸ Limitations are the constraints that researchers have
little control over, which may affect the result,
interpretation and use of the results of the study
⊸ A number of issues may pose limitation(s) to the
study. Some of these including:
▫ Research design
▫ Research instrument
▫ Delimitation
▫ Ethical issues etc.
⊸ As much as possible, the researcher must put in
place measures to mitigate the effects of certain
limitations, though they cannot be completely
eliminated
⊸ NB. Field challenges that do not affect the
result of the study should not be considered as
THANK YOU