A research problem is a specific issue or gap in current knowledge that you intend to address in your research. You can choose to identify practical problems that are intended to contribute to change or theoretical problems that aim to broaden your knowledge.
Why the Research Problem is Important?
It is important to note that having an interesting topic alone is not sufficient for academic research. A clear research problem is important to ensure your project stands focused and manageable. In order to conduct research that yields valuable and meaningful insights, it is essential to have a well-defined problem. The research problem plays a vital role in research as it offers a clear sense of direction and rationale for the investigation. It is beneficial to:
Research Focused
Having a clear research problem is important for maintaining focus and avoiding distractions, enabling the researcher to make valuable contributions to the field.
Determine Methodology
The research problem helps shape the development of research questions, which are focused inquiries that explore the problem in greater detail. The selection of approaches, methodologies, data collection, and interpretation of results in a research study is essential for ensuring a systematic and coherent approach to addressing the research problem.
Address Research Gap
By focusing on a particular gap in current knowledge, the research problem helps to build a body of evidence-based insights, solutions, and scientific advancements, pushing the boundaries of research.
Develop Critical Thinking
Developing research problems and asking relevant research questions fosters critical thinking and sharpens problem-solving abilities, which are essential for scholars.
Ensure Significance
Emphasizing the significance of the research is important in addressing an appealing research problem. This highlights the importance of examining this particular topic and the potential impact the findings can have on current understanding or solving a problem. In order to guarantee that the study is pertinent and significant to the larger intellectual discourse, a research problem must be significant in terms of its possible influence on theory, practice, or policy.
Provision of a Framework
The research problem establishes the context for the study, directing the investigation and establishing a framework for reporting the results.
Steps in Formulating Research Problem
Step 1: Identify Problem Area
Look for areas of concern, controversy, conflict, or under-explored aspects of your topic as you read. Your objective is to identify a gap that your research attempt can address. In order to accomplish this objective, you may encounter two distinct types of problems.
Practical Research Problems
If you are conducting practical research, you can identify a problem by perusing reports, conducting further research, or conversing with individuals who are employed in the relevant field or organization. You may wish to investigate:
- Performance or efficiency issues
- Processes that could be enhanced
- Areas of concern among practitioners
- Challenges encountered by particular demographics
Theoretical Research Problems
If you are conducting theoretical research, you can identify a research problem by reviewing the current research, theories, and debates on your subject in order to identify a gap in the current body of knowledge. You may wish to investigate:
- A problem or phenomenon that is not well understood
- A conflict between two or more ideas
- A phenomenon or context that has not been deeply examined
- An issue that is both troubling and has yet to be resolved
Step 2: Literature Review
The next step is to determine the specific aspect of the issue that your research will address and to identify the existing knowledge on the subject. In order to achieve this objective, a researcher must possess a comprehensive understanding of the background and origins of the chosen issue, including:
- Who is affected by this problem?
- Is the problem a recent discovery or a well-established one?
- What prior investigation has been conducted?
- What, if any, solutions have been suggested?
- What are the current discussions regarding the problem?
- What is absent from these discussions?
Step 3: Identification of Methodology
After the researcher has comprehended the context and background of the issue. Identification of the problem’s methodology is the subsequent action.
- What specific location, time, and/or group of individuals will you concentrate on?
- What aspects will you be unable to address?
- What will be the effects if you are unable to solve the problem?
Step 4: Formulating the Research Problem
The subsequent phase is to develop a problem statement and research questions or hypotheses after the research problem has been narrowed down.
