1.
SELECTION AND
FORMATION OF
RESEARCH PROBLEM
JISMI JOHN
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPT OF SOCIAL WORK
GASC

2.
• It is the 1st step in research
• The term ‘problem’ means a question or issue to be
examined.
• The nature of the problem to be selected depends
upon the level at which the research is done.

3.
SOURCES OF PROBLEMS
1. Reading
2. Academic experience
3. Daily experience
4. Exposure to the field experience
5. Consultations
6. Brain storming
7. Research
8. intuition

4.
• Reading: Reading of books and articles relating to the subject of
our interest, questions may arise in our mind.
• Academic experience: classroom lectures,discussions, seminar
discussions etc
• Daily experience: We can get questions or ideas from daily life
experiences.
• Exposure to field situations: field visit, internship training and
extension work provide exposure to practical problems for
study.

5.
• Consultation: Discussion with experts, researchers,
administrators and business executives will help to identify
meaningfil problem for research.
• Brain storming: Discussion within a group of interested person
may help to identify the problem.
• Research: research on one problem may suggest problem for
further research.
• Intuition: sometimes new ideas may strike to one’s mind like
flash.

6.
PROCESS OF IDENTIFICATION
• 1. Selection of the discipline : the discipline or subject in which
one proposes to do research may be selected. Eg social work,
economics, management, psychology etc.
• 2. Demarcating the broad area or a particular aspect of the
selected subject : the second step is to select a particular aspect
of the selected subject. Eg if the selected subject is social work ,
then one may select community organisation or social welfare
etc as a specific area.

7.
• Identifying two or more specific topics in the selected broad
area : This is the final step in identification of the problem. This
requires a grasp of the branch of the subject as a whole and
awareness of work already done on it.

8.
CRITERIA OF SELECTION
• 1. Internal(personal) criteria or factors
• 2. External criteria or factors
• INTERNAL CRITERIA
• 1. Researcher’s interest
• 2. Researcher’s competence
• 3. Researcher’s own resource : finance and time

9.
• EXTERNAL FACTORS
• 1. Researchability of the problem
• 2. Importance and urgency
• 3. Novelty or originality
• 4. Feasibility
• 5. Facilities
• 6. Usefulness and social relevance
• 7. Research personnel

10.
FORMULATION OF THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
• Formulation means translating and transforming the selected research
problem into a scientifically researchable question.
• Three principal components
• 1. The originating question(what one wants to know?)
• 2. The rationale (why aspects?)
• 3. Specifying question

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FORMULATION PROCESS
• 1. Developing title :- The title should be carefully worded. It
should indicate the core of the study , reflect the real intension
of the researcher, and shows what is focus. The title may also
indicate the geographical area of the study.
• 2. Building a conceptual model :- On the basis of our theoretical
knowledge of the phenomenon under study, the nature of the
phenomenon, its properties/ elements and their inter relations
should be identified and structured into a framework. This
conceptual model gives an exact idea of the research problem.
It serves as a basis for the formulation of the objective,
hypothesis of the study.

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• 3. Defining the objective of the study :- The objectives refer to
the Questions to be answered through the study. They indicate
what we are trying to get from the study. The objective are
derived from the conceptual model.
• 4. Setting investigative questions :- Once the objectives of the
research have been identified, the formulation moves to the
next level, ie, investigative Questions. These sub questions are
set up for each of the major research objectives/ questions.

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• 5. Formulation of hypothesis :- The hypotheses are tentative
propositions relating to investigative questions. We formulate
them to be tested in our research.
• 6. Operational definition of concepts :- The next step in the
formulation process is to define operationally the concepts
involved in the title, objectives, investigative questions and
hypothesis. The operational definitions specify the
measurement parameters of the variables

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• 7. Delimiting the scope of the study :- This means
demarcation of the scope and dimensions of the study.
A complete study of any phenomenon is not
manageable

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CONCEPTS
• A concept is an abstract symbol representing an object or a
certain phenomenon, e.g., book, person, intelligence, and
meeting.
• A concept is in reality a definition in short hand of a class or
group of facts.
• Concepts are useful for constructing assumptions. The two or
more concepts leads to the generation of assumptions. The
combination of a number of assumptions into a system lead to
the construction of formal theories.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCEPTS
• 1. Concepts are symbols which we attach to the bundle of
meanings we hold.
• 2. Concepts represent only one part of reality.
• 3. Different people hold different concepts of the same thing.
• 4. Concepts also represent various degree of abstraction.

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TYPES OF CONCEPTS
• a) Concrete concepts:- Symbolize material objects
which can be seen, touched and felt eg. Book , table,
building
• b) Abstract concepts refer to properties or
characteristics of objects. eg. weight, height, attitude,
intelligence, leadership

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STEPS IN OPERATIONALISATION OF
CONCEPTS
• 1. Examine the definition of concepts
• 2. Discover the various usage of concepts
• 3. Identify the measurement criteria
• 4. Formulate a tentative definition
• 5. Submit the definition to as wide a critical appraisal as
possible.
• 6. Make final revision on the basis of the criticism received
• 7. Examine the degree of congruence.

19.
HYPOTHESES
• The formulation of hypotheses or propositions as to the possible
answers to the research questions is an important step in the
process of formulation of the research problem.
• Hypothesis is a tentative proposition formulated for empirical
testing. It is a declarative statement combining concepts.
• It is a tentative answer to a research question.

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TYPES OF HYPOTHESES
1. Descriptive hypotheses
These are propositions that describe the characteristics (such as
Size, form or distribution) of a variable. The variable may be an
object, person, organisation, situation or event.
Example: The rate of unemployment among arts graduate is
higher than that of commerce graduates.

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2. Relational hypotheses
These are propositions, which describe the relationship between
two variables. The relationship suggested may be positive or
negative correlation or causal relationship.
Example : Families with higher incomes spend more for
recreation.

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3. Causal hypotheses
It state that the existence of, or a change in, one variable causes
or leads to an effect on another variable. The first variable is
called the independent variable, and the latter the dependent
variable.

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4. Working hypotheses
While planning the study of a problem, hypotheses are formed.
Initially the may not be very specific. In such cases, they are
referred to as working hypotheses which are subject to
modification as the investigation proceeds.

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5. Null hypotheses
A null hypothesis is a hypothesis that says there is no statistical
significance between the two variables in the hypothesis.
the most valuable hypothesis for the scientific method because it
is the easiest to test using a statistical analysis. Testing the null
hypothesis can tell you whether your results are due to the effect
of manipulating the dependent variable or due to chance.

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6. Statistical hypotheses
The are statement about a statistical population. These are
derived from a sample.
These are quantitative in nature in that they are numerically
measurable.
Example: Group A is older than Group B

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SOURCES OF HYPOTHESES
• 1. Theory :- this is one of the main sources of hypotheses.
Logical deduction from theory leads to new hypotheses.
• 2. Observation :- Hypotheses can be derived from observation.
• 3. Analogies:- it is another source of useful hypotheses.
• 4. Intuition and personal experience :- It may also contribute to
the formulation of hypotheses. Personal life and experiences of
persons determine their perception and conception.

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• 5. Findings of studies: - Hypotheses may be developed out of the
findings of other studies in order to replicate and test.
• 6. State of knowledge :- An important source of hypotheses is
the state of knowledge in any particular science. Where formal
theories exist, hypotheses can be deduced. If the hypotheses are
rejected, theories would be modified.
• 7. Culture:- Another source of hypotheses is the culture on
which the researcher was nurtured.
• 8. Continuity of research:- The continuity of research in a field
itself constitutes an important source of hypotheses

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THE FUNCTIONS OR THE ROLE OF HYPOTHESES
• 1.. A hypotheses gives a definite point to the investigation, and it guides the
direction on the study.
• 2. It specifies the sources of data, which shall be studied, and in what context
they shall be studied.
• 3. It determines the data needs. It defines which facts are relevant and which
are not.
• 4. A hypotheses suggests which type of research is likely to be most
appropriate
• 5. It determines the most appropriate technique of analysis.
• 6. It contribute to the development of theory.

29.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD
HYPOTHESIS
• 1. Conceptual clarity
• 2. Specificity
• 3. Testability
• 4. Availability of techniques
• 5. Theoretical relevance
• 6. Consistency
• 7. Objectivity
• 8. Simplicity

30.
IDENTIFICATION OF VARIABLES
• A variable is defined as anything that has a quantity or quality
that varies.
• Variable is also known as a concept that can be measured.
• A concept cannot be measured while a variable can be subjected
to measurement by units of measurement, whether subjective
or objective.

31.
TYPES OF VARIABLES
• 1. Independent and Dependent Variable:
Independent variable is the major variable the researcher wishes to
investigate. It is the variable which is selected, manipulated and
measured by the researcher. An independent variable (also called X
variable in statistics) is one whose change results in the change of
another variable.
The dependent variable (also called Y variable in statistics) on the other
hand is the condition researcher is trying to explain. It is one which
changes in relationship to changes in another variables(s).

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• 2. Experimental and Measured Variable:
• The experimental variables spell out the details of the
investigator’s manipulations while the measured variables refer
to measurement.
• 3. Discrete and Continuous Variable:
• A discrete variable is a variable having only integer value. Any
variable that is not restricted to particular values (other than
limited by the accuracy of the measuring instrument) is known
as continuous variable.

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• Quantitative and Qualitative Variables:
The quantitative variable is one whose values or categories
consist of numbers and if differences between its categories can
be expressed numerically. Examples of quantitative variables
include age, income, size and so forth.
The qualitative variable is one which consists of discreet
categories rather than numerical units. This variable has two or
more categories that are different from each other. For examples
sex (male of female), religion (Hindu, Jain, Muslim,Sikh), caste
(General, OBC, SC, ST).