the research topic and the statement of the problem

the research problem

• question that a researcher wants to answer or a problem that a researcher wants to solve

• a concise summary of an issue or problem that a research project will address

• investigation will require data collection & analysis, and the methodology for this will vary widely

• can be practical or theoretical

• depends on your research topic and the type of research and approach you want to do

phenomenology

it ultimately aims to extract the "essence" or "structure of an experience" based on the meaning of the lived experiences of the selected participants, who meet the inclusion set of the study.

• life experiences

• focus on specific situation

elements of phenomenology

narrative research

narrates the life experiences of an individual as told to the researcher or gathered by the researcher from available documents or materials.

• life experiences

• narrate

• story

elements of a narrative research

grounded theory

it crafts a theory from a body of thick data or previous related problem about an observed phenomenon wherein this crafted theory is an attempt to explain process involved in the observed phenomenon.

• to generate a theory

element of a grounded theory

case study

it focuses on a specific case or phenomenon which will be analyzed using similar specific case of multiple cases to identify the patterns within the chosen topic

• 1 respondent/ 1 case

• in-depth examination

• observation

• interview

• documentation

elements of case study

• the question is feasible

• the question is clear

• the question is significant

• the question is ethical

characteristics of a good research

• identify the general problem/questions of your research based on your chosen issues and topics

• draft your research questions by reading relevant & significant articles and expand your questions if necessary

• revise & rewrite these questions and draft the purposes of these interrogative statements to set its "SMART-iness"

how to formulate a research question/ problem

• S - specific (what is the specific task?)

• M - measurable (what are the concrete criteria for measuring change?)

• A - attainable (is the task feasible?)

• R - realistic (does this relate directly to the goal?)

• T - time-bound (within what timeframe are you working?)

S-M-A-R-T means

• keep it simple, brief, and attractive

• use appropriate descriptive words

• avoid abbreviations and jargon

characteristics of a good research title

• what: the subject matter or topic to be invested

• where: place or locale where the research is to be

  conducted

• who: the participants of respondents of the study

• when: the time period of the conduct of the study

how to formulate a research title?