Research problem and its identification, its source, statement of a Problem

1 | डॉ वि . स िं ह
Research Problem and its identification, Sources of a research problem, a good research problem and writing
a research topic
A research problem is a question that researcher wants to answer or a problem that a researcher wants
to solve
Identification & formulation of a research problem is the first step of the research process.
Selection of research problem depends on several factors such as researcher’s knowledge, skills,
interest, expertise, motivation & creativity with respect to the subject of inquiry.
It is believed that most of the good research studies need lots of time for selection of a research
problem.
DEFINITION (परिभाषा)
According to Kerlinger, ‘A problem is an interrogative sentence or statement that asks what relation
exists between two or more variable. The answer to question will provide what is having sought in the
research.
R.S. Woodworth defines problem as ‘a situation for which we have no ready & successful response by
instinct or by previous acquired habit. We must find out what to do’, i.e. the solution can be found out
only after an investigation.
In other words, ‘a research problem is an area of concern where there is a gap in the knowledge base
needed for professional practices.
IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH PROBLEM(अनु िं
धान मस्या की पहचान)
 Identification of a research problem is the first & most important step in research process.
 Generally, a broad area is selected & then a broad topic is delimited or narrowed down to a specific
one-sentence statement of the problem.
 This step of the research process is considered as the most difficult & challenging, & need slots of time.
 A research problem may come from several sources:
E-Content: Module 2- Research Methods and Statistics.

Personal Experiences:(व्यक्तिक अनुभव )
Day-to-day personal experience of a research may serve as good source of ideas to formulate a research
problem.
For example, a researcher observed domestic violence suffered by wives of alcoholic husbands.
This experience may provide ideas to identity several research problems related to domestic violence
against women.
There may be so many such life experiences of a researcher which could be used to develop a research
problem.
Practical Experiences: (व्यावहारिक अनुभव)
Teacher classroom experiences – teaching styles, assessment, teacher effectiveness, child behavior etc.
can guide a teacher for the research.
Nurses gets plenty of ideas to formulate research problems from their clinical experiences.
Every curious nurse has several questions to be answered which are encountered during clinical
experience.
For example, a nurse finds that unrestricted visiting hours in surgical wards reduced the analgesic
demand among postoperative patients.
Such clinical experiences could be rich sources of ideas to identify a significant research problem.
Critical Appraisal of literature ( ाहहत्य का मालोचनात्मक मूलयािंकन):
When we critically study books & articles relating to the subject of our interest, including research
report, opinion articles, & summaries of clinical issues, pertinent questions may arise in our mind.
These may strike reader’s mind indirectly by stimulating imagination & directly by stating what
additional research is needed.
For example, a nurse reads an article on the prevalence of the pin site infection among patients with
external fixators; while reading this article nurse learns that there is lack of consensus about pin site
care.
This information may serve as a basis to formulate a research problem.
Literature review on new and modern educational practices also guide for research.
Previous Experience: (पपछले अनुभव )
A body of knowledge should be developed on a sound foundation of research findings.
Usually at the end of a research further research problems are suggested, based on the shortcomings of
previous research, which can be investigated.
Previous works of educational research guides for further research.

In nursing profession, not much research has been yet done; therefore, this profession needs research
who are willing to replicate or repeat other studies on different samples & settings where all the
essential elements of the original study are held intact.
Existing theories (मौजूदा सिद्ाांि)
Research is a process of theory development & theory testing.
Nurses use many theories from other disciplines in their practices.
It an existing theory is used in developing a researchable problem, a specific statement from the theory
must be isolated.
Generally, a part of parts of the theory are subjected to testing in the clinical situation.
The testing of an existing theory is definitely needed in education; therefore, they serve as good sources
of research problems.
Social issues: (िामाक्जक मुद्दे)
Sometimes, topics are suggested by more global contemporary social or political issues of relevance to
the education community.
For example, HIV/AIDS, female foeticide, sexual harassment, domestic violence, & gender equality in
health care & in research are some of the current social & political issues of concern for health care
professionals. (ICT/RUSA etc.)
Brainstorming: (बुपद्शीलिा,मक्तिततभांजन)
Brainstorming sessions are good techniques to find new questions, where an intensified discussion
among interested people of the profession is conducted to find more ideas to formulate a good
research problem.
For example, ideas for studies may emerge from reviewing research priorities by having brainstorming
session with other teachers, researchers, or teaching faculties.
Intuition(अांिर्ज्ाान)
Traditionally institutions are considered good sources of knowledge as well as sources to find new
research problems.
It is believed that reflective mind is good sources of ideas, which may be used to formulate a good
research problem.
Folklores: (प्रचसलि र्ज्ान)
Common beliefs could be right or wrong.
For examples, it is generally believed that studying just before the test decrease the score.
We believe we should not study just before test to relax our mind.

Researchers can conduct a research study on whether one should study before the test or not.
Exposure to field situations: (वातिपवक क्षेत्र क्तिति िे िांपक
ा )
During field exposure, researchers get variety of experiences, which may provide plenty of ideas to
formulate research problems.
For example, while working in field a researcher observed a specific traditional practice for cure of
disease condition, which can be used as research problem to investigate its efficacy.
Consultation with experts(पवशेषर्ज्ों क
े िाि पिामशा)
Experts are believed to have sound experience of their respective field, which may suggest a significance
problem to be studied.
In addition, expert may help in finding a current problem of discipline to be solve, which may serve as
basis for formulation of research problem.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A GOOD RESEARCH PROBLEM (एक अच्छे शोध िमतया क
े चयन क
े सलए मानदांड)
1. Significance to education profession (सशक्षा क
े क्षेत्र में महत्व)
A problem which a researcher is selecting should have significance to EDUCATION profession or it will
not serve any purpose.
A research problem is significant for EDUCATION profession when it is directed to develop or refine the
body of professional knowledge.
A research problem could be considered significant for education profession if it fulfils the following
criteria:
 Teachers, headmasters, principals, students etc will benefit from the study.
 The results will improve educational practices.
 Promotes educational theory development or testing.
 Provides solutions of current educational practice needs
 Generate information to get practical implications for educational profession.
2. Original(मूल या अिली)
It is fundamentally considered that every research problem should be new & unique in itself.
Therefore, it is the key responsibility of a researcher that an innovative knowledge is used for selecting a
research problem, so as to extend the growth of existing body of knowledge on a profession.
3. Feasible(िांभव)
Feasibility is an essential consideration of any research project.

Regardless of how significant or researchable a problem may be, the feasibility of research problem in
reference to time, availability to subjects, facilities, equipment & money, & ethical considerations
should be checked.
It will help the researcher to decide whether selected problem is appropriate or inappropriate & study
can be actually carried out
Time (िमय)
 A nurse might be interested in studying sibling relationships among quintuplets knowledge of the
incidence of quintuplet birth would certainly discourage anyone considering research on this particular
population unless the researcher plans to make this a lifetime project.
 So, time is always a factor to be considered.
 It is wise to allow more time than seems to be needed because unexpected delays frequently occur.
Cost: (खचा)
 All research projects cost money; some studies are much more expensive than others.
 The researcher must consider realistically the financial resources available.
Equipment & supplies: (उपकिण औि आपूतिा)
 All research projects require some type of resources.
 Therefore, before making the final decision to conduct a study, an accurate determination of the
needed equipment & supplies should be ensured.
 If researcher takes into consideration equipment & supplies in the early phases of a research project,
there are less chances of the project to be revised or discarded later because of equipment or supply
problems.
Administrative support: (प्रशाितनक िहायिा)
 Many research projects require administrative support.
 The nurse researcher may find it very difficult to conduct research independently.
 Financial as well as psychological support from administrative is very helpful.
 Knowing that your superiors support your research efforts can be very powerful motivating force.
Peer support: (िाथियों का िमिान)
 Many research ideas have never been developed because potential researchers received no support
from their peers.
 One of the best ways to determine a researchable problem is through interactions & discussions with
other nurses.

 A climate of shared interest in nursing research is essential among the members of the nursing
profession.
Availability of subjects(पवषयों की उपलब्धिा) :
 A researcher may believe that study subjects are readily available for the study. But this may not be the
case.
 Potential subjects may not meet the study criteria, may be unwilling to participate, or may already be
participating in other studies.
Researcher’s competence: (शोधकिाा की क्षमिा)
 A research problem can only be feasible if it is in accordance with researcher’s competence, where
researcher is capable to handle a given research problem.
Ethical considerations(नैतिक प्रतिपूतिा):
 A researcher must ensure that the research problem can be considered by the ethical committee
without undue hurdles.
 A very important topic of research cannot be considered feasible unit & unless it is in accordance with
ethical guideline.
4. Solvable/researchable: (िुलझाने योग्य)
Problem selected is considered good only if it is solvable so that chances of insolvability of problem
should be minimized.
It will enhance relevant results.
For example, a researcher selects a research problem to know the existence of God in this universe.
These sorts of problems are ambiguous & impossible to solve.
Therefore, the researcher must ensure that a research problem selected for the study is solvable.
5. Current: (विामान कासलक)
A good research problem must be based on the current problems & needs of a profession, so that
results generated will be of more use.
Furthermore, more number of the professionals will be interested in the research conducted on the
current issues of their profession.
6. Interesting: (िोचक)
A research problem can only be considered good if it is an accordance with researcher’s field of interest.
A research problem must be as per the motivation of the researcher & it should be fascinating to the
researcher, so that research is conducted with full enthusiasm & not merely for its accomplishment.

FORMULATION OF RESEARCH PROBLEM (शोध िमतया का िूत्रीकिण)
Selection of a research area: (शोध क्षेत्र का चयन)
Formulate of a research problem begins with selection of a broad research topic from personal
experience, literature, previous research, & theories in which researcher is interested & has significance
for nursing profession.
For example, a researcher gets an idea to conduct a study on the female feticide.
Therefore, he or she initially begins with such broad research topic.
Reviewing literature & theories: (िाहहत्य औि सिद्ाांिों की िमीक्षा)
After getting a broad idea for research, he or she needs to review the nursing literature & theories.
Literature is reviewed to know what has already been done in this selected areas of research.
Review of nursing theories provides an opportunity for nurses researcher to plan a research problem to
contribute towards either testing or development of a theory/conceptual model.
Delimiting the research topic: (शोध पवषय का परििीमन )
In this step, researcher proceeds from a general area of interest to more specific topic of research to
conduct a study.
For example, initially a researcher decide to conduct a study on female feticide; later in this stage
researcher limits it to specific research topic ‘a study on perception of women about causes &
prevention of female feticide in selected rural communities of district mehsana, Gujrat’.
In this stage, a researcher clearly identifies variables, population, & setting of research study.

Evaluating the research problem (शोध िमतया का मूलयाांकन)
Once researcher is clear about the specific research problem, next the research problem must be
carefully evaluated for its significance, researchability, & feasibility.
Feasibility of the research problem should be evaluated for time, cost, availability of subjects &
resources, administrative & peer support, ethical consideration, & researcher’s competence & interest.
Formulating final statement of research problem: (शोध िमतया किन का अांतिम िूत्रीकिण)
After establishing the significance, researchability, & feasibility, then researcher finally formulates a final
statement of a research problem.
A statement of research problem could be in declarative or interrogative format
WHAT IS A PROBLEM STATEMENT? एक िमतया किन तया है
 A problem statement is the description of an issue currently existing which needs to be addressed. It
provides the context for the research study and generates the questions which the research aims to
answer. The statement of the problem is the focal point of any research. A good problem statement is
just one sentence (with several paragraphs of elaboration). For example it could be:
 "The frequency of job layoffs is creating fear, anxiety, and a loss of productivity in middle management
workers."
 The statement of the problem should clearly indicate what is to be investigated.
 The actual statement may be in a declarative or in a question form.
 The statement should indicate the variables of interest and the specific relationship between the
variables that are to be studied.
 An example question might be: this proposal poses the question, "What is the relationship between
farm productivity and farmer use of fertilizer"? The information needed is (1) productivity levels and (2)
some measure of fertilizer use. A bad example might be: "What is the best way to train for use of
fertilizer"? This is insufficient because:
 What are the variables?
 What will be measured?
 What relationships will be examined?
 There should be a close relationship between the title of the proposal and the problem statement
question. For example, in the good example above, the title of this research project would be something
like this:
"Fertilizer use by small scale farmers in Bungoma district and their farm productivity"

Be Concise: िांक्षक्षप्ि िखें: If there's one thing to keep in mind when writing problem statements, it's this. Problem
statements shouldn't be any longer than they need to be to accomplish their task of laying out the problem and
its solution for the reader. No sentence should be wasted.
Write for your audience. अपने दशाकों क
े सलए सलखें :When making a problem statement, it's important to remember
that you're writing for someone else, not for yourself. Different audiences will have different sets of knowledge,
different reasons for reading, and different attitudes toward your problem, so try to keep your intended
audience in mind as you write.
 As you write, try to ask yourself questions like:
 "Who, specifically, am I writing for?"
 "Why am I addressing this audience?"
 "Does this audience know all of the same terms and concepts as I do?"
 "Does this audience share the same attitude as I do towards this problem?"
 "Why should my audience care about this problem?"
Don't use jargon without defining it. (बबना परिभापषि शब्दजाल का उपयोग न किें) As noted above, your problem
statement should be written so that it's as easy for your audience to understand as possible.
Remember the "five Ws".(पाांच Ws को याद िखें) Problem statements should be as informative as possible in as few
words as possible, but shouldn't delve into minute details. If you're ever in doubt of what to include in your problem
statement, a smart idea is to try to answer the five Ws (who, what, where, when, and why), plus how. Addressing the
five Ws gives your reader a good baseline level of knowledge to understand the problem and solution without treading
into unnecessary levels of detail.
 For instance, if you're writing a problem statement to propose a new building development to your local city
council, you might address the five Ws by explaining who the development would benefit, what the
development would require, where the development should be, when construction should begin,
and why the development is ultimately a smart idea for the city.
a. Declarative format: (घोषणात्मक प्रारूप)
In this format, a research problem is stated in declarative statement.
For example:
 ‘A descriptive study on prevalence of bedsores among unconscious patients admitted in intensive care
unit of Lions hospital, Mehsana’.
 ‘A exploratory study on contributing factors of maternal mortality in selected rural communities of
district Mehsana, Gujrat’.
 ‘A comparative study of educational practices of India and Britain at Kindergarten stage’
(‘बिटेन औि भािि में बालवाड़ी तिि पि सशक्षण प्रयािों का एक िुलनात्मक अधयन्न’)

b. Interrogative format: (प्रश्नवाचक प्रारूप)
In interrogative format, a research problem is stated in question form.
For example:
 ‘What is the influence of level of hemoglobin on pin site infection among patients with external skeletal
fixators admitted in orthopedic wards of Lions hospital, Mehsana.
 ‘What is the effect of ginger or morning sickness on pregnant women in selected urban communities of
district Mehsana, Gujrat.
 ‘What is the impact of B.Ed. Teachers over non-B.Ed. Teachers in terms of their teaching effectiveness.
The choice of either of these two types of format formulation of a research problem depends on the
researcher’s preference & institutional policies.
Declarative format much popular among researchers.
For the formulation of a research problem it is preferable it it fulfils the following features:
 Research problem is clearly, precisely articulated.
 It clearly states the variables, population, & research setting under study.
 Variable are expressed in measurable terms.
 The type of study also may be included in the statement of research problem.
Example of a well-formulated research problem
“Effectiveness of planned teaching on the knowledge of staff nurses working in psychiatric unit regarding Physical
Restraints for psychiatric patient in selected hospital of Vidharbha region”.
It is an example of declarative form of the statement of problem, where it is precisely &
concisely stated & include most of the required components of a research statement, which are
 Research study type: Quasi-experiment
 Variable(s): it has two research variable i.e knowledge & planned teaching
 Population: Nurses working in selected psychiatric hospital
 Research setting: Psychiatric hospital in Maharashtra.

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Research problem and its identification, its source, statement of a Problem