Scientific Research Methods Dr. Engr.

Bien Maunahan

CHAPTER 2

THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

Research starts with a problem of interest to the researcher and the community because of its
scientific, social, or economic value.
The research problem or question is often stated in the first chapter of the research report or
the first section of a research paper. It comprises:
 a statement of the problem
 its objectives
 the scope
 the justification

Statement of Research Problem

A research problem is an important issue or concern that necessitates study. It needs to be
expressed as clearly and briefly as possible. The most challenging and crucial stage in the research
process is formulating the research problem. This is due to the fact that numerous new researchers
lack clarity regarding the definition of a clearly defined research problem. If the problem is
unclear, the research loses its focus.
While typically a single research problem exists, it is possible to decompose it into a limited
number of sub-problems. Typically, specifying the research problem without getting into its sub-
problems is sufficient.

GUIDE for Statement of the problem:

1) 1st paragraph - relating Global Issues/problems about your study (6-8 lines),
correctly citing the source, and adding your idea in one (1) sentence.

2) 2nd Paragraph - relating Nationwide issues/problems about your study (6-8

lines), correctly cited the source. There are many related studies in Ethiopia,
specifically Addis Ababa & and in your study areas.

3) 3rd & last paragraph - Issues/Problems in your Study Area. It must be your own
WORDS.

JU/JIT Construction Engineering and Management 1

Scientific Research Methods Dr. Engr. Bien Maunahan

Define the problem

Often, this is where people struggle. Do they react to what they think is the problem?
Instead, seek to understand more about why you think there is a problem.

LET US CONNECT THE CONCEPT WITH THE PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS,

ILLUSTRATING ITS APPLICATION IN SHAPING OUR APPROACH TOWARDS
CONSIDERING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM.

Define the problem: (with input from yourself and others). Ask yourself and others the following
questions:
1. What can you see that causes you to think there is a problem?
2. Where is it happening?
3. How is it happening?
4. When is it happening?
5. With whom is it happening?
6. Why is it happening?
7. Write a five-sentence description of the issue using the following phrases: "The following
needs to be occurring, but is not:..." or "The following is occurring and ought to be:..." Be
as specific as possible regarding the descriptions, including where, how, with whom, what
is occurring, and why.. (It may be helpful at this point to use a variety of research methods).

Verifying your understanding of the problems:

It helps to verify your problem analysis for conferring with a peer or someone else.

JU/JIT Construction Engineering and Management 2

Scientific Research Methods Dr. Engr. Bien Maunahan

Prioritize the problems:

If you discover that you are looking at several related problems, prioritize which ones you
should address first.
Note the difference between "important" and "urgent" problems. Often, what we consider
significant problems to consider are just urgent problems. Fundamental problems deserve
attention. For example, if you are continually answering "urgent" phone calls, you have
probably got a more "important" problem: to design a system that screens and prioritizes
your phone calls.

Understand your role in the problem:

Your role in the problem can significantly influence how you perceive the part of others.
Recognizing the Researcher's Role in the Problem: As the initiator of the research project,
acknowledging your potential biases, perceptions, and emotional responses within the
project domain is crucial. Understanding how your preconceptions or experiences might
influence the investigation into communication breakdowns within the projects ensures a
balanced and comprehensive assessment of the underlying issues.

Look at the potential causes of the problem.

 It is incredible how much you do not know what you do not know. Therefore, it is critical
to get input from other people who notice the problem and are affected by it in this phase.
 It is often useful to collect input from other individuals one at a time (at least at first).
Otherwise, people tend to be inhibited by offering their impressions of the real causes of
problems.
 Write down your opinions and what you have heard from others.
 Regarding what you think might be performance problems, it is often useful to seek advice
from others in order to verify your impression of the problem.

JU/JIT Construction Engineering and Management 3

Scientific Research Methods Dr. Engr. Bien Maunahan

Write down a description of the cause of the problem; and in terms of what is happening, where,
when, how, with whom, and why

Plan the implementation of the best alternative (this is your action plan)

1. Carefully consider, "What will the situation look like when the problem is solved?"
2. What steps should be taken to implement the best alternative to solving the problem? What
systems or processes should be changed, for example, a new procedure?
3. How will you know if the steps are being followed or not? (these are your indicators of the
success of your project)
4. What resources will you need for people, budget, and facilities?
5. How much time will you need to implement the solution? Write a schedule that includes
the start and stop times and when you expect to see specific indicators of success.
6. Who will primarily be responsible for ensuring the plan’s implementation?
7. Write down the answers to the above questions and consider this your action plan.

An essential aspect of this step in the problem-solving process is continual observation and
feedback.

Continual observation and feedback play a crucial role in the problem-solving process, particularly
in identifying the research problem. Continual observation helps in consistently assessing the
problem context, while feedback aids in validating observations and gaining varied perspectives,
both of which contribute to refining and shaping the research problem effectively.

JU/JIT Construction Engineering and Management 4

Scientific Research Methods Dr. Engr. Bien Maunahan

Research Questions

Use chapter 1 on how we formulate questions.

Example 1, Researcher No. 1 wanted to study if there is a knowledge gap in the insurance
industry about construction work and if there is also an attitude by construction firms that
paying premiums is an unnecessary cost due to the less emphasis they give to insurance.
For this example, the research question is:

What is the level of understanding of the importance of insurance policies by

building construction stakeholders?

Example 2, Researcher No. 2 wanted to investigate the impact of communication

breakdowns in large-scale construction projects, specifically analyzing how ineffective
communication channels among project stakeholders lead to delays, cost overruns, and
reduced project quality. For this the research question:

'How do communication inefficiencies among stakeholders contribute to delays,

cost escalations, and diminished quality in major construction endeavors?'"

Once the research problem has been stated, it is possible to display the tentative title of the study.

For the 1st example, it is:

INSURANCE AS A RISK MANAGEMENT TOOL IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

PROJECTS

State the title succinctly (concise). It will help if you read it repeatedly to remove
unnecessary words. Finally, note that the study’s title is not the same as the research
problem or question in both examples.

JU/JIT Construction Engineering and Management 5

Scientific Research Methods Dr. Engr. Bien Maunahan

Research Objectives
The research objectives indicate what the researcher expects to achieve by doing the study.

In example No 1, the objectives are to:

 assess the existing knowledge gap within the insurance industry ways to
reduce the rate of injuries.
 Engage diverse stakeholders within the construction sector on the
importance of insurance policies.

In example no 2, the objectives are to:

 investigate how communication issues among stakeholders cause delays,

increased costs, and lower quality in large-scale construction project.
 Explore solutions to fix communication problems and suggest better ways
for stakeholders to communicate, aiming to reduce delays, costs, and
improve project quality.

Usually, there are three research objectives, or can be two or more, but limit the number
of specific objectives. We often want to determine, test, assess, analyze, develop, identify,
estimate, compare, or ascertain something. The research process is not a research
objective. For example, “to review the literature” is not a research objective. Similarly,
“to recommend” is not a research objective. The review is what you need to do, not what
you intend to achieve.

Significance of the study

 Importance, rationale, justification, or motivation

 Define the reasons behind the selection of this research topic
 Should illustrate why the researcher is conducting the selected topic and
whom it shall benefit
 The composition of this topic in the inverted triangle which means
importance from the general to specific aspects/shareholders

JU/JIT Construction Engineering and Management 6

Scientific Research Methods Dr. Engr. Bien Maunahan

Justification
The justification for the research answers the question, “why are you studying this?” There
should be a clear justification for why a researcher is conducting particular research. In
other words, the study should significantly impact the community. It may be based on
theoretical or practical grounds, such as contributing to knowledge or solving practical
problems. It should not be personal. For example, researching to earn a degree or learn
about a particular topic does not constitute a justification for the research.

For our two examples, Example No. 1 lies in recognizing the potential results of a lack of
understanding within the insurance industry regarding construction risks and the potential
repercussions of negative attitudes towards insurance premiums in the construction sector.

Likewise, in Example 2, researcher no. 2 provided three justifications for his study. First,
Ineffective communication among stakeholders directly impacts project performance by
causing delays, cost overruns, and reduced project quality. Clear and efficient
communication is pivotal for coordinating tasks, making timely decisions, and ensuring
everyone involved understands their roles and responsibilities. Second, Poor
communication practices in construction projects frequently result in significant cost
overruns. These overruns stem from misunderstandings, rework, and delays in decision-
making processes, ultimately impacting project budgets and profitability. Third,
Communication breakdowns not only affect project schedules and budgets but can also
compromise project quality and safety standards. Misinterpretation of instructions or
delayed responses due to communication gaps can lead to compromised work quality and
potentially unsafe working conditions.

These two examples share some standard features. First, the researchers believe they are
trying to solve significant problems. Second, in justifying their research, they point to the
research gap by briefly identifying the relevant literature.

How do these researchers know the research gaps? They may arise from personal or work
experience, informal discussions with experts, casual observations of data patterns, a desire

JU/JIT Construction Engineering and Management 7

Scientific Research Methods Dr. Engr. Bien Maunahan

to challenge folklore, reading the news on a new process, product, policy, intuition, or,
more commonly, a brief survey of the literature. The researcher reviews what is known
about the problem and then tries to figure out the research gaps. In the process, he may
have some hunches or intuition about the issue and stands to gain substantially by
consulting seasoned researchers on how to go about crafting the research question.

For students or beginners, this type of feedback is essential. Sometimes a simple remark
that “this problem is not researchable” or “it has been well researched” will set you
thinking critically instead of blindly searching for a research problem. More often, the
experienced researcher (advisers) will hint to the student to refine his research question.
This may take many iterations, and one must take it positively as a learning process.

Scope
The research problem does not fall from the sky. It usually starts with a broad research
topic. The researcher then scopes it into flexible terms to solve the problem within time
and cost constraints.

For the researcher of example no. 1, Analyzing the extent of the knowledge gap within the
insurance industry regarding construction-related risks, assessing attitudes and perceptions
of construction firms towards insurance premiums, engaging diverse stakeholders,
identifying contributing factors to knowledge gaps and negative attitudes, comparing
industry practices, recommending policy changes or educational initiatives, and
acknowledging study limitations.

The researcher of example no. 2 Examining various communication challenges among

stakeholders throughout different project phases, analyzing technological influences,
evaluating their impact on project performance metrics, identifying best practices,
considering geographical and cultural factors, and proposing effective recommendations
to mitigate breakdowns and enhance communication strategies for successful project
outcomes.

JU/JIT Construction Engineering and Management 8

Scientific Research Methods Dr. Engr. Bien Maunahan

Organization of Study

The final section of the first chapter of a research report contains a short description of how
you have organized the study.
For instance, you may state that:
Chapter 2 provides the literature review and develops the hypothesis. The
methodology is given in Chapter 3, where it consists of a regression model
using a sample of 200 houses. Data on house prices and characteristics
were collected using valuation reports. Chapter 4 provides the regression
results, and Chapter 5 concludes the study.

This section should be brief, as the details will

Be discussed in each chapter. It merely
Provides a road map of what is
In the research report

JU/JIT Construction Engineering and Management 9