The state university of Zanzibar

The institute of tourism

1
Research Problems, Research Questions, and
Hypotheses
STUDENT OBJECTIVES
On completing this chapter, you will be able to:
1) Identify research topics, problems, and purposes
2) Identify sources of research problems or Research topic
3) formulate of Research aims and research objectives
4) Outline types of research objectives
5) Outline characteristic of research objectives
6) List verbs used to formulate research objectives
7) Compose a good problem statement for a Qualitative and
quantitative study
8) Describe the function and characteristics of research
hypotheses and distinguish different types of hypotheses
Flowchart of the Development of a Research Idea
 TOPIC, PROBLEM, PURPOSE AND QUESTIONS

Genera Topic Corruption

l

Research Corruption in government

Problem

Purpose To study why corruption is

Statement evidence in government today?

Specific Does the use of social media helps to

Research expose corruption in government
Questions today?
What is a research topic?

Before a research project can begin, a research topic/ area must be

chosen
A research topic is a broad problem area that contains numerous
potential research problems.
A Research Topic is the subject or subject matter of a proposed study
that a researcher identifies early in the preparation of a study.
A research topic – also referred to as a ‘concept’, the ‘phenomenon of
interest to the researcher’ or the ‘domain of inquiry’ – acts as the basis for
question generation. the topic can be categorized according to several
major areas:
Human resource
 Tour guiding
 Ecotourism
Destination marketing
Customer service
Waste management
Note: each topic contains numerous potential research problems to
guide quantitative and qualitative studies
A research problem is a statement about an area of concern, a
condition to be improved, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling
question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or in practice.
A research problem is an enigmatic, perplexing, or troubling
condition that need for meaningful understanding and deliberate
investigation.
Research problem refers to some difficulty that the researcher
experiences in the context of either a theoretical or practical situation
and to which the researcher wants to obtain a solution.
Both qualitative and quantitative researchers identify a research
problem within a broad topic area of interest.
Sources of research topic /research problems
1) Professional experience
2) Reviewing Existing Literature
3) Existing theory
4) Contemporary social concerns and problems
5) Discussion with colleagues and peers (Brainstorming with
others)
6) Advice from an active researcher or supervisors
Sources of research topic /research problems
industry problems
Problems experienced by practitioners can be an important source of
both research topics and funding, as industry may wish to sponsor
research towards solving these problems.
industry trends
Apart from specific problems, industry trends, or general areas of
concern to managers and organizations, can be a fruitful source.
Literature studies
Research topics can of course emerge directly from a literature
review.
Previous research
Some students base their research on a topic that arose in previous
studies of other researchers Similarly, many experienced researchers
find that new research topics emerge from their own research.
Sources of research topic /research problem
Personal experience
The researcher’s practical experience may also help to identify
good research topics. Perhaps the reason for initiating research
is a desire to learn how to deal with problems that one has
experienced.
Networking
Research topics can emerge from social networks and
activities – friends, colleagues, conference presentations,
supervisors, etc.
Funding bodies
Numerous entities fund research studies, and often their calls
for proposals can be a fruitful source of research topics as they
are directly linked to funding opportunities.
Government Publications
Sometimes, government policies, intentions, or opinions are made
public via government publications such as memos, circulars,
whitepapers, gazettes, newspapers, or radio and television ads.
Considerations in selecting a research problem/topic
Interest
Interest should be the most important consideration in selecting a
research problem.
Magnitude of the topic
The researcher ought to understand the scope so that he/she may
narrow the topic down to something manageable, specific and clear.
Level of expertise – Make sure you have an adequate level of
expertise for the task you are proposing.
Relevance
Select a topic that is of relevance to you as a professional. Ensure
that your study adds to the existing body of knowledge, bridges
current gaps or is useful in policy formulation
Availability of data
The researcher has to select the topic that it will easy for him to
obtain both secondary and primary data.
Ethical issues
Another important consideration in formulating a research problem is
the ethical issues involved. In the course of conducting a research
study.
Topic to avoid
Too big. For example, ‘Human resource management – innovative
international perspectives’.
Too trivial means having little value or importance
Lacking in resource materials and people
Too technical. Some projects are more concerned with solving
highly technical problems rather than organizational or social
research
Dependent on the completion of another project
Unethical. Avoid taking on projects that can damage other people
physically, emotionally or intellectually
COMMUNICATING RESEARCH PROBLEMS
The Problem Statement section is the heart of the research paper
The Problem Statement section deals with the reality of the problem
you are investigating
What is research Problem Statement?
A problem statement refers to the description that identifies the
nature of the problem that is being addressed in the study and,
typically, its context and significance.
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.
A problem statement is an expression of the dilemma or disturbing
situation that needs investigation for the purposes of providing
understanding and direction.
 A viable problem statement is both concise and precise,
explains something that is wrong and in need of correction
 It often anchored with the most current numbers or statistics
to illustrate its significance.
 A lack of research on the topic, often termed a “gap” in
research in and of itself is not a problem.
 There should be few or no direct quotes in the problem
statement.
 Most problem statements are 200 to 250 words.
 It is important that references and citations be included in
the actual problem statement when appropriate.
The objective of a problem statement
1. To persuade your reader that the project is
feasible, appropriate, and worthwhile
2. To capture and maintain your reader’s attention
Component of statements of the Problem
1. Problem identification: What is wrong with the current
situation?
2. Background: What is the nature of the problem, or the
context of the situation, that readers need to understand?
3. Scope of the problem: How big a problem is it, how many
people are affected?
4. Consequences of the problem: What is the cost of not
fixing the problem?
5. Efforts that have been taken to solve the problem
5. Research gaps: What information about the problem is
lacking? (inadequate research, inadequate methods of data
collection
Research Purpose Statement
Formulating Research Purpose Statement
A research purpose statement specifically states the purpose
or main goal of the research project
A purpose statement is a declarative sentence which
summarizes the specific topic and goals of a study.
It is typically included in the introduction to give the reader an
accurate, concrete understanding what the study
It is usually easy to identify a purpose statement because the
word purpose is explicitly stated:
“The purpose of this study is to……………………..
 A statement of purpose for a qualitative study -may
also use verbs such as
1. The purpose of this study is to understand…….
2. The purpose of this study is to discover………
3. The purpose of this study is to develop……..
4. The purpose of this study is to generate……..
5. The purpose of this study is to describe…….
6. The purpose of this study is to find out …….
7. The purpose of this study is to explore……
 A statement of purpose for a quantitative study -may
also use verbs such
1. The purpose of this study is to investigate …
2. The purpose of this study is to analyze …
3. The purpose of this study is to assess …
4. The purpose of this study is to examine …
5. The purpose of this study is to compare …
6. The purpose of this study is to test …
7. The purpose of this study is to evaluate …
Research aim/statement of the purpose

Research aim usually refers to the main goal or overarching

purpose of a research project. Sentences stating the aim of a
project are usually quite brief and to the point
Research objectives
A research aim will usually be followed by a series of
statements describing a project’s research objectives.
Research objectives indicate specific research topics or issues
the project plans to investigate, building on the main theme
stated in the research aim.
Marla develops this purpose statement
The purpose of this study is to describe the experiences of
poor women in accessing health care, using an action
research case study design.
The study will result in proposed actions to improve health
care in the community. At this stage in the research, health
care is defined as preventive health maintenance; access is
defined as the tone and climate in a clinic that signal
welcome or dismissal.
Elements of Research Purpose Statements
A strong research purpose statement generally includes information
about
1. Phenomenon under investigation
2. The population of interest/Group under study
3. Research setting.
4. Variable relationship being tested
5. Research approach
6. guiding theories
Marla develops this purpose statement
The purpose of this study is to describe the experiences of poor
women in accessing health care, using an action research case
study design.
The study will result in proposed actions to improve health care
in the community. At this stage in the research, health care is
defined as preventive health maintenance; access is defined as
the tone and climate in a clinic that signal welcome or dismissal.
RESEARCH AIM
A research aim is a brief statement of the purpose of the
research project. It is often written as a sentence stating what
researchers intend to achieve through your research.
A research Objectives are the goals researcher sets out to
attain in study. objectives inform a reader of what researcher
want to achieve through the study.
A research objective is a clear, concise, declarative
statement, which provides direction to investigate the variables
under the study.
NEED FOR OBJECTIVES
The formulation of research objectives will help the researcher
as follows
A clearly defined research objective will help to narrow down
the study and the researcher is able to focus on the study.
The formulation of research objectives helps the researcher
to avoid unnecessary accumulation of data that is not needed
for the chosen problem.
The formulation of objectives help organize the study results
in to main parts as per the pre-set objectives.
A well formulated objective will facilitate the development of
research methodology and will help to orient the collection,
analysis, interpretation &utilization of data.
Normally at least two or three research objectives will be
stated. It is good practice to put these in a numbered list so
they can be clearly identified later in a proposal or report.
Research objectives
These are the objectives that researcher will need to achieve to
answer the overall research question. They are essential in
guiding research approach.
Types of research objectives
Main objectives
The main objective is an overall statement of the thrust of your
study. It is also a statement of the main associations and
relationships that you seek to discover or establish.
Specific objectives
The sub objectives are the specific aspects of the topic that
researcher wants to investigate within the main framework of
study.
FORMULATING THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Once researcher define research problem/ topic, the research
has to formulate research question
Research questions are those that the researcher would like
answered or addressed in the study
Research questions are the specific queries researchers want
to answer in addressing the research problem.
Research questions guide the types of data to be collected in a
study.
Research questions
Research questions of a project are generated from the
research objectives. Research questions can be generated by
converting the research objectives to question.
If there are three research objectives in a project, there should
be Three research questions as well.
The first, second and third objectives should be related to the
first, second and third questions respectively.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Qualitative research seeks to answer the ‘what, how and why’
questions that arise in research. The ‘what, how and why’ questions
are open ended questions and they allow respondents to express
their views in detail about their experiences and emotions.
Quantitative research questions are different from qualitative
research because they are quantified. The introductory words of
quantitative research are ‘to what extent, how much, how many,
when’.
 The following research questions can be
good examples
1. Why are university students politically active in some countries
and not in others?
2. What factors affect marital satisfaction?
3. What factors influence experiences of depression among elderly
population?
4. Why do some democratic revolutions fail?
5. How does social class affect health outcomes for patients with
cardiovascular diseases?
6. Why is education migration more pronounced in Asia than in
other regions?
When you develop your topic into research questions, avoid
asking “yes/no” questions, such as “Do students use
drugs?” or “Does family income affect school performance?
Instead, ask research questions starting with why, what,
and how. Questions starting with why, what, and how
provide answers more sophisticated than a simple yes or
no.
Format for Qualitative questions
Qualitative questions are stated in an open-ended style, often
using “how” and “what” why questions.
This style of question emphasizes processes and how they are
experienced from the perspective of individuals or groups.
Central Question Guidelines
1. Begin with “How” or “What” “Why”
2. List the central phenomenon you plan to explore
3. Identify the participants and research site
Qualitative Central Question Script:
_________ (How or what) is the _________ (central
phenomenon) for _________ (participants) at _________
(research site).
Research hypotheses
Research hypotheses are predictions of a relationship
between two or more variables
Qualitative Examples:
a) How does local cuisine contribute to destination
attractiveness?
b) How does a president’s leadership style impact employee
engagement at saint university?
Quantitative Research Questions
Quantitative questions are stated in a way that directs the
writer to assess outcomes, measure consequences, and
statistically compare, relationships between different variables
and differences between groups.
Relationship research questions
Comparative research questions
Descriptive research questions
Relationship research questions
“Is there a relationship between …,” “What is the
relationship between …,”
1. Is there a relationship between autocratic management
style and the narcissistic behaviors of first- year
department managers
2. What is the relationship between exercise frequency
and level of physical fitness in adults aged 18-35?
2. Comparative research questions
• What is the difference in the daily protein intake between men
and women in America?
• What is the difference between watching a web series weekly
between a child and an adult?
• What is the difference in the usage of Facebook between
male and female American university students?
• What is the difference between autocratic management style
and the narcissistic behaviors of first-year department
managers?
Descriptive research questions
Usually, descriptive research questions begin with “ how much,”
“how often,” “what percentage,” “what proportion,” “To what
degree …,”
How often do students use mobile apps for shopping purposes?

In quantitative studies, the research questions of a project may

be followed by research hypotheses but qualitative studies are
not concerned with hypotheses testing.
Formulating Hypotheses

The hypothesis is the tentative answer to the research question

stated in the form of a relationship between two or more
variables known as independent variable or cause and
dependent variable or effect
The research hypothesis is the formal statement of the
researcher’s prediction of the specific relationship that exists
among the variables under investigation.
A hypothesis is a statement of the researcher’s expectations
about relationships between study variables.
Hypotheses are important primarily in quantitative studies
because
Quantitative research has the goal of identifying the
relationships that exist between sets of variables
Generation of a Hypothesis
Types of hypothesis
alternative hypothesis (Ha), that there is an effect or a
relationship.
Null hypotheses (Hn) state that no relationship exists between
the independent and dependent variables.
Hypotheses is composed of two variables
1. independent variable (IV)
2. dependent variables: (DV1)
Research title: The Impact of Motivation on the Employee
Performance and Job Satisfaction in IT Park
alternative hypothesis (Ha)
Motivation has direct positive effect on employee performance.
Motivation has direct positive effect on job satisfaction.
Research topic:
The Impact of Motivation on the Employee Performance
and Job Satisfaction in IT Park
Examples of Null hypotheses (Hn)
Motivation has no direct positive effect on employee
performance.
Motivation has no direct positive effect on job satisfaction.