ELAINE DIANE D. IDANO Individual Report No. 2 November 26, 2011 Dr. Juliet A.

Catane THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HYPOTHESES

1. INTRODUCTION The research problem is often argued as the heart of the research process, without which no research process can take place. In formulating the problem the variables must be eminent and easily identifiable while a hypothesis should accompany each research problem. Once a research problem is clearly defined, it should be translated into a research hypothesis that states; a relationship between two or more variables in one (or more) population(s).Thus the assignment will reflect on the linkage of the research problem, research hypothesis and the existing variables.

Firstly, the research problem will be explored, its importance, sources of the research problem, considerations as well as steps to be followed when formulating a research problem. Secondly, identification of variables will be discussed using the three common types of variables and the four prominent scales of

measurement.Lastly,the definition ,functions,characteristics,types and errors in testing hypothesis will be discussed.

2. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM A research problem is the first step and the most important requirement in the research process. It serves as the foundation of a research study thus if well

formulated, you expect a good study to follow. According the Kerlinger; in order for one to solve a problem, one must know what the problem is. The large part of the problem is knowing what one is trying to do. A research problem and the way you formulate it determines almost every step that follows in the research study. Formulation of the problem is like the input into the study and the output is the quality of the contents of the research report. A research problem is often accompanied by research question(s). A Research Question is a statement that identifies the phenomenon to be studied. For example, What resources are helpful to new and minority drug abuse researchers? (www.theresearchassistant.com).

Bless et al (2006:29) write that, in some cases research problems or questions are defined too vaguely and too generally. An important point to keep in mind when defining or formulating a research problem is that it should be specific rather than general. When a problem or question is specific and focused, it becomes amore answerable research question than if it remained general and unfocused. A well formulated problem is already a half-solved problem .A research problem is expressed as a general question about the relationship between two or more variables. The formulation of a problem introduces the necessity of defining clearly all concepts used and of determining the variables and their relationships. If you know a lot about the topic, you can develop a research question based on your own knowledge. If you feel you don't know much about the topic, think again (www.esc.edu/esconline).

2.1THE IMPORTANCE OF FORMULATING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

According to Kumar (2005:40) research formulation is like the identification of a destination before undertaking journey. As in the absence of a destination, it is impossible to identify the shortest-or indeed any route in the absence of a clear research problem, a clear economical plan is impossible. A research problem is like the foundation of a building. The type and design of a building is dependant upon the foundation of a building.

2.2 SOURCES OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS Kumar (2005:41) writes that most research in the humanities revolves around four Ps thus People, Problems, Programs, and Phenomena

2.3 CONSIDERATIONS IN SELECTING A RESEARCH PROBLEM According to Kumar (2005:43) there are a number of considerations to keep in mind when selecting a research problem/topic. These considerations are; interest, magnitude, measurement of concepts, level of expertise, relevance, availability of data and ethical issues. Bailey (1982:19) is of the contention that there are six factors affecting problem selection. These factors are; the sociological paradigm, the researchers values, the degree of reactivity inherent in a particular method deemed appropriate for gathering data, the researchers methodology, the unit of analysis chosen (small or big) and time factor thus, whether the study deals with a cross section of the population at cone point in time or is a longitudinal study conducted over time. Thus it can be deduced that a handful of considerations and factors should be considered when selecting a research problem.

2.4 STEPS IN THE FORMULATION OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

According to http://wiki.answers.com, the following are Steps involved in formulating a research problem: 1. Identify a broad area of interest in your academic /professional field. 2. Dissect the broad area into sub-areas by having a brain storming session with your colleagues. 3. Select the sub-area in which you would like to conduct your research through the process of elimination. 4. Reverse the research questions that you would like to answer through your study. This can be after formulation of the objectives of can lead you to the formulation of the objective. 5. Assess these objectives to ascertain the feasibility of attaining them in the light of time and other issues like finances and human resource expertise.

3. HYPOTHESES FORMULATION Hypotheses, though important, are not essential for a study. A perfectly valid study can be conducted without constructing a single hypothesis. There are however many definitions of a hypothesis but for the purpose of this assignment the following definitions can be given; a conjectural statement of the relationship between two or more variables (Kerlin 1986:17).

a tentative assumption or preliminary statement about the relationship between two or more things that needs to be examined(Welman et al 2005:12

tentative statement about something, the validity of which is usually unknown (Black and Champion 1976:126).

a proposition that is stated in a testable form and that predicts a particular relationship between two (or more) variables.ln other words, if we think that a relationship exists, we first state it as a hypothesis and then test the hypothesis in the field (Bailey 1978:35).

Thus from the given definitions it can be deduced that a hypothesis is a premade statement of the results of an investigation indicating the relationship between two or more variables that awaits verification.

3.1 FUNCTIONS OF A HYPOTHESIS Hypotheses are important for bringing clarity, specifity and focus to a research study (Kumar 2005:79).Hypotheses does so by exposing ;the specific aspects of a research problem, important data to a study, focus and finally may enable the researcher to add to the formulation of theory. Hypotheses may only add to the formulation of theory after they have been proven to be true.

3.2 CHARACTERISTICS OF A HYPOTHESIS Kumar (2005:75) outlines four major aspects of a hypothesis. Firstly a hypothesis should be simple, specific and conceptually clear.Secondly,it should be capable of verification.Thirdly,it should be related to the existing body of knowledge and lastly it should be operationalisable thus expressible in terms that can be measured.

3.3 TYPES OF HYPOTHESIS Broadly, there are two categories of hypothesis namely, the research hypothesis and the alternate hypothesis. The research hypothesis is the basis of an

investigation and is usually indicated by H1.The alternate hypothesis there to explicitly specify the relationship that will be considered true if in case the research hypothesis proves to be wrong.

3.4 ERRORS IN TESTING A HYPOTHESIS Incorrect conclusions about the validity of a hypothesis can be reached if; the study design selected is faulty, the sampling procedure adopted is faulty, the method of data collection is inaccurate, analysis is wrong, statistical procedures applied are inappropriate and conclusions drawn are incorrect .There are two common errors when testing a hypothesis. The first error involves rejection of a null hypothesis when it is true and this is called Type 1 error. The second error involves acceptance of a null hypothesis when it is false and this is called Type 11 error(Kumar 2005:79) .Thus when testing a hypothesis especially when more numerical figures are involved, it is essential that every step should be approached with utmost discreetness or else Type 1 or 11 errors may occur.

4. CONCLUSION The research problem is the heart of the research process hence can not be selected in a vacuum thus some considerations and factors have to be considered. Sources of research problems revolve around the four Ps, People, Problems, Programs, and Phenomena. Formulation of a research problem is a process thus involves following steps. Variables are measurable factors that can assume more than one value and three types of important variables can distinguished; independent, dependant and extraneous variables. Nominal scale, ordinal scale, interval scale and ratio scale are the different types of measurement scale which we

use to classify variables. A hypothesis is a tentative statement of the results of an investigation indicating the relationship between two or more variables that awaits verification. Hypotheses enable the researcher to add the formulation of theory if proved to be true. The research hypothesis and the alternate hypothesis are the most important when carrying out or analyzing research process. However errors may occur when testing hypothesis, Type 1 and Type 2 errors are the common errors. Conclusively a research problem is vital to the research process, and each problem will always variables whose relationship is expressed in the research hypothesis, thus there is a close relationship between the research problem, the variables and the hypothesis.

Reference List
Babbie, E .2007. (11th edition).The Practice of Social Research.Belmont: Thompson Wadsworth. Bailey, K.D.1982. (2nd edition).Methods of Social Research, London: The Free Press. Kumar, R. (2005).Research Methodology: A Step by Step Guide for Beginners. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi: Sage Publications. Leedy, P.D and Ormrod, J.E.2001 (7th edition).Practical research: Planning and Design. New York: Prentice-Hall. Welman.Kruger.Mitchell.2005 (3rd edition).Research Methodology. Southern Africa: Oxford University Press. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_Procedures_used_in_Formulating_a_Research_Pr oblem as it appeared on 24 Mar 2009 13:09:13 GMT (accessed on 15 April 2009). http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~smarkham/resources/scaling.htm as it appeared on 9 Apr 2009 07:29:25 GMT(accessed on 15 April 2009).