LESSON 3: IDENTIFYING THE INQUIRY AND STATING THE PROBLEM

Question 1

the educational issues, controversies, or concerns that guide the need for conducting a study.

Answer 1

RESEARCH PROBLEM

Question 2

To locate the research problem in a study, ask yourself
1. What was the issue, problem, or controversy that the researcher wanted to address?
2. What controversy leads to a need for this study?
3. What was the concern being addressed “behind” this study?
4. Is there a sentence like “The problem addressed in this study is . . .”?

Answer 2

note

Question 3

True or False
The research problem needs to stand on its own and be recognized as a distinct step because it represents the problem addressed in the study.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

different parts of research

Answer 4

• A research topic is the broad subject matter addressed by the study. Maria, for example, seeks to study weapon possession by students in schools.
• A research problem is a general educational issue, concern, or controversy addressed in research that narrows the topic. The problem Maria addresses is the escalating violence in schools due, in part, to students possessing weapons.
• A purpose is the major intent or objective of the study used to address the problem. Maria might state the purpose of her study as follows: “The purpose of my study will be to identify factors that influence the extent to which students carry weapons in high schools.”
• Research questions narrow the purpose into specific questions that the researcher would like answered or addressed in the study. Maria might ask, “Do peers influence students to carry weapons?”

Question 5

improve this research model

Answer 5

Poor model. The researcher intends to identify the research problem but instead presents it as a
purpose statement: The purpose of this study is to examine women’s education in Third World
countries.
Improved model. A revision of it as a research problem: Women in Third World countries are
restricted from attending universities and colleges because of their societies’ culturally oriented,
patriarchal norms.

Question 6

improve this research model

Answer 6

Poor model. A researcher intends to write about the research problem but instead identifies the
research question: The research question in this study is “What factors influence homesickness in
college students?”
Improved model. An improved version as a research problem: Homesickness is a major issue on
college campuses today. When students get homesick, they leave school or start missing classes,
leading to student attrition or poor achievement in classes during their first semester of college.

Question 7

A research problem is deemed appropriate when the literature supports it and is considered significant, timely, novel, specific, and researchable

Answer 7

just yes

Question 8

Your research problem should be relevant to the field and supported by several recent peer-reviewed studies

Answer 8

Supported by the Literature

Question 9

Your research problem should have a positive impact on the field. The impact can be practical, in the form of direct application of the results in the field, or conceptual, where the work advances the field by filling a knowledge gap

Answer 9

Significant

Question 10

Your research problem should be related to the current needs in the field and well-suited for the
present status of the issues in your field. Explore what topics are being covered in current journals in
the field. Look at calls from relevant disciplinary organizations. Review your research center agenda
and focused topics.

Answer 10

Timely

Question 11

Your research problem should be original and unique. It should seek to address a gap in our
knowledge or application. An exhaustive literature review can help you identify whether the problem
has already been addressed

Answer 11

novel

Question 12

Research problems are solved through the scientific method. This means research-ability or feasibility
of the problem is more important than all of the above characteristics. You, as the researcher, should
be able to solve the problem with your abilities and available research methods, designs, research
sites, resources, and timeframe

Answer 12

Researchable

Question 13

The statement of the problem section includes the actual research problem as well as four other
aspects:

Answer 13

1. The topic
2. The research problem
3. A justification of the importance of the problem as found in the past research and practice
4. The deficiencies in our existing knowledge about the problem
5. The audiences that will benefit from a study of the problem

Question 14

Subject area

Answer 14

topic

Question 15

A concern or issue, a “problem”

Answer 15

Research Problem

Question 16

Evidence from the literature or practical experience

Answer 16

Justification for the research problem

Question 17

Evidence that is missing

Answer 17

deficiencies in the evidence

Question 18

Audiences that will profit from the study

Answer 18

Relating the discussion to audiences

Question 19

Flow of ideas in a “statement of the problem”

Answer 19

Topic -> Research problem -> Justification for the research problem -> deficiencies in the evidence -> Relating the discussion to audiences

Question 20

a written summary of journal articles, books, and other documents that describes
the past and current state of information on the topic of your research study. It also organizes the
literature into subtopics and documents the need for a proposed study

Answer 20

A literature review

Question 21

True or false
a good
review might also contain other information drawn from conference papers, books, and government
documents

Answer 21

true

Question 22

true or false
In composing a literature review, you may only cite articles that are either quantitative or
qualitative studies.

Answer 22

false

Question 23

FIVE STEPS IN CONDUCTING A LITERATURE REVIEW (Creswell, 2012)

Answer 23

1. Identify key terms to use in your search for literature.
2. Locate literature about a topic by consulting several types of materials and data-bases,
   including those available at an academic library and on the Internet.
3. Critically evaluate and select the literature for your review.
4. Organize the literature you have selected by abstracting or taking notes on the literature and
   developing a visual diagram of it.
5. Write a literature review that reports summaries of the literature for inclusion in your research
   report.

Question 24

narrowing your topic to a few key terms using one or two words or short
phrases. You should choose these carefully because they are important for initially locating literature in
a library or through an Internet search (Creswell, 2012).

Answer 24

I. Identify key terms

Question 25

Having identified key terms, you can now begin the search for relevant literature. You might be tempted
to begin your search by accessing the Internet and exploring the electronic literature available on a
topic. use library as well

Answer 25

II. Locate literature

Question 26

Once you locate the literature,
you need to determine if it is a good source to use and whether it is relevant to your particular research
Is it a good, accurate source?
Is It Relevant?

Answer 26

III. Critically Evaluate and Select the Literature

Question 27

things to consider research

Answer 27

• Topic relevance: Does the literature focus on the same topic as your proposed study?
• Individual and site relevance: Does the literature examine the same individuals or sites you want
  to study?
• Problem and question relevance: Does the literature examine the same research problem you
  propose to study? Does it address the same research question you plan to address?
• Accessibility relevance: Is the literature available in your library or can you download it from a
  Web site? Can you obtain it easily from the library or a Web site?

Question 28

This process involves photocopying and filing the literature. At this
time, you might quickly read it, take notes on it, and determine how it fits into the overall literature. You
might also construct a visual picture of the literature—a literature map—that helps organize it,

Answer 28

IV. Organize the Literature

Question 29

provides a structure for citing references, labeling headings, and
constructing tables and figures for a scholarly research report

Answer 29

style manual

Question 30

are references
cited in a brief format within the body of
the text to provide credit to the authors

Answer 30

Within-text references

Question 31

are the references
listed at the end of a research report. In
APA form, they are double spaced and
listed alphabetically by the author

Answer 31

End-of-Text References

Question 32

s. Researchers use
procedures to summarize each study, providing a clear reference to it, and write the literature review.
This writing requires pulling together all aspects of the review to this point, such as using an appropriate style, and employing specific writing strategies

Answer 32

V. Write a Literature Review