Research Problem and Methodology

¶ … represented by different methodologies, describing the purpose of every methodology and providing an example of a research problem for every methodology. The ideas that will be discussed in this paper include exemplifying what encompasses a research problem and also making comparisons and contrasts between qualitative research and quantitative research with respect to their strengths and weaknesses.

Matrix

Experimental Research

Correlational Study

Grounded Theory

Ethnography

Quantitative

Quantitative Study

Quantitative Study

Qualitative Study

Qualitative study

Qualitative study

To enable the researcher manipulate one variable while measuring other variables and therefore making it possible to examine cause and effect of research problems

To measure the relationship or correlation that exists between two variables

To question and interrogate a massive group of people regarding their philosophies and standpoints on a certain phenomenon

To develop a theory or theoretical model where none exists in the literature in relation to the sample

To describe and interpret a cultural or social group of individuals to another culture or group

To develop a comprehensive analysis of a single case or manifold cases in which all of the conceivable internal and external relationships are taken into consideration.

Example of Research Problem

What is the effect of Adderall medication on the attention span of children suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?

Is there a correlation between individual intelligence and academic performance?

Survey of retired individuals regarding their key worries on life without working

What fundamental theory

elucidates teacher's shifting

from customary assessment

philosophies and practices to unconventional, performance-based assessment philosophies and practices?

What is the nature of the difficulties a teacher faces when he starts utilizing a non-conventional method to teaching, subsequent to having taught for ten years using a very traditional method?

University response to to a shooting incident in which a student attempted to shoot at his fellow classmates

What Constitutes a Research Problem?

A research problem can be delineated as a definite or clear statement regarding a field of concern, a situation to be enhanced upon, a difficulty to be eradicated, or a disconcerting question that is existent in scholarly literature, theoretically, or within prevailing practice that points toward a necessity for significant understanding and measured investigation. It is imperative to note that a research problem does not proclaim how to undertake things, provide an ambiguous extensive proposition, or present a value question (Labaree, 2009). In research, a problem research is purposed to instigate the reader to the significance of the topic in study. This takes into account the importance of the study, the research questions, the hypotheses as well as any suppositions made. It is also purposed to place the topic into a certain framework that delineated the factors of what is to be examined. Lastly, the research problem offers the context for reporting the outcomes and points out what is conceivably needed to conduct the study and elucidate the manner in which the finding will present this information (Bryman, 2007). Research emanates with at least one problem or statement regarding one phenomenon of interest. The research problem facilitates a researcher to emphasize thoughts, manage endeavors, and select the fitting approach, or standpoint from which to make sense of every phenomenon of interest.

Compare and Contrast the Strengths and Weaknesses of Qualitative Research and Quantitative Research

Two of the most common approaches for conducting research are qualitative and quantitative research. Each of these methods has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research provides data that can be expressed and examined in numbers. One of the strengths of this approach is that it provides data that is descriptive. In turn, this makes it possible for the researcher to obtain a picture of the data sample or population. In particular, in this research, the correlation that exists between the independent and dependent variables are examined comprehensively. The strong suit of this is that it makes the researcher impartial regarding the findings of the study. Another advantage of qualitative research is that it necessitates a short time period for surveys that are conducted. Therefore, it is not time consuming (Johnson and Christensen, 2008).

The aforementioned strong suits of this research approach can, nonetheless, also be its shortcomings. One of the downsides is that it lacks any kind of human standpoint or beliefs. Therefore, this implies that it fails to offer a comprehensive delineation of the experience of the population in the study. It lacks sufficient information and this is a disadvantage. Another downside is that efficacious quantitative research characteristically necessitates a large sample size, at times, numerous thousand participants. Nevertheless, the lack of resources at times makes this kind of large scale research hard to accomplish. Another downside is that at times the researchers may lack the skills and resources necessitated to conduct a comprehensive quantitative investigation (Choy, 2014).

Qualitative Research