IDENTIFYING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM A/Professor Denis McLaughlin School of Educational Leadership

DEFINITION Research problems are educational issues or concerns studied by researchers In education, a problem is a concern to educators that exists in educational settings

Ask yourself To help locate your research problem for your thesis, ask yourself such questions as: What was the issue/problem you want to study? What is the concern being addressed “behind” this study? Why do you want to undertake this study? Why is this study important to the scholarly community?

DEFINING TERMS Research Problem: Educational issue/problem in a study Research Topic: Broad subject matter being addressed in a study Purpose: Major intent or object of study Research Questions: Questions to answer or address in a study

OVERVIEW General Topic Research Problem Research Statement Research Questions Specific

PROBLEM RESEARCHABILITY 1. Will your research contribute to knowledge and practice? It fills a void or extends existing research It replicates a study with new participants or a new site Problem has not be studied or understudied It gives “voice” to people not heard, silenced, or rejected in society It informs practice 2. Accessed to people & sites 3. Time, Resources and skills Therapy 5. To prove what your already know

DESIGNING & WRITING THE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The research problem within this study Justification for the problem (based on past research and practice) Shortcoming of past research or practice The importance / significance of the problem

GETTING STARTED Write down the purpose statement of your study Embedded in this purpose statement are key terms that will help you to start your literature review This part of the literature review searches for core literature and it should focus almost exclusively on empirical studies Look for studies similar to your problem statement in Australia. Look for studies similar to your problem statement in other countries.

LITERATURE PRIORITY PARENT RELATIONAL CORE

WHERE TO START Encyclopedia of educational research (Alkin, 1992) The appendix ‘Doing library research in education’ is brilliant Handbooks International Handbooks of Educational Administration, Educational Leadership, Lifelong Learning etc quickly introduce you to the major players and research issues in your study Theses Overseas – Dissertation abstracts, US computer disks British Dissertation abstracts Australia – Cunningham library, ACER, www.acer.edu.au

Databases ERIC (Educational Resources Information Centre) www.accesseric.org. (world’s largest source of information – one million abstracts) Australian Education Index (AUSINET) Current index to journals in education and resources in education: locate through ERIC Social Science Citation Index: CDROM Online Journals (anbar) 8. Google (search engine)

INITIAL ORGANISING THE LITERATURE Print out your research problem and research purpose statement in font size 20pt & bold & adhere to a place near your computer where your regularly see. Do not be a dilettante . You need to get a reasonably solid grasp of your proposed topic relatively quickly in order to focus or flick. Read, categorise, file Construct a literature map (different from but a pre-requisite to a conceptual framework)

From Creswell (2002).