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

2. 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

3. 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?

4. 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

5. OVERVIEW General Topic Research Problem Research Statement
Research Questions
Specific

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. LITERATURE PRIORITY
PARENT
RELATIONAL
CORE

10. 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,

11. Databases
ERIC (Educational Resources Information Centre) (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)

12. 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)

13. From Creswell (2002).