CHAPTER TWO

DEFINING RESEARCH PROBLEM & HYPOTHESIS FORMULATION

2.1. Meaning of the Research Problem

In the last unit, you were introduced to the meaning of research as well its types, process and
features. In this unit, we will focus on the research problem and the formulation of the research
hypothesis. The most important aspect of the business research method is to identify the ‘what’,
i.e., what is the exact research question to which you are seeking an answer. The second important
thing is that the process of arriving at the question should be logical and follow a line of reasoning
that can lend itself to scientific enquiry. This reasoning approach needs to be converted into a
possible research question. And based on the initial study of the research topic, you should be able
to make certain assumptions which can lend direction to the study as research hypotheses.
Thus in this unit, we will understand how to identify a problem that can be subjected to research
and help us reduce decision risks. This will follow a structured and logical path to help us arrive
at the research problem. Next, we will learn how to convert this research question into research
hypotheses. The conduct of a research study usually requires that you write the steps you will take
to do the study in the form of a proposal. We will end the unit by understanding how one writes a
research proposal.
In research processes, the first step happens to be identifying and properly defining a research
problem. The researcher first must find any social, economic, business problem and formulate it
into research problem. The problem identified initially may be stated in broad general way and
then gradually the ambiguity will be resolved. The feasibility of a possible particular solution has
to be considered before formulating the problem. The best way of understanding a problem is to
discuss it with colleagues or those having some experience in the matter.

Problem formulation from the researcher point of view represents translating the managers, social
and other problems in to a research problem. In order this to happenthe researcher must understand
the origin and nature of the management (economic, environmental, and etc.) Like a medical
doctor, a researcher must examine all the symptoms (presented to him or observed by him)
concerning a problem before he can diagnose correctly. Problems and then be able to rephrase it
into meaningful terms from analytical point of view.

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WHAT IS A RESEARCH PROBLEM?
Defining the research problem is crucial and very hard part of a research process. It is crucial
because, the problem identified will provide us with the topic of the designed research and the
objective of the research. It is the most difficult and hard part of the research study because; there
is a cause and effect issue. It is commonly difficult to distinguish effect of a problem from the
cause of the problem.

A problem might be defined as the issue that exists in the literature, theory, or practice that leads
to a need for the study. A researcher must find the problem and formulate it so that it becomes
susceptible to research.

A research problem refers to some difficulty which a researcher experiences in the context of
either a theoretical or practical situation and wants to obtain a solution for the same. The researcher
should think on what caused the need to do the research. The question that he/she should ask
him/herself is: Are there questions about this problem to which answers have not been found up
to the present?

The researcher should be certain that the problem identified is a cause but not an effect. There is a
common say in research that “The problem clearly stated is a problem half solved”. This
signifies the importance of properly defining the problem. A proper definition of research problem
will enable the researcher to find answers to question such as

 What kind of data and information are relevant and needed to be studied?
 What relationship is to be explored among variables?
 What technique has to be used to collect and analyze data? And so forth
Therefore, defining a research problem properly is a prerequisite for any study and a very important
step. Even it is more essential than its solution.

2.2. TECHNIQUE INVOLVED IN DEFINING A PROBLEM

Let us start with the question: What does one mean when he/she wants to define a research
problem? The answer may be that one wants to state the problem along with the bounds within
which it is to be studied. In other words, defining a problem involves the task of laying down
boundaries within which a researcher shall study the problem with a pre-determined objective in
view.

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How to define a research problem is undoubtedly a herculean task. However, it is a task that must
be tackled intelligently to avoid the perplexity encountered in a research operation. The usual
approach is that the researcher should himself pose a question (or in case someone else wants the
researcher to carry on research, the concerned individual, organization or an authority should pose
the question to the researcher) and set-up techniques and procedures for throwing light on the
question concerned for formulating or defining the research problem. But such an approach
generally does not produce definitive results because the question phrased in such a fashion is
usually in broad general terms and as such may not be in a form suitable for testing.

Defining a research problem properly and clearly is a crucial part of a research study and must in
no case be accomplished hurriedly. However, in practice this a frequently overlooked which causes
a lot of problems later on. Hence, the research problem should be defined in a systematic manner,
giving due weight age to all relating points.

The research problem should be defined in a systematic manner. The technique involved in
defining a research problem has a number of steps, which should be under taken one after
another.

1. Statement of problem in a general way (Identify research area): First of all the problem
should be stated in a broad general way keeping with some practical, scientific and intellectual
interest. For that purpose the researcher must immerse him completely in the subject matter,
which he wishes to pose a problem.

In social science it is advisable to do some field observation and / or preliminary survey

(pilot survey). Then the researcher can himself state the problem or can seek guidance of the
subject expert.

Where to get an idea for research area

Professional Experience: The day-to-day observation of the incidences in the working places and
out of the working places.
Contact and Discussion with People: Contacts and discussions with research oriented people in
conferences, seminars or public lectures serve as important sources of problem.

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Inference from Theory: A research problem can be derived from a critical look into various
theories.
Professional Literature: Consultation of research reports, bibliographies of books and articles,
periodicals, research abstracts…
Technological and Social Change: Changes in technology or social environment such as changes
in attitudes, preferences, and policies of a nation.
Curiosity based on something in the media. E.g. Watched TV program on street children –
becomes a topic.
2. Understanding the nature of the problem: the next step is to understand clearly the nature
and the origin of the problem. The best way of understanding the problem is:
 To discuss with those who first raised the problem in order to know how the problem
originally come in view.
 To discuss it with those who have a good knowledge of the problem concerned or
similar other problem.
Two aspects of a problem’s background known as internal background and external background
have to be considered. The nature of the problem within the organization is known as internal
background. The total body of the knowledge on the topic that is available within an organization
might be in the form of published reports, records, and archives or in the memories of the other
persons in the organization. Any researcher has to first look into these sources when beginning a
research. The work that already exists on the problem, its causes and cures, and the method that
other researchers have approached the problem constitute the external background. Accessing and
assessing this earlier work is called as a review of the literature. This includes all the published
and unpublished material on the subject. A budding researcher has to undertake a serious and
sincere literature review to achieve a greater focus for the research. Examining the relevant index
of articles or a library catalogue is the first step in the literature review. Using various academic
search engines in the Internet would also help in this regard. For instance,
www.scholar.google.com can be a good source to identify the literature available in the electronic
format. Scanning several journal articles or books is also necessary. EBSCO, African Journals
Online and JSTOR are some of the potential electronic sources where students can access
published research works. Searching the literature and conducting a review would help in breaking

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the larger problem down into sub problems and facilitate the remaining steps in the research
process.

Some points to be observed when selecting a problem

The following points may have to be observed by a researcher in selecting a research problem or
a subject for research.

 Subject which is overdone (doing something too much) should be avoided since it will be
difficult to throw any new light in such cases for the average researcher.
 Controversial subjects should not become the choice of the average researcher.
 Too narrow or too broad or vague problems should be avoided
 The subject selected for the research should be familiar and feasible so that the research is
within the researcher’s reach.
 The importance of the subject matter, the qualification and the training of a researcher, and
 The cost involved and the time factor are few other factors that must be considered in
selecting a study topic.
3. Survey the available literature. All available literature concerning the problem must be
studied and examined before defining research problem. This means the researcher must be
familiar with:
 The relevant theory in the area. Theory has got the following role in overall research
studies
 Theory provides patterns of the interpretation of data
 It links on study with the other
 It supplies frameworks within which concepts and variables acquire special
significance.
 It allows us interpret the large meaning of our findings for ourselves and
others
 Reports and records and other literature in the concerned area
 Rearview research works undertaken on related problem. This is important especially
to learn what data and other material have been used and are available for operational
purpose
Knowledge about these all will help the researcher to narrow the problem down him.

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Generally, survey literature will enable researcher to know

 If there are certain gap in the theory

 Whether the existing theory applicable to the problem and consistent with
each other.
 Whether the findings of the research do or do not follow a pattern consistent
with the theoretical expectation.
 Study on a related problem is also useful for indicating the type of difficulty
that may be encountered in the present study.
Developing ideas through discussion: Discussion on a problem produces useful information.
Various new ideas can be discovered and developed through it. The researcher should discuss his
problem with colleagues and others who have enough experience in the same area. Such practice
is called ‘experience survey”

Peoples with rich experience are in a position to show the researcher different aspects of his
proposed study and their advice and comments are usually of high values.

4. Rephrasing the research problem (reformulation of the problem):Finally the researcher at

this stage should be able to reformulate the problem that has been stated in broad and general
way in to working proposition. The researcher should narrow and break down the problem
into its components variables and relationship. That is, problem should be expressed as:
a) a relationship between two or more variable
b) the problem should be stated either in question form or hypothesis form
Question form is appropriate mostly when the research is descriptive in nature. What important is
that when a researcher state the problem in question form the formulated problem should be free
from ambiguity and the relationship among variables should be clearly expressed

E.g.,

 Does a relationship exist between income of university students and score on their exams?
 Is there a relationship between employees' age and their productivity?
In above examples, the study’s main elements are identified in reasonably clear fashion.

The following points must be considered while redefining the research problem

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  Technical terms and words or phrased, with special meanings used in the statement of the
problem, should be clearly defined.
 Basic assumptions or postulates (if any) relating to the research problem should be
clearly defined.
 A straightforward statements of the value of the investigation, i.e., the criteria for the
selection of the problem) should be provided
 The suitability of the time period and the sources of data available must also be
considered by the researcher in defining the problem.
 The scope of the investigation or the limits within which the problem is to be studied
must be mentioned explicitly in defining the research problem.
Once the research problem or a situation that requires more information is identified, it has to be
broken down into as many parts or sub-problems as possible. For example, the following problem
can be considered. Some of the relevant sub-problems of this question are also provided below.

“How can the level of service provided to outpatients be improved without raising the operating
costs?”

 The type of organizations such as hospitals, health centers, health stations & health posts
 The category of the organizations (Higher and Medium)
 The ownership of the organizations (Public, Private and Non-Profit)
 Type of service that the patients require
 Location of the organizations (rural, urban, sub-urban, semi-urban)
 Operating and other costs

It is generally not possible to include all the sub-areas or components in the research study.
Therefore, they have to be prioritized so that the most important components are studied.
2.3. Elements of Sound Research Problem
A sound research problem should entail variables, research statement, research questions, gap,
uniqueness, empirical foundation and hypothesis.
A. Variables

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Anything that changes in value or varies in some way is known as a variable. The variable can be
measured in some way. It is said that variables are study questions that have been rephrased into
testable statements. In the previous example, the school drop out is a study question. The annual
rate of dropouts is a variable that can be measured. Gender, age, ethnic group of the drop out, level
of education of the dropout’s parents and the location of the dropout’s residence are some of the
other variables. The dropout’s attitudes or opinions about education in general, effectiveness of
the dropout’s teachers and the dropout’s need to work in order to support a family are also variables
in this context.

There are several types of variables. One way of dividing variables is based on the type of
numerical measurements they provide. Two categories of variables such as categorical and
continuous variables are available based on this classification. Categorical variables called as
discrete variables have a limited number of possible categories. Gender is an example, with just
two categories: female and male. Continuous variables can have an unlimited number of values.
Values for continuous variables can be measured on a continuous scale such as weights in grams
or height in centimeters. They are not restricted to specific, discrete categories or values as in the
case of categorical variables.

Another category of variables is dependent and independent. This classification is important in

causal research designs. Dependent variables are variables that are influenced in some way by
another variable or variables. Independent variables are the variables that act upon the dependent
variable(s). The following definitions about various other types of variables are very much relevant
in the research process.

Variable: A characteristic, quantity, or anything of interest that can have different values is known
as variable. Weight, monthly salary, gender and age are examples are variables. The values of
variables may be either continuous or categorical (discrete). The following examples can be
considered.
Variables Values
Sex Male, Female
Job Satisfaction Very much satisfied
Satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

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 Dissatisfied
Very much dissatisfied
Salary Actual Birr amount of salary
Fees paid for the course Actual Birr amount of fees
Independent variable: A variable that functions as the causal element in the hypothesis is known
as independent variable. A change in the value of an independent variable is said to “cause” a
positive or negative change in a dependent variable. Consider the hypothesis, “Poverty causes
crime.” Here poverty is an independent variable.

Dependent variable: A change in the value of dependent variable is hypothesized to have been
‘caused’ by a change in the level of the independent variable. In the previous hypothesis, the level
of crime is a dependent variable.

The following hypotheses provided by O’Sullivan and Rassel might be of relevance here. The
independent and dependent variables in these hypotheses can be identified.

Example 1. Suicides in jail are most likely to occur during the first twenty-four hours of
incarceration. In this hypothesis, twenty-four hours of incarceration can be interpreted as the period
of incarceration and might be called as independent variable. 'Suicides' in this hypothesis is a
dependent variable. This hypothesis is fairly clear for the purpose of identifying the dependent and
independent variables.

Example 2.Training programs improve the quality of life of the chronically unemployed. This
hypothesis is slightly vague. It does not specify the type of training programs. Secondly, what is
meant by quality of life is a question that may arise in somebody's mind. Finally, there may be
doubts like 'who are chronically unemployed?’ Here 'training programs' is an independent variable.
'The quality of life' is dependent variable.

B. Research Statement and Research questions

Research statement is a comprehensive sentence that vividly describes what a researcher wants to
attain in a certain scientific study. It dictates:
 The overall intent of the study
 The degree of openness or closeness of the study and
 The nature of data collection and analysis

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Research statement need to be completed within one sentence using words like: explore, explain,
understand, describe, investigate, examine and the like.

Research questions are translation of research statements to facilitate the data collection and
analysis process. These questions are expected to be specific, measurable and relevant. Research
questions may start with words like “what” “why” “how” “which of” “is there any..”. It is
recommended to design questions between two to four for a scientific inquiry.

Focus Research Question

In case the topic you have chosen is too broad for conducting research, you need to narrow it down
or focus the topic into a specific research question that you can address in the study. You may
consider this example.

Research idea: Technology

 Internet
 Use of internet in financial activities
 Internet banking
Then, you may ask ‘What effect has the growth of internet banking had upon the uses customers
make of branch facilities?’

A research question has one or a small number of causal relationships. E.g., Is social interaction at
workplace associate with motivation? It involves two variables: social interaction and motivation.
Likewise, ‘Is family size associated with income?’ we are concerned with two variables: family
and income. Techniques for narrowing a topic into a research question:

- Examine literatures – When learning about a topic and narrowing the focus, the researcher
usually reviews past research or literature, on the chosen topic. Published journal articles
provide ideas for research questions:
 Explore unexpected findings discovered in previous research
 Follow suggestions an author gives for future research at the end of an
article
 Extend an existing explanation or theory to a new topic or setting
 Challenge findings or attempt to refute a relationship

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 - Talk over ideas with others

- Apply to a specific context

 focus the topic onto a specific historical period or time period
 narrow the topic to a specific society or geographical unit
 consider which subgroups or categories of people/units are involved and
whether there are differences among them

- Define the aim or desired outcome of the study

 Will the research question be for an exploratory, explanatory, or
descriptive study?
 Will the study involve applied or basic research?
You may consider these examples.
Research idea: Television and consumer behavior

Research question: How does a watching TV commercial affect the buying behavior of teenagers?

Research question: Private vs. Public Schools

Research idea: What are the differences between private and public schools in Addis Ababa, in
terms of social facilities they offer to students?

C. Gap and Uniqueness

Research problem is considered workable when it is a means to fulfill awareness, theoretical or
policy gaps in a certain sector or organization. A good research problem also indicates the unique
feature of the study in terms of the issue to be studied, the data collection technique, the design
used, the type of research participants or the theory to be applied.
D. Empirical foundation
A good research problem need to inculcate the views of local as well as overseas research articles
and publications. What is more, legislations of the government with respect to the issue of the
study are expected to be discussed. Last but not least, literature review should be a mixture of
supportive and opposed views to demonstrate that argumentative ability of the researcher.
E. Hypothesis
A summary of the literature is needed/prepared to provide enough background to clarify the
particular aspect of it that you are investigating. After extensive literature survey, researcher should

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state in clear terms the working hypothesis. Working hypothesis is a tentative assumption made in
order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences. A research hypothesis can be
formulated from the research question identified in the earlier step of clarifying topic. For instance,
you may consider the research question: Is family size associated with income? This question
contains two variables, family size, and income. To develop a hypothesis a researcher asks which
the independent variable is. The independent variable is family size because it is the cause variable.
The researcher then asks what the direction of the relationships is. The hypothesis could be ‘the
smaller the family size, the grater the family income.’ This hypothesis answers the research questions
and makes a prediction. Note that several hypotheses can be developed for one research question.
The role of the hypothesis is to guide the researcher by delimiting the area of research and to keep
him/her on the right track. Well-constructed hypotheses add value to research proposal and make it
more convincing.

Importance of Hypothesis

a) It places clear and specific goals before the researcher.

These clear and specific goals provide the investigator with a basis for selecting samples and
research procedures to meet these goals.

b) It sensitizes the individual facts and conditions that might otherwise be overlooked.

c) It provides direction to research

It defines what is relevant and what is irrelevant. Thus it prevents the review of irrelevant
literature and the collection of useless or excess data. It not only prevents wastage in the
collection of data, but also ensures the collection of the data necessary to answer the question
posed in the statement of the problem.

d) It serves as a framework for drawing conclusions. It makes possible the interpretation of

data in the light of the tentative proposition. It provides the outline for setting conclusions in
a meaningful way.

e) It prevents blind research. It prevents indiscriminate gathering of data which may later
turnout to be irrelevant.

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 Development of working hypotheses
After extensive survey of the literature, researchers should state in clear terms the working
hypothesis or hypotheses. A hypothesis is a statement, which predicts the relationship between
two or more variables. It is a necessary link between theory and investigation. Moreover, the
formulation of a research hypothesis is of prime importance in research. If the hypothesis is
inadequately conceived, the research procedures may not be applicable. Therefore, formulating
an appropriate and realistic research hypothesis is a sine qua non for a sound research.

The initial hypothesis is called working hypothesis because it is subject to modifications as the
investigation proceeds. A working hypothesis is a tentative assumption made in order to draw
out and test its logical or empirical consequences. Formulating hypothesis is particularly useful
for causal relationships. The manner in which research hypothesis are developed is particularly
important since they provide the focal point for research.

Hypothesis should be very specific and limited to the piece of research in hand because it has to
be tested. The role of the hypothesis is to guide the researcher by delimiting the area of research
and keep him/her on the right track. It is also an indicator of the type of data needed for the
study. The hypothesis is the necessary link between theory and the investigation, which leads to
the discovery of additional knowledge.

Approaches to develop a working hypothesis

The main approaches to develop a working hypothesis include:

- Discussion with colleagues and experts about the problem, its origin and objectives in
seeking a solution

- Examination of data and records, if available, concerning the problem for possible trends,
peculiarities and clues

- Review of similar studies in the area or of the studies on similar problems and

- Exploratory personal investigation, which involves original field interviews on a limited

scale with, interested parties and individuals with a view to secure greater insight into
practical aspects of the problem.

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Thus, working hypothesis arises because of a priori thinking about the subject, examination of
the available data and material including related studies and the opinion of experts and interested
parties.

Main problems in formulating a working hypothesis

Formulation of a hypothesis is not an easy task. The main problems that may arise while
formulating a working hypothesis include:

- The lack of clear theoretical framework

- The lack of ability to utilize that theoretical framework logically

- The failure to be acquainted with available research techniques so as to be able to phrase

the hypothesis properly.
Characteristics of useable hypotheses
How does one judge the utility of a useable hypothesis? There are some important criteria for
judging the hypothesis.

1. The hypothesis must be conceptually clear - This involves two things: the concept should
be clearly defined if possible and the hypothesis should be commonly accepted ones. In
other words, the hypothesis should be stated in simple terms.
2. The hypothesis should have empirical referents – no useable hypothesis embody moral
judgments while a hypothesis may study value judgment such a goal must be separated
from a moral preachment or a plea for acceptance of one’s values.
3. The hypothesis must be specific – all the operations and predictions indicated by it should
be spelled out. Such specific formulations assure that research is practicable and
significance in advance of expenditure.
4. The hypothesis should be related to available techniques – theory and methods are not
opposed. A theorist who does not know what techniques are available to test his/her
hypothesis is on a poor way to formulate useable hypothesis or questions.
5. The hypothesis should be related to a body of theory – often research should be aimed
at supporting, reflecting or qualifying existing theories. It should posse theoretical
relevance. A useable hypothesis arises as a result of a priori thinking about the subject.
6. The hypothesis should be testable – hypothesis should be formulated in such a way that
it is possible to verify it.

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 7. The hypothesis should be limited in scope
8. The hypothesis should be amenable to testing within a reasonable time.
Having formulated a useable hypothesis to be investigated, the researcher then faces the problem
of designing his /her study so that evidence pertaining to the tentative acceptance of the
hypothesis can be accumulated.

2.4. EVALUATION OF THE PROBLEM AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Before the final decision is made on the investigation of the problem, the feasibility of the problem
has to be tested with regard to personal suitability of the researcher and social value of the problem.
In short, the research problem as well as research questions should be evaluated in terms of the
following criteria.

Every problem selected for research must satisfy the following criteria.

a. It should be Original
The purpose if research is to fill the gaps in existing knowledge to discover new facts and not to
repeat already known facts. Therefore, a preliminary survey of the existing literature in the
proposed area of research should be carried out to find out the possibility of making original
contribution.

Knowledge about the previous research will serve the following five useful purposes

1. It will enable the researcher to identify his specific problems for research:
2. It will eliminate the possibility of unnecessary duplication of effort.
3. It will give him/her valuable information on the merits and demerits of various research
techniques which have been used in the past.
4. It will tell him/her where others have floundered so that he may be cautius, and
5. It will enrich his/her knowledge of the characteristics concepts and terminology in his area
of specialization.
b. It should be neither very general nor very specific
If the problem is very general, it is usually too vague to be tested. On the other hand, if the problem
is very specific, it is usually too narrow to be important or consequential. Too great specificity is
perhaps a worse danger than too great generality. At any rate, some kind of compromise must be
made between generality and specificity.

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c. It should be Solvable
No problem, however significant, is a good choice if it is unsolvable. It should be relevant to
answer some form of practical problem. Generally a problem may be unsolvable due to two
reasons:

1. It may concern some super natural or amorphous phenomenon. For example how does
mind work? Who created this world?
2. It cannot be operationally defined
For example to measure sex or social class is every easy but to measure anxiety,
creatively is difficult.

Determining whether the proposed research project will produce information that is commensurate
with the purpose, goals and objectives of the organization, program, or institution will be the first
step in the problem definition process. The research project has to be worth the effort, time and
money it would consume. In brief, the relevance of the research project has to be clearly spelt out.
We have to be certain that we are not undertaking repetitive research by finding out whether
someone else has already researched the same problem. Further, one has to ensure that the
information we wish to obtain through the research would be beneficial to the society and the
organization’s functioning, programs or operations in particular. A thorough review of the
background and the literature on the topic would be relevant in this context. Discussions and
interviews with the several knowledgeable persons or key informants who have more familiarity
with the problem would also be necessary in this context.

For example, a study conducted by the Planning and Research Department of the Government of
Ethiopia on ‘Implementation of Value Added Tax in Ethiopia’ had the following objectives. This
study was very much related to the purpose, goals and objectives of the Ministry of Revenue for
which the study was conducted.

 To assess whether the implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) has met its objectives
of generating more government revenue, encouraging investment and export, and
modernizing the tax administration
 To identify the basic constraints or problems that hinder the smooth implementation of the
VAT in Ethiopia and

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  To identify possible solutions to alleviate identified problems and speed up the
implementation of VAT
d. It should be feasible
The feasibility of carrying out research on the selected problem should be checked against the
following considerations;

1. Variables
2. Study design, source of data and treatment of data
3. Access to organization and respondents,
4. Time required for study and its availability
5. Funds required and their availability.
To do a research, a topic or a research problem must be identified. A researcher must single out
the research problem he/she wants to study. So, the first step in the research process is the choice
of a suitable problem for investigation. Research usually starts with a felt difficulty. It takes place
when there is a problematic situation and a need to solve the problem. A researcher must find a
problem to be analyzed and formulate it in such a manner that it becomes susceptible/ liable to
research. The identification of a research problem is a difficult but an important phase of the entire
research process. It requires a great deal of time, energy, and logical thinking on the part of the
researcher. In order to define a problem correctly one has to know what a research problem is.

e. It should be Ethical
Chapter Summary Questions
1.Describe fully the techniques of defining a research problem.
2. What is research problem? Define the main issues which should receive the attention of the
researcher in formulating the research problem. Give suitable examples to make clear your
points.
3. How do you define a research problem? Give three examples to illustrate your answer.
4. What is the necessity of defining a research problem? Explain.
5. Write short notes on:
A. Components of a research problem;
B. Rephrasing the research problem.
6. “The task of defining the research problem often follows a sequential pattern”. Explain.
7. “Knowing what data are available often serves to narrow down the problem itself as well as
the technique that might be used.” Explain the underlying idea in this statement in the context of
defining a research problem.

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