Formulating_research_objectivess_ppt.ppt

Research objectives formulation

1. Formulating a research questions
and objectives
H. Mooya
2015
PSG 5264

2. Intro…
•Research instituted to answer questions to make
human life better.
•Each research study has questions it seeks to answer
1-2

3. The research problem
•refers to identifying what it is that you (the researcher) want to find
out about.
•Examples . . .

4. Steps in formulating the research problem
1.Identify a broad field or subject area of interest.
2.Breakdown the broad area into subareas/smaller areas.
3.Select what is of most interest to you.
4.Develop research questions.
5.Formulate objectives
6.Assess your objectives

5. Step 1: Identify a broad field or subject
area of interest.
•Example: As a developmental psychologist you could decided to study infant
attachment; cognitive development etc.

6. Step 2: Breakdown the broad area into
smaller/sub-areas.
•Example: Infant attachment
a)Infant attachment patterns in Zambia
b)Infant attachment institutional care e.g. orphanages
c)Infant attachment in the context of multiple caregivers

7. Step 3: Select what is of most interest to
you.
It is neither advisable nor feasible to study all subareas!!!
◦Choose what interests you the most from the list (above)

8. Step 4: Develop research questions
a)What are the existent infant attachment patterns in Zambia?
b)Are these different from the patterns found elsewhere?
c)Are there any gender differences in these patterns?

9. Step 5: Formulate objectives
Your objectives grow out of your research questions.
◦The main difference between objectives and research questions is the way in which
they are written.
◦Research questions are obviously that—questions.

10. Step 5: Formulate objectives
Objectives transform these questions into behavioral aims by using
action-oriented words (verbs) such as
◦'to find out',
◦'to determine',
◦'to ascertain' and
◦'to examine‘,
◦‘to measure’,
◦‘to explore’.

11. Some examples…
•To describe the infant attachment patterns in Zambia
•To explore the perceptions of people on Gender based violence in
Zambia.
•To ascertain the impact of article reviews of MA students’ ability to
consume scientific literature
•More Examples . . .

12. Step 5: Formulate objectives
Example:
a)To explore the infant attachment patterns existent in Zambia
b)To compare these attachment patterns to other normative samples
c)To examine gender differences in these infant attachment patterns
Objectives are simply research questions paraphrased!!!!

13. Paraphrasing research questions as
objectives
Question Objective
1Why do institutionalised children develop at a slower
rate?
2What are the consequences of plagiarism?
3What factors are associated with autism?
4Which attachment styles predict delinquency?
5Does early child care influence adult outcomes?
6Does attachment change developmentally over time? Is
attachment culture specific or universal?

14. Step 6: Assess your objectives
•Examine your objectives to ascertain the feasibility of achieving them in
the light of the
•time,
•resources (financial and human) and
•technical expertise at your disposal.

15. Step 7: Double-check
•1 that you are really interested in the study
•2 that you agree with the objectives
•3 that you have adequate resources
•4 that you have the technical expertise to undertake the study

16. Considerations in selecting a research
problem
•interest,
•magnitude,
•measurement of concepts,
•level of expertise,
•relevance,
•availability of data,
•ethical issues.