RESEARCH PROJECT WEEK 2 RESEARCH PROPOSAL RESEARCH QUESTIONS

RESEARCH PROJECT WEEK 2 RESEARCH PROPOSAL – RESEARCH QUESTIONS OR HYPOTHESIS

INTRODUCTION n n Once you have identified a topic or area to research, you then need to think about whether you need research questions or hypothesis. Purpose of the above is to orientate the research

RESEARCH QUESTION n n n At the heart of the research process Author constantly goes back and back again to the research questions he has asked wherever and whenever writing articles Every part of the research is concerned with efficacy of the research questions and the degree to which thesis answers them

FUNCTIONS OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS n n n Clarify the area of concern Identify the sort of information that needs to be collected Guide the researcher on how to collect information Provide a framework for developing the project Enable the reader to make judgements about the project

ACTIVITY 1 n Working in small groups try to identify a research question. Try to break down the research question into smaller questions that would help to provide structure for your project.

IDENTIFYING A RESEARCH QUESTION n n n You need to think about the area of research interest and of the information that is available to use The research question should not only identify the issue or area of interest, but should also suggest the approach that is being taken to a project For example; n What makes some brands succeed where others fail? In this instance, the researcher would be looking at the literature, thinking perhaps about a case study of a brand that had been successful

DEVELOPING A RESEARCH QUESTION n As you develop your research question you need to think about; n n n All of the other research that has taken place in their area of interest The resources, including time, available for the research The strategies that they intend to use to answer the research question

HELP TO EVALUATE THE QUESTIONS n n n Is the question focused upon a topic or area that is interesting and helps to extend the students knowledge and understanding of an issue? How well is it possible to answer the question? What sort of information is required to answer the question? Is the question too broad or too narrow? What resources will be needed to answer the question? Do they have a question that can be answered by undertaking some research?

HYPOTHESIS n n Unlike research questions hypothesis are statements that researchers make which are then tested For example; n n We could make the hypothesis that ‘low paid staff are not motivated when their role is enlarged’. Low paid staff would be one variable, motivation is another and the other would be job enlargement. Hypothesis are more typical in scientific or experimental research, more so because this sort of research can be structured to test the hypothesis.

ACTIVITY 2 n In the context of a situation known to you, identify some form of hypothesis. Discuss how you could test this hypothesis, and think of the methods that you might use in order to do so