Question about Research (Thread 2)
Pose a question about a problem you are facing with a research principle or process
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My question right now is: what is the difference between a problem statement and a research question?
I am still completely baffled by this. I don't know how these two things are different and I have no idea where they are each supposed to fit into my research proposal. I am hoping that things will make a lot more sense after I clarify this area!
If you can explain the difference to me, or know where I can go to learn more about these two, please point me in the right direction!
posted by Jaclyn @ 7:04 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Hi Jaclyn,
I just now decided I should check out the class stuff and try to figure out what I missed. I posted a question in case you want to look at it. In response to your question, I don't really have an answer right now, but I do intend to look it up and try to help you out. I tried to email you at your UI address, but I don't think I had the right one. I was just curious how much I missed between the end of Foster's class and research methods. Hopefully not too much. I'll post the rest of my stuff for assgn #5 in case you want to take a look at all. I hope you are having a great weekend! I'll talk to you soon. If you would like to send me an email it's Pdavenport@wsu.edu. Have a great one!
Alright, here's what I came up with. There are two distinct processes in the discussion of research questions and problem statements. However the terms are used interchangeably in the different resources I found. The first step is to find a problem or a question that you intend to work on or answer. The second is to specifically and formally frame that question in writing to serve as an introduction and hook in your paper.
While they are distinct, I think that they can be done at pretty much the same time. But they both have to be done before you can start any research because they serve as the foundation of that research.
That's all I can come up with. I hope it helps. Here are the resources I used, the first one is pretty decent, the second just has a definition. See you in class. Thanks for the email!
Sorry, here are the links to the resources:
http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/DissPropWorkshop/nuts&bolts/question.html
http://web.utk.edu/~wrobinso/540_lec_problem.html
Hi Jaclyn!
I have been reading a book (and evaluating a few projects) based on the book Practical Action Research for Change by Richard A. Schmuck. The one thing I've noticed in trying to get my students to develop a good Action Research Plan is to begin with a good question--what is it they want to find out? And then, as part of their planning process, they must write a plan that I can understand...based on the steps in the book. There are two ways they can do this--by trying a new practice first and then reflecting on it, or by identifying a problem and trying to find a solution. Our approach and this one don't use the same terminology, but when they write and "describe" their problem/plan to me, in my opinion, it is an equivalent to a research statement. So they start at the question and then must frame it in a way that I can see how it applies to their specific teaching situation--it includes a bit about their teaching context, their students, the situation, and what they hope to accomplish. The rest of the plan tells the "how."
I don't know if that helps, but it looks at it from a different point of view...
Thank you both for your suggestions and guidance. The information definitely puts the research question and problem statement in a more clear view for me. Thank you!!!
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