Sources of Problem & Criteria Of Selection

Sources of ProblemReading Academic ExperienceDaily ExperienceExposure to field situationsConsultationsBrain StormingResearchIntuition

Reading – Research reportsAcademic Experience – Classroom Lectures, class

discussions,seminar discussions & out of class exchanges of ideas with fellow students & professors.

Daily Experience - Eg:Story of NewtonExposure to field situations – Field visits,Internship trainingConsultations – Discussions with

experts,researchers,administrators & business executives.Brain storming – Intensified discussion within a group of

interested persons.Research – Research on one problem may suggest problems

for further research. Intuition- New ideas may strike to one’s mind like a flash.

Criteria of Selection The selection of one appropriate

researchable problem out of the identified problems requires evaluation of those alternatives against certain criteria.

Internal •Researcher’s Interest•Researcher’s competence•Researcher’s own resource:finance & time.

External

•Researchability of the problem•Importance & Urgency•Novelty of the problem•Feasibility•Facilities•Usefulness & Social Relevance•Research Personnel

Researcher’s Interest – The problem should interest the researcher and be a challenge to him. Without interest and curiosity,he may not develop sustained perseverance.Interest in a problem depends upon the researchers educational background,experience,etc.Researcher’s Competence – The researcher must be competent to plan and carry out a study of the problem.He must have the ability to grasp and deal with it.He must possess adequate knowledge of the subject matter,relevant methodology and statistical procedures. Researcher’s own resources:

Financial resourceTime resource

Internal Criteria

External Criteria Researchability of the problem – The problem should find answers to the questions involved in it through scietific method and a question must be one for which observation or other data collection in the real world can provide the answer. Importance & Urgency – while selecting problem for research ,their relative importance and significance should be considered.An important and urgent problem should be given priority over an unimportant one.Novelty or Originalty - There is no use of wasting one’s time & energy on aproblem already studied thoroughly by others.

This does not mean that repetition is not always needless.In social science in some cases,it is appropriate to repeat a study in order to verify the validity of its findings to a different situation. Feasibility – A problem may be a new one and also important,but if research on it is not feasible,it cannot be selected.

Some of the questions that should be considered in examining the feasibility are : Are suitable research techniques such as measurement devices and

techniques of analysis available ? Are accurate and reliable data available ? Realibilty depends upon

quality of data. Will the authorities of the concerned institutions extend the

required data or permit to access to records? Will the respondents be willing to be interviewed ? Can the study be completed within the time available ?

Facilities – Researcher requires certain facilities such as well equipped library facility,suitable and competent guidance,data analysis facility,etc.Usefulness & social relevance – The study of the problem should make significant contribution to the concerned body of knowledge or to the solutioin of some significant practical problem.Research Personnel – Research undertaken by professors and by research organizations require the services of investigators and research officers.