Research Process - Research Methodology - page 16

of unforeseen problems. One should select a
problem of great interest which can sustain such
problems. A too big or too extensive research
program may be unmanageable within the given
time frame and resource. So a researcher should
take into cognizance these factors and narrow
down the area of the topics up to that extent
that it is already manageable. A researcher
should make sure that the indicators by which
research problems are going to be characterized/
investigated are explained and measurements
are followed. A researcher should select the
indicators/measuring tools/analytical tools in
which he/she has a good level of expertise,
which are relevant in the context of the program,
and in which the data would be available and, of
course, the ethical issues are not compromised.
Thus, in formulating a problem, a researcher
should identify the broad field of a study or
subject of interest, dissect those into subareas
and select the most interested and pertinent
subareas, and lastly double-check all of the
above steps.

idea about a study, identifying the main and the
correlational variables.

2.1.6 Variables/Parameters to be
Included in the Study to Fulfill
the Objectives

In a research program, particularly the quantita-
tive ones, it is important that the concepts used
should be in measurable terms so that the
variations in the respondent could be put under
mathematical treatments. Thus, the knowledge of
variables and measures plays a vital role in
extracting the truth from the observation of a
research program, so long remained hidden.
The types and measurement of these variables
have been discussed in Chap. 5 . What is meant
by a variable? What is the difference between a
variable and a parameter? How are these
measured? The variable is an entity which varies
over various situations (time, space, both time
and space, individuals or units). In other words,
the antithesis of a constant is a variable. There
are various types and concepts of variables and
their measures/scales.

2.1.5 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of a study are the goals set to
attend in the study. These objectives should
clearly specify what a researcher wants through
a study. An objective may be a main objective,
and sub-objective, or specific objective. A main
objective is a statement about the overall trust
area of a study. In an empirical or applied
research, these objectives may also set the
relationship or associations a researcher wants
to discover or establish. Sub-objectives are spe-
cific objectives of a particular topic a researcher
wants to investigate within the main framework
of a study. Generally, each objective of a study
should be concerned with only one aspect of a
study. The objectives of a study are generally
written in words starting with “to determine,”
“to find out,” “to ascertain,” “to measure,” “to
describe,” “to compare,” “to demonstrate,” etc.
Thus, the objective should be framed in such a
way that it gives a complete, clear, and specific

2.1.7 Selection of Hypothesis

At the very beginning, it may be clearly
understood that not all researchers have a
definite hypothesis or a hypothesis to be tested.
Ahypothesisisanassumption/assertionofan
idea about a phenomenon under study. This
hypothesis forms the base of the entire research
program. Hypothesis brings clarity and specificity,
focuses to a research problem, but as has already
been mentioned, it is not essential for all research
programs. Hypotheses are based on the main and
specific objectives of studies, and they direct a
researcher to the type of information to be col-
lected or not to be collected. Hypothesis enhances
the objectivity of a research program. There are
different types of hypothesis like null hypothesis,
alternative hypothesis, and parametric and non-
parametric hypotheses.