Relationship Between Research Topic, Problem, Question, and Purpose Statement.
An inverted triangle has a research topic at the top, followed by a research problem, then research question, then research statement, and at its rare bottom is research objectives. A research topic is an issue or a subject that a researcher is interested in when conducting research. To choose an appropriate research topic, the researcher explores, defines, and refines their ideas. A research question is an actual question the authors ask about the larger topic. It is an aspect of the research topic you are interested in, and you want to know more about it. A research problem is a statement about an area of interest, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a condition to be improved. A purpose statement announces the scope, purpose, and direction of a research paper. It establishes the general direction of the study.
As seen in the inverted triangle (McGregor, 143), a research topic is way broader. From the research topic, the author derives a research problem. The research problem brings about the need to ask various questions, and therefore a research question is generated, which is answered throughout the study. To answer this research question, the author must come up with strategies to do so. As a result, a research statement or purpose statement is generated. To stay focused on the study, the author must have specific goals to attain at the end of the research and therefore, at the bottom of the inverted triangle is the research objectives (McGregor, 139-174). Therefore, as we have seen, all these aspects of research are interrelated; research topics leads to a research problem, which then leads to the development of the research question. The research question helps the author develop research purposes, which later on brings about research objectives.
Research problems differ in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed- methods research. Quantitative research, authors identify one of the three types of research problems. Either relational research problem which focuses on investigating the relationship between variables, difference research problems that are concerned with the identification of differences between two or more phenomenon or descriptive research problem which focuses on under-researched, understudied, or undertheorized issues, striving to describe an event, a situation, state or even condition. Authors frame the problem as a question followed by hypotheses that examine relationships between variables in studies anchored around these three types of problems.
Qualitative research problems, also known as research phenomena, are concerned with exploring and understanding phenomena from a perspective of those living the problem. Qualitative research problems reflect on a lack of previous research and a need for relevant theories. Usually, authors do not know the exact problem at the start of their study because they initially frame their problems as general topics of interest with a preface how or why. How and why questions invite deep research and why does not refer to caution as in quantitative questions.
Mixed methods research intends to address research questions that require both quantitative and qualitative data. It employs both qualitative and quantitative methods in a single research project or study. Mixed methods research problems can be similar to a quantitative research problem (by adding perspective to a quantitative study) or qualitative research problem (by adding perspective to qualitative study) or a hybrid of the qualitative and quantitative approaches (ideas related to both qualitative and quantitative research are included in a single problem statement)