Discussion

4.3 Aligning the Research Objectives With Your Problem

As we discussed in Chapter 2, your specific problem will flow directly from the general problem, and will become the focus of your study. Your specific problem will contain clues as to the direction your research might take in order to generate information to address the problem.

Recall that Barb is interested in recidivism among juvenile offenders. She has identified the general problem as high recidivism rates for youth in juvenile justice settings. Barb is particularly interested in the specific problem that efforts to reduce recidivism through occupational training have been ineffective in achieving that goal. She has searched the literature thoroughly and has found that no research has been published to date on the effectiveness of a promising life skills curriculum for juvenile offenders, leaving leaders hesitant to adopt it. A research objective to examine the effectiveness of this curriculum would help Barb design a study that directly addresses the problem by generating evidence that might inform decision making about funding priorities, curricular choices, staff development to implement new approaches, and other activities, all geared toward reducing recidivism (see Figure 4.2). An objective to examine the correlation between hours of group therapy per week and recidivism among juvenile offenders, however, would obviously not be aligned to the specific problem and would be unlikely to help Barb design a study that addresses the specific problem.

Figure 4.2: Barb’s research objective

Barb’s research objective is based on the general and specific problems she identified and the knowledge gap she seeks to address.

Let’s go back to an example we introduced in Chapter 2. Kim was interested in mobile learning. In her problem statement, Kim described the specific problem as follows:

The specific problem is that leaders in many universities have created or adopted m-learning applications without a research basis regarding who is using these m-learning applications, to what extent, and for what purpose or objectives. Published research has focused largely on the technological aspects of m-learning, such as the mobile devices and mobile applications themselves (Elias, 2011). A heavy emphasis on m-learning technology at the expense of a sound understanding of the m-learner, user experience, teacher/learner interaction, and learning outcome has resulted in a healthy skepticism with regard to the effectiveness of m-learning as a long term strategy for higher educational institutions (Rajasingham, 2011). Continuing to innovate technologically in the absence

4.3 Aligning the Research Objectives Wit…

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Select Content to Print Cover and Front Matter Ch 1: Overview of the Dissertation Planning

Process Ch 2: Formulating a Researchable Problem

Statement Ch 3: Contributing to Knowledge and Practice Ch 4: Identifying Clear and Consistent Research

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TIP Reconsider each of your research

objectives. Will accomplishing the objective help generate new knowledge to address the specific problem?

of such an understanding results in institutions of higher education expending considerable amounts of time, effort, and funding without fully harnessing the power of m-learning (Koszalka & Ntloedibe-Kuswani, 2010) with regard to either the learner or the institution.

Andersen, K. (2013). Perceived user experience associated with m-learning: An exploratory case study at a graduate university (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Denver, CO: University of the Rockies.

Based on the specific problem as described above, Kim is considering exploring how students use m-learning to increase their understanding or how instructors adapt their curriculum to take advantage of m-learning technologies. Her research objectives could then be either to identify ways that students use mobile devices for their coursework OR to identify ways that instructors incorporate the use of mobile devices in their teaching practices to help students achieve the learning outcomes. Either of these objectives is appropriate to address the specific problem, as the new information to be generated to achieve these objectives will help inform the development and use of m-technologies for m-learning. On the other hand, an objective to identify instructors’ preferred methods of face-to-face instruction would not be well aligned to the specific problem, and would not help Kim design a study to address the specific problem.

When developing research objectives for your study, ask yourself, “What new knowledge do I hope to generate in order to address the specific problem?” Once you have conceptualized your research objectives, reconsider each one. Ask yourself, “Will accomplishing this research objective help to generate new knowledge that might address the specific problem?” If the answer is no, you will need to rethink your research objectives in order to align them more closely to the specific problem and the knowledge gap.

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Before you move on, think about how the elements of your own study are aligned.

1. What is the general problem you are interested in? 2. How well have you demonstrated the impact of the problem? Did you include recent citations from

the literature in the problem statement? 3. What is the specific problem you have identified? 4. How well does the specific problem align with the general problem? 5. What knowledge gap have you identified? 6. How well do the research objectives align with the specific problem you described above? 7. What research objectives might address this knowledge gap and align with the specific problem?

Choosing a Well-Aligned Research Objective

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