Research Questions, Objectives and Hypothesis
Research objectives are the goals of the research study. Research objectives specify the reason researchers are conducting research. For example, researchers may want to better understand the difference in pain scale results among subjects with a diagnosis of moderate traumatic brain injury. In this case the research objective would cause researchers to take steps to conduct scientific analysis to determine the variations in pain experienced between a group of individuals without a diagnosis of TBI and a group of individuals with TBI.
The research objective is to determine if there is a difference in perceived pain levels among patients with a diagnosis of moderate traumatic brain injury as compared with individuals without a diagnosis of moderate traumatic brain injury. The objective is the reason researchers are conducting the research. Farrugia et al. cites Hayes in saying when formulating a research objective it is essential to know “where the boundary between current knowledge and ignorance lies.” (Farrugia 2010). Understanding the missing component among previously conducted research and current observations is a key component when formulating a research objective.
Research questions are the questions asked in order to achieve the objective. According to Farrugia et al. , an effective research question should “specify the population of interest, be of interest to the scientific community and potentially to the public, have clinical relevance and further current knowledge in the field” and be compliant with current ethical standards (Farrugia et al. 2010). The study authors further suggest using the FINER criteria in order to develop an effective initial research question. This delineates the research question into several component parts to analyze in detail the efficacy of the research question and if, among all the available or visible possible questions, the question chosen is the most effective research question to guide the study. For example,
The research objective is to determine if there is a difference in perceived pain levels among patients with a diagnosis of moderate traumatic brain injury as compared with individuals without a diagnosis of moderate traumatic brain injury. The objective is the reason researchers are conducting the research. Farrugia et al. cites Hayes in saying when formulating a research objective it is essential to know “where the boundary between current knowledge and ignorance lies.” (Farrugia 2010). Understanding the missing component among previously conducted research and current observations is a key component when formulating a research objective.
Research questions are the questions asked in order to achieve the objective. According to Farrugia et al. , an effective research question should “specify the population of interest, be of interest to the scientific community and potentially to the public, have clinical relevance and further current knowledge in the field” and be compliant with current ethical standards (Farrugia et al. 2010). The study authors further suggest using the FINER criteria in order to develop an effective initial research question. This delineates the research question into several component parts to analyze in detail the efficacy of the research question and if, among all the available or visible possible questions, the question chosen is the most effective research question to guide the study. For example,
References: Jackson, Sherri. Research Methods: A Modular Approach. Wadsworth 2011. Patricia Farrugia, Bradley A. Petrisor, Forough Farrokhyar, Mohit Bhandari. Research questions, hypotheses and objectives. Can J Surg. 2010 August; 53(4): 278–281. PMCID: PMC2912019.