Formulation of the research objectives

A goal is general and long term overall desired outcome for a project. It is bigger
in impact than an objective, is vague, has no specific time frame and is usually not
measurable.
Following the conception of scientific idea, the starting point should be to phrase
the study objective. An objective is measurable and operational. It tells specific
things you will accomplish in your project.
The objective should be as clearly and crisply stated as possible. Usually only one
or at the most two objectives should be tackled in one study. If there are more than
two objectives, then it may be appropriate to address the additional objectives
through a separate study.

The objectives should be:

• Usually one or two
• Clearly spelled out
• Realistic and measurable
• Achievable in a reasonable frame of time
• Tailor the study design to achieve the objective(s)
Characteristics of the research objectives

Clear

Clarity is the main focus of the research objectives. The way you word your
research objectives tell a lot about your research. The wording should have to be
very clear and very well defined. Not only other people will get to know about
your research from the research objectives but you too need to look at the
objectives to make several decisions about your research. Make simple sentences
but clear and avoid complexities in wording.

Complete
Each phrase in the research objectives should have a sense of completeness.
Broken sentences and incomplete objectives can lead you into trouble later on.
Here completeness is necessary because you will be able to decide the extent of
your research from your research objectives. A complete research objective should
have information about the population to be studied.

Specific

Your research objectives should specifically focus on the what, how when and
where questions and there should be no loopholes.

Identify the main variables of the study

In the research objectives the researcher decides about the main variables of the
study. The variables are the measurable concepts or quantities that will majorly
impact your research. The variables should be well-defined in this phase of the
research. You should decide about the dependent variables, independent variables
as well as the control variables, if the research is an experimental research.

Identify the direction of the relationship

Some research studies have hypothesis, in hypothesis testing studies the researcher
should define the direction in which he want to test the variables. This is only done
in hypothesis testing studies, in other studies the researcher only mentions the
variables.

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Developing the theoretical framework

Definitions:

Theories are formulated to explain, predict, and understand phenomena and, in

many cases, to challenge and extend existing knowledge, within the limits of the
critical bounding assumptions. The theoretical framework is the structure that can
hold or support a theory of a research study. The theoretical framework
introduces and describes the theory which explains why the research problem
under study exists.

Developing the Framework

Here are some strategies to develop of an effective theoretical framework:

1. Examine your thesis title and research problem. The research problem
anchors your entire study and forms the basis from which you construct your
theoretical framework.
2. Brainstorm on what you consider to be the key variables in your
research. Answer the question, what factors contribute to the presumed
effect?
3. Review related literature to find answers to your research question.
4. List the constructs and variables that might be relevant to your study.
Group these variables into independent and dependent categories.
5. Review the key social science theories that are introduced to you in your
course readings and choose the theory or theories that can best explain the
relationships between the key variables in your study [note the Writing Tip
on this page].
6. Discuss the assumptions or propositions of this theory and point out their
relevance to your research.

A theoretical framework is used to limit the scope of the relevant data by

focusing on specific variables and defining the specific viewpoint (framework) that
the researcher will take in analyzing and interpreting the data to be gathered,
understanding concepts and variables according to the given definitions, and
building knowledge by validating or challenging theoretical assumptions.

The goal of a theoretical framework

After refining your problem statement and research question(s), you have to
explore what theories, ideas and models other researchers have already developed.
Often there will be a lot of different possible approaches to the topic, so you have
to select the ideas that you find most useful.

By presenting this information, you ‘frame’ your research and justify your overall
approach. The main goals of a theoretical framework are to:

 Define key concepts

  Evaluate, select, and/or combine relevant theories
 Explain your assumptions and expectations

The theoretical framework shows that your research is not just coming ‘out of the
blue,’ but that it has a clear rationale based on existing theory. The definitions and
models you select give your project direction, and you will build on these choices
at later stages.

This part of your dissertation lays the foundations that will support your analysis,
helping you interpret your results and make broader generalizations.

How to create a theoretical framework

The first step is to identify the key terms from your problem statement and
research questions. Concepts often have multiple definitions, so the theoretical
framework involves clearly defining what you mean by each term.

1. Select key concepts

Sample problem statement and research questions

Company X is struggling with the problem that many online customers do not
return to make subsequent purchases. Management wants to increase customer
loyalty and believes that improved customer satisfaction will play a major role in
achieving this goal. To investigate this problem, you have identified and plan to
focus on the following problem statement, objective, and research questions:

Problem: Many online customers do not return to make subsequent purchases.

Objective: To increase customer loyalty and thereby generate more revenue.

Research question: How can the satisfaction of company X’s online customers be
improved in order to increase customer loyalty?

The concepts of “customer loyalty” and “customer satisfaction” are clearly central
to this study. The theoretical framework should define these concepts and discuss
theories about the relationship between them.

2. Define and evaluate relevant concepts, theories, and models

By conducting a thorough literature review, you can determine how other
researchers have defined and drawn connections between these key concepts. As
you write the theoretical framework, aim to compare and critically evaluate the
approaches that different authors have proposed.

After discussing different models and theories, you establish the definitions that
best fit your research and justify why this is the case. In more complex research
projects, you might combine theories from different fields to build your own
unique framework.

Make sure to mention the most important theories related to your key concepts. If
there is a well-established theory or model that you don’t want to apply to your
own research, explain why it isn’t suitable for your purposes.

3. Show what your research will contribute

Apart from discussing other people’s theories and ideas, the theoretical framework
should aim to show how your own project fits in.

 Will you test a theory or contribute new evidence by collecting original

(qualitative or quantitative) data?
 Will you use theory as a basis for interpreting and understanding your
data?
 Will you analyze, critique or challenge established theory?
 Will you combine theoretical approaches in a new or unique way?

If relevant, you can also use the theoretical framework to develop hypotheses for
your research. A hypothesis makes a testable prediction about the outcome of a
specific study, while a theory is the overarching explanation for why and how
certain outcomes happen in general.

That means you can use the theory to determine what you expect to happen