Defining Research Aim and Objectives

1.

Astana IT University
Department of General Education Disciplines
Academic Writing
Week 3
Lecture 1: Introduction to Research Context, Problem
and Research Question
Lecture 2: Defining Research Aim and Objectives
Seminar 1: Practice: Formulating
Research aims and questions
Seminar 2: Developing Research Context
Seminar 3: Language focus: Paraphrasing and
Summarizing

2.

Seminar Objectives
Formulating research
problem, aim and
questions;
Identifying good research
questions.

3.

Group task 1
Identify Ineffective Research Questions
You have to decide if each of the following Research Questions is effective. If it is not
effective, you have to discuss why it is not. Then, rewrite the question into an
effective question based on the criteria of good research questions. You have to
be prepared to discuss.
• 1st group - Why are social networking sites harmful?
• 2nd group - Does the United States have a good cybersecurity system?
• 3rd group - What is the effect on the quality of education from Chat GPT?
• 4th group - Should regulations on online privacy be tougher?
• 5th group -Should campus safety be a concern for college students?

4.

Checklist for Research Questions:
FOCUSED ON A SINGLE
PROBLEM OR ISSUE
McCombes, 2023
RESEARCHABLE USING
PRIMARY AND/OR
SECONDARY SOURCES
FEASIBLE TO ANSWER
WITHIN THE TIMEFRAME
AND PRACTICAL
CONSTRAINTS
SPECIFIC ENOUGH TO
ANSWER THOROUGHLY
COMPLEX ENOUGH TO
DEVELOP THE ANSWER
OVER THE SPACE OF A
PAPER OR THESIS
RELEVANT TO YOUR FIELD
OF STUDY AND/OR
SOCIETY MORE BROADLY

5.

Correct answers
1st question - Why are social networking sites harmful? This research question is vague and lacks specificity. It
assumes that social networking sites are inherently harmful without considering potential benefits or nuances. A
more effective research question would be: "What are the potential negative effects of social networking sites on
mental health and privacy?"
2nd question - Does the United States have a good cybersecurity system? This research question is subjective and
lacks a clear measure of what constitutes a "good" cybersecurity system. It would be more appropriate to ask:
"What are the strengths and weaknesses of the cybersecurity system in the United States in terms of protecting
critical infrastructure and personal data?"
3rd question - What is the effect on the quality of education from Ghat GPT? This research question assumes that
there is a known impact on the quality of education from a specific model or system. A better research question
would be: "How does the use of AI-based language models like ChatGPT impact the quality of education in terms
of student learning outcomes and engagement?"
4th question - Should regulations on online privacy be tougher? This research question is opinion-based and lacks
a clear objective or context. It would be more appropriate to ask: "What are the potential risks and benefits of
implementing stricter regulations on online privacy, and how might they impact individuals, businesses, and society
as a whole?"
5th question - Should campus safety be a concern for college students? This research question is subjective and
assumes that campus safety is not already a concern for college students. A more effective research question would
be: "What are the main safety concerns and challenges faced by college students on campus, and how can
institutions address them effectively?"

6.

Group task 2
Work on establishing your Research aim and questions
In groups, fill in the blank spaces of the template by following the given steps and using language
chunks. Submit your work to Moodle. Note: This assignment is not assessed.
Step 1.
Identify the main
subject area
• Example: Social
media addiction
Step 2. Dissect into sub-areas
• Example: -profile of addicted to social
media;
• -the causes of social media addiction;
• -the effects of social media overuse on
academic performance;
• -the effects of social media overuse on body
image;
• -the relationship between excessive social
media use and involvement in online
harassment;
• -excessive social media use and its impact on
offline social interactions;
• -the effectiveness of digital detox
interventions to reduce technostress;
• -attitudes of parents towards children's use of
social media.
Step 3.
Select sub-area
of your interest
• Example: The
effects of social
media overuse on
the body image
of teenagers

7.

Group task 2
Work on establishing your Research aim and questions
Language chunks for presenting Research questions
Step 4. Raise questions
• Example: To guide our investigation, the
following research questions are posed:
• 1. How does social media overuse impact the body
image of teenagers?
• What are the psychological effects of excessive
social media use on the body image perception of
teenagers?
The central research question of this study is...
This research seeks to answer the following questions:
The primary focus of inquiry in this study revolves around
the question:
Key questions addressed in this research include:
To guide our investigation, the following research questions
are posed:
The overarching inquiry of this study can be encapsulated
by the question:
This research endeavors to shed light on the following
questions:
The central queries explored in this study are as follows:"
To address the research gap, this study poses the following
questions:
Through a series of research questions, this study aims to
explore...

8.

Group task 2
Work on establishing your
Research aim and questions
Language chunks for presenting aims and objectives
Step 5. Formulate objectives
This study set out to
• Example:
• Aim: this study sets out to find out the effects of
social media overuse on body image of teenagers.
• The main objectives of this research are to explore
the potential moderating factors that may mitigate the
effects of social media overuse on the body image and
to investigate the possible psychological effects of
excessive social media use on the body image
perception of teenagers.
explore …
determine whether …
try and establish what
better understand the …
find a new method for …
evaluate how effective …
assess the feasibility of …
test the hypothesis that …
explore the influence of …
The main objectives of this research are to...
This research aims to achieve the following objectives:
The overarching goal of this study is to...
To address the research gap, this study aims to...
The specific objectives of this research include...
This research endeavors to...
To contribute to the existing literature, this study aims to...
By the end of this research, we aim to have achieved the
following objectives:

9.

Group task 2
Work on establishing your Research aim and questions
Step 6. Make sure
Assess these objectives in the light of:
Step 7. Double-check
•that you are really interested in the study
the time available to you
your (and your research supervisor's) technical
expertise in the area
Adapted from Kumar (2010)
•that you agree with the objectives
•that you have adequate resources

10.

REFERENCES
Kumar, R. (2010). Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. United Kingdom: SAGE Publications.

11.

DO YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS LEFT?
Thank you for your participation!
4/11/2024
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