The key difference between research problem and research question is that a research problem refers to an issue, difficulty, or gap in knowledge that is being addressed in research, whereas a research question is a statement that is in the form of a question aiming to study, learn, examine, and explore more about the research topic.
Research problem and research question are two important aspects of a research study. Although some people assume that they are the same, they are not.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Research Problem
3. What is a Research Question
4. Research Problem vs Research Question in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Research Problem vs Research Question
What is a Research Problem?
A research problem introduces the significance of the topic that is being addressed in the research study. It gives a clue about the direction of the research. At the same time, a research problem places the research in a specific context, defining the constraints of the research. It also gives a framework to report results. In addition, it indicates the need to conduct the research and explains how the findings will present the information.
Research problems help to identify the key concepts and terms of research. One important characteristic is a research problem is that it does not consist of unnecessary jargon. In the field of social sciences, there are four categories of research problems. They are casuist research problem, difference research problem, descriptive research problem, and relational research problem. When forming the research problem, a broad research area should be identified first. The researcher should also focus on the objectives of the research when formulating the research problem.
What is a Research Question?
A research question refers to a specific inquiry the research study expects to provide answers. A research question in a research study shows the path of the research process. A research question is considered the first step of a research project. Basically, a research question of the research determines the methodology and hypothesis. Furthermore, the research question guides the stages like analyzing and reporting data in research.
If the researcher is able to formulate an exact research question, the researcher will be able to gather all the important information needed for the research. There are two main types of research questions. They are qualitative research questions and quantitative research questions. If a specific research study focuses on collecting quantifiable data, the research question should be a quantitative research question. If the research focuses on collecting qualitative data, the research question should be a qualitative research question. The aim of a quantitative research question is to gather statistical information, while the aim of a qualitative research question is to gather non-statistical information.
What is the Difference Between Research Problem and Research Question?
The key difference between research problem and research question is that a research problem refers to an issue, difficulty, or gap in knowledge that is being addressed in research, whereas a research question refers to a statement that is in the form of a question. Moreover, a research question examines, learns, and explores the research topic, whereas a research problem focuses on the issues or the gaps that are analyzed and discussed under the research project.
Furthermore, although a research question is formed based on the qualitative and quantitative forms, a research problem is not formulated considering qualitative and quantitative categories. Besides, the research questions help to determine the methodology and hypothesis of the research, while a research problem cannot determine the methodology.
Below is a summary of the difference between research problem and research question in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Research Problem vs Research Question
The key difference between research problem and research question is that a research problem refers to an issue, difficulty, or gap in knowledge that is being addressed in research, whereas a research question is a statement that is in the form of a question aiming to study, learn, examine and explore more about the research topic.
Reference:
1. “Research Problem: Everything a Market Researcher Needs to Know.” QuestionPro, 4 June 2021.
2. “Research Questions: Definitions, Types + [Examples].” Formplus, 13 Aug. 2020.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Quantitativesteps” By Spaynton – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia