I have difficulty deciding what I want to research (A2, A3).


The type of research you want to undertake depends as much on the problem you address, as on the type of researcher you want to be/become. What are your aims in a research project? This is always the first question that you should ask yourself when beginning a research project. Two general research aims can be distinguished: basic and applied.

A basic research project is aimed primarily at understanding the problem at hand:

• Aim 1, Problem definition: deals with semantics and philosophy. You often need to go beyond the problem experienced by the people who are directly involved, and find out the context of their problem in order to formulate the appropriate problem of definition.
• Aim 2, Diagnosis: This type of research aims at analyzing all the ins and outs of a particular problem; its causes, level(s) of analysis, theoretical approaches and methodologies available for analysis. You can also chart the consequences if the problem were to persist. An applied research project focuses more on the outcome of the problem, and the design of possible solutions:
• Aim 3, Design: This type of research aims at giving advice, but from a distance.
• Aim 4, Implementation: This type of research aims at active intervention.
• Aim 5, Evaluation: This type of research not only aims at active intervention, but also at revision of the design in the proposed solution was not successful.

A research project can focus on just one of these research aims. For example, if you aim at researching questions of implementation, then you leave the design problem and the problem of definition to others.

 

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