UNIVERSITY OF PANAMA

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
SONÁ BRANCH
RESEARCH

Module 4: PROBLEM FORMULATING

Objectives: Formulate a Problem.

Content:
- Problem Formulation
o Identification
o Delimitation
o Definition

Activities:
 Read the given information. Information taken from: Introduction to Scientific
Research by José Nativí Nicolau.
 Taking into account the given information: Identify, delimit and Define 3
different problems.
 Send your answers in a word document to the platform.
 You have until July 16th, 2020 to send your answers

Evaluation: 40 points
Content 15
Grammar and Vocabulary 10
Organization 10
Punctuality 5
Problem formulation:
After learning about a topic of scientific knowledge globally, you should begin to
specify the problem.
Piura mentions three steps to formulate the problem:
- Identification
- Delimitation
- Definition
Identification:
"Selection of the object of study among the set of problematic problems in reality"
It is necessarily very difficult for beginners to identify a problem worth studying.
There are many sources to find problems: conversations with experts, bibliographic
information, laboratory projects, personal observations, etc. They depend on the
creativity and information that the researcher collects, which allows identifying a
problem.
Example: identification of the problem: "Diarrhea in Children"

Delimitation
"Pointing out all the aspects that are part of the selected problem"
The problem to be investigated can be the product of various factors, which would
imply expensive costs and long periods of time to study them in a single
investigation. It is necessary to delimit the problem to one or two of its components
that can be studied with the resources and time available for the investigation.
The delimitation is only for a more precise and simple investigation.
Example: Delimitation of the Problem:
About diarrhea in children, we could study:
- "Physical characteristics of children with diarrhea"
- "Economic characteristics of children with diarrhea"
- "Social characteristics of children with diarrhea"
- "Determine risk factors for diarrhea in children"
- "Determine the causative agents for diarrhea in children"
Definition:
"Specify within all the aspects that the problem involves, those that are specifically
included or addressed in our research work, framing it in a specific space and time"
The way of defining the problem changes among the authors, the most used
criteria are those proposed by Kerlinger:
- You must declare a relation of variables
- It must be indicated in the form of a question
- It should make possible the empirical test of the variables
- It must be indicated in a temporal and spatial dimension
- You must specify the population to be investigated.
Example:
What are the physical and socioeconomic characteristics of children under 5
years of age treated for diarrhea at the Canto del Llano Health Center in
2018?