Defining Research Objects, Delimitation, and Hypothesis Formulation
Construction of the Object of Research
The beginning and end of research are not always presented with the necessary transparency. The confusing path of much research stems from a faulty definition of the subject for investigation.
The epistemologist insists that the object of research is a product of the researcher or the research itself and not a zero outside the research. However, the methodologist assumes an external reality on which to develop joint procedures. Methodological or design, or the project are conceivable without the prior definition of the object.
There are those who advocate tirelessly for doing the work as an adventure to unknown lands, but without knowing its destination. But when it comes to asking for budget forecasts, whether public or private, such an exercise of adventure can be an impediment. Those who put the money want to know what benefit their investment will bring to the organization they represent, the results of research. The discussion has to be introduced in other ways, in the answers to why and for whom to investigate.
Delimitation of the Focus of Research
Having defined the research field, we follow by defining the object to be studied and what is inside the borders of the object and what is not. If citizens are told to be studied regarding their opinion about immigration, understand what is meant. A party may question the reasons that lead us to pose such a study, another the opportunity, the interest of their results, etc. But most will understand the goal. The development of research will depend on what the object proposed. Hence, it is preliminary work on the definition of concepts, open to define what it means to view, citizens, immigration, and then deploy the goals and subgoals and in turn, the methodology most appropriate to such definitions.
The task of defining the object is made from the separation of 3 parts: what you want to study, what you do not want to study, and what could be studied. If the first two seem to be clear, the 3rd is the main source of problems since, driven by the desire to provide the maximum number of items of knowledge in the project and certain profitability of effort, we are inclined to embrace the widest extent of field study. This tendency needs to be controlled because it carries additional research efforts not covered in the funding and project schedule.
One thing is the marking of the topic or field of study that will address and another to the precise definition of what is intended to address.
Skipping to the delimitation of the field to methodological design, without an established setting the research objectives can leave the design on a tightrope.
Hypothesis Formulation
The entire research project is a question of social reality.
Particular questions which could form the focus of studies or objectives for them, however, every question leads to the knowledge of response options. These are the scenarios: starting points on which deck response options.
As starting points, assumptions again require an effort of clarity. Example: the abandonment of studies by youth is that lower-class families where both spouses work in occupations less gratifying and maintains a very tolerant education of children, it is easier for the children to tend to drop out. Another hypothesis: in families where parents have a strong work ethic it is very difficult for children dropping out. These assumptions could be complemented by others such as family behavior that depends on social class and it is this variable that has greater explanatory power on the dependent variable: dropout.