Formulating Research Problem in Academic Writing: Indonesian Expert Authors’ Cognitive Experience

Fahrus Zaman Fadhly

doi:10.21093/ijeltal.v7i1.1262

Formulating Research Problem in Academic Writing: Indonesian Expert Authors’ Cognitive Experience

Fahrus Zaman Fadhly

Abstract

This research aims to reconstruct the cognitive process in formulating research problems in writing scientific journal articles. Through a grounded theory approach, this study reveals six important findings related to the formulation of research problems in scientific journal articles, i.e.: a gap between expectations and reality; intensive search by finding possibilities, norm testing results and case studies; mapping global structure of issues; and data replication. This research concludes that the formulation of research problems in writing scientific journal articles is identical to the research gap (RG). As an empty space or a vast space of possibilities, RG can be entered and examined more deeply and seriously by researchers in various disciplines so that they can explore and discover new knowledge. This research has an important and significant impact on the development of science and technology. It offers a new approach to how cognitive experiences were constructed. The results of the construction of this cognitive process have tangible benefits for many people regarding how research problems and research questions are formulated.

Keywords

Cognitive experience; cognitive process; research gap; research question; scientific journals;

Full Text:

Download PDF

References

Abdikalyka, K. S., Abitzhanovaa, Z. A., Otarbekovaa, Z. K., Kaidarovaa, G. K., and Seidullayevab, G. A. (2016). Concept as the main research object of cognitive linguistics. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 11(10), 3167-3178.

Akhidime, A. E. (2017). The importance and development of research problem: A didactic discuss. International Journal of Economic, Commerce and Management, 5(8), 631-640.

Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Longman.

Anson, C. M. (2016). Habituated practice can lead to entrenchment.” Naming what we know: Threshold concepts of writing studies, Classroom Edition, edited by Adler-Kassner, Linda and Elizabeth Wardle, Utah State University Press, pp. 77-78.

Arnold, K. M., Umanath, S., Thio, K., Reilly, W. B., McDaniel, M. A., & Marsh, E. J. (2017). Understanding the cognitive processes involved in writing to learn. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 23(2), 115–127.

Barroga, E., & Matanguihan, G. J. (2022). A practical guide to writing quantitative and qualitative research questions and hypotheses in scholarly articles. J. Korean Med Sci, 37(16), 1-18.

Barrett, J. R. (2014). Future possibilities for qualitative research in music education: The Oxford handbook of qualitative research in American music education. (Online book). DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199844272.013.033.

Bereiter, C & Scardamalia, M. (1987). The psychology of written composition. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Bermudez, N. (2021). Formulating well-written clinical practice questions and research questions. Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal, 4(1), 70-82.

Bhasin H. (2022). What is a research hypothesis and how to write it? https://www.marketing91.com/research-hypothesis/. Updated 2020.

Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomies of educational objectives. Handbook 1. Cognitive Domain. NY: McKay.

Byrne, D. (2017). Developing a researchable question. https://methods-sagepub-com.vu-nl.idm.oclc.org/project-planner/developing-a-researchable-question

Chen, S., Sharma, G., & Muñoz, P. (2022). In pursuit of impact: From research questions to problem formulation in entrepreneurship research. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. SAGE.

Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Los Angeles: Sage.

Deane, P., Odendahl, N. Quinlan, T., Fowles, M. Welsh, C. & Tatum, J. B. (2008). Cognitive models of writing: Writing proficiency as a complex ıntegrated skill. Retrieved on October 6th, 2020 from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1111278.pdf

Dryer, D. B. (2016). Writing is (also always) a cognitive activity, naming what we know: Threshold concepts of writing studies. (Classroom Edition) edited by Adler-Kassner, Linda and Elizabeth Wardle, Utah State University Press, pp. 71-74.

Ensar, F. & Sallabaş, M. E. (2016). Understanding scientific texts: From structure to process and general culture. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 1(1), 29-34.

Excelsior College. (2022). Research hypotheses. https://owl.excelsior.edu/research/research-hypotheses/. Updated 2022.

Fandino, W. (2019). Formulating a good research question: Pearls and pitfalls. Indian J Anaesth, 63, 611-616.

Farias, J. R. Filho, Marchisotti, G. G., Maggessi, K. M. F., & Miranda, H. L. de, Junior. (2019). Método de pesquisa misto para identificação do problema de pesquisa. Conhecimento & Diversidade, 10(22), 88-102. http://dx.doi.org/10.18316/rcd.v10i22.5155

Favart, M., & Coirier, P. (2006). Acquisition of the linearization process in text composition in third to ninth graders: Effects of textual superstructure and macrostructural organization. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 35(1), 305-328.

Febriyanto, E., & Yulianto, F. H. N. L. (2018). Penerapan viewboard rooster berbasis bootstrap sebagai penunjang pelayanan iDuhelp! pada perguruan tinggi. Jurnal Ilmiah Teknologi Informasi Asia, 12(2).

Flower, L. & Hayes, J. (1980b). The dynamics of composing: Making plans and juggling constraints. In Gregg, Lee; Steinberg, Erwin (eds.) Cognitive processes in writing. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 31-50.

Galbraith, D. & Torrance, M. (1999). “Conceptual processes in writing: from problem solving to text production”. Dalam G. Rijlaarsdam & E. Esperet (Series eds), & M. Torrence & D. Galbraith (Vol. eds), Studies in writing. Vol. 4. Knowing what to write: Conceptual processes in text production. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

Galbraith, D. (1996). Self-monitoring, discovery through writing and individual differences in drafting strategy. In G. Rijlaarsdam, H. van den Bergh, & M. Couzin (Eds.). Theories, models and methodology in writing research. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

Gasparyan, A.Y., Ayvazyan, L., Mukanova, U., Yessirkepov, M., & Kitas G.D. Scientific hypotheses: writing, promoting, and predicting implications. J Korean Med Sci, 34(45), 1-18.

Grainger, R. Osborne, E. Dai, W, Kenwright, D. (2018). The process of developing a rubric to assess the cognitive complexity of student-generated multiple choice questions in medical education. The Asia Pacific Scholar, 3(2), 19-24. DOI https://doi.org/10.29060/TAPS.2018-3-2/OA1049

Handayani, I., Febriyanto, E., & Solichin, K. R. P. (2018). Penerapan viewboard sebagai media informasi sidang skripsi pada PESSTA+ di perguruan tinggi. Technomedia Journal, 2(2), 52-62.

Hermansson, C. & Lindgren, E. (2019). Writing as a cognitive process. Retrieved on January 2nd 2021 from https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2019/12/19/writing-cognitive-process/

Higashihara, A., & Horiuchi, S. (2021). Smoke or smokeless moxibustion treatment for breech presentation: a three-arm pilot trial. Jpn J Nurs Sci, 18(4). e12426.

Horne, Z., Muradoglu, M., & Cimpian, A. (2016). Explanation as a cognitive process. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 23(3),187-199. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.12.004.

Howard-Grenville, J., Davis, G., Dyllick, T., Miller, C., Thau, S., & Tsui, A. (2019). Sustainable development for a better world: contributions of leadership, management, and organizations. Academy of Management Discoveries, 5(4), 355-366. https://doi.org/10.5465/amd.2019.0275

Isosomppi. L. & Maunula, M. (2016). First stages of adult students’ relationship to scientific knowing and research in the open university`s web-based methodology course. In M. B. Nunes & M. McPherson (eds.), Proceedings of the International conference E-Learning.

International Institute of Health Sciences. (2022). Developing hypothesis and research question. https://www.iihs.edu.lk/mod/resource/view.php?id=34513&forceview=1. Updated 2022. Accessed January 3, 2022.

Jakobs, E. & Perrin, D. (2014). Handbook of writing and text production. Zurich: De Gruyter Mouton.

Kellogg, R. T. (2008). Training writing skills: A cognitive developmental perspective. Journal of Writing Research, 1(1), 1-26

Lamanauskas, V. (2019). Scientific article preparation: A comprehensive introduction. Problems of Education in The 21st Century, 77 (6), 688-694.

Lautney, J. (2018). Cognitive development is a reconstruction process that may follow different pathways: The case of number. Journal of Intelligence, 6(15), 1-20.

Marasigan, P. R. (2019). Using brief cognitive restructuring and cognitive defusion techniques to cope with negative thoughts. Social Values & Society 1(4), 11-14.

Marchisotti, G. G., & Filho, F. J. R. (2022). Application of a multi-method to identify a research problem. Revista de Administração Contemporânea, 26(6), e210020. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-7849rac2022210020.en

Mattick, K., Johnston, J., & de la Croix, A. (2018). How … to write a good research question. The Clinical Teacher, 15, 104–108

McCombes, S. (2019). Developing strong research questions. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/researchprocess/research-questions/

Milani, B. A. & Navimipour, N.J. (2017). A systematic literature review of the data replication techniques in the cloud environments. Big Data Research, 10(2017), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bdr.2017.06.003

Misra, D.P., & Agarwal, V. (2020). Generating working hypothesis for original research studies. Cent Asian J Med Hypotheses Ethics, 1(1), 14-19.

Moran, M. O. (2019). Ecological rationality and the cognitive process theory of writing. Manitoba: University of Manitoba. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED599635.pdf

Nasution, M. K. M., Onrizal., & Aulia, I. (2018). Design of the research problem statement. The 3rd International Conference on Computing and Applied Informatics 2018. IOP Publishing.

Nirmalasari, L., Harahap, E. P., & Faradilla, F. (2018). Implementation of problem formulation management in improving the quality of research in higher education. ATM, 2(1), 20-27.

Omer, R. A. (2015). International scientific publication in ISI Journals: Chances and obstacles. World Journal of Education, 5(6), 81-90 DOI: 10.5430/wje.v5n6p81

Özden, B. (2016). I can make a scientific research: A course about scientific research methods, in which learning management system (LMS) is used. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 4(5), 215-224. DOI:10.11114/jets.v4i5.1512

Pardede, P. (2018). Identifying and formulating the research problem. Research in ELT.

Pulungan, A. N. (2016). The cognitive process of writing in english: developing the cognitive based learning model. In English Education International Conference (EEIC).

Rahardja, U., Aini, Q., Azizah, N., & Santoso, N. P. L. (2018). efektivitas akuntansi online dalam menunjang proses rekonsiliasi. Nusantara Journal of Computers and its Applications , 3 (2).

Rahardja, U., Aini, Q., & Putri, D. M. (2018). Pemanfaatan Automated Email System (AEMS) sebagai media notifikasi penilaian hasil belajar. Sensitek, 1(1), 49-54.

Rahardja, U., Lutfiani, N., & Rahmawati, R. (2018). Persepsi mahasiswa terhadap berita pada website APTISI. Sisfotenika, 8(2), 117-127.

Ratan, S. K., Anand, T., Ratan, J. (2018). Formulation of research question – stepwise approach. J Indian Assoc Pediatr Surg, 24, 15-20

Ravindra, B. A. (2022). Formulating a research problem. International Journal of Legal Science and Innovation, 4(1), 385-390.

Sahib, R., & Murshid, A. M. M. (2020). An analysis of research backgrounds of EFL students research proposal. Journal of English language Studies, 5(2), 199-209.

Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2019) Research methods for business students (8th ed). Harlow: Pearson.

Sezgin, S. (2021). Cognitive relations in online learning: Change of cognitive presence and participation in online discussions based on cognitive style. Participatory Educational Research, 8(1), 344-361

Shabatura, J. (2013). Using Bloom’s taxonomy to write effective learning objectives. Retrieved on 20 May, 2019 from https://tips.uark.edu/using-blooms-taxonomy/

Smith, S. (2019). How to define your research question. Retrieved on February 23th, 2020 from https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/research-problem/

Soiferman, L. K. (2020). “Trial and tribulations, but also joys and jubilation” commentary on the writing thought process of the international student. Retrieved on May 22th, 2020 from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED610090.pdf

Sullivan, G. & Min, G. (2017). The possibilities of research: The promise of practice. Art Education, 70(2), 49-57, DOI: 10.1080/00043125.2017.1274203

Syahrin, A. Dawud, Suwignyo, H., Priyatni, E. T. (2019). Creative thinking patterns in student‘s scientific works. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 81(2019). 21-36.

Vasanthakumari, S. (2021). Writing research proposal. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 10(01), 184–190.

Victoria, J. (2009). Developmental aspects of text production in writing and speech. Lund: Lund University.

Thomas, B. (2015). Problem formulation in social work research: Issues and concerns. International Journal of Social and Economic Research, 5(4), 65-70. Doi: 10.5958/2249-6270.2015.00055.0 6.

Shoket, M. (2014). Research problem: Identification and formulation. International Journal of Research, 1(4), 512-518.

Wintersberger, D., & Saunders, M. (2020). Formulating and clarifying the research topic: insights and a guide for the production management research community. Production, 30, e20200059. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-6513.20200059.

Wordvice. (2022). How to write a hypothesis or research question. https://blog.wordvice.com/how-to-write-a-hypothesis-or-research-question/. Updated 2021. Accessed January 4, 2022.

Wisse, M., & Roeland, J. (2022). Building blocks for developing a research question: The ABC-model. Teaching Theology & Religion, 25(1), 22–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/teth.12603

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v7i1.1262

Refbacks

There are currently no refbacks.

IJELTAL (Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics) by http://ijeltal.org is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.