2. • Once the research topic and questions are selected, the next
stage is to begin designing and planning your research project,
the focus of which is usually expressed in terms of aims and
objectives.
• Aims and objectives set the purpose and focus of your
research with the fundamental questions that will be
addressed.
• Defining your research objectives means defining “what do I
need to investigate and how am I going to do it”
Why Objectives
3. • The objectives of a research project summarize what is to be achieved by the
study or research.
• Research objectives set the purpose and focus of your research with the
fundamental questions that will be addressed.
• Research objectives means defining what do I need to investigate and how am I
going to do it?
• Objectives are the single most important aspect of research design and
implementation.
• They include individual, tangible steps that will be taken in your research.
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What are research objectives?
4. research objectives Contd…..
• Often, objectives will be based on the findings of other research -
taking something someone else has investigated or theorised .
• Having selected your research topic and questions, the next stage is
to begin designing and planning your research project, the focus of
which is usually expressed in terms of aims and objectives.
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5. Aims Vs Objectives
• It has to be said that the difference between aims and objectives is
unclear.
• In both the Concise Oxford and Webster's dictionaries aim and
objective are synonymous.
• Even to the compilers of dictionaries! In research terms, the word
"objective" is sometimes used to mean more detailed aims .
Hence it can be concluded that
• “The Aim is what you want to achieve in your study stated in
broader sense, and the Objective describes the smaller goals and
how you are going to achieve that aim .
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6. Aim
• are broad statements of desired outcomes, or the general
intentions of the research, which 'paint the picture' of your
research proposal
• emphasize what is to be accomplished, not how it is to be
accomplished
• do not need to be numbered .
Once aims have been established, the next task is to formulate
the objectives.
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7. Objectives
• Are the expressions of the ends towards which our efforts are directed
• are the steps you are going to take to answer your research questions or a specific
list of tasks needed to accomplish the goal or aim of the project .
• must be highly focused and feasible
• address the more immediate project outcomes
• make accurate use of concepts and be sensible and precisely described
• are usually numbered so that each objective reads as an 'individual' statement to
convey your intentions
• For each specific objective you must have a method to attempt to achieve it.
The development of a realistic time schedule may help to prioritize your
objectives and help to minimize wasted time and effort.
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8. Aims and Objectives should…..
• be presented concisely and briefly
– be interrelated.
– make sure that each aim is matched with specific objectives
• be realistic about what you can accomplish in the duration of the project and
the other commitments you have i.e.:
• the scope of your project must be consistent with the time frame and level of
effort available to you
• provide you and your assessors with indicators of how you approach towards
your goal .
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9. Aims and Objectives should not …
• be too vague, ambitious or broad in scope:
though aims are more general in nature than objectives it is the
viability and feasibility of your study that you have to
demonstrate and aims often present an over-optimistic picture of
what the project can achieve
• just repeat each other in different terms
• just be a list of things related to your research topic
• spend time discussing details of job or research site
• Hence , objectives should be closely related to the research
problem.
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10. Objectives helps us to
intend to approach the literature and theoretical issues related to
you project .
intend to access your chosen subjects, respondents, units, goods or
services and develop a sampling frame and strategy or a rationale for
their selection .
will develop a strategy and design for data collection and analysis .
will deal with ethical and practical problems in your research .
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11. Types of Objectives
• Objectives can be classified to two types
• general objective (2) specific objective
General objective of a study states what researchers
expect to achieve by the study in general terms.
• It is possible (and advisable) to break down a general
objective into smaller, logically connected parts and
these are normally referred to as specific objectives.
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12. Types of Objective contd….
Specific objectives:- are those which systematically address the
various research questions.
• They specify what you will do in your study, where and for
what purpose.
Ex:- to increase the milk yield of dairy cows
Ex:- genetic improvement of dairy cows by decreasing the chances
of natural insemination by bulls and popularizing artificial
insemination
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13. Why should research objectives be developed?
"What do you want to find out?" Until you can answer this basic question,
you really can't go any further in designing your research project.
The formulation of objectives will help you to:
• Focus the study (narrowing it down to essentials ).
• Avoid the collection of data which are not strictly necessary for
understanding and solving the problem you have identified;
• Organize the study in clearly defined parts or phases.
• Properly formulated, specific objectives will facilitate the development of
your research programme and will help to orient the collection, analysis,
interpretation and utilization of data.
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14. How should you state your objectives?
• It is important that the objectives are stated in a good way.
Care should be taken that the objectives should belong to the
study of research topic .
• Cover the different aspects of the problem and its contributing
factors in a coherent way and in a logical sequence .
• Should clearly phrased in operational terms, specifying exactly
what you are going to do, where, and for what purpose .
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15. Contd….
• Should be realistic considering local conditions;
• Should Use action verbs that are specific enough to be evaluated (Examples
of action verbs are: to determine, to compare, to verify, to calculate, to
describe, and to establish). Avoid the use of vague non-action verbs
(Examples of non-action verbs: to appreciate, to understand, or to study).
• Should Keep in mind that when the project is evaluated, the results will be
compared to the objectives. If the objectives have not been spelled out
clearly, the project cannot be evaluated.
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16. Placing the objectives in thesis
• They are always presented in the introductory
chapter or section of your thesis.
• Repeat them during the dissertation: the reader
should reminded about the purpose of his/ her
work.
• Objectives should be in a way referred to in your
conclusions.
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17. How you should justify Your
Objectives
• Ask yourself if your objectives clearly outline specific steps that you will
implement?
• Ask yourself if your objectives clearly outline what information will come from
those steps, and if they directly relate to your research question.
• Define five or six key objectives that you will fulfill,
e.g I will gather information on _____.
• Define the steps of exactly how you will achieve each objective,
e.g I will conduct survey interviews with ____.
• Define exactly how each objective relates to your question.
• Type your definitions, and your research question/thesis statement, print
them, then leave them for half a day.
• Come back and individually read, think about, and refine your question, key
objectives, steps, and objective rationales. Rinse and repeat.
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18. Few points to avoid
• Try to avoid making objective which are too vague, ambitious or broad in
scope: Although aims/ general objectives are more general in nature than
specific objectives it is the viability and feasibility of your study that you have
to demonstrate and aims often present an over-optimistic picture of what
the project can achieve
• Objective should not just repeat each other in different terms
• Objectives are not just a list of things related to your research topic, but
things neutrally intendment to be completed
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19. Checklist for assessing good objectives
Sl. No. Criteria Check
1. Are presented concisely and briefly
2. Are interrelated with the aim of research.
3. Are realistic about what can be accomplished in the duration of the project and the
other commitments such as the scope of your project, must be consistent with the
time frame and level of effort available to you.
4. They should be able to help you develop a strategy and design for data collection and
analysis.
5. They help you to deal with ethical and practical problems in your research.
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20. Remember
• at the conclusion of your project you will need to assess whether or not
you have met your objectives and if not, why not.
• you may not however always meet your aims in full, since your research
may reveal that your questions were inappropriate, that there are
intervening variables you could not account for or that the circumstances
of the study have changed etc.
• Whatever the case, your conclusion will still have to reflect on how well
the research design that was guided by your objectives has contributed to
addressing your aims.
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