Aim
o Keep in mind the differing purposes of social work research projects
o Exploration – conclusions tentative and incomplete
o Description – distinguish those that apply to the sample
o Explanatory – pointing to causal relationships among variables
Goal
o It describes the aim of the work in broad terms
Objectives
o These are more specific and relate directly to the overall/broad research
question.
o Objectives indicate what we are trying to get from the study or the expected
results / outcome of the study.
o These guide the investigator during the process of formulating research
questions and hypothesis/assumptions.
They also help in the prioritization process.
They will enable the reader or consumer of the work to judge whether the
investigator achieved the objectives or not.
Research Objectives
Properly formulated, specific objectives will facilitate the development of your
research methodology and will help to orient the collection, analysis, interpretation
and utilization of data.
Research objectives should be clear , achievable and verifiable - as they directly
assist in answering the research questions / problem.
Objectives may be specified in the form of actions (verbs) to answer the posed
questions- generally objectives begin with to : discover …, determine …, establish …
assess…, identify… compare … analyze , evaluate….., measure…, ascertain…, explore
…etc.
Objectives will likely be in the form of seeking answers to the research questions of your
study; they should be:
o Closely related to the research question
o Covering all aspects of the problem
o Very specific
o Ordered in a logical sequence
o Stated in action verbs that could be evaluated
o Achievable, taking into consideration the available resources and time
o Mutually exclusive, with no repetitions or overlaps
o Narrow and specific
o Answerable by observable evidence
o Feasible to investigate and answer
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