esson 3: Research objectives

While your problem formulation serves to describe the aim of your thesis, the objectives
provide an accurate description of the specific actions you will take in order to reach this aim.
As with the problem formulation, the overall objective should be framed in a single sentence.
Once again, take a look at the problem formulation from the previous lesson: Is the level of
knowledge on recommended nutritional practices related to the nutritional status of pregnant
women attending antenatal care in Northern Uganda?
The correspondent overall objective should be written as an infinitive sentence e.g.:
To analyse the association between nutritional knowledge and the nutritional status of
pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) in Northern Uganda.
Here you see that the overall objective states exactly how you intend to address your problem:
I want to find the answer to problem A, by completing action B. You then have to explain or
detail action B through a set of specific objectives (usually between two and four), e.g.:

1. To assess the knowledge level among ANC attendees on the recommended nutritional
practices during pregnancy
2. To assess the nutritional status of pregnant women attending ANC
3. To analyse the statistical association between nutritional knowledge level and
nutritional status in pregnant women attending ANC

Each specific objective consists of one infinitive sentence and should be phrased in a way that
makes it possible to draw a conclusion from within the scope of the thesis.
The more precisely you formulate your specific objectives, the simpler it will be to define the
type of study and which method(s) you will use in your further research. You can refine your
specific objective by clearly stating if your given action is to understand, analyse or create in
tune with the hierarchy of learning objectives and the key to the assessment of knowledge
content as found in for example Blooms taxonomy. In this way, your specific objectives will
signal your level of ambition as well as where you will place the greatest effort in your thesis.
TIP!
Your well-defined research objectives will help you identify the type of study you will do.
Practical limitations and/or advice from your supervisor may require that you reformulate all or
some of your objectives. Dont worry; this is all part of the research process.
Do you now know how to formulate objectives? Test your knowledge in the following.

Continue...

PAGE 1 OF 2
Did you know...
... that the time you spend, to refine and define your overall research objective and your specific objectives, is
well spent and will pay back many-fold. Once your research objectives are ready, you have completed half of
your thesis requirements the remaining half is straightforward, hands-on work!

... that your well-defined research objectives will help you identify the type of study you will do. Practical
limitations and/or advice from your supervisor may require that you reformulate all or some of your objectives.
Dont worry; this is all
- See more at: http://betterthesis.dk/getting-started/short-synopsis#sthash.dFyTJFNS.dpuf