The Research Problem in Sociological Inquiry: Mechanisms of Methodological Construction and Requirements of Scientific Formulation

Abstract

This article examines the methodological construction of the research problem in sociological inquiry, treating it as the principal foundation from which scientific research proceeds in the study and analysis of social phenomena. It argues that the research problem represents the scientific concern raised by the subject of study, whereby a social phenomenon is transformed from a general observation into a scientific issue requiring investigation and interpretation according to a rigorous methodology. The article reviews a set of conditions and criteria that should be observed when formulating the research problem. These include objectivity, precision and clarity, the identification of the relationship between the study's variables, empirical testability, and formulation as scientific questions, as well as originality, scientific value, and feasibility within the researcher’s capacities and available resources. At the applied level, the article presents a practical model for formulating a research problem in social research on the impact of incentives on achieving organizational effectiveness within the Algerian Water Company. It explains the stages of transition from a general presentation of the topic to the formulation of the main research question and subsidiary questions