ABSTRACT
The process of thinking through research questions from the level of ideas or theory to measurable indicators that can be used in social research is called ‘operationalisation’. In researching the issue of ‘poverty’, one’s theoretical perspective will also influence the type of research question that will shape the research. The elements or aspects that go together to make up concepts are called ‘dimensions’. There may be differing numbers of dimensions in each concept, although there would seem to be only one dimension to the concept of ‘gender’—whether one is male or female. In explanatory research, researchers explore questions about how one variable affects another, or about the causes behind some social phenomenon. Once variables have been defined, many quantitative researchers go on to develop hypotheses about their variables. Hypotheses are statements about variables and the relationships between them.
