<![CDATA[The objective of the study was to look at the process through which graduate students in Colleges of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at Middle Euphrates universities choose research problems. The study employed a descriptive survey design. The 20-item validated scale which was developed and administered to the main sample of 60 students after conducting a pilot test on 10 students was target to 112 graduate students. The content was evaluated with the help of eight experts, independent-samples t tests were used to test item discrimination, and split-half reliability was found to be 0.83 using the Guttman coefficient. Responses were coded on a three-point scale (Always, Often, Rarely) and negatively worded items were reverse-coded. All participants endorsed nearly all items 7/7. According to the data, reliance on the supervisor which has the most accumulation mean of 2.37 (78.89%) is followed by a problem that adds to scientific knowledge and opens new research horizons 2.33 (77.78%) and fits the financial and time resources of the researcher which have a mean of 2.30 (76.67%). Issues related to the workplace ranked the lowest (1.82; 60.56%) The results suggest that topic selection is influenced more strongly by supervisory guidance and feasibility than by systematic use of literature and field-based problem identification. Graduate programs must equip students with problem formulation, searching the literature and structured supervisor–student consultation, by developing these skills.]]>
