Ugly as it is, 'research problematic' is in frequent usage:

Guide to writing a research proposal



A formal proposal is required for admission to a research degree. It is one means by which university committees assess and approve your research candidature.

The process of developing the proposal can be a valuable exercise, one which can help you determine your focus, clarify what is involved in your research project and plan its development. A developed proposal is an important way in which you can demonstrate your understanding of research and communicate your ‘research thinking’ to others.

These guidelines are provided to help you draw out your ideas. They state the requirements of a sound proposal.

1 Topic and problematic

The research topic formulates a problem that is worthy of research. The topic should:

be stated clearly and succinctly in one or two sentences.
be determined after consultation with potential supervisors.
The topic is usually framed as a ‘problem’ or question in need of an answer. The topic statement will invite your reader to ask why it is significant and ‘worth doing’. A good research proposal identifies in the research topic a ‘problematic’ to be investigated. Needless to say, your statement of this will result from discussion of your area of interest with potential supervisors, mentors and others.

http://www.uts.edu.au/fac/edu/research/degrees/guide.html

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Note added at 2 hrs (2008-11-26 12:02:02 GMT)
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I should also have included this paragraph from the above link:

Framing the question is not always easy, and you need to ask yourself whether your proposed ‘problem’ or ‘research question’ is really the question to be asked and answered. The framing of the problematic is crucial in setting up the research, though it is a common for researchers to revise and reformulate this as the research progresses."

Other examples:

"Research problematic



Instructional intervention : a research object under construction

The research problematic of the Crie and of the Canada Research Chair on Instructional Intervention is in direct relation with the Strategic Plan for Development in Research and Teaching of the University of Sherbrooke (2001), with the orientations of the Faculty of Education (1996) with the problematic of the doctorate in education (Ph.D.), centred on interrelations between research, teacher education and professional practices, and with the orientations of the Centre for Interuniversity Research in Teacher Education and the Teaching Profession (Crifpe) that the Crie is part of.



The research problematic deals with a fundamental question in education. Indeed, it is centred on instructional intervention in teaching and in professional pre-service and continuing education in teaching, and on the development of behaviours connected to it, according to an interdisciplinary approach or perspective. In this sense, the populations concerned by the works conducted by the CRIE are, on the one hand, practising teachers and all actors in the school milieu (pedagogical consultants, school principals, etc.) in their function of intervener with these teachers and, on the other hand, future teachers and all actors (university professors, sessional lecturers, practice teaching supervisors, associate teachers, etc.) acting in their capacity of intervener in their teacher education process."

http://www.crie.ca/CRIE/CRIE_prob_anglais.htm

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=RKXILlvkd04C&pg=PA45&lpg=...


At the time of working up of my own PhD proposal, I remember discussion taking place which used the word 'problematize': 'one needs to problematize this area of one's research/research focus.'


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Note added at 2 days2 hrs (2008-11-28 12:57:23 GMT) Post-grading
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That's great - a better outcome even than 4 points, for which many thanks!