Problem Statement

Proposal construction
Webinar 1
WHAT IS A PROBLEM STATEMENT

• A problem statement is the description of an issue

currently existing which needs to be addressed.
• It provides the context for the research study and
generates the questions which the research aims to
answer.
• A good problem statement is just one sentence (with
several paragraphs of elaboration).
A problem statement

• A problem statement is a clear concise description of the

issue(s) that need(s) to be addressed by a problem solving
team.
• It is used to center and focus the team at the beginning, keeps
the team on track during the effort, and is used to validate
that the effort delivered an outcome that solves the problem
statement.
How to get started

• The 5 'W's –
• Who,
• What,
• Where,
• When and
• Why - is a great tool that helps get pertinent
information out for discussion.
How to get started
• Who - Who does the problem affect? Specific groups, sect od people
organizations, customers, etc.
• What - What are the boundaries of the problem, e.g. organizational, work flow,
geographic, customer, segments, etc. –
• What is the issue? - What is the impact of the issue? - What impact is the issue
causing? - What will happen when it is fixed? - What would happen if we didn’t
solve the problem?
• When - When does the issue occur? - When does it need to be fixed?
• Where - Where is the issue occurring? Only in certain locations, processes,
products, etc.
How to get started
• Why - Why is it important that we fix the problem? –
• What impact does it have on the business or customer? –
• What impact does it have on all stakeholders, e.g. employees, suppliers,
customers, shareholders, etc.
• Each of the answers will help to zero in on the specific issue(s) and frame
the Issue Statement.
• Your problem statement should be solvable.
Example
• What is the overriding problem?
• Retention; inability to adapt to change; poor working conditions;
inequities; poor conditions in health or economics, deficits; lack of
evaluation of a program; conflict in: ethics, values, morals…
• Where is the problem found?
• Manufacturing; education; health administration; government;
society; corporate America…
• What needs to be done to solve the problem?
• Survey; interview; create a new model; determine what experts
believe; evaluate; meta-analyze, conduct an experiment;
benchmark…
Locating the Research Problem

• Read the opening paragraphs of existing studies for one or

more of the following:
• – What is the issue or problem?
• – What controversy leads to the need for a study?
• – What concern is being addressed behind the study?
• – Is there a sentence such as, “The problem being addressed in
this study is…..
What Makes a Good Research Statement?

▪ Researchable

• It seems a bit obvious, but you don't want to find yourself in

the midst of investigating a complex research project and
realize that you don't have much to draw from for your
research. Choose research problems that can be supported
by the resources available to you.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF PROBLEM STATEMENT?

• The problem provides the context for the research study and typically
generates questions which the research hopes to answer.
• In considering whether or not to move forward with a research
project, you will generally spend some time considering the problem.
• In your proposal the statement of the problem is oftentimes the first
part to be read with scrutiny.
• Ignoring the title and the abstract because ideally a title should be
born out of a problem statement and an abstract should be a
summary after the problem has already been dealt with.
Example
• "The frequency of job layoffs is creating fear, anxiety, and a
loss of productivity in middle management workers.“
• While this problem statement is just one sentence, it should
be accompanied by a few paragraphs that elaborate on the
problem.
• The paragraphs could cover present persuasive arguments
that make the problem important enough to study.
HOW TO WRITE THE STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

• Nevertheless objectivity can be injected by answering questions

such as these:
• Is the problem of current interest?
• Is it topical?
• Is the problem likely to continue into the future?
• Will more information about the problem have practical
application?
• Will more information about the problem have theoretical
importance?
• How large is the population affected by the problem?
 How to write a good qualitative purpose
statement:
• Single sentence
• Include the purpose of the study
• Include the central phenomenon
• Use qualitative words e.g. explore, understand, discover
• Note the participants (if any)
• State the research site
A good place to start:

The purpose of this ______________ (narrative, phenomenological,

grounded theory, ethnographic, case, etc.) study is (was? will be?) will be
to ____________ (understand, describe, develop, discover) the
_____________ (central phenomenon of the study) for ______________
(the participants) at (the site). At this stage in the research, the
___________ (central phenomenon) will be generally defined as
____________ (a general definition of the central concept).
Elements of a Quantitative Purpose Statement

• A quantitative purpose statement identifies the variables, their

relationships, and the participants and site for research
• Guidelines for writing
• – Use a single sentence.
• – Use wording such as The purpose of this study
• – If using a theory, state the theory you plan to test.
• – Use quantitative words (e.g., “relate,” “compare,” “describe”) to describe the
relationships between variables.
Elements of a Quantitative Purpose Statement (cont.)

• Guidelines for writing (cont.)

• – Independent variable (1st position in sentence)
• – Dependent variable (2nd position in sentence)
• – Control and/or mediating variable (3rd position in sentence)
• – Research site
• – Participants
Differences Between Quantitative and Qualitative Problem Statements

QUANTITATIVE—MORE CLOSED QUALITATIVE—MORE OPEN ENDED

1. Probable cause/effect (Why did it happen?) 1. Descriptive (What happened?)

2. • Use of theories (Why did it happen in view of 2. Interpretive (What was the meaning to people
an explanation or theory?) of what happened?)
3. • Assess differences and magnitude 3. Process oriented (What happened over time?)
(How much happened?)
(How many times did it happen?)
(What were the differences
among groups in what happened?)
 THANK YOU

Dr. Normala SG
A2-439
normala.g@xmu.edu.my
Other Matters
• Proposal submission 11/9
• LR (Reading) focus on DV (EFFECT)
• Gantt chart (project calendar) during semester break
• Chapter 1

• October- 2 webinar ( chapter 1-3 with reference & guideline)