Republic of the Philippines

PACITA COMPLEX SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Tirad Pass St. Pacita Complex
San Pedro City, Laguna
(02) 720-50-32
 Republic of the Philippines
PACITA COMPLEX SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Tirad Pass St. Pacita Complex
San Pedro City, Laguna
(02) 720-50-32

1st Semester
S. Y. 2020 – 2021

Grade: : 12
Subject Title : PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2
Topic : STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Most Essential : PRESENTS WRITTEN STATEMENT OF THE
Learning PROBLEM
Competency
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THESIS STATEMENTS/RESEARCH QUESTIONS/PROBLEM STATEMENTS

A thesis statement presents the position that you intend to argue within your paper,
whereas a research question indicates your direction of inquiry in your research. in
general, thesis statements are provided in course-level papers, whereas research
questions are used in major research papers or theses.
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Thesis Statement

The statement or question is a key piece of information within your writing because it
describes the parameters of your study.

Your statement should:

 Be specific
 Be appropriate to the type of paper you are writing
 Appear within the first section of your text so that it is immediately clear to your
reader what the paper is about

Example: “Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the best type of sandwich because
they are versatile, easy to make, and taste good.”

In this example, you see the stated opinion (the best type of sandwich), which means
a chosen stance. Next, an explanation that the opinion is correct with several key
reasons.

The advantage of a clear thesis statement is that it will also help you to stay on track.
At any time during your writing process, you should be able to make a direct
connection between what you are writing and your thesis statement. If that connection
is not clear, you may need to either adjust your writing, or revisit your thesis statement.
Thesis statements can change during the evolution of a paper; however, make sure
you re-examine your outline before you divert too far from your original plan.

Informative and Persuasive Thesis Statements

 Informative Thesis Statement

In this statement, you are telling the purpose of your statement, but you are not making
an argument or expressing a view as you might in a different piece of writing. Your
thesis statement should be clear and accessible to readers, and it should also make
them want to keep reading to learn more about the topic.

Example: Fly fishing is a great way to relieve stress and build one’s confidence.

 Persuasive Thesis Statement

A persuasive thesis statement usually contains an opinion and the reason why your
opinion is true. Unless your puspose is simply to inform, your thesis is considered
persuasive whether you are comparing or contrasting, arguing a point, or narrating
ideas when it contains your opinion and the reason(s) why it should be accepted or
true.

Example: Due to increasing over-dependence on technology, many people struggle

to think for themselves.
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Research question(s)

A research question should:

 Be clear and specific

 State the focus of investigation in the research
 Not be answerable with a yes/no response

Example: What are the differences in attitudes towards online banking between
Millennial adults and older people?
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Problem statements

A problem statement concisely details a vision and method that will be used to solve
a problem.

A problem statement should:

 Be clear and specific

 Discuss potential problems for the writer/researcher
 Not offer a solution

It has a specific form:

  Vision – what does the world look like if we solve the problem
 Issue statement – one or two sentences that describe the problem using
specific issues. It is not “lack of a solution” statement.
 Method – the process that will get followed to solve the problem.

Example:

(Vision)
We want all of our software releases to go to production seamlessly, without defects,
where everyone is aware and informed of the outcomes and status.

(Issue statement)
Today we have too many release failures that result in too many rollback failures. If
we ignore this problem; resources will need to increase to handle the cascading
problems, and we may miss critical customer deadlines which could result in lost
revenue, SLA penalties, lost business, and further damage to our quality reputation.

(Method)
We will use our Kaizen Blitz methodology in evaluating the last release to help us
improve our processes.
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Statement of the Problem in Research Writing

A statement of the problem is used in research work as a claim that outlines the
problem addressed by a study. The statement of the problem briefly addresses the
question: What is the problem that the research will address?

Goals

The ultimate goal of a statement of the problem is to transform a generalized

problem (something that bothers you; a perceived lack) into a targeted, well-defined
problem; one that can be resolved through focused research and careful decision-
making.

Writing a statement of the problem should help you clearly identify the purpose of the
research project you will propose. Often, the statement of the problem will also serve
as the basis for the introductory section of your final proposal, directing your reader’s
attention quickly to the issues that your proposed project will address and providing
the reader with a concise statement of the proposed project itself.

A statement of problem need not be long and elaborate: one page is more than
enough for a good statement of problem.

Key characteristics

1. It should address a gap in knowledge.

2. It should be significant enough to contribute to the existing body of research
3. It should lead to further research
4. The problem should render itself to investigation through collection of data
 5. It should be of interest to the researcher and suit his/her skills, time, and
resources
6. The approach towards solving the problem should be ethical

Format

Part A (The ideal): Describes a desired goal or ideal situation; explains how things
should be.

Part B (The reality): Describes a condition that prevents the goal, state, or value in
Part A from being achieved or realized at this time; explains how the current situation
falls short of the goal or ideal.

Part C (The consequences): Identifies the way you propose to improve the current
situation and move it closer to the goal or ideal.

Example

Statement 1

“The Ministry of Youth is dedicated to allocating enterprise development funds to

both the youth and women. These funds are made available in order to start
entrepreneurial ventures that create and expand employment. (Provide relevant
statistics and quote)”

Statement 2

“One of the main focuses of the ministry is consistency. Unfortunately, consistency in

allocating funds to the next generation of recipients requires prior knowledge of
previous allocations and established practices. The current continuous disbursement
method does not allow for adequate analysis of previous disbursements before a
current disbursement is done.”

Statement 3

“Continuing with this current disbursement method prevents consistency and causes
decisions to become grossly political, which in turn inhibits the achievement of the
goals of the funds. Developing a more informed disbursement system could help
better implement the consistency focus of the ministry and at the same time help the
ministry better monitor and evaluate its funds.”

This proposed research aspires to explore options for a new funds disbursement
system that would focus on consistency. To do this, the researcher will carry out a
full stakeholder analysis and use it to propose appropriate policy interventions.

Sample statement of a problem

An established trend in the small business start-up financing in Kenya is to establish

funds. Some of these funds include the youth fund and women fund. These funds
have helped improve the rate of start-ups in the country. However, after the start-up
stage, the ventures start developing problems. First, they face problems in
management which lead to a marketing problem and eventually to stagnation and
early exit.

A study by the Institute of Development Studies (RoK, 2004) revealed that only 38%
of the businesses are expanding while 58% have not added workers. According to
the survey, more enterprises are likely to close in their first three years of operation.
Four years later the same institute conducted another study in Central Kenya. This
study revealed that 57% of small businesses are in stagnation with only 33% of them
showing some level of growth.

In our current project, we propose to examine factors that have an impact on small
business sustainability. We will employ both qualitative and quantitative approaches
to gather both primary and secondary data and information with the objective of
determining success factors for the growth of small business in Kenya.

Specifically, we shall employ the product life cycle (PLC) model to identify the needs
of a small business at the various stages of the PLC.

References:

1. RoK, (2008). Economic Survey. Nairobi, Kenya. Government Printer.

2. Nyaga C.N. (2009). Non-financial constraints hindering growth of SMEs in
Kenya: The case of plastic manufacturing companies in industrial area in
Nairobi county. (A masters research thesis, University of Nairobi).
3. Nyagah C.N. (2013). Non-financial constraints hindering growth of SME’S in
Kenya: the case of plastic manufacturing companies in industrial area in
Nairobi County (Doctoral dissertation).
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A. WRITTEN WORKS #6 (This activity is graded and recorded)

INSTRUCTION: Choose one research title listed below based on your strand. Write
a 3-part statement of the problem (ideal, reality, consequences) for the title chosen.

1. The relationship between crime statistics and immigration

2. Quantitative analysis of the marketing strategies followed by different
automobile companies in Sta. Rosa Laguna
3. Negative impacts of bioterrorism on the environment
4. The implementation and impact of brain chips
5. Using social insights for better marketing ROIs
6. The current capabilities and future goals of genetic engineers
7. Peripheral blood stem cells in cancer patients
8. COVID19 vaccine efficacy: The pros and cons of the guinea pigs

B. PERFORMANCE TASK #5 (This activity is graded and recorded)

INSTRUCTION: This is a group activity. Write down the statement of the problem for
your group’s research study. Prepare to present your group’s output.