Statement of the Problem

This section of the proposal is 2-3 paragraphs long.  It clearly states the problem or research focus, the population affected, and how the study will contribute to solving the problem. This section of chapter 1 should be comprehensive yet simple, providing context for the research study.

A well-written problem statement begins with the big picture of the issue (macro) and works to the small, narrower and more specific problem (micro).  It clearly communicates the significance, magnitude, and importance of the problem and transitions into the Purpose of the Study with a declarative statement such as “It is not known if and to what degree/extent...” or “It is not known how/why and…”

Other examples are:

 It is not known_____

Absent from the literature ______

While the literature indicates ____________, it is not known in _________ (school/district/organization/community) if __________

It is not known how or to what extent ________________

As you are writing this section, make sure your research problem passes the ROC test - Researchable, Original, and Contributory!

Tell your committee why this is important, serious, why something must be done!

There are four [4] required parts:

1. The general problem is….

2. The specific problem is….

3. The methodology is ….

4. The population is…

“The proposed qualitative, quantitative, mixed method, case study (select one) research design will….”  If qualitative, tell me which –hermeneutic phenomenological, phenomenological, grounded theory, etc.; if quantitative, tell me how you are going to analyze your data--t-test, chi-square, MANOVA, etc.

Tell me, “The proposed population will be…in this region….”