Presentation Transcript

How to Write a Problem Statement?:

How to Write a Problem Statement? Research Methods and Manuscript
Writing
What is a Problem Statement?:
What is a Problem Statement? A "Problem Statement" is a description of
a difficulty or lack that needs to be solved or at least researched to see
whether a solution can be found. It can also be described as either a gap
between the real and the desired or a contradiction between principle
and practice .
What is the goal of a statement of problem?:
What is the goal of a statement of problem? The ultimate goal of a
problem statement is to transform a generalized problem (something that
bothers you; a perceived lack) into a targeted, well-defined problem
statement is one that can be resolved through focused research and
careful decision-making. Writing a Problem Statement should help you
clearly identify the purpose of the project you will propose. Often, the
Problem Statement will also serve as the basis for the introductory
section of your final proposal, directing your readers 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 problem need not be long and windy. One page is more than
enough for a good statement of problem.
What are the key characteristics of a statement of problem?:
What are the key characteristics of a statement of problem? A good
research problem should at minimum: Address a gap be significant
enough to contribute to the existing body of research be one that will
lead to more research renter itself to be investigated via collection of
data be interesting to the researcher and suit his/her skills, time and
resources be ethical
What is the format (parts of a problem statement)?:

What is the format (parts of a problem statement)? A persuasive problem

statement consists of three parts: 1) the ideal, 2) the reality, and 3) the
consequences. 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.
Here are your simple four steps to write a statement problem:
Here are your simple four steps to write a statement problem Step 1
(statement 1) Construct statement 1 by describing a goal or desired state
of a given situation, phenomenon etc. This will build the ideal situation
(what should be, what is expected, desired) Step 2 (statement 2)
Describe a condition that prevents the goal, state, or value discussed in
step 1 from being achieved or realized at the present time. This will
build the reality, the situation as it is and establish a gap between what
ought to be and what is Step 3 Connect steps 1 and 2 using a term such
as "but," "however," "Unfortunately," or "in spite of"; Step 4 (statement
3) Using specific details show how the situation in step 2 contains little
promise of improvement unless something is done. Then emphasize the
benefits of research by projecting the consequences of possible solutions
as well.
Example 1 :
Example 1 Part A.
According to the XY university mission
statement, the university seeks to provide students with a safe, healthy
learning environment. Dormitories are one important aspect of that
learning environment, since 55% of XY students live in campus dorms
and most of these students spend a significant amount of time working
in their dorm rooms. However , Part B.
Students living in dorms A B
C, and D currently do not have air conditioning units, and during the hot
seasons, it is common for room temperatures to exceed 80 degrees F.
Many students report that they are unable to do homework in their dorm

rooms. Others report problems sleeping because of the humidity and

temperature. The rooms are not only unhealthy, but they inhibit student
productivity and academic achievement. Part C.
In response to this
problem, our study proposes to investigate several options for making
the dorms more hospitable. We plan to carry out an all inclusive
participatory investigation into options for purchasing air conditioners
(university-funded; student-subsidized) and different types of air
conditioning systems. We will also consider less expensive ways to
mitigate some or all of the problems noted above (such as creating
climate-controlled dorm lounges and equipping them with better study
areas and computing space).
Example 2:
Example 2 STEP 1 (statement 1) The government of Kenya has a goal to
industrialize by the year 2030 (quote). In this regard it has encouraged
growth oriented micro and small enterprises (MSEs) that should
graduate into medium and large enterprises capable of contributing to
the industrialization goal. There are several papers (quote/cite) that
contain specific measures to encourage and support MSEs.
(STATEMENT 2) Despite the said government efforts there is slow
growth of micro into small enterprises and even slower growth of small
into medium scale enterprises (quote, show statistics). The government
has officially acknowledged that there exists a missing middle in Kenya
meaning that there is a gap between small and large enterprises in the
country (cite, quote). STATEMENT 3 if the missing middle gap persist
then the industrialization goal may be difficult to achieve. Need
therefore arises to investigate why despite government efforts there is a
persistent missing middle.

Example 3 :
STATEMENT 1 In order to accomplish their missions public
universities need motivated workforces. STATEMENT 2 There are
however frequent and severe disciplinary actions, absenteeism as well as
various forms of unrests in public universities which affect the
accomplishment of the set missions. Our preliminary investigation
reveals that both non-management and management staff are not
adequately motivated. STATEMENT 3 without effective motivational
packages and procedures the said vices are likely to continue and retard
the achievement of the universities missions. Need arises to examine the
public universities motivation systems and procedures hence this
proposed research
Example 4:
Example 4 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.
STATEMENT 4 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.

Brainstorming and coming up with ideas is stimulating and

satisfying. The satisfaction comes from finding good
workable solutions to problems. Therefore defining the problem
clearly upfront can be a real aid to the idea creation and problem
solving that follows.
(See
further
down
the
page
for
a
free
downloadable problem statement template)
Defining a problem with a Problem Statement is common on
academic circles and within TQM and Six Sigma methodologies.
For Brainstorming however we need something shorter and
simpler.
Ive
had
a
quick
look
for
a problem
statement
template specifically for brainstorming. I didnt find one but did
come across some themes that Ive pulled together into the
following process.
The first step is to write down your problem or the current state.
Dont worry too much about quality at this point simply making a
start is significant. Next, expand on your problem by asking the
following questions:
who does it affect / does not affect.
what does it effect / does not affect.
how does it effect / does not affect.
when is it a problem / is not a problem.
where is it a problem / is not a problem.
Now, re-write your problem statement based on those answers.
The Second step is the same as the first, but focuses on the
Desired or Future State.
The Third Step is to combine your revised Problem or Current
State and your desired Future State into a single statement. This
might take a couple of attempts but stick with it. Finally, review
your new problem statement against the following criteria:
Focused on only one Problem.
One or two sentences long.
Does not suggest a Solution.

You should now have a concise and well balanced Problem

Statement ready for a brainstorm session. It should be
unambiguous and devoid of assumptions. It will enable you or
your group to focus in on the problem and work toward solutions
that truly fit.
Article #17:
Developing a Document Management Strategy Problem
Statement
(Read more articles in this series)
By Kevin Craine
How can you know the best course of action for your document
management strategy? Many document managementprojects
and process improvement efforts are led off track because the
problems that need solving are not clearly defined. In my book,
Designing a Document Strategy I suggest that a formal problem
statement is a valuable tool to spell out how a problem affects
your operation in specific terms. Developing a problem statement
enables you to focus all of your energy on solving the problem
rather than wasting time trying to hit a moving target.

Some of the pitfalls of problems solving are:

Working on problems that are too general, too large or not well
defined.
Jumping to a solution before really understanding the problem.
Tackling problems that are beyond your control or influence.
Applying pet solutions rather than seeking a creative solution.
Allowing your vendor to solve your problem for you.
Failing to develop good reasons for choosing a solution.

You can avoid these pitfalls by developing a problem statement

that objectively illustrates how the problem affects your
organization and briefly summarizes where you want to be after
the problem is resolved. In this way, you define your particular
problem in a way that it can be solved.

A good problem statement:

Has a desired state or goal.
Contains measurements.
Is short and sweet no more than 40 words.
Has no implied cause.
Has no implied solution.
Can pass the So What test.
The following is an example of a problem statement:
The average time it takes to process customer orders has
increased from four days to seven days in the last 12 months.
Our desired state is to fulfill orders within three days six months
from now and not increase thereafter.
The example statement above clearly has a desired state to
reduce the time it takes to process orders. Specific and objective
measures from seven to three days serve as the foundation of
the statement. The authors of this statement have been brief and
to the point, yet it clearly spells out the current problem and the
desired state for the future.
When drafting your problem statement be careful to avoid any
reference to the cause of your problem and avoid the temptation
to imply a solution. How can you know the solution to a problem
before you clearly understand the cause? If you assume you
know the cause of your problem before you properly analyze it,
you may proceed in the wrong direction. Here is an example of a
problem statement with an implied cause:
Personnel turnover in the order processing department has
increased the time it takes to process orders.
And here is an example of an implied solution:

Order fulfillment needs to be automated to accommodate for the

lack of training and experience.
These may indeed be reasonable assumptions; however, the
danger of beginning a problem-solving effort with an implied
cause or an implied solution is that you may not find the true
cause or explore all of the possible solutions. (This is especially
dangerous with technology. Products that are marketed as total
solutions may not address the real cause of your problems.)

When developing your problem statement, ask questions like:

Is the problem stated objectively? Your problem statement
must not be phrased in such a way that it inclines the situation in
favor of one solution or another. Your statement should not leave
room for interpretation. It should be a simple statement of fact.
Is the problem limited in scope? Your statement must define
your problem so that it is small enough for you to realistically
tackle and solve.
Does everyone involved have a common understanding of
the problem? Your problem statement must be written so that
everyone can understand it.
The most important thing is to step back and identify the problems
you are trying to solve. You must clearly describe what your state
is today, as well as what your desired state is, and then identify
the gap between those two. From there, analyze what actions are
needed to solve the problem. If you follow these steps, you have
a good chance of coming up with the right solutions to the
problems you find.

Stages of the Learning Sequence

Define the principle (What is it? What does it do?)
Identify the principle within models (Where is it?)

Generate the principle (How do I do it?)

Receive feedback (How did I do?)
Thesis Statements
Most good, well-organized writing will contain a thesis statement near the beginning of the essay or paper and will repeat it at the end of the
work. The thesis statement tells your audience what you plan to talk about or prove, serving as a preview to the rest of your work. Thesis
statements take a position on a debatable topic or make a statement of information, and then the rest of the paper proves the position or provides
more detailed information.

Research Questions
While most quality writing will naturally contain a thesis statement, only certain kinds of writing will contain one or more research questions.
Research studies, like the kind that appear in academic journals and scientific research publications, usually seek to discover new information
about a little known topic. The purpose of the research question is to tell your reader what you are after as you dive into your investigation. A
research question must be debatable but should be an open question rather than one that takes a position.

Differences
The two types of direction-giving at the beginning and end of academic writing differ in their purpose. A thesis statement delivers a positional
statement about information. A research question, on the other hand, asks an open-ended question about a topic to be investigated. For example, a
research question might ask "How does competitive soccer affect teenager girls?" while a thesis statement on the same topic might state
"Competitive soccer provides many benefits to adolescent girls, such as exercise, but may also have negative effects, such as increased risk of
concussion."

Similarities
Both thesis statements and research questions can be used to provide direction for academic journal articles, research papers, reports of research
studies and qualitative investigations of events or text. Both must be carefully crafted by the writer to give the reader a clear understanding of the
purpose of the work. In order to be clear and effective, research questions and thesis statements must be specific, concise and purposeful.
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The topic is what the paper as a whole is about, whereas the thesis statement is what your paragraphs will be about.
Ex. The Topic is the effects of Drunk driving. The thesis could be:
Drunk driving is wrong for many reasons, three of which are, (first reason), (second reason), (third reason).
The three points that you are making are going to be your three paragraphs.
Both of them need to be specific, and hence, it is advisable that you start from too broad topic and then to come down to a logical narrow
topic with specific thesis statement.
For example, if you choose global warming as the wide topic, you can figure it out to a narrowed size like :
the global warming threats to the mankind.
Then, this narrowed direction can be specified further by the research question, such as :
what can science do to prevent dangers of global warming for wellbeing of the mankind ?
Now, in context to your objectives, this research question will be answered and formulated into a statement like :
this investigation is a demonstration about the scientific measures which can be more helpful in facing bad consequences caused by global
warming, rather than preventing them.
You attentively need to formulate a researchable, affordable, and valuable question. For the statement, it is never meant to remain firm with
its original form and mostly exhibits the flexibility. It will change in accordance with the new interpretations as the old ones become irrelevant.
Thus, the correct thesis statement will be that which you compose as a finishing touch to your paper. Give your favor to DissertationService.co.uk if you want thesis samples, we will provide you with them instantly.