CHAPTER 3: STATING THE

PROBLEM
B Y: H A Z E L M A R I A N N E L . M A R I A N O
 TIPS IN CHOOSING A
RESEARCH TOPIC
I D E N T I F Y I N G T H E I N Q U I RY & S TAT I N G T H E
PROBLEM
 CHOOSE SOMETHING THAT
INTERESTS YOU.
• Do not choose a topic unless you are
truly interested in the subject matter.

• Investigating something that does

not excite you makes the research
process far more arduous.
 CHOOSE SOMETHING THAT
INTERESTS YOU.
• Staying motivated is difficult enough
when the topic is something you are
really passionate about.
CHOOSE A TOPIC THAT IS FEASIBLE.

• Every researcher has different

limitations or restrictions.

• Do you have the know-how needed

to conduct this research?
CHOOSE A TOPIC THAT IS FEASIBLE.

• Do you have access or can you

obtain access to whatever it is you
want to research?

• Do you have the time needed to

devote to this research?
 CHOOSE A TOPIC THAT IS
“RESEARCH-WORTHY”.
• Most people that begin research
have an end goal in mind.

• Research is typically written for an

audience, and you have to keep this
audience in mind as you select your
research topic.
 ASK QUESTIONS

• WHY did you choose the topic?  What

interests you about it?  Do you have
an opinion about the issues involved?
 ASK QUESTIONS

• WHO are the information providers

on this topic?  Who might publish
information about it?  Who is affected
by the topic? 
 ASK QUESTIONS

• WHAT are the major questions for

this topic?  Is there a debate about
the topic?  Are there a range of
issues and viewpoints to consider?
 ASK QUESTIONS

• WHERE is your topic important: at

the local, national or international
level?  Are there specific places
affected by the topic?
 ASK QUESTIONS

• WHEN is/was your topic important? 

Is it a current event or an historical
issue?  Do you want to compare your
topic by time periods?
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD
RESEARCH TITLE
I D E N T I F Y I N G T H E I N Q U I RY & S TAT I N G T H E
PROBLEM
 RESEARCH TITLE MATTERS

• Imagine that you are researching

meditation and nursing, and you
want to find out if any studies have
shown that meditation makes nurses
better communicators.  You come up
with results that have the following
titles:
 RESEARCH TITLE MATTERS

• Benefits of Meditation for the Nursing

Profession: A Quantitative Investigation
• Why Mindful Nurses Make the Best
Communicators
• Meditation Gurus
• Nurses on the Move: A Quantitative Report
on How Meditation Can Improve Nurse
Performance
 RESEARCH TITLE MATTERS

• Benefits of Meditation for the Nursing

Profession: A Quantitative
Investigation

• It describes the topic and the method

of the study but is not particularly
catchy.
 RESEARCH TITLE MATTERS

• Why Mindful Nurses Make the Best

Communicators

• It partly describes the topic, but does

not give any information about the
method of the study
 RESEARCH TITLE MATTERS

• Meditation Gurus

• It is somewhat catchier but gives

almost no information at all about
the article.
 RESEARCH TITLE MATTERS

• Nurses on the Move: A Quantitative Report

on How Meditation Can Improve Nurse
Performance

• It begins with a catchy main title and is

followed by a subtitle that gives
information about the content and method
of the study.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD TITLE

• It predicts the content of the research.

• It should be interesting to the reader.
• It should reflect the tone of the writing.
• It should contain important keywords
that will make it easier to be located
during a keyword search.
 TIPS FOR WRITING

• Make sure your research title describes

(a) the topic, (b) the method, (c) the
sample, and (d) the results of your study.
You can use the following formula:

[Result]: A [method] study of [topic]

among [sample]
 TIPS FOR WRITING

• Example: Meditation makes nurses

perform better: a qualitative study of
mindfulness meditation among
German nursing students
 TIPS FOR WRITING

• Avoid unnecessary words and

jargons. You want a title that will be
comprehensible even to people who
are not experts in your field.

• Make sure your title is between 5 and

15 words in length.
WRITING THE BACKGROUND OF
THE STUDY
I D E N T I F Y I N G T H E I N Q U I RY & S TAT I N G T H E
PROBLEM
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• Announce your research topic.

You can start your introduction with a
few sentences which announce the
topic of your paper and give an
indication of the kind of research
questions you will be asking.
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• Consider referring to key words.

• You may also have certain key words
in your title which you want to
establish and emphasize in your
introduction.
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• Introduce the topic through an

anecdote or quotation.
• You may begin with an illustrative
anecdote or quotation that points the
topic of the research.
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• Grab Your Reader

• Avoid writing a first sentence that is
too dry or direct. Try leading with a
related and unusual fact that will
grab the reader's attention.
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• Hit the Highlights

• Use the middle sentences of your
introduction to cover the main points
of your essay.
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• Other Considerations
• Avoid some common downsides that
could make your introduction fall
short. Forego the common practice of
including dictionary definitions of
words in their introductions.
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• Other Considerations
• Don't make the introduction too busy.
Keep the format simple and
straightforward or you risk confusing
your reader.
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• Other Considerations
• Avoid emotional or sensational
introductions.
• Avoid using personal pronouns in your
introduction.
• Don't overwhelm the reader with an
over-abundance of information.
 STATING THE RESEARCH
PROBLEM
I D E N T I F Y I N G T H E I N Q U I RY & S TAT I N G T H E
PROBLEM
 RESEARCH PROBLEM

• Declarative form is used when

stating the main problem.

• Question form is used when stating

the specific problems of the proposed
research.
 RESEARCH MAIN PROBLEM

• Is the problem statement clear?

• Does it provide adequate focus and

direction for research?

• Does it identify the key factors or

variables of the study?
 RESEARCH SUB - PROBLEMS

• Every problem can be broken down

into smaller discrete units. These sub-
parts are called sub-problems.

• Viewing the main problem through

the sub-problem gives a better view
of the entire research endeavor.
 RESEARCH SUB - PROBLEMS

• Each sub-problem should be a

completely researchable unit.
• Interpretation of data must be
apparent with each sub-problem.
• The sub-problems must add up to the
totality of the problems.
 SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF
THE RESEARCH
I D E N T I F Y I N G T H E I N Q U I RY & S TAT I N G T H E
PROBLEM
 DELIMITATION

• Delimiting research is giving full

disclosure of what the researcher
intend to do or does not intend to do.

• When a researcher is able to set the

scope and delimitation of his study, he
can make his research manageable.
 DELIMITATION

• Purpose of the study;

• Time coverage of the investigation;
• Geographical coverage of the inquiry;
• Variables to be studied;
• Specific indicators of variables;
• Types and size of the respondents; and
• Data collection tools.
 DEFINITION OF TERMS
I D E N T I F Y I N G T H E I N Q U I RY & S TAT I N G T H E
PROBLEM
 DEFINITION OF TERMS

• In any study, you need to define the

key terms or concepts in the
statement of the problem in order to
avoid confusion or ambiguity (Kumar,
1996).
 DEFINITION OF TERMS

• This research attempts to probe the

relationship between the perceived
management styles of middle – level
managers and faculty behavior in
Philippine Christian University, during
the academic year 2001 – 2002.
 DEFINITION OF TERMS

• Conceptual definition is the definition

of a term as given by authorities.

• Operational definition is the

researcher’s own definition on a term,
based on how it will be used in the
study.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
I D E N T I F Y I N G T H E I N Q U I RY & S TAT I N G T H E
PROBLEM
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

• The significance of the study

provides details to the reader on how
the study will contribute such as
what the study will contribute and
who will benefit from it.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

• Based on your statement of the

problem you will see the potential
benefits of your study. Just answer
this question, “What are the benefits
or advantages of the study based on
the problem?”
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

• Determine the specific contribution

of your study to the society as well
as to the individual.