This document discusses developing a strong problem statement for research. It emphasizes that the problem statement should clearly explain what the research problem is and why it is worth investigating. Researchers should consider current interest in the problem, how many people it affects, and whether studying it could substantially add to existing knowledge. An effective problem statement will also pose a research question involving measurable variables and populations. Formulating a good research question is important for justifying the time and resources required for a study.

1. ECON 7999
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
TOPIC :
P R O B L E M S TAT E M E N T
By : Dr. Dolhadi Zainudin
03/3/2012 1

2. Researchers- What’s your issues?
 Encounter problems
 State problem
 Propose hypotheses
 Deduce outcomes
 Formulate rival hypotheses
 Devise and conduct empirical tests
 Draw conclusions
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3. The Research Process
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4. Problem Statement
in the Research Paper
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5. Problem Statement
in the Research Paper (1/2)
 Research study and generates questions which
the research hopes to answer.
 Next step - to move forward with a research
project (research problem), generally spend
some time considering the problem.
 Statement of the problem is the first part of
the paper
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6. Problem Statement
in the Research Paper (2/2)
 You need to be able to clearly answer the
question:
"what is the problem"?
"why is this problem worth my
attention"?
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7. Problem Statement
in the Research Paper (4/4)
 Limits scope by focusing on some variables
and not others.
 Provides an opportunity for you to
demonstrate why these variables are
important.
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8. How Important is the
Problem
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9. How Important is the Problem ? ) (1/4)
 Problem should receive considerable and
persuasive attention.
 Clearly indicate why your problem is an
important one by answering questions
such as :
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10. How Important is the Problem ? (2/4)
 Current interest?
 Topical?
 Likely to continue into the future?
 Will more information about the problem
have practical application?
 Will more information about the problem
have theoretical importance?
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11. How Important is the Problem ? (3/4)
 How large is the population affected by the
problem?
 How important, influential, or popular is
this population?
 Would this study substantially revise or
extend existing knowledge?
 Would this study create or improve an
instrument of some utility?
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12. How Important is the Problem ? (4/4)
 Would research findings lead to some
useful change in best practice?
 Is there evidence or authoritative opinion
from others to support the need for this
research?
 Should persuasively indicate that major
variables can be measured in some
meaningful way
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13. Problem Statement
Question
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14. Problem Statement Question ( 1/2)
 Should close with a question.
 Contains two variables, a measurable
relationship, and some indication of
population.
 The purpose of the literature search that
follows is to answer the research problem
question. If the literature cannot answer
the question, the research is needed to do
so.
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15. Problem Statement Question ( 2/2)
 An example question might be:
"What is the relationship between the
grade point average of IIUM
Undergraduate and their use of the
library"?
The information needed is
 cumulative grade point average and
 some measure of library use.
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16. Bad example might be:
 “ What is the best way to teach teaching instruction"?
 This is insufficient because:
 What are the variables?
 What will be measured?
 What relationships will be examined?
 What is the population?
 The title and the problem statement question
are often nearly identical.
 For example, the title of this research project
would be something like this:
"Library Circulation Use by International Islamic
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17. • Before you begin writing a grant proposal,
take some time to map out your research
strategy.
• A good first step is to formulate a research
question.
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18.  Research Question
 is a statement that identifies the
phenomenon to be studied. For
example,
 “ What resources are helpful
to new and minority substance abuse
researchers?”
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19. Developing Good Research Questions
 Ask ANSWERABLE QUESTIONS
 Research ideas must be framed as questions that
can be answered with the scientific method
 Asking empirical questions
 Can be answered via objective observation
 Must be able to operationally define variables
 Defining a variable in terms of the operations required to
measure it
 Question must be translated into an empirically
testable research hypothesis
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20. Reasons for Reviewing the Literature
 Avoiding needless duplication of
effort
 Getting ideas about variables to
include, design, materials and
procedures
 Keeping yourself up to date on empirical
and theoretical issues
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21. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
 Questions must justify the expense and time
involved in doing the research
 Important questions
 Focus on variables known to affect behavior
 Clarify theoretical or empirical issues
 Address practical issues
 Unimportant questions
 Already have firmly established answers
 Focus on variables that have small effects
 Focus on variables that have no theoretical interest
 Focus on variables that you have no good reason to believe are related 21
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22. How to develop a strong research
question from your ideas ?
 Ask yourself about these things:
 Do I know the field and its literature well?
 What are the important research questions
 What areas need further exploration?
 Could my study fill a gap? Lead to greater
understanding?
 Has a great deal of research already been
conducted in this topic area?
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23.  Has this study been done before? If so, is
there room for improvement?
 Is the timing right for this question to be
answered? Is it a hot topic, or is it becoming
obsolete?
 Most importantly, will my study have a
significant impact on the field?
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24. Refining and Concretizing your ideas:
 Ask yourself: “Why is this research important?
What have other people done? What have
they found?”
 Based on this information, formulate a specific
research question.
 Develop a hypothesis/hypotheses that stems
from your research question.
 Indentify the specific aims, that is the steps
you are going to take to test your hypothesis.
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25.  Think about the potential impact of the
research you are proposing.
 What is the benefit of answering your
research question?
 If you cannot make a definitive statement
about the purpose of your research, it is
unlikely to be funded.
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26.  It would be better to begin with a more
focused question such as
 “What is the relationship between specific early
childhood experiences and subsequent
substance-abusing behaviors?”
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27. THANK YOU
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