Research problem statement

1. Research Problem statement
Bikash Chandra Taly
PhD in English Language
bikashchandrataly@gmail.com

2. What is a Research Problem
“A research problem is a definite or clear expression [statement] about an area of
concern, a condition to be improved upon, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a
troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or within existing
practice that points to a need for meaningful understanding and deliberate
investigation. A research problem does not state how to do something, offer a
vague or broad proposition, or present a value question.” - Bryman, 2010.

3.  A description of an issue that currently needs to be addressed.
 It provides the context for the research & generates the questions which the
researcher aims to answer.
• The PS should be accompanied by a few paragraphs that elaborate on the problem
and various paragraphs that synthesize & evaluate past related studies, leading to the
identification of the gap in the literature.
• problem is something to be solved or framed as a question raised for inquiry,
consideration, or solution, or explained as a source of perplexity, distress, or
vexation. In short, a research problem is something that needs to be investigated.

4. Criteria of Critique & Analysis
Major focus:
• Is the premise of the research clearly described?
• How robust are the points presented as evidence?
• Does the author have a coherent argument, and do the points follow through logically from
one another or are their breaks in the sense? Can you spot flaws?
• Is the conclusion (the justification of the study) clearly presented?
• Are there signs of bias or persuasion in the language, such as use of emotional appeal, or
indications that the author adheres to a particular school of thought or methodological
perspective (an example here might be that of someone whose methodological approach was
strongly quantitative, or qualitative)?

5. Problem Statement: Required Parts
1. Start with a general topic , concern, or problem related to the focus of the study / Select a broad
area of interest- a research topic
2. Synthesize the literature, informing the readers about the extent of research that has been done
evaluating the studies (use citations)
3. Identify the gap in the literature (previous research)
4. State your specific focus & how your study is filling in the gap, thus providing justification for
your study.
5. Cover present persuasive arguments that emphasize the importance of the problem for the study

6. Why Writing Problem Statement?
• To present the global and local issues surrounding the topic you will study
• To present evidence related to the identified issues
• To argue for the importance of your study
• Introduce the reader to the importance of the topic being studied.
• Anchors the research questions, hypotheses, or assumptions to follow. It offers a concise statement about
the purpose of your paper.
• Place the topic into a particular context that defines the parameters of what is to be investigated.
• Provide the framework for reporting the results and indicates what is probably necessary to conduct the
study and explain how the findings will present this information.

7. Key Issues in a general Problem Statement
 Context – facts/details about the problem/issue from literature and prior research. Helps the reader
to understand the dimensions of the problem.
 Significance – why is it a problem? Who is affected by it? Who cares?
 Gap –– The gap in knowledge between what we know (i.e. past studies) and what we don’t know.
 Note:The gaps are areas or issues yet to be focused on or the missing links that are required to
justify the study. All problems are not gaps but all gaps are problems.
 Purpose – why we need to do your study to address this gap….

8. Characteristics of Problem Statement
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.

9. To Build Good Arguments
• Make statement & present evidence to support the statement.
• Evidence could be put together.
• A synthesized analytical discussion of other Research.
• An analytical discussion of views from scholarly opinion to support the research
Gap.

10. key Components of the Problem Statement
• The problem itself, stated clearly & with enough contextual detail to establish why it is
important.
• The informed critical/analytical discussion of previous studies related to the topic.
• Identification of gap(s) in the literature with justification for your study.
• The method of solving the problem, often stated as a claim or a working thesis.
• The purpose, statement of objective and scope of the project being proposed.
• Clearly indicate what is to be investigated.

11. Criteria for Research Problem Statement
• Should clearly indicate what is to be investigated through proper argumentative claims to
support the problem statement instead of showing “nobody has investigated this area yet and so
this research will be investigated”……
• Include up-to-date references to indicate insufficiencies in past studies
• Should indicate the variables of interest & the specific relationship between the
variables to be studied (quantitative study).
• Indicate/discuss the aspects related to the topic of investigation (qualitative study).
• Classify the literature gap according to research question
• Should draw the attention of the readers regarding the gap in the literature.
• Main idea – tell the specific problem being identified and tell why there is need for you to pursue
the present study/project.

12. The CARS model (Swales, 1990 .141)
A theoretical framework is needed to define, organize, and classify the rhetorical structure of a text. A well-
established model that has been used in many studies to identify and analyze the content and organization of
a written text, is Swales’ (1990) Create-a-research-space (CARS) model. Based on the model, in order to
write a well-organized piece, a writer is required to make a number of moves and take a number of steps.
Move 1 Establishing a territory:
· Step 1 Claiming centrality and/or
· Step 2 Making topic generalization(s) and/or
· Step 3 Reviewing items of previous research
Move 2 Establishing a niche:
· Step 1A Counter-claiming or
· Step 1B Indicating a gap or
· Step 1C Question-raising or
· Step 1D Continuing a tradition
Move 3 Occupying the niche:
· Step 1A Outlining purposes or
· Step 1B Announcing present research
· Step 2 Announcing principal findings
· Step 3 Indicating Research Article structure

14. Gaps in Research
• Literature/Knowledge Gap – What have been discussed and what have not/should be
discussed?
• Practice Gap – What is practice now and what have not/should have been practiced?
• Policy Gap – What are the existing policies and what should have been considered?
• To date however, various research have shown that … OR ………………….. has
been debatable because ……………. OR ………………….. there is still a lack in
…………

15. Identify Gaps in the Research
Using negative openings:
However, little information, few research, few attempts, very few investigations…..
Using contrastive statements:
The research has tended to focus on..., rather than on... However, much of the attention
has been focused on X rather than Y.
Raising questions, hypotheses or needs
If these results could be confirmed, they would provide strong evidence for... It would
seem, therefore, that further investigations are needed in order to...
Recommended: Manchester University’s Academic phrasebank(2018): Google:
manchesteruniversity + academic phrasebank

16. The research gap is derived from the research question which has not been addressed properly
from the previous studies (Farooq, 2017). Usually for every study, there should be a gap to be
covered. As stated in the previous sections, the gap may be contextually, methodologically,
geographically and theoretically. Researchers should explain clearly what gaps will be covered in
their studies. Moreover, studies may be conducted to verify the previous studies where weaker
methodologies may be replaced with stronger ones. In order to fill the gap, students may wish to
increase the sample size or expand their studies into broader coverage to validate the previous
studies.

17. Sample of Research Gap
The problem of burnout among teachers has received increasing attention in Malaysia. For example,
the study by Ghani, Ahmad, and Ibrahim (2014) found that five factors contribute to teacher stress,
they are: pupil misbehavior, teacher workload, time and resources difficulties, recognition and
interpersonal relationships. The teaching profession is a profession that is under pressure (Borg and
Riding, 1991). This problem has been widely discussed in European countries; and one of the models
that have been used to examine teacher stress among the teaching profession is the job demands-
resources model by Hakanen et al. (2006). In Malaysia, studies examining both teachers and work
engagement are limited. So far only Ghani, Ahmad, and Ibrahim (2014) have examined teachers’
burnout and work engagement.

18. Previous research studies on reading comprehension strategies have focused on several
themes. For instance, several studies have examined the effectiveness of particular reading
comprehension strategies on improving reading comprehension of students with learning
disabilities. Taylor, Alber, and Walker (2002) examined the effectiveness of both self-
questioning and story-mapping strategies on reading comprehension of elementary students
with learning disabilities.
The study was conducted in a special education resource room. The findings indicated that
both self-questioning and story-mapping strategies were effective interventions to improve
the students’ literal and inferential comprehension. Also, Stagliano and Boon (2009)
examined the impact of utilizing story-mapping strategy to improve reading comprehension
of fourth graders with learning disabilities. Investigators utilized a multiple-probe design
across participants to evaluate the influence of using story-mapping strategy to enhance the
students’ understanding of an expository text. The finding of this study displayed that story-
mapping is an effective strategy that helped to improve the students’ comprehension of an
expository text.

19. However, few studies have examined the effective reading comprehension strategies for
students who have difficulty with reading in the second and third grades (Gooden, 2012;
Williams, 2005). Also, a minimal research attention has been directed toward examining the
effective reading comprehension strategies experienced special education teachers use in order
to improve reading comprehension level of lower level elementary students with learning
disabilities (Chatman, 2015; Gersten et al., 2001; Reid & Lienemann, 2006; Swanson, 2000).
While a previous qualitative research study has examined the reading comprehension strategies
that experienced special education teachers utilized in inclusive settings and self-contained
classrooms for second and third grade students with learning disabilities (Chatman,2015), for
the best of my research knowledge there is no study have investigated the effective reading
comprehension strategies that special education teachers use to improve reading
comprehension strategies for their students with disabilities in a resource room setting.
Therefore, the deficiency that I have identified concerning this researchable problem is that the
topic has not been explored with experienced special education teachers who use reading
comprehension strategies to teach reading to third graders with learning disabilities in the
resource room setting.

20. Origin of a Problem Statement
• A good problem originates from a research question formulated out of
observation/reality (but substantiated by the literature).
• Previous related studies are good sources of research questions that are converted to a
problem statement.

21. Personal Experience
• Don't undervalue your everyday experiences or encounters as worthwhile problems
for investigation.
• Think critically about your own experiences and/or frustrations with an issue facing
society, your community, or your personal life.
• This can be derived, for example, from deliberate observations of certain
relationships for which there is no clear explanation or witnessing an event that
appears harmful to a person or group or that is out of the ordinary.

22. Relevant Literature
• The selection of a research problem can be derived from a thorough review of pertinent research
associated with your overall area of interest.
• This may reveal where gaps exist in understanding a topic or where an issue has been understudied.
Research may be conducted to:
• 1) fill such gaps in knowledge; 2) evaluate if the methodologies employed in prior studies can be
adapted to solve other problems; or, 3) determine if a similar study could be conducted in a different
subject area or applied in a different context or to different study sample [i.e., different setting or
different group of people].
• Authors frequently conclude their studies by noting implications for further research; read the
conclusion of pertinent studies because statements about further research can be a valuable source for
identifying new problems to investigate.
• The fact that a researcher has to identify a topic worthy of further exploration validates that becomes
worth of pursuing.

23. Four General Conceptualizations of a Research Problem
• Casuist Research Problem -- this type of problem relates to the determination of right and wrong
in questions of conduct or conscience by analyzing moral dilemmas through the application of
general rules and the careful distinction of special cases.
• Difference Research Problem -- typically asks the question, “Is there a difference between two or
more groups or treatments?” This type of problem statement is used when the researcher compares
or contrasts two or more phenomena. This a common approach to defining a problem in the clinical
social sciences or behavioral sciences.
• Descriptive Research Problem -- typically asks the question, "what is...?" with the underlying
purpose to describe the significance of a situation, state, or existence of a specific phenomenon.
This problem is often associated with revealing hidden or understudied issues.
• Relational Research Problem -- suggests a relationship of some sort between two or more
variables to be investigated. The underlying purpose is to investigate specific qualities or
characteristics that may be connected in some way.

24. What Makes a Good Research Statement?
• A good problem statement begins by introducing the broad area in which your research is
centered, gradually leading the reader to the more specific issues you are investigating. The
statement need not be lengthy, but a good research problem should incorporate the following
features:
Compelling Topic
• The problem chosen should be one that motivates you to address it but simple curiosity is not
a good enough reason to pursue a research study because this does not indicate significance.
The problem that you choose to explore must be important to you, but it must also be viewed
as important by your readers and to a the larger academic and/or social community that could
be impacted by the results of your study.

25. Supports Multiple Perspectives
The problem must be phrased in a way that avoids dichotomies and instead supports the
generation and exploration of multiple perspectives. A general rule of thumb in the social
sciences is that a good research problem is one that would generate a variety of viewpoints
from a composite audience made up of reasonable people.

26. Gap/Problem
Academic phrase Bank
This is often signaled by words such as however, although, while, nevertheless, despite,
but.
Here are some examples of how these are used:
• Few researchers have addressed the problem of…
• Th ere remains a need for an efficient method that can…
• However, light scattering techniques have been largely unsuccessful to date.
• Th e high absorbance makes this an impractical option in cases where…
• Unfortunately, these methods do not always guarantee…
• An alternative approach is necessary.
• Th e function of these proteins remains unclear.
• Th ese can be time-consuming and are often technically difficult to perform.
• Although this approach improves performance, it results in an unacceptable number of…
• Previous work has focused only on…
• However, the experimental configuration was far from optimal.

27. Selection of a Research Problem
1) Interest: Pose a problem that you find it fascinating so that you will be motivated to
investigate it further.
2) Knowledge: Do a background study of your research problem so that you can discuss it with
conviction and authority.
3) Conceptual frame work: Your research problem must be theoretically and conceptually
sound.
4) Data availability: Investigate a problem that you can find materials and sources to support
your investigation.

28. References
Alvesson, Mats and Jörgen Sandberg. Constructing Research Questions: Doing Interesting Research. London: Sage, 2013; Chapter 1: Research
and the Research Problem. Nicholas Walliman. Your Research Project: Designing and Planning Your Work. 3rd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage Publications, 2011.
Choosing and Refining Topics. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Ellis, Timothy J. and Yair Levy Nova Framework of Problem-Based
Research: A Guide for Novice Researchers on the Development of a Research-Worthy Problem.
Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline 11 (2008); How to Write a Research Question. The Writing Center.
George Mason University; Invention: Developing a Thesis Statement. The Reading/Writing Center. Hunter College; Problem Statements
PowerPoint Presentation. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Procter, Margaret. Using Thesis Statements. University College
Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Trochim, William M.K.
Problem Formulation. Research Methods Knowledge Base. 2006; Thesis and Purpose Statements. The Writer’s Handbook. Writing Center.
University of Wisconsin, Madison; Thesis Statements. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis
Statements. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University.
https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/researchproblem