Problem Statement Madhav Raj Koirala Ph D Professor

Problem Statement Madhav Raj Koirala, Ph. D Professor Tribhuvan University

What is Problem Statement • An area of concern, a condition to be improved upon, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature that points to the need for meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation

Significance • Stating importance of topic • Creating interest in readers • Focusing readers’ attention on how the research will add to the literature/solve problem • Providing framework for reporting results

Conceptual Map of Research Cycle Goals Answer Research Questions/Hypotheses Addresses Conclusions Determine Delimits Research Problem Methodology Permit Results Supports & Validates All Literature Review Ellis, Timothy J. and Levy, Yair. A Framework of Problem-Based Research Produces

So what? • So what? question refers to a research problem surviving relevancy test • To survive so what? question, problem statement must have the following attributes: § Clarity and precision § Researchability

What is not a problem statement • Research problem cannot be stated as simply the absence of the thing the researcher is suggesting. For example, if you propose the following: "The problem in this community is that there is no hospital. " • This only leads to a research problem where: § The need is for a hospital § The objective is to create a hospital § The method is to plan for building a hospital, and § The evaluation is to measure if there is a hospital or not. • This is an example of a research problem that fails the "So What? " test. § In this example, the problem does not reveal the relevance of why you are investigating the fact there is no hospital in the community [e. g. , there's a hospital in the community ten miles away] § It does not elucidate the significance of why one should study the fact there is no hospital in the community [e. g. , that hospital in the community ten miles away has no emergency room]T § The research problem does not offer an intellectual pathway towards adding new knowledge or clarifying prior knowledge

Types of problem statement • • Casuist Difference Descriptive Relational

Sources of problem statement • • Personal experience Relevant literature Interviewing practitioners Interdisciplinary perspectives

Qualities of a good Problem Statement A good problem statement begins by introducing the broad area in which the research is centered, gradually leading to the more specific issues. • Compelling topic • Multiple perspectives • Researchability

Research Questions • Research questions are statements that identify the phenomena to be studied. • They are of different types: § Descriptive – What is the state of Nepalese industry? § Relational - What is the relationship between interest rate and investment? § Causative – What are the causes of inflation?

Criteria for Evaluating Research Questions Research questions should meet the following: • • • Clarity Researchable Connecting theory and research Interconnectivity Potential to contribute to knowledge Neither too broad, nor too narrow

Research Problem Formulation Research Area TQM Select Aspect of Research Area Impact of TQM on Job Satisfaction • • • Research Questions Does TQM a positive or native impact on job satisfaction? Does the effect of TQM on Job satisfaction vary by level in the org? Does TQM disrupt traditional methods of working in firms? Do workers try to resist TQM and if so how far are they successful? Does TQM lead to empowerment or disempowerment? Does the way that TQM is introduced have an influence on the nature of its impact on job satisfaction? Select Research Questions • Does TQM a positive or native impact on job satisfaction? • Does the way that TQM is introduced have an influence on the nature of its impact on job satisfaction? • Does the effect of TQM on Job satisfaction vary by level in the org?

Writing Research Objectives • Research objective is what the research seeks to accomplish or achieve • Based on the problem statement and research questions • Overall or basic objective • Specific objectives • SMART objectives • Use of action verbs

Action Verbs These verbs Appreciate, have faith in, know, learn, understand, believe better to avoid Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation Associate, classify, compare, compute, contrast, convert, defend, derive, describe, differentiate, discuss, distinguish, estimate, explain, extrapolate, generate, infer, interpolate, interpret, predict, report, etc Apply, calculate, classify, compute, employ, examine, modify, operate, predict, prepare, review, select, solve, use, utilize Analyze, appraise, conclude, debate, deduce, detect, determine, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, experiment, identify, infer , point out, relate, separate, summarize Categorize, codify, collect combine, compile, construct, , create, design, detect, develop, devise, draw, formulate, generate, predict, prescribe, propose, reorganize solve, specify, etc. Appraise, argue, assess, choose, compare, conclude, contrast, criticize, decide, describe, discriminate, determine, estimate, evaluate, interpret, judge, justify, measure, rate, rank, relate, score, test, etc.