The Statement of The Problem

The Statement
of the Problem
San Antonio de Padua College
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
After the investigator has clarified the rationale,
identified the degree of seriousness problem,
provided the literature review, and set the overall
objective, the formulation heart of the thesis--the
statement of the general and the specific problems--
must be done. The opening paragraph of this section
contains the general problem of the study.
Writing the General Problem in a Qualitative

Study
In the book Principles of Qualitative Research: Designing a
Qualitative Study, Creswell Clark (2014) provide the following
criteria in writing the purpose statement:
1. It should use simple and not compound sentences

2. It should clearly express the purpose of the study.
Writing the General Problem in a Qualitative

Study
3. It should include the central phenomenon.
4. It should use qualitative words, e.g., explore,
discover, and explain.
5. It should identify the participants in the study.
6. It should state the research site
A sample pattern for the purpose statement is provided

below.
The purpose of this (narrative, phenomenological,
grounded theory, ethnographic, case) is to (understand,
describe, develop, discover) the (central phenomenon
of the study) for (the participants) at (the site). At this
stage in the research, the (central phenomenon) will be
generally defined as (a general definition of the central
concept) (Creswell and Clark, 2014).
Below are some examples of a general problem.

Example 1:
The overall objective of this phenomenological study is to
describe the intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies of
school principals, and their relationship to the school
effectiveness in the Division of Bataan for the school year
2001-2002. The result is used as a basis for an intervention
program (Cristobal, 2003). Here, intrapersonal is the school
managers’ own self-concept and personality while
interpersonal is their communication and expressions in
dealing with subordinates.

Example 2:
The objective of this ethnographic study is to differentiate

the customs and traditions of the Aetas and the locals of
Zambales enrolled in Olongapo National City High School
for the school year 2014-2015. In this research, the
customs and traditions are defined as their practices in
the celebration of feasts.

Example 3:
The objective of this grounded theory study is to

characterize the general study habits of the high
school students that belong to the top ten of the
class. The study habits are concentrated on the
student's preparation before attending classes daily.
The general problem is followed by an enumeration of the

specific problems. These problems re usually stated as
questions that the researcher seeks to answer. Therefore,
the specific problems must meet the following criteria:
1. They must be in question form.

2. They must define the population and the samples
of the study (respondents).
3. They must identify the variables being studied.
According to Creswell and Clark (2014), there
are two types of research questions. These are s
follows:
1. Central questions - These are the most general
questions that can be asked.
2. Sub-questions - These questions subdivide the
central question into more specific topical
questions and are only limited in number.
Creswell and Clark (2014) also provide some
guidelines in formulating the research question:
1. The question should begin with words such
as "how" or “what".
2. The readers should be informed of the
information that will be discovered,
generated, explored, identified, or
described in the study.
Creswell and Clark (2014) also provide some
guidelines in formulating the research question:
3. The question "What happened?" should be asked
to help craft the description.
4. The question “What was the meaning to people of
what happened?" should be asked to understand
the results.
5. The question “What happened over time?" should
be asked to explore the process.
In addition, Cresswell and Clark (2004) also provide the
following scripts as a guide in designing qualitative central
and sub-questions:
1. Central question script
a. "What is the meaning of/what does it mean to (central
phenomenon)?
Examples:
i. What is the meaning of intrapersonal competencies?
ii. What does it mean to differentiate the customs and traditions of
Aetas to those of the locals?
iii. What does it mean to characterize the study habits of the top
students of the class?
and sub-questions:
1. Central question script
b. "How would (participants) describe (central phenomenon)?”
Examples:
i. How would school managers describe intrapersonal
competencies? ii. How would the Aetas and locals of Zambales
differentiate their custom traditions?
iii. How would the top ten high school students characterize
their general study habits?
and sub-questions:
2. Sub-question script
"What (aspect) does (participant) engage in as a (central
phenomenon)?”
Examples:
a. What level of self-concept does the school managers
engage in as a characteristic of interpersonal
competencies?
and sub-questions:
phenomenon)?”
Examples:
b. What nature of practices do the Aetas and locals of
Zambales engage in as a part of their customs and
traditions?
and sub-questions:
phenomenon)?”
Examples:
c. What kind of preparation does the top 10 high school
students engage in as an indicator of their general study
habits?
TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS
In general, there are two types of questions formulate "questions
formulated in research. These are as follows:
1. Non-researchable questions- These are questions of value and are
answerable by yes or no.
a. Should all mothers breastfeed their babies?
b. Should high school teachers be watchful over their Grade 7
students?
c. Should the schools offering different majors in senior high schools
require their
students to have a mandatory review before a mandatory review
before taking the National Assessment Exam.
In general, there are two types of questions formulate

"questions formulated in research. These are as follows:
1. Non-researchable questions- These are questions of
value and are answerable by yes or no.
d. Do all head teachers have a master's degree?
e. Are family members helping their children in reviewing
their lessons?
In general, there are two types of questions formulate "questions
formulated in research. These are as follows:
2. Researchable questions - These are questions of opinions,
perceptions, or policy that are raised to accumulate data.
Formulating a clear, significant question proper researcher for
subsequent decision-making on research design, data collection,
and data analysis.
2. Researchable questions –
Examples:
a. What are the common preparations done by Grade 7
students during their first days
in school?
b. How do senior high school students respond to their
Math teacher? c. What are the study habits of students
who are poorly performing?
2. Researchable questions –
Examples:
c. What are the study habits of students who are poorly
performing? d. What is the relationship of the attitudes
of the adviser to the classroom behavior of Grade 9
students?
e. How do the officers of the Parent-Teacher Community
Association assist in the improvement of school
facilities?
Dickoff et. al (as cited by Wilson, 1989) provide further
classification to research questions. These are as
follows:
1. Factor-isolating questions - These ask the question
"What is this?" These questions are sometimes called
factor-naming questions because they isolate, categorize,
describe, or name factors and situations.
follows:
1. Factor-isolating questions-
Examples:
a. What is the profile of school principals in terms of the
following?
i. Age
ii. Management experience
iii. Civil status
follows:
1. Factor-isolating questions-
Examples:
b. What are the levels of competencies of school principals
as described respective teachers and themselves in terms of
the following:
i. Intrapersonal
ii. Interpersonal
classification to research questions. These are as follows:
2. Factor-relating questions - These ask the question "What
is happening the goal of these questions is to determine the
relationship among factors that h identified.
Examples:
a. What is the relationship of the level of performance of
the senior high school to the OJT performance of the
students enrolled in the business track of Saint Paul School
of Professional Studies?
2. Factor-relating questions - These ask the question

"What is happening the goal of these questions is to
determine the relationship among factors that h
identified.
Examples:
b. How does the performance level of volleyball teams
of boys differ to that of the girls?
3. Situation-relating questions - These questions ask

the question "What will happen if...?" These
questions usually yield hypotheses testing or
experimental study designer which the researcher
manipulates the variables to see what will happen.
3. Situation-relating questions –
Examples:
a. What are the effects of computer-learning assisted
methods of teaching to the interest level of the
sophomores to their history subjects?
b. How significantly different is the performance of the
call center agents who are well rested than those who
are not?
Considerations In Formulating The Research
Problem
c. Support of the academic community – This refers to the
assistance given by the members of the institution, like
principal, teachers, staff, students, and the parents, in the
gathering of data and defraying the cost of study. Permission
of those concerned for the participation in the study of the
staff members, children, the aged, and the mentally
challenged should secured.
4. Situation-producing questions - These ask the

question "How can I make it happen?“ These
questions establish explicit goals for actions, develop
plans or prescriptions to achieve goals, and specify
the conditions under which these goals will be
accomplished.
4. Situation-producing questions –
Examples:
a. Based on the findings, what human relation intervention
program can be adopted to enhance or improve
effectiveness of existing teaching methods?
b. What faculty development activities can be sponsored
by the PTCA to improve the performance of graduating
students in the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT)?
Chapter Summary
1. In writing a good qualitative general problem or
central question, the following criteria should be
considered:
a. It should be written in a single sentence.
b. It should include the purpose of the study.
c. It should include the central phenomenon.
d. It should use qualitative words.
e. It should identify the participants in the study. f. It
should specify the research site.
Chapter Summary
2. The general problem can be followed by specific
problems or sub-questions which must satisfy the
following criteria:
a. They must be in question form.
b. They should define the population and the
samples of the study (respondents).
c. They should identify the variables being studied.
Chapter Summary
3. Questions in qualitative research usually ask how or what
questions.
4. The two general types of research questions are
researchable and non-researchable questions. These are
further classified into four (4) types: factor-isolating, factor-
elating, situation-relating, and situation-producing
questions.
References
Avilla, R. A. (2016). Practical Research 1. DIWA
Learning Systems, Inc.
Cristobal, A. M., & Cristobal, M. C. D. (2017).

Practical Research 1. C & E Publishing, Inc.
DepEd’s Practical Research 1 Module


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The Statement

Writing the General Problem in a Qualitative

1. It should use simple and not compound sentences

Writing the General Problem in a Qualitative

A sample pattern for the purpose statement is provided

Below are some examples of a general problem.

Below are some examples of a general problem.

The objective of this ethnographic study is to differentiate

Below are some examples of a general problem.

The objective of this grounded theory study is to

The general problem is followed by an enumeration of the

1. They must be in question form.

In general, there are two types of questions formulate

2. Factor-relating questions - These ask the question

3. Situation-relating questions - These questions ask

4. Situation-producing questions - These ask the

Cristobal, A. M., & Cristobal, M. C. D. (2017).

DepEd’s Practical Research 1 Module

You might also like