Formulating Problem Statement

Formulating Problem Statement

Introduction

The research problem is an area of concern that the investigator is interested in exploring. It reflects a gap in knowledge about a specific social issue or problem discussed in the scientific literature. Often a research problem focuses on a situation that arises out of everyday life and that calls for a solution, an improvement, or some alteration; it is a problem that needs to be solved. Conceptualizing and describing the social problem lead the investigator to identify the most salient concepts or variables involved and guide the investigator's thinking about why and how the variables are connected to each other. Through this process of articulating and framing the research problem, investigators may discover that little is known about an issue or that there is conflicting information about it within the scientific literature (Calmorin, 2007). Depending on what is known about the research problem, the types of specific research questions to be asked and the purpose and objective of the research study could range from basic exploratory research to control experiments.

Discussion

Problem Statement Characteristics

These characteristics are designed to generate a problem statement that will provide the reader with sufficient information to understand the problem in detail. Done well the reader will know how big it is ; if it is getting worse; who suffers; where and when it occurs; how dangerous it is; and what we have tried to do in the past. It should set the frame of reference for identifying the intervening variables and moving the community plan forward (Kitchen, 1999).

Magnitude- How big is it? How many of the problem/behavior occurred in the last year, and what is the rate of occurrence per 1000 or 100,000 population (e.g. # of alcohol related car crashes); or what percentage of the populations suffers from the problem/behavior (e.g. % of students using drugs in lifetime)

Rate of change-Is it getting worse, getting better, or staying the same? How has the occurrence of the problem changed over time? Compare the same measures over time, and try to have at least three different points in time if possible, the more data points the more secure you can be that the trend is real and not random.

Persons affected-Who is impacted by the problem/behavior? Who is involved in the behavior and who else is impacted by it? Depending on the problem/behavior people other than the user may be impacted. (e.g. alcohol related car crashes, children of meth users, family members of alcohol abusers, etc.)

Spatial/ geographic-Where does the behavior/problem occur? Depending on the problem, the answer will vary, but knowing where the behavior happens is an important piece of data for identifying intervening variables and ultimately programs, policies and practices. Does the problem/behavior happen in homes, in bars, in cars, out in the country side, at school, at your neighbors, in abandoned buildings, etc?

Temporal/Time-When does the behavior occur? Depending on the problem, the answer will vary, but knowing where the behavior happens is an important piece of data for identifying intervening variables and ultimately ...