How to write a statement problem

1. 1. HOW TO WRITE A STATEMENT PROBLEM YOUR PROPOSAL WRITING COMPANION

Compiled by Henry M. Bwisa Professor of Entrepreneurship Jomo Kenyatta University of
Agriculture and Technology E-mail [email protected] Website www.professorbwisa.com
November 2008 INTRODUCTION It is a constant complaint among those who evaluate
proposals that the most frequent deficiency noted by them is the lack of a clear problem 1
2. 2. statement to define and guide the inquiry. The issue of how to write a problem statement
becomes important. WHAT IS A RESEARCH PROBLEM? Generally speaking a research
problem is a situation that needs a solution and for which there are possible solutions. If a
situation has no possible solutions then it makes little or no sense expending resources
researching it. Take this statement, everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to
die. Dying looks like a problem that needs a solution yet there is no possible solution to it.
People must die. A research on how people can live forever makes little or no sense. A
research problem may be described as an incongruence; a discrepancy between what is and
what ought to be. It may be also described as the gap in knowledge that needs to be filled.
WHAT IS A PROBLEM STATEMENT? A problem statement is the description of an issue
currently existing which needs to be addressed. It provides the context for the research study
and generates the questions which the research aims to answer. The statement of the
problem is the focal point of any research. A good problem statement is just one sentence
(with several paragraphs of elaboration). For example it could be: "The frequency of job
layoffs is creating fear, anxiety, and a loss of productivity in middle management workers."
While this problem statement is just one sentence, it should be accompanied by a few
paragraphs that elaborate on the problem. The paragraphs could cover present persuasive
arguments that make the problem important enough to study. They could include the
opinions of 2
3. 3. others (politicians, futurists, other professionals); explanations of how the problem relates
to business, social or political trends via presentation of data that demonstrates the scope
and depth of the problem. A well articulated statement of the problem establishes the
foundation for everything to follow in the proposal and will render less problematic most of
the conceptual, theoretical and methodological obstacles typically encountered during the
process of proposal development. This means that, in subsequent sections of the proposal,
there should be no surprises, such as categories, questions, variables or data sources that
come out of nowhere: if it can't be found in the problem section, at least at the implicit level,
then it either does not belong in the study or the problem statement needs to be re-written.
WHAT ARE KEY COMPONENTS OF THE STATEMENT PROBLEM? Problem statements
often have three elements: 1. The problem itself, stated clearly and with enough contextual
detail to establish why it is important 2. The method of solving the problem, often stated as a
claim or a working thesis 3. The purpose, statement of objective and scope of the project
being proposed. These elements should be brief so that the reader does not get lost. One

page is enough for a statement problem. Criteria for Research Problem Statements: The
statement of the problem should clearly indicate what is to be investigated. 3
4. 4. The actual statement may be in a declarative or in a question form. The statement
should indicate the variables of interest and the specific relationship between the variables
that are to be studied. Please note: In some qualitative methodologies, a statement of
variables will not be possible and should not be done. However, an explanation of the
qualitative methodology and the parameters of the research methodology should be
explained. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF PROBLEM STATEMENT? The problem provides the
context for the research study and typically generates questions which the research hopes to
answer. In considering whether or not to move forward with a research project, you will
generally spend some time considering the problem. In your proposal the statement of the
problem is oftentimes the first part to be read with scrutiny. I am ignoring the title and the
abstract because ideally a title should be born out of a problem statement and an abstract
should be a summary after the problem has already been dealt with. The problem statement
should, therefore, "hook" the reader and establish a persuasive context for what follows. You
need to be able to clearly answer the question: "what is the problem"? And "why is this
problem worth my attention"? At the same time, the problem statement limits scope by
focusing on some variables and not others. It also provides an opportunity for you to
demonstrate why these variables are important. WHERE DOES A PROBLEM STATEMENT
ORIGINATE FROM? 4
5. 5. A good problem originates from a research question formulated out of observation of the
reality. A literature review and a study of previous experiments, and research, are good
sources of research questions that are converted to statements of problem. Many scientific
researchers look at an area where a previous researcher generated some interesting results,
but never followed up. It could be an interesting area of research, which nobody else has fully
explored. The research question is formulated and then restated in the form of a statement
that notes the adverse consequences of the problem. The type of study determines the kinds
of question you should formulate: Is there something wrong in society, theoretically unclear or
in dispute, or historically worth studying? Is there a program, drug, project, or product that
needs evaluation? What do you intend to create or produce and how will it be of value to you
and society? Pose questions such as: What "should" be occurring? (For example: Based on
the national average, small scale farmers in Bungoma district should be harvesting (xy) tons
of maize per acre) What is occurring? (For example: A recent household survey reported that
56% of these farmers harvest only ( xy-ab) tons per acre.) What could happen if the problem
is not addressed? (For example: persistent low farm productivity in the district may lead to
widespread food insecurity and defeat the government policy on the same.) Common
sources of research problems are: 5
6. 6. Personal experience and interests of researchers. Various theories in the discipline
of the researcher. Related Literature- Literature from ones own area of interest. A
reproduction of past research studies. HOW TO WRITE THE STATEMENT PROBLEM The
problem statement implies some question that your research will be answering. Sometimes it
is necessary to draft or pre-write for a while to discover what that point will be (and often
writers are unsure of their point until they have written the draft proposal and discover the

point near the end of the proposal). When you set up to write a statement problem you
should know that you are looking for something wrong or something that needs close
attention. Your problem statement is the statement that makes a point about the issues and
information you are discussing, and is what the rest of the proposal hinges upon. It is not just
your topic, but what you are saying about your topic. In other words there must be very good
communication between your topic and the statement problem. The importance of the
problem should receive considerable and persuasive attention [note that importance is
inevitably subjective and will vary from researcher to researcher]. Nevertheless objectivity
can be injected by answering questions such as these: Is the problem of current interest? Is
it topical? Is the problem likely to continue into the future? Will more information about the
problem have practical application? Will more information about the problem have theoretical
importance? How large is the population affected by the problem? 6
7. 7. 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? 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? The
problem statement should persuasively indicate that major variables can be measured in
some meaningful way. If you can identify likely objections to the study, identify and respond
to them here. The problem statement could close with a question. Typically, the question
could contain two variables, a measurable relationship, and some indication of population.
The purpose of the literature review that follows thereafter is to answer the research problem
question. If the literature cannot answer the question, the research is needed to do so. An
example question might be: this proposal poses the question, "What is the relationship
between farm productivity and farmer use of fertilizer"? The information needed is (1)
productivity levels and (2) some measure of fertilizer use. A bad example might be: "What is
the best way to train for use of fertilizer"? This is insufficient because: What are the
variables? What will be measured? What relationships will be examined? There should be a
close relationship between the title of the proposal and the problem statement question. For
example, in the good example above, the title of this research project would be something
like this: 7
8. 8. "Fertilizer use by small scale farmers in Bungoma district and their farm productivity"
APPENDICES 8
9. 9. Establishing a research problem can be a challenging yet rewarding process. Careful
selection of the research problem defines the work of the project and provides a direction for
the entire process. Establishing your research problem usually consists of distinct phases:
Research topic>research problem>problem statement>research design>research proposal
STEPS Select a broad area of interesta research topic EXAMPLE
STRATEGIES/SOURCES Costs of farming To move from topic to a manageable research
problem, ask questions about the topic such as "who / what / where / when why / how?"
What are the issues in the costs of farming? What is being done to control costs of farming?
What factors are responsible for price increases? How effective are institutions in controlling
farming costs? Are government agriculture inputs price policies effective? Does the level of
training by farmers affect cost of farming? What is the role of agricultural institutions?

Personal interest Readings Conversations with farmers etc Read abstracts of literature for
overview, make observations, Select one narrowly defined problem Ask relevant questions
that will help answer the problem Write a problem statement consisting of several sentences
that briefly frame the issues to be investigated, indicate the significance of the question, and
includes a declaration of what you will do Select possible research design Prepare a
research proposal Farming costs are escalating. Farmers are unable to buy inputs. Many
people have proposed profarmer policies. Among the potential solutions are price subsidies.
Questions exist regarding the impact of price subsidies. "In this project I will..." or "This study
will..." Research designs will depend upon the discipline and actual statement of problem. It
should be developed in consultation with your supervisor. After literature review, methodology
selection, etc. write the complete research proposal. Read several articles on the narrower
focus; note possible methodologies that might be used in your project Incorporate readingsto-date to determine this working statement. Of course, as your work progresses, you may
need to modify this problem statement. Read more focused and specialized articles on
content, design and methodologies SIMPLE STATEMENT PROBLEM TEMPLATE 9
10. 10. This template should help you to draft your first problem statement Stable Context
Describe unchanging facts about the topic/problem. For many years, people have debated
about ______________________. Or ____________________ has been controversial
because __________________________________________________________. Or
______________________ has dominated discussions of _____________. Status Quo
State common but incorrect or incomplete assumptions Many people think
________________________________________________________. Or At first glance, it
may seem like ______________________________________________. Destabilizing
Moment 10
11. 11. Describe something that reveals the status quo assumptions to be incomplete or
inaccurate. This initial perception fails to take into account
__________________________________________________________. Or This theory
can't explain __________________________________________________________. Or
People have failed to notice, however,
__________________________________________________________. Consequences
Show readers why they should care: what bad things will happen if people continue to
believe the status quo? What good things will happen once they stop believing it? If we
continue to believe _______________, we'll never understand the larger question of
__________________________________________________________. Or Unless we
change _____________________, we will continue to have trouble with
__________________________________________________________. Or 11
12. 12. Once we understand ___________________, we'll begin to see the answer to the
problem __________________________________________________________. Or By
rethinking our approach to ___________________, we can fix ________________.
Resolution Provide a better theory/explanation to replace the status quo. State your claim.
______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________. 12

13. 13. ONE MORE TEMPLATE FOR WRITING A STATEMENT PROBLEM PROBLEM
STATEMENT 4 required parts 1. Start with a general problem identifying the need for the
study. E.g. The problem of this study is ______ 2. State the specific problem proposed for
research. (use citation & usually a number to make it clear to the reader, e.g. 30% of the
farms have been affected by the Napier grass disease 3. Introductory words describing
Methodological approach (i.e. Research Design) are given and are appropriate to the specific
proposal problem, e.g. this qualitative study will explore... or this quantitative study will
examine ... 4. General population group of proposed study is identified. Small scale farmers
in affected locations will be surveyed to determine ... 13
14. 14. A qualitative problem statement Brain drain in Kenya is increasing (GENERAL
PROBLEM). Every year about 50 professionals migrate abroad due to unsatisfactory working
conditions (SPECIFIC PROBLEM WITH NUMBERS and supported with a citation). This
brain drain is different from previous shortages, because it involves not only fresh graduates
but also seasoned professionals (quote). This crisis in the professionals industry requires
innovative solutions. One innovative solution may be a less structured leadership style, such
as steward leadership (quote). This qualitative case study (DESCRIPTION OF STUDY
TYPE) will explore perceptions of professionals in Kenya (POPULATION BEING STUDIED)
about steward leadership as a strategy to alleviate or reduce factors contributing to the brain
drain among professionals in the lake basin region (GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF
STUDY) The data to be gathered in this study may provide leaders with information relating
to how they may address or mitigate factors contributing to the current brain drain. A
quantitative Statement of the Problem: an American example Identity fraud is one of the
fastest growing crimes in America (Adams, 2002). In 2003, at least 7 million Americans were
victims of identity fraud, an increase of 79% from 2002 (AFP, 2003). GENERAL PROBLEM
SUPPORTED BY LITERATURE The nations system of 14