Description
Getting Started
Writing the clear/concise problem statement is the first step toward focusing your research project. As a social researcher, you may be interested in conducting a qualitative study to understand your participants’ perceptions of a problem. Or, you may want to understand how certain variables interact with each other. Or, you may be interested in understanding how an intervention affects a specific group.
Before writing the problem statement, however, it is important to introduce your readers to the problem. For example, if the researcher is interested in understanding general education teachers’ perceptions of the least-restrictive environment, it would be helpful to provide a background of special education social policy and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This can be accomplished with two or three paragraphs introducing the subject that transitions into the problem statement.
Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate in writing how to develop a clear/concise problem statement.
Resources
- File: Cheat Sheet of Research Designs.pdf
- File: Experimental Problem Statement.pdf
- File: Descriptive Problem Statement.pdf
- File: Qualitative Problem Statement.pdf
Background Information
Qualitative Research Study “Problem Statement “Formula”
Descriptive Research Study “Problem Statement Formula”
Experimental Research Study “Problem Statement Formula”
Instructions
- Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
- Review the file, Research Methods Cheat Sheet.pdf.
- Download and read the three examples of problem statements:
- Consider the three different design types (qualitative, descriptive, and experimental) and choose one.
- Consider a social problem that you think needs to be addressed within social work. Using one of the problem statement formulas, develop a clear problem statement, including a two- to three-paragraph summary leading into the statement.