The Research Problem & Problem Statement: Plain-Language Explainer (With Examples) + FREE Templates

in this video we're going to unpack the concept of a research problem we'll explain what a research problem is and how it's connected to a problem statement we'll also explore where research problems come from so that you can develop a suitable research problem for your research project speaking of which if you're currently working on a dissertation or thesis be sure to grab our free chapter templates to help fast track your write-up these tried and tested templates provide a detailed roadmap to guide you through each chapter section by section if that sounds helpful you can find the link in the description foreign if you're new to academic research you're bound to encounter the concept of a research problem fairly early in your Learning Journey having a clear research problem is essential as it sets the direction and focus for any piece of research whether that's a relatively small research paper or a full-length PhD dissertation but what exactly is a research problem well at the simplest level the research problem is the core issue that a study will try to solve or at least examine in other words it's an explicit declaration about the problem that your dissertation thesis or research paper will address more technically it identifies the research Gap that your study will attempt to fill more on that later let's look at an example of a research problem to make the concept A bit more tangible to justify a hypothetical study you might argue that there is currently a lack of research a research Gap regarding the challenges experienced by first generation college students when writing their dissertations as a result these students struggle to successfully complete their dissertations leading to above average Dropout rates Therefore your study will aim to address this lack of research by investigating the challenges faced by students as you can see this research problem clearly outlines the key issue the consequences thereof and what you will do in response to this it's worth noting that a research problem can be theoretical in nature focusing on a research area that's lacking in some way alternatively a research problem can be more applied in nature focused on finding a practical solution to a pressing problem within an organization or industry in other words theoretical research problems are motivated by the desire to grow the overall body of knowledge while applied research problems are motivated by the need to find practical solutions to current real world problems like the one in the earlier example it's important to understand that the research problem acts as the driving force behind any study as it directly shapes the research aims objectives and research questions as well as the research approach so it's essential that you develop a clearly articulated research problem before you start your proposal a vague research problem will lead to unfocused potentially conflicting research aims objectives and research questions by the way if you're unclear about the difference between research aims objectives and questions we've got a video covering that too Link in the description now that we've defined the research problem it's time to unpack the related concept of the problem statement as the name suggests a problem statement is an explicit statement that clearly and concisely articulates the specific research problem your study will address while your research problem can span over multiple paragraphs your problem statement should be brief generally no longer than one paragraph importantly it must clearly State the problem and how your study will address it let's look at an example of a problem statement rural communities across Ghana lack access to clean water leading to high rates of waterborne illnesses and infant mortality despite this there is limited research investigating the effectiveness of community-led water supply projects within the ghanian context therefore this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of such projects in reducing rates of waterborne illnesses in these communities as you can see this problem statement clearly identifies the issue that needs to be addressed a lack of research regarding the effectiveness of community-led water supply projects and the research question that the study aims to answer are these projects effective in reducing water-borne illnesses in short your problem statement should provide a concise summary of the problem at hand and how your study will address it keep it brief but clear if you're enjoying this video so far please help us out by hitting that like button you can also subscribe for loads of plain language actionable advice if you're new to research check out our free dissertation writing course which covers everything that you need to get started on your research project as always links in the description alright we've now covered the basics of research problems and problem statements but you might be wondering where do research problems even come from or how do I find a research problem great questions well wherever there's a lack of well-established academic literature There's an opportunity for research problems to arise given the paucity of credible knowledge in other words research problems are derived from research gaps there are many scenarios that can give rise to research problems but for now we'll cover three common ones namely the emergence of New Frontiers differences between context and disagreements within the existing research let's have a quick look at each of these scenario number one New Frontiers new technologies discoveries or breakthroughs can open up entirely New Frontiers where there's very little existing research thereby creating fresh research gaps for example as generative AI technology suddenly became accessible to the general public the full implications and knock-on effects of this were largely unknown therefore this new frontier created multiple new avenues for researchers to explore scenario number two new context very often existing research tends to be concentrated on specific contexts and geographies for example a large proportion of psychology studies rely on participants recruited from so-called weird groups quite often there's a lack of research within niche contexts in small countries where results May differ for any number of reasons a study that produces certain results within a western context for example would it necessarily find the same results in the Far East if there's reason to believe that results may vary across these geographies a potential research Gap can emerge scenario number three disagreements within many areas of existing research there are quite naturally conflicting views between researchers where each side presents strong points that pull in opposing directions in such cases it's still somewhat uncertain which Viewpoint if any is more accurate as a result there's often still room for further research in these areas as I mentioned there are many potential scenarios that can give rise to research gaps and consequently research problems but these three present a useful starting point if you'd like to learn more check out our dedicated video covering research gaps Link in the description all right we've covered quite a bit of ground so let's do a quick recount a research problem is an explanation of the issue that your study will try to solve this explanation needs to highlight the problem the consequence and your solution or response a problem statement is a clear concise summary of the research problem typically contained within one paragraph and lastly research problems emerge from research gaps which can arise from multiple scenarios including New Frontiers new contexts or disagreements within the existing literature if you got value from this video please hit that like button to help more students find this content for more videos like this check out the grad coach Channel And subscribe for loads of plain language actionable research tips and advice every single week also if you're looking for a one-on-one support with your dissertation thesis or research project be sure to check out our private coaching service where we hold your hand throughout the research process step by step you can learn more about that and book a free initial consultation at gradcoach.com foreign

Channel: Grad Coach

Views: 79,916

Keywords: problem statement, research problem, research problem statement, research problem identification, research problem and research question, research problem example, problem statement example, problem statement in research

Id: fFyaJl9T74g

Length: 9min 32sec (572 seconds)

Published: Fri May 05 2023