A problem statement is a concise and concrete summary of the research problem you seek to address. It should:
Writing a problem statement can help you contextualize and understand the significance of your research problem. It is often several paragraphs long and serves as the basis for your research proposal. Alternatively, it can be condensed into just a few sentences in your introduction.
A problem statement looks different depending on whether you’re dealing with a practical, real-world problem or a theoretical issue. Regardless, all problem statements follow a similar process.
Contextualize the problem
The problem statement should frame your research problem, giving background on what is already known.
Practical research problems
For practical research, focus on the concrete details of the situation:
Theoretical research problems
For theoretical research, think about the scientific, social, geographical, and/or historical background:
Show why it matters
The problem statement should also address the relevance of the research. Why is it important that the problem is addressed?
Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to do something groundbreaking or world-changing. It’s more important that the problem is researchable, feasible, and addresses a relevant issue in your field.
Practical research problems
Practical research is directly relevant to a specific problem that affects an organization, institution, social group, or society more broadly. To make it clear why your research problem matters, you can ask yourself:
Sometimes theoretical issues have clear, practical consequences, but their relevance is less immediately obvious. To identify why the problem matters, ask:
Set your aims and objectives
Finally, the problem statement should frame how you intend to address the problem. Your goal here should not be to find a conclusive solution, but rather to propose more effective approaches to tackling or understanding it.
The research aim is the overall purpose of your research. It is generally written in the infinitive form:
The research objectives are the concrete steps you will take to achieve the aim:
The aims and objectives should lead directly to your research questions.
Step 2: Show why it matters
As the perceived loyalty of their employees has long been a source of pride for the company, they employed an outside consultant firm to see why there was so much turnover. The firm focused on the new hires, concluding that a rival shoe company in the next town offered higher hourly wages and better “perks,” such as pizza parties. They claimed this was what was leading employees to switch. However, in-depth qualitative research focused on long-term employees is also needed to gain a fuller understanding of why the turnover persists even after the consultant study. Focusing on why established workers leave can help develop a more telling reason why turnover is so high, rather than just due to salaries. It can also potentially identify points of change or conflict in the company’s culture that may cause workers to leave.
Step 3: Set your aims and objectives
This project aims to understand better why established workers leave the company. Qualitative methods such as surveys and interviews will be conducted by comparing the views of those who have worked 10+ years at the company and chose to stay, compared with those who chose to leave.