Thursday, January 26, 2023

8 Things to Remember while Writing a Statement of the Problem for your Research

 Why is a Research Problem Important?

The research problem helps you define the gap in knowledge the study will address. It also helps you to write a great research proposal. 

What is the main aim of a Statement of the Problem?

The main aim of the statement of the problem is to present a vague or generalized problem in a well-defined manner.

What should your statement of the Problem Include?

1.    Identify an issue or a gap in existing knowledge in the field.

2.    Answer the so what question i.e. it should convey the significance of the study.

3.    Demonstrate the need for further research on the topic.

4.    Have a solid ethical basis for the solution it proposes.

5.    Be realistic regarding gathering data, budget constraints, timeframe…etc.  

6.    Be written clearly and concisely. If your non-academic friend doesn’t understand it, you probably need it to revise it.

7.    Be based on the theoretical, factual, or conceptual framework.

8.    Be free of unnecessary jargon and sweeping statements. 



Why the Level of Significance is 5%?

Ø The significance level, also known as alpha (α) is a measure of strength of evidence which will leads to reject null hypothesis and concludes that results are statistically significant.

Ø The significance level of 5% is a benchmark set in hypothesis testing for rejecting null hypothesis, globally.

Ø In practical terms, 5% level of significance means that there is a 1 in 20 or 5 in 100 chance that the result of study is false. Furthermore, 5% is selected arbitrarily as it was deemed that 1 in 20 chance of error is acceptable while 2 in 20 or 6 in 100 chance of error in your study is not acceptable.