The Problem Statement Flashcards
This is the foundation upon which your entire
research rests. It pinpoints the specific issue or gap in knowledge
that your study aims to address.
The problem statement
This gap can be a lack of understanding, a conflicting body of
research, or a pressing real-world problem that requires a
solution.
The problem statement
Give me the COMPONENTS OF A PROBLEM STATEMENT
▪ Specificity (clearly defined, must be specific)
▪ Significance (relevant and impactful, and worth investigating)
▪ Feasibility (researchable and realistic)
APPLICATION TIPS
- Use strong verbs
- Provide evidence
- Define scope and limitations
Words like “lack,” “limited,” “inconclusive,”
or “contradictory” can effectively convey the problem’s urgency and
significance
Use strong verbs
Back up your claims with relevant data,
statistics, or research findings from credible sources.
Provide evidence
Clearly articulate the
boundaries of your problem statement, specifying what your
research will and will not cover.
Define scope and limitations
This acts as the mission statement of your
research, outlining the specific objectives you aim to achieve. It
connects your research to the problem statement, explaining how
your investigation will address the identified gap in knowledge.
The purpose statement
COMPONENTS OF A PROBLEM STATEMENT in the purpose statement
▪ Research objective (core goal, intend to accomplish)
▪ Connection to the problem statement (directly address the
problem identified earlier)
▪ Research approach (methods that will be used)
This is to investigate the relationship between
social media use and symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescents
with pre-existing mental health conditions.
The Purpose Statement
APPLICATION TIPS
▪ Align with research questions
▪ Emphasize practical implications
▪ Use clear and concise language
are the guiding force of your study, directing
your investigation and shaping your data analysis. They are the
specific questions that you will seek to answer through your
research.
The research questions
KEY FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE RESEARCH QUESTIONS
▪ Clarity and conciseness
▪ Specificity and focus
▪ Answerability
This is the overarching question that drives your research. It should be broad enough to encompass all the sub-questions while
remaining focused on the core issue.
The central question
this delve deeper into the central question, breaking it
down into specific areas of investigation. They should be logical
extensions of the central question, providing a more focused
direction for your research.
SUB-QUESTIONS/TOPICAL SUB-QUESTIONS
Enumerate the Data collection Method of qualitative research
- Interview
- Focus Group
- Document Analysis
-Narrative Analysis - Discourse Analysis
- P a r t i c i p a t o r y A c t i o n R e s e a r c h ( P A R )
- Grounded Theory
-Case Studies - Ethnography
In-depth conversations with individuals to gather their perspectives,
experiences, and beliefs on a specific topic. Can be structured, semistructured, or unstructured.
▪ Ideal for exploring complex issues, understanding individual
experiences, and gathering rich narratives
Interview
Principles of Interview
▪ Open-ended questions: Encourage detailed responses and exploration of individual perspectives.
▪ Active listening: Pay close attention to the participant’s words and
non-verbal cues.
▪ Building rapport: Establish trust and a comfortable environment for
the participant to share openly
Usage in interview
▪ Understanding individual experiences: Gathering personal stories and perspectives
on a specific event or situation.
▪ Exploring complex issues: Delving into the nuances of a topic from multiple
perspectives.
▪ Developing hypotheses: Generating initial ideas and insights for further investigation.
Process of interview
▪ Develop interview guide: Define questions or topics to be covered.
▪ Recruit participants: Select individuals with relevant experiences.
▪ Conduct the interview: Ask questions, listen attentively, and probe for deeper insights.
▪ Record and transcribe data: Capture the interview (audio or video) and convert it to
text for analysis.
▪ Analyze data: Identify themes, patterns, and key insights.
Facilitated discussions with a small group of individuals (6-10) to explore
shared experiences, perspectives, and opinions on a specific topic.
Focus Group
Valuable for generating ideas, understanding group dynamics, and exploring
complex issues from multiple perspectives.
Focus group
Principle of focus group
▪ Group dynamics: Encourage interaction and discussion among participants.
▪ Moderator guidance: Facilitate the discussion, ensure everyone has a chance to share, and keep the group focused.
▪ Diverse perspectives: Select participants with varying experiences and
viewpoints to enrich the discussion
Usage of Focus group
▪ Testing concepts: Gathering feedback on new products, services, or marketing campaigns.
▪ Exploring social issues: Understanding public perceptions and opinions on a specific topic.
▪ Developing program interventions: Identifying needs and priorities for community-based initiatives
Examining existing documents, texts, images, or other artifacts to understand
their content, context, and meaning.
Document analysis
Process of Focus group
▪ Define focus group objectives: Clearly identify the research questions and desired information.
▪ Recruit participants: Select individuals with relevant experiences or perspectives.
▪ Develop a discussion guide: Prepare a list of questions or topics to guide the discussion.
▪ Facilitate the focus group: Guide the discussion, encourage participation, and ensure everyone has a chance to share.
▪ Record and transcribe data: Capture the discussion (audio or video) and convert it to text for analysis.
▪ Analyze data: Identify themes, patterns, and key insights from the group discussion.
Valuable for historical research, analyzing social trends, understanding cultural
practices, and exploring perspectives through written or visual materials.
Document analysis
Principle of Document analysis
Content analysis: Examine the text, images, or artifacts to identify key themes, patterns, and meanings.
▪ Contextual analysis: Consider the historical, social, and cultural context in which the documents were created.
▪ Critical analysis: Evaluate the author’s perspective, biases, and intended audience
Usage of Document Analysis
▪ Historical research: Examining primary sources to understand past events and perspectives.
▪ Social analysis: Studying newspapers, magazines, or social media posts to understand public discourse and social trends.
▪ Cultural studies: Examining cultural artifacts, such as art, music, or literature, to
understand cultural values and beliefs
Process of Document analysis
Identify relevant documents: Select documents that align with your research questions.
▪ Analyze the content: Examine the text, images, or artifacts to identify key themes, patterns,
and meanings.
▪ Interpret the findings: Draw conclusions and insights based on the analyzed data.
Examining stories, personal accounts, and narratives to understand how
people construct meaning, make sense of their experiences, and
communicate their perspectives.
Narrative analysis
Useful for exploring personal experiences, understanding cultural narratives, and analyzing how people make sense of their lives.
Narrative analysis
What are the principles of narrative analysis
▪ Narrative structure: Identify the key elements of the story, including plot, characters, setting, and theme.
▪ Meaning-making: Analyze how the story constructs meaning and reflects the narrator’s worldview.
▪ Social context: Consider the social, cultural, and historical context in which the story is told.
Usage of narrative analysis
Understanding personal experiences: Examining individual stories to learn about their lives and perspectives.
▪ Analyzing cultural narratives: Studying myths, legends, and folktales to understand cultural
values and beliefs.
▪ Exploring social change: Examining how narratives reflect and shape social transformations.
Process of Narrative analysis
▪ Collect narratives: Gather stories, personal accounts, or narratives through interviews, focus groups, or other methods.
▪ Analyze the narratives: Identify key themes, patterns, and narrative structures.
▪ Interpret the findings: Draw conclusions and insights about how people construct meaning
through their stories
The principle of Discourse analysis
Language as a social construct: Recognize that language is not neutral but reflects and shapes social power relations.
▪ Discourse as a system: Analyze how language is used to create and maintain social structures and ideologies.
▪ Critical analysis: Evaluate the power dynamics and ideological assumptions embedded in discourse.
Examining language and communication in social contexts to understand how power, ideology, and social structures are constructed and maintained
Discourse Analysis
Valuable for studying social movements, political discourse, media representations,
and understanding how language shapes social reality.
Discourse Analysis
A collaborative research approach that involves participants in all stages of the
research process, from defining the research questions to developing solutions.
P a r t i c i p a t o r y A c t i o n R e s e a r c h ( P A R )
Usage of Discourse analysis
Analyzing political discourse: Examining speeches, debates, and media coverage to understand political ideologies and power struggles.
▪ Studying social movements: Analyzing the language used by activists and protesters to
understand their goals and strategies.
▪ Understanding media representations: Examining how media texts construct and reinforce social stereotypes and power relations.
Process of Discourse Analysis
Identify the discourse: Select a specific area of communication (e.g., political speeches, media
articles, social media posts).
▪ Analyze the language: Examine the language used, including vocabulary, grammar, and rhetorical devices.
▪ Interpret the findings: Draw conclusions about how language constructs meaning, shapes power relations, and reflects social structures
Valuable for empowering communities, addressing social issues, and generating
practical solutions through collaborative research.
P a r t i c i p a t o r y A c t i o n R e s e a r c h ( P A R )
PrincipleS of PAR
Collaborative research: Researchers and participants work together as partners in
the research process.
▪ Empowerment: The research process aims to empower participants to understand
and address their own issues.
▪ Action-oriented: The research seeks to generate practical solutions and
interventions.
Usage of PAR
Addressing social issues: Conducting research to understand and address community-based problems.
▪ Developing community-based interventions: Designing and implementing programs that are relevant to local needs and priorities.
▪ Promoting social change: Empowering communities to take action and advocate for their own interest
Process of PAR
▪ Identify a community issue: Work with community members to define a pressing social problem.
▪ Develop research questions: Collaborate on research questions that address the identified issue.
▪ Collect and analyze data: Gather data through participatory methods, such as interviews, focus groups,
and observations.
▪ Develop solutions: Work together to develop and implement solutions based on the research findings.
▪ Evaluate the impact: Assess the effectiveness of the interventions and make adjustments as needed
A systematic approach to developing theories from
data, using an iterative process of data collection, analysis, and theory
development.
Grounded Theory
- In-depth examination of a specific individual, group,
organization, or event to understand its unique characteristics and
complexities.
Case study
Immersive, long-term study of a particular culture or group,
seeking to understand their beliefs, values, and practices from their
perspective.
Ethnography
