Chapter 6
Stating the Problem and Its Rationale
Stating the Problem and Its Rationale
Once you've selected the problem you plan to study, you can profit from casting it in a form appropriate for submitting it to your advisors. Although professors may not all agree on exactly what should be in your proposal, most of them will at least want a clear statement of your research problem, your reasons for choosing it, and a concise description of how you hope to find a solution. They also may want to know how you define the key terms that are at the heart of your project. Chapter 6 addresses these matters in the following order: (a) stating the problem to be investigated, (b) defining key terms, (c) supporting your choice of a topic with a convincing line of reasoning, and (d) briefly describing your intended research methods."I'm not quite sure about what I should put in my proposal when I give it to my advisors for their approval. "
STATING YOUR RESEARCH PROBLEM
Two popular ways to state a research problem are as a question and as a hypothesis. To illustrate, consider three graduate student projects. The first concerns academic aptitude, the second family functions, and the third political
theory.By casting a problem in the form of a question, the researcher suggests the
kind of answer being sought, with that suggestion then serving to guide decisions about the methods of investigation to employ.| What is the comparative effectiveness of four ways to assess high school students' academic ability--(a) high school grades, (b) teachers' letters of recommendation, (c) multiple-choice aptitude tests, and (d) achievement tests that students answer in essay form? |
-77-
