The Problem Statement

1. The Problem Statement • The heart of a doctoral dissertation. • Provides focus for research. • Comes from the Literature Review: • Issues, gaps or opportunities that exist in the literature, theory, or practice are used to define the problem. • It is a one-sentence declarative statement • It validates the value of the research: It is the significance, magnitude, and importance of the problem that makes the study worthwhile.

2. Problem Statement Section • In the problem statement section • State the problem in the first sentence of this section. • Begin with a clear declarative statement. • Summarize the problem to be investigated. • Identifies gaps in knowledge relevant to the problem. • Used to generate questions the research hopes to answer. • Provides a brief background on the nature of the problem. • Suggests how the proposed research may contribute to solving the problem.

3. The ROC TestTests Your Problem Statement • Researchable • Is the problem researchable? • Can the problem be answered by collecting and analyzing data? • Do you have the time, resources and skills to carry out the research? • Is the research accessible? • Can you find an organization that will give you written formal permission to do the research on their site? Or, can you access data through public sources that require no permission to use the data for research?

4. The ROC Test (Cont.) • Original • Is the problem original? • Is this a replication study with new population or passage of time? • Does it examine/explore a new issue or different perspective of existing problem?

5. The ROC Test (Cont.) • Contributory • Should the problem be studied ? • Does it advance scholarly knowledge? • Does it contribute to practice? • Does it contribute to society? • Does it contribute to your personal purpose for the future? Does your problem statement ROC?

6. The Problem Statement versus The Problem Statement Section of the Prospectus or Proposal • The problem statement is a single declarative sentence that tells your reader what the specific problem is that you are studying. • The problem statement section explains the nature of the problem you are studying.

7. Writing the Problem Statement (Cont.) • The problem statement should be contained in the very first sentence of this section. • It should begin with a clear declarative statement such as: • "It is not known how or why (qualitative)” • “It is not known if and to what extent (quantitative) ….". • This statement needs to clearly state what is not known or what needs to be fixed. • Different quantitative and qualitative designs have different formats for their problem statements. • The length of the problem statement section is defined in the Prospectus and Proposal Templates • The templates also provide the specific criteria you must meet within each section

8. Problem Statement Examples • There are many ways that problem statements may be presented. GCU uses the format: • It is not known_____.

9. Problems can be researched in a variety of different ways depending upon your interests and the sample populations available to you: The problem statement reflects the design and the problem Quantitative Problem Statements • It is not known if and to what extent emotional intelligence in leaders relates to the performance of their organization? (quantitative correlational design) • It is not known if and to what degree there is a difference in organizational performance between leaders with high levels of emotional intelligence and those with low levels of emotional intelligence? (quantitative causal comparative) • It is not known if and to what degree there is a correlation between level of emotional intelligence and level of leadership performance across all related studies from 1990 to 2010. (meta analysis) • It is not known if and to what extent a 2-year global assignment will impact the level of emotional intelligence in high-potential leaders in a global organization? (quantitative experimental design)

10. Problems can be researched in a variety of different ways depending upon your interests and the sample populations available to you: The problem statement reflects the design and the problem Qualitative Problem Statements • It is not known how a 2-year global assignment influenced the level of emotional intelligence in two high-potential leaders in a global organization. (qualitative case study) • It is not known how a 2-year global assignment influenced the emotional intelligence in a very successful executive in a global company from this executive’s perspective. (qualitative narrative design) • It is not known what factors in a 2-year global assignment for high-potential leaders hindered versus supported improvement in their level of emotional intelligence. (qualitative grounded theory design)

11. Problems can be researched in a variety of different ways depending upon your interests and the sample populations available to you: The problem statement reflects the design and the problem Qualitative Problem Statements • It is not know what supporting positive and negative organizational factors and experiences have enabled a current female executive to become the CEO in a Fortune 100 company. (qualitative historical study) • It is not known how a group of successful executives feel their 2-year global assignment influenced their ability to manage their own emotions in their leadership role and the emotions of their followers in the workplace. (qualitative phenomenological study) • It is not known how and why the organizational culture influenced the values, beliefs and behaviors of a group of 5 successful global executives during their 3-year global assignment. (qualitative ethnographic study) • It is not known how to increase the level of emotional intelligence in leaders in an organization? (action research)

12. Problem Statement Examples are Specific to Your Field Business Problem Statement • It is not known how transformational leadership practices in a CEOs influence profit and customer loyalty in a hospital in the Southwest. (qualitative case study) • It is not known if and to what degree a new sales model will improve the revenue per headcount of sales employees. (quantitative experimental) • It is not known what employees really care about most when selecting benefits in a non-profit organization. (phenomological study) • It is not known if and to what degree the level of transformational leadership behaviors displayed by CEOs correlate with the level of profit and level of customer loyalty in the high tech industry. (quantitative correlational) • It is not known if there is a difference in the level of employee retention in organizations that provide a traditional benefits plan versus organization sthat provides a flexible benefits plan. (quantitative causal comparative)

13. Problem Statement Examples are Specific to Your Field Psychology Problem Statements • It is not known if and to what degree the level of emotional intelligence in parents correlates with the level of emotional maturity in children in daycare centers in Phoenix. (quantitative correlational) • It is not know if and to what degree there is a relationship between increasing the level of employee engagement in organizations, increased resiliency, and increased productivity (quantitative correlational). • It is not known how the cognitive capabilities of multitasking, locus of control, and emotional intelligence influence sales results in individuals in a large telecommunications call center in Atlanta. (qualitative case study) • It is not known if there is a difference in the level of commitment to an organization’s strategy, vision and goals between employees who learn it in a traditional 2-hour classroom program and employees who learn it in an engaging 2-hour multimedia communications experience. (quantitative causal comparative)

14. Problem Statement Examples are Specific to Your Field Education Problem Statements • It is not known if and to what degree the level of servant leadership in school principals influences the quality of the organizational climate in their schools. (quantitative correlational) • It is not known how a servant leadership approach in a school principal in an excelling high school in Alaska influences the organizational climate in their school. (qualitative case study) • It is not known if and to what degree a new teacher mentoring program will increase teacher retention (quasi-experimental design) NOTE: Many studies actually cut across the fields of business, psychology, and education leadership requiring you to use journals from these different fields

15. Writing the Problem Statement • Be concise • Indicate the variables(quantitative) or phenomenon to be studied (qualitative) • Indicate a measurable relationship (quantitative) • Indicate population involved

16. Writing the Problem Statement Section: Prospectus Review Criteria Criterion 1.3: Problem Statement • The problem statement tells the reader exactly what is the problem or research focus (Maximum 1 paragraph). • Presents a clear declarative statement that begins with “It is not known how OR to what degree/extent...” • Clearly describes the magnitude and importance of the problem.