Dissertation problem statement purpose statement

Dissertation problem statement purpose statement

Starting the first major chapter of your dissertation (usually Chapter One: Introduction), the purpose statement establishes the intent of your entire dissertation. Just like a great song that needs a great "hook", the purpose statement needs to draw the reader in and keep their attention The following will discuss the scope and nature of the dissertation problem statement; after reviewing it, you should be able to discuss these elements of the purpose statement: Answers research question; Contributes to wider social or community problem; and Speaks to a specific audience May 07,  · The Key Elements of a Dissertation Problem Statement: Essentially, you want to establish (a) what the problem is, (b) that it matters, and (c) that it addresses a meaningful gap in the literature. Give some brief background information. A few sentences to help the reader understand the context of Estimated Reading Time: 9 mins

How to Write a Dissertation Problem Statement - Beyond PhD Coaching

The following will discuss the scope and nature of the dissertation problem statement; after reviewing it, you should be able to discuss these elements of the purpose statement:. The following will also guide you through the steps of crafting a successful purpose statement. Dissertation problem statement purpose statement the conclusion, you should be able to write your own purpose statement in the Dissertation Research Seminar courseroom.

Before we look at actually writing the purpose statement, let's be clear about its scope. The core purpose of any research study is to answer the research question, and by doing so, to help solve the research problem, dissertation problem statement purpose statement. The wider social or psychological problems that exist in the world for example, stopping or treating childhood abuse, narrowing the achievement gap in the schools, or developing more ethical decision making principles for organizations cannot be solved by a single research project.

The research problem, however, should be solvable, and that is the core purpose of the study, dissertation problem statement purpose statement. To contribute scientific knowledge toward solving some wider social or community problem is a second purpose, and usually this purpose is addressed to a specific audience. You'll recall from Track 1 that you learned that scholarly writings—such as literature reviews, papers, dissertation problem statement purpose statement, dissertations, and articles—always address a key challenge.

Think of meeting the key dissertation problem statement purpose statement of the dissertation as its purpose. As you recall, key challenges consist of:. Put another way, the broad purpose of your study is essentially to contribute some information to a scholarly audience or to the wider community of interest as it wrestles with a problem it considers important, by means of solving the more narrowly focused research problem.

In your purpose statement, you will lay out your argument the research problem should solve in order to contribute to the broader knowledge about the problem, dissertation problem statement purpose statement. The first is: The current literature and research evidence, showing how your study takes the next step in the research process, dissertation problem statement purpose statement an important gap in the literature, or corrects a previous mistake or flaw.

You will already have established that in your literature review and in your statement of the research problem which is based on the lit review. For example, consider the large social problem of obesity in America. Clearly there are psychological factors involved, but a single dissertation can never solve such a serious and complex social problem.

However, it can contribute meaningful information to the effort. The purpose statement shows specifically what your study means to contribute to the larger community's knowledge base. The second foundation to build on is Logic. A strong purpose section shows how the transition from the general problem to the research problem is logical, and that therefore answering the research question is a logical means to the end of contributing knowledge to the problem.

For example, the claim which would be supported with evidence from the literature might be that the wider social problem of obesity may not be solved until a narrowly focused study is completed regarding which early childhood psychological factors best predict later obesity.

The logic would be that such knowledge would be a more effective guide to intervention. This claim must be logically sound as well as literature based.

In the purpose statement, you will outline the logic of your claim that your study has a meaningful purpose. To recap, your purpose statement links your specific study to some wider social or community problem that your specialization dissertation problem statement purpose statement some other audience considers meaningful, and then shows that answering the research question will in fact contribute meaningfully to that audience and effort. Remember: The core purpose of the study is to answer the research question and thereby to solve the research problem, dissertation problem statement purpose statement, in order to provide meaningful information about some smaller aspect of the wider problem.

You've already written your literature review—or at least worked it into sufficient shape to support your research problem statement. From that, you crafted a research question. So you've already provided the first foundation, the literature on the problem. Your first step in crafting a purpose statement is simply to very succinctly remind readers of the larger context, the social or community problem.

This should not take more than a paragraph, that is, a minimum of four sentences, although it may be longer. You will already have done this work in the lit review and the background to your problem statement, so simply remind your reader of the background social or community problem. By the way, the word "community problem" can mean two things: Either it means a community of interest—say, teachers, or managers, or clinicians interested in the problem—or it can mean a community of scholars—say, researchers interested in the problem.

A social problem can interest many different groups in that society, while a community problem will interest only the people in the relevant community, dissertation problem statement purpose statement. This is why we identify the study's audience in the purpose statement. Crafting a succinct and clear reminder of the wider problem your study will contribute to is step 1 in crafting a good purpose statement.

Again, it need not be more than a paragraph or two. Be sure to identify the intended audience or audiences. And as you learned in Track 1, each paragraph ought to follow the MEAL Plan.

You have your summary reminder of the wider problem. Now, write a paragraph or two that will remind readers that the research problem you developed expresses a more focused need in the field for information about the wider issue.

Where does this assertion come from? Once again, it's based on the literature review. You need not repeat that here, just remind your readers of the research problem you have already constructed from the lit review. Next, write a paragraph to link your research question to the research problem and the wider social or community problem. This is where your logical argument takes place. Show the readers that it makes sense to ask the research question because answering it will provide some relevant information about the wider problems.

Don't merely assert, argue. This means that you bring both logic and evidence to bear on your claim, dissertation problem statement purpose statement. Now, sum up your argument in a final paragraph. The purpose of the study will be to answer the research question in order to solve the research problem and to contribute information dissertation problem statement purpose statement the wider social or community problem to a specific audience or audiences.

Of course, you'll use specific language relevant to your specific problem and question. Don't just write, "The purpose of the study is to answer the research question in order to solve the research problem," and so on. Use words that clearly and plainly describe your unique study, dissertation problem statement purpose statement. Thank you for your attention. You now have the tools to create a meaningful purpose statement for your dissertation.

You can download a copy of the transcript of the presentation to use in crafting your own purpose statement, step by step. Now, dissertation problem statement purpose statement, please return to the Dissertation Research Seminar Track 2 Courseroom and complete the activity.

Print Crafting the Purpose Statement. Objectives The following will discuss the scope and nature of the dissertation problem statement; after reviewing it, you should be able to discuss these elements of the purpose statement: Answers research question; Contributes to wider social or community problem; and Speaks to a specific audience.

The Scope of the Purpose Statement Before we look at actually writing the purpose statement, let's be clear about its scope. The Purpose is the Key Challenge You'll recall from Track 1 that you learned that scholarly writings—such as literature reviews, papers, dissertations, and articles—always address a key challenge.

As you recall, key challenges consist of: A question to be answered; A problem to be solved; or A thesis to be argued.

In the dissertation, the key challenge is to answer the research question. Two Foundations of the Purpose Statement Two foundations, or bases, support your argument.

Let's look at some simple steps to crafting successful purpose dissertation problem statement purpose statement. Crafting Purpose Statements: Step 1 You've already written your literature review—or at least worked it into sufficient shape to support your research problem statement.

This community is your audience. Crafting Purpose Statements: Step 2 You have your summary reminder of the wider problem. Crafting Purpose Statements: Step 3 Next, write a paragraph to link your research question to the research problem and the wider social or community problem. Crafting Purpose Statements: Step 4 Now, sum up dissertation problem statement purpose statement argument in a final paragraph.

Conclusion Thank you for your attention.

What is Your Problem Statement? - Thesis \u0026 Dissertation Writing

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The problem and purpose statements, research question (s), and hypotheses serve as the foundation for the remainder of the dissertation content. Including subject matter that does not directly link to these foundational elements of the research serves to distract from concentrating on the problem under study Starting the first major chapter of your dissertation (usually Chapter One: Introduction), the purpose statement establishes the intent of your entire dissertation. Just like a great song that needs a great "hook", the purpose statement needs to draw the reader in and keep their attention Problem Statement: There is a high level of attrition at a local community college. Purpose Statement: To discover what are the perceptions of current first-year students at a local 2-year college regarding their retention. Research Questions Data Collection Instrument or Method (What instruments or artifacts will be used to answer each RQ?