• A Statement of the Problem constitutes the objectives

of the study in question form. It usually starts with

general statement followed by specific sub-problem
statement.
• A concise and concrete summary of the research
problem you seek to address. It should:

• Contextualize the problem. What do we already know?

• Describe the exact issue your research will address. What do we still need
to know?
• Show the relevance of the problem. Why do we need to know more about
this?
• Set the objectives of the research. What will you do to find out more?
 Step 1: Contextualize the
problem
• The problem statement should frame your research problem,
giving some background on what is already known.
• Practical research problems
• For practical research, focus on the concrete details of the
situation:
• Where and when does the problem arise?
• Who does the problem affect?
• What attempts have been made to solve the problem?
• What is already known about the problem?
• How has the problem been defined and debated in the
scholarly literature?
 Step 2: Show why it matters

• The problem statement should also address the

relevance of the research. Why is it important
that the problem is addressed?
• What benefits will it have for future research?
• Does the problem have direct or indirect
consequences for society?
• How will resolving the problem advance
understanding of the topic?
Step 3: Set your aims and objectives
• Finally, the problem statement should frame how you
intend to address the problem. Your goal here should not
be to find a conclusive solution, but rather to propose
more effective approaches to tackling or understanding it.

• The research aim is the overall purpose of your research.

It is generally written in the infinitive form:
- The aim of this study is to determine…
- This project aims to explore…
- This research aims to investigate…
 Before formulating problems
• How much do you know about the
areas/topics?

Not much ----- Review literature to

learn more
Good ------ Can you describe the
issues/problems
discussed to date?
A Statement of the Problem Statement usually starts
with general statement followed by specific sub-problem
statement.
General to specific research
questions

General
Question
1

General
Question
2
Translating Research Problem to Research Question

Research Problem Research Question

Faculty of Caraga State What practical
University do not have techniques can faculty of
the skills to properly Caraga State University
guide gifted students use to guide gifted
students?
Research Problem Research Question
Graduates of the What are the factors
College of Education affecting the very low
barely passed the performance of
Licensure Examination graduates in the College
for Teachers of Education in
Licensure Examination
for Teachers?
Type of Questions
1. Descriptive
2. Difference
3. Relational
4. Causal
 Descriptive Question
• Seeks to describe phenomena or characteristics of a
particular group of subjects being studied
– Answers the question “what is”
• Asking questions of the research participants
• Testing or measuring their performance
– Survey research

• Example
– What are the attitudes of students toward
mathematics?
 Difference Question
• Seeks to make comparisons between or within
groups of interest
– Often associated with experimental research
• Is there a difference between the control
group and the experimental group?
– Comparison of one group to another on the
basis of existing characteristics

• Example
– How do performance of students in Butuan City
compare with students in Bayugan City?
 Relationship Question
• Investigates the degree to which two or more
variables are associated with each other
– Does not establish “cause-and-effect”
– Only identifies extent of relationship between
variables

• Example
– Is there an association between the performance of
students in English and their performance in
English?
 Causal Question
• Investigates the degree to which two or
more variables affect the other variables

• Example
– To what extent do self-esteem influence self-
confidence?
• HOW ABOUT THE QUALITATIVE TYPE
OF RESEARCH? HOW DO WE
DEVELOP RESEARCHABLE
QUESTIONS?
 ADDITIONAL TIPS!
CRITERIA EXPLANATION
Focuses on single Your central research
topic/problem question should follow
from your research
problem to keep your
work focused. If you
have multiple questions,
they should all clearly
relate to this central aim.
CRITERIA EXPLANATION
Answerable You must be able to find
using primary or an answer by
secondary data collecting quantitative
and/or qualitative data,
or by reading scholarly
sources on the topic to
develop an argument. If
such data is impossible
to access, you will have
to rethink your question
and ask something more
CRITERIA EXPLANATION
Does not ask for a Avoid subjective words
subjective value like good, bad, better and
judgement worse, as these do not
give clear criteria for
answering the question. If
your question is
evaluating something, use
terms with more
measurable definitions.
CRITERIA EXPLANATION
Does not ask why Why questions are
usually too open to serve
as good research
questions. There are
often so many possible
causes that a research
project cannot give a
thorough answer. Try
asking what or how questi
ons instead.
CRITERIA EXPLANATION
Answerable within Make sure you have
practical constraints enough time and
resources to do the
research required to
answer the question. If
you think you might
struggle to gain access to
enough data, consider
narrowing down the
question to be more
specific.
CRITERIA EXPLANATION
Uses specific, well- All the terms you use in
defined concepts the research question
should have clear
meanings. Avoid vague
language and broad
ideas, and be clear
about what, who, where a
nd when your question
addresses.
CRITERIA EXPLANATION
Cannot be answered losed yes/no questions
with yes or no are too simple to work as
good research questions
— they don’t provide
enough scope for
investigation and
discussion.
CRITERIA EXPLANATION
Addresses a problem The research question
relevant to your field should be developed
or discipline based on initial reading
around your topic, and it
should focus on
addressing a problem or
gap in the existing
knowledge.
• Now, we are ready to formulate our
Statement of the Problem…
Example #1
 PREDICTORS OF JOB PERFORMANCE
AMONG TEACHERS OF SIBAGAT
NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL(SNHS)
• Statement of the Problem
• The study aims to determine the
factors influencing the level of job
performance of teachers in SNHS. More
specifically, it attempts to answer the
following queries:
• 1. As rated by the teachers and administrators,
what is the level of job performance of teachers in
SNHS in the following areas:
• 1.1 delivery of the lesson
• 1.2 classroom management
• 1.3 monitoring and evaluation of
• student’s performance
•
•
• 2. Is there a significant difference in the ratings of
the respondents on the level of performance among
teachers of SNHS as cited in Problem 1?
• 3. As rated by the respondents, what is the extent
of manifestation of the following system factors:
• 3.1 Trainings of teachers
• 3.2 Educational attainment
• 3.3 Administrative supervisory
• performance among school
• administrators
• 3.4 Provision of administrative support
• 3.5 Salary of teachers

• 4. Is there a significant relationship

between the extent of manifestation of the
system factors and the level of
performance of teachers?
•
• 5. Which of the system factors,
singly, or in combination, influence the
level the job performance of teachers?
• 6. Based on the findings, what
intervention may be proposed?
 Workshop #1
1. Identify the problem
2. Develop a title
3. Formulate your statement of the problem which
require:
2.1 general statement
2.2 specific statement/questions to
include:
2.2.1. test of difference
2.2.2 test of relationship
2.2.3 causality