THE STATEMENT OF THE

PROBLEM
Group 6:
• Marjore Basina
• Rose Simblante
• Askia Omega
• Kyla Macasero
 Statement of the
problem
-The statement of the general and specific
problems.
- The opening paragraph of this section
contains the general problem of the study.
Writing the General Problem in a Qualitative
Study
1. It should use single and not compound sentences.
2. It should clearly express the purpose of the study.
3. It should include the central phenomenon.
4. It should use qualitative words, e.g., explore, discover, and explain
5. It should identify the participants in the study
6. It should state the research site.
Sample pattern for the purpose statement:

The purpose of this (narrative, phenomenological, grounded theory, ethnographic ,

case) is to (understand, describe, develop, discover) the (central phenomenon of the

study) for (the participants) at (the site). At this tage in the research, the (central

phenomenon) will be generally defined as (a general definition of the central concept)

 Example 1:

The objective of this ethnographic study is to differentiate the customs and traditions of the Aetas and
the locals of Zambales enrolled in Olongapo National City High School for the school year 2014-205.
In this research, the customs and traditions are defined as their practice in the celebration of feasts.
 Example 2:

The objective of this grounded theory study is to characterize the general study habits of the high
school students that belong to the top ten of the class. The study habits are concentrated on the
student’s preparation before attending classes daily.
The specific problem must meet the following criteria:

They must be in question forms

They must define the population and the samples of the study (respondents).

They must identify the variables being studied.

2 Types of Research Questions (Creswell
and Clark):
1. Central Questions – These are the most general questions
that can be asked.
2. Sub-Questions – These questions subdivide the central
question into more specific tropical questions and are only
limited in number
 Guidelines in formulating the research questions:
1. The question should begin with words such as “how” or “what”.

2. The readers should be informed of the information that will be discovered, generated, explored, identified, or
described in the study.
3. The questions “What happened?” should be asked to help craft the description.

4. The question “What was the meaning to people of what happened?” should be asked to understand the results.

5. The question “What happened over time?” should be asked to explore the process.
1. Central question script
a) “What is the meaning of/what does it mean to (central phenomenon)?”
Examples:
i. What is the meaning of intrapersonal competencies?
ii. What does it mean to differentiate the customs and traditions of Aetas to those of the
locals?
iii. What does it mean to characterize the study habits of the top 10 students of the class?
b) “How would (participants) describe (central phenomenon)?”
Examples:
i. How would school managers describe intrapersonal competencies?
ii. How would the Aeta and locals of Zambales differentiate their customs and
traditions?
iii. How would the top ten high school students characterize their general study habits?
2. Sub-question script
“What (aspect) does (participant) engage in as a (central phenomenon)?”
Examples:
a) What level of self-concept does the school managers engage in as a characteristic of
interpersonal competencies?
b) What nature of practices do Aetas and locals of Zambales engage in as a part of their
customs and traditions?
c) What kind of preparation does the top 10 high school students engage in as an
indicator of their general study habits?
 TYPES OF
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
1. Non-researchable questions
- These are questions of value and are answerable by yes or no.

Examples:
a. Should all mothers breastfeed their babies?
b. Should high school teachers be watchful over their Grade 7 students?
c. Should the schools offering different majors in senior high schools require their
students to have a mandatory service before taking the National Assessment Exam?
d. Do all head teachers have a master’s degree?
e. Are family members helping their children in reviewing their lessons?
2. Researchable questions
- These are questions of opinions, perceptions, or policy that are raised to accumulate data.
Formulating a clear, significant question prepares the researcher for subsequent decision-
making on research design, data collection, and data analysis.

Examples:
a. What are the common preparations done by Grade 7 students during their first days
in school?
b. How do senior high school students respond to their Math teachers?
c. What are the study habits of students who are poorly performing?
d. What is the relationship of the attitudes of the adviser to the classroom behavior of
Grade 9 students?
e. How do the officers of the Parent-Teacher Community Association assist in the
improvement of school facilities?
 Dickoff et. Al provide further classification to
research questions. These are as follows:

Factor-isolating Factor-relating Situation-relating Situation-producing

questions questions questions questions
1. Factor-isolating questions
- These ask the question “What is this?” These questions are sometimes called factor-naming
questions because they isolate, categorize, describe, or name factors and situations

Examples:
a. What is the profile of school principals in terms of the following?
i. Age
ii. Management experience
iii. Civil Status
b. What are the levels of competencies of school principals as described by their
respective teachers and themselves in terms of the following?
i. Intrapersonal
ii. Interperonal
2. Factor-relating questions
- These ask the question “What is happening here?” The goal of these questions is to determine
the relationship among factors that have been identified.

Examples:
a. What is the relationship of the level of performance of the senior high school teachers
to the OJT performance of the students enrolled in the business track of Saint Paul
School of Professional Studies?
b. How does the performance level of volleyball teams of boys differ to that of the girls?
3. Situation-relating questions
- These questions ask the question “What will happen if…?” These questions usually yield
hypothesis testing or experimental study design in which the researcher manipulates the
variables to see what will happen.
Examples:
a. What are the effects of computer-learning assisted methods of teaching to the interest
level of the sophomores to their history subjects?
b. How significantly different is the performance of the call center agents who are well
rested than those who are not?
4. Situation-producing questions
- These ask the question “How can I make it happen” These questions establish explicit goals
for actions, develop plans or prescriptions to achieve goals, and specify the conditions under
which these goals will be accomplished.
Examples:
a. Based on the findings, what human relation intervention program can be adopted to
enhance or improve effectiveness of existing teaching methods?
b. What faculty development activities can be sponsored by the PTCA to improve the
performance of graduating students in the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT)?
½ crosswise or 1/4