Developing a sound research problem is arguably the most important activity in a study. A research problem provides the foundation and structure for everything else you do, including developing a research purpose and guiding questions, deciding on appropriate methodology and design, organizing the literature review, and selecting a theory or theoretical framework for your study. A research problem also provides structure for research findings and describes the relationship of those findings to existing theory, literature, and practice.

The manner in which we recommend students go about constructing a research problem is steeped in rich tradition and grounded in the work of David Clark, Egon Guba, and Gerald Smith (1977) at Indiana University. While students will see alternatives to this protocol in other studies, we have adopted and modified this particular problem statement construction because of its uniformity, continuity, structure, and ease of transferability from one study to another. Our protocol is methodologically neutral, meaning that it can be applied in both qualitative and quantitative studies.

Simply stated, a research problem outlines a rationale, or reason, for conducting the study and establishes the need for meaningful investigation of a research topic. Research problems can assume one of two forms: exposing conflict and anomalies, or addressing a knowledge or research gap.

Exposing Conflict and Anomalies

Clark, Guba, and Smith (1977) explained that one way to provide a rationale and establish a need for meaningful investigation is through the interaction, or juxtaposing, of two or more factors. In their terms, the juxtaposing factors should yield “(1) an enigmatic or perplexing state, (2) an undesirable consequence, or (3) a conflict which renders the choice from among alternative courses of action moot” (p. 7). We would like to emphasize a fourth important purpose of this juxtaposition of factors: exposing an anomaly. An anomaly is a deviation or departure from the normal or common order, form, policy, or rule.

Researchers love anomalies because they provide a reason to do research and lead to inherent questions to be answered. For example:

• If NCLB was enacted to improve the playing field for all students, why do numerous districts still have students achieving below average?

• If site-based decision-making (SBDM) is designed to promote teacher voice, why are there still instances when teachers do not have voice in schools where SBDM is practiced?

• If it is known that beginning teachers need support to enhance their teaching practices and remain in the profession, then why do some teachers receive the necessary support while others do not?

Addressing a Research or Knowledge Gap

Another problem type, the research gap (also referred to as a knowledge gap or knowledge void), may not necessarily proceed from a conflict. A knowledge gap is generated through intense literature review, and making a cogent case, which from the existing literature, argues that a gap exists in prevailing theories, empirical knowledge, and/or practice that justifies a research project on the topic (Clark, n.d.). This gap is often referred to as a “jumping off place” because the goal of the researcher is to actually extend, clarify, or fill gaps in current understandings in the literature. For the purposes of this program, we will primarily focus on the problem statements stemming from a conflict/anomaly.

Speculative Proposition (SP)

The contradiction of ideas presented between the principal proposition and interacting proposition should lead the reader to ask “WHY?” The Speculative Proposition gives you the opportunity to describe possible reasons WHY that conflict could exist simultaneously.

The speculative proposition leads to the purpose of the study and provides the rationale for conducting your study. You are speculating, or making your best-educated and research-based opinion, about why the conflict could exist. The proposed research study is conducted in order to explore the accuracy, or inaccuracy, of your speculation.

Example: One possible reason teachers may receive support in some instances and not in others could be due to the role of school culture in providing the necessary support.

*Note that the SP should not be stated as a definitive statement. That is, you should not state, “The reason for this conflict or anomaly is because _______.” If you already know for certain that your SP provides the definitive answer, then there is no need for your research. Remember that in the SP, you are speculating. To strengthen your study, it is a good idea to provide multiple speculations for why the problem could exist, and then choose one speculation to help narrow and focus your study.

*Note: Each of the three parts of the problem statements will be expanded. In Chapter 1, you will expand each of these one-two sentence statements to approximately a paragraph each. In Chapter 2, these three statements will form the outline and structure and you will write approximately 8-10 pages for the principal proposition, 8-10 pages for the interacting proposition, and 8-10 pages for the speculative proposition. Again, this is why it is SO important for each of these three statements to be well-grounded in research.

Some of the common deficiencies of many problem statements include:

• Failure to establish the existence of a rationale;

• Failure to relate to existing literature, theory, and/or practice;

• Attempting to write a polemic or term paper rather than expose and investigate a conflict, a genuine gap in the literature, or an anomaly;

• Overuse of unnecessary jargon and use of overly complex sentence constructions;

• Lack of clarity and precision [a well-written statement does not make sweeping generalizations and irresponsible statements],

• Lack of demonstrating a researchable topic or issue;

• Identification of what would be studied, while avoiding the use of value-laden words and terms;

• Failure to narrow the problem/topic so that it leads to researchable questions.

Based on your problem statements, answer the following questions:

1. What is generally known or widely accepted to be true in your topic area?

2. What conflict is presented between the principal proposition and interacting proposition?

3. How does the speculative proposition relieve the tension created by the PP/IP conflict? (How does the SP relate to the PP/IP?)

4. How does the problem statement set up the need, or purpose, for the study?

5. Based on your problem statements, and specifically your speculative proposition, what will your study seek to explore?

6. What theories or theoretical frameworks could potentially relate to your speculative proposition?