Outline the Background of the Problem

As you draft your Outline of the Background of the Problem, consider the following: The background
of the problem is established before the statement of the problem to provide readers/researchers a
compelling understanding of the context of the problem as in what research has been conducted on
this problem.

Broadly, one component of this discussion will identify fundamental problem areas.
o What are the two or three predominant problem areas in education that provide a
foundation for your statement of the problem?
Generally, one component of this discussion will be empirical in nature.
o What is the most significant empirical data presented in existing literature that
demonstrates a need for further research and understanding of your research
problem?
Specifically, one component of this discussion will narrow your focus relevant to your
statement of the problem.
o What are the most significant concepts, themes, and perspectives on the problem in
the prevailing literature that informs your decision to focus on your research
problem?
What broad problem(s) in the research literature lead to your topic?
What is the "argument" for conducting your study?

Draft your Statement of the Problem

As you draft your Statement of the Problem, consider the following: The purpose of the statement
of the problem is to focus on what is not known or what is problematic about what you will study, as
well as establish the parameters for your study specific to where you will focus your attention in the
dissertation. In this activity, you will draft your statement of the problem.

Broadly, a component of the statement of the problem is to establish and refine areas of
your study that will be further examined in your dissertation.
o What is not known or what is problematic? What will you study?
o What are the parameters for your study? Where will you focus?

Generally, a component of the problem statement is to focus on what is not known and/or
what is problematic in the existing literature and anticipate a critical evaluation of the
literature in Chapter Two.

What remains problematic within the literature on the topic you have chosen?

Specifically, a component of the problem statement is to establish clearly defined parameters

of your distinct areas of focus based on your knowledge of the existing literature.
o On what specific aspects of the problem will you focus based on the most significant
concepts, themes, and perspectives in the prevailing literature?

Draft your Purpose of the Study

The Purpose of the Study illustrates what the study will do, which should reflect the statement of
the problem. The purpose also discusses how you will conduct your study and the kinds of
comparisons you will make. The most essential component to the purpose of the study is
introducing the Research Questions and Hypotheses (if applicable) of your study.
As you draft your Purpose of the Study, consider the following:

Broadly, a component of the purpose of the study is to describe what the study will do and
should include reference to the areas defined in the statement of the problem.
Generally, a component of the purpose of the study is to provide a discussion of how the
various areas are interrelated as well as serve to generate research questions that arise as a
result of examining the discrete areas of the literature on the problem.
Specifically, a component of the purpose of the study is to introduce your Research
Questions and the theory that will serve as the lens for examining your problem.
o What are Research Questions (RQ)?
o How do the RQs address the focus of your research problem?
o What will the study do?
o How will you conduct your study? Will you make comparisons? Will you do
something else?
o What theory and/or model will you use to explain why things happen?

Doctoral students have often started the dissertation process by declaring that they want to do a
quantitative or qualitative study or that they are going to use a certain survey or interview protocol
before they have considered the research question they will be answering. Like the adage of putting
the cart before the horse, determining a research design or approach or method of data gathering
before knowing the research question can result in frustration, a mismatch between research
question and design, and, ultimately, fail to answer the question or yield usable data.

The purpose of a research question is to learn something about a phenomenon, problem, or entity
in a refined way. Considering you are likely to research a domain or area that has been researched
before, there are multiple points thorough which you can examine this problem.

The goal of the RQ, then, is to ask it in a way that indicates the specific angle(s) you want to
examine. Consider the following:

What is the influence of television on teenage behavior?

This indicates a specific domain (television) and population (teenagers) and phenomenon
(behavior). But, think about all that would have to be considered due to its generality.

What aspects of TV would we examine? Sitcoms, dramas, commercials, soap operas, public
TV, cable, movies of the week, and etc.?
What demographic of teenager? 13-15? Rural? Urban? Suburban? Ethnicity? Socioeconomic
status?
What about behavior? In school? Home? Both? In society? Positive behaviors? Negative
behaviors?

Now, it is possible to answer the question as is, but it would demand a lot of time and effort to
address all the possible variables that would need to be included in such a general question.
What if we refined it?
 What is the influence of cable TV dramas that depict violence and urban teenage boys
compliance with school rules?

This one can still be edited, but notice that it specifies the domain (cable TV dramas) the population
(urban teenage boyscan still refine this by SES or ethnicity) and the behavior (compliance with
school rules).

Scope and Delimitations

Scope and delimitation of study are two elements of a research paper that inform the reader what
information is included in the research and explain why the author chose that information. Although scope
and delimitation explain the way a study is limited, this information adds credibility to research.
The scope of study is a section of a research paper that explains what information or subject is being
analyzed. For example, the scope of a historical research paper includes a scope section that
explains what time period the writer is analyzing. Since it is impossible to study every aspect of
every subject, the scope of study tells the reader which aspects of a subject the writer has chosen to
analyze. Most research is limited in scope by sample size, time and geographic area. The scope of
study is usually followed by an explanation of the limitations of the research.
The delimitation of study is the explanation of the scope of study. This section allows the writer to
explain why certain aspects of a subject were chosen and why others were excluded. It is also
common for a writer to explain the chosen research method in this section and explain why certain
theories were applied to the data.
It is important to narrow down your thesis topic and limit the scope of your study. The researcher
should inform the reader about limits or coverage of the study. The scope identifies the boundaries
of the study in term of subjects, objectives, facilities, area, time frame, and the issues to which the
research is focused.
Sample phrases that help express the scope of the study:
The coverage of this study.
The study consists of ..
The study covers the .
This study is focus on..
The delimitation of the study is delimiting a study by geographic location, age, sex, population traits,
population size, or other similar considerations. Delimitation is used to make study better and more
feasible and not just for the interest of the researcher. It also identifies the constraints or
weaknesses of your study which are not within the control of the researcher.
Sample phrases that expressed the delimitations of the study

The study does not cover the

The researcher limited this research to
This study is limited to
The Possible Limitations and Delimitations illustrate the various considerations or qualifiers that
characterize your ability to carry out your particular study and the parameters of what could or could
not be included in the study.
As you list the Possible Limitations and Delimitations, consider the following:

Broadly, a component of the limitations and delimitations of the study is to illustrate what
the study will not include or what the design of the study will not allow.
Generally, a component of delimitations is to present the boundaries established in the
development of the study.
Specifically, a component of delimitations could include choices such as the selection of
objectives, variables, or theory. Clearly state what the study will include and exclude.

What are the delimitations of the study, as in what is the extent to which the study may be
generalized in the field of practice? How might/do these delimitations affect issues of external
validity?

Generally, a component of limitations is to present limits related to the methodology which

reflect parameters relevant to the application and interpretation of the data.
Specifically, a component of limitations points to the generalizability of findings that establish
internal or external validity.
What limitations of the study are beyond the control of the researcher? How might/do these
limitations affect issues of internal validity?

Significance of the Study

Significance of the study in thesis is a part where you will tell the importance and purpose of your
study. This part is tell how the study would be beneficial to society and specific person.
This is a sample significance of the Study By: Engr. Mary Rose Florence S. Cobar, Doctor of
Philosophy in Education , Thesis title: Development of a Source Material in Food Dehydration Craft
Technology for the Secondary Schools

The significance is a statement of why it is important to determine the answer to the gap in the
knowledge, and is related to improving the human condition. The contribution to the body of
knowledge is described, and summarizes who will be able to use the knowledge to make better
decisions, improve policy, advance science, or other uses of the new information. The new data is
the information used to fill the gap in the knowledge.

The Significance of the Study describes what contribution your study will make to the broad
literature or set of broad educational problems upon completion. In this activity, you will draft your
Significance of the Study by determining what you hope will benefit others and/or how readers will
benefit or learn from your study.

As you draft your Significance of the Study, consider the following:

Broadly, a component of the significance of the study is to illustrate the contribution that
your study will make to the existing literature on the problem or broad problem areas of
education.
 Generally, a component of the significance of the study is to elucidate exactly how you will
extend the current literature.
Specifically, a component of the significance of the study is to determine who benefits from
the study and how that specific audience will benefit from its findings. What contribution will
your study make to the literature or to the field? (As an Ed.D. dissertation the focus should
be on how this dissertation will contribute to our efforts in practice)?
o What do you hope others will learn from your study?
o Who benefits?

Explicate the Definition of Terms

Broadly, a component of Definitions and Terms is to provide definitions of key terms. In this activity,
you will identify the specific terms to be used in your study. You will then explicate the definition of
each term that you have identified to best represent your understanding and application of each
term in your dissertation.

Generally, a component of Definitions and Terms is to ground the definitions using the
literature.
Specifically, a component of Definitions and Terms is to establish how the key term is
defined for your study.
o What key terms will be utilized in the discourse of your dissertation? How will you
operationalize these terms as in what is your specific understanding of each key
term and how will you apply this understanding in your use of the term throughout
the rest of your dissertation?
o Alphabetically organize this explication.