Introduction and Statement of the Problem Instructions

Introduction:

Following Creswell’s guidelines (see chapter 5) and guidance provided in the Qualitative Dissertation Template in chapter 1, write an introduction for your proposed dissertation topic. The introduction must create reader interest, state the problem, provide a foundation for the problem that necessitates the research, briefly overview the context of literature in which the research is founded, and identify the significance of the research (e.g., implications for practice, policy, stakeholders, advancing the body of knowledge on the topic). The introduction must be 350–500 words.

Statement of the Problem:

Write a Statement of the Problem for your proposed study. In 250–300 words (1 focused paragraph), lay out the particular issue or problem your study is investigating. Include a minimum of 5 recent (published within the last 5 years) citations demonstrating that the problem is current and derived from a review of the literature on the topic. Creswell provides the following guidance:

·         Clearly identify the research problem.

·         Indicate why the problem is important.

o   Justify the importance of the research problem based on the literature (include citations).

o   Identify deficiencies (gaps) in the literature.

o   Distinguish between past studies and your proposed study.

·         Refer to the literature by summarizing groups of studies (synthesize, don’t summarize study after study).

·         Be sure to frame the problem consistently.

·         Conclude with a focused statement articulating the problem, beginning with the phrase, “The problem is...”