ABSTRACT
The research process begins with a problem. What is a research problem? Kerlinger (1986) described a problem as “an interrogative sentence or statement that asks: ‘What relation exists between two or more variables?’” (p. 16). Kerlinger suggested that prior to the problem statement, “the scientist usually experiences an obstacle to understanding, a vague unrest about observed and unobserved phenomena, a curiosity as to ‘why something is as it is’” (p. 11). For example, Harmon, Morgan, and Glicken (1984) investigated the problem of whether the motivation to master new skills or challenging tasks could be measured in infants and, if so, what factors seemed to influence the amount of such mastery motivation. The general problem might have been stated as, can infants mastery motivation be measured reliably and validly and what variables are related to an infant's mastery motivation? The problem for the Gliner and Sample (1996) study was to find out if the quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities could be improved using a community life intervention.
