ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on arguably the most critical part of the dissertation writing process: identifying a problem that can be addressed by a research project. Critical elements of developing a strong, sound research problem are explained. It is critical for researchers to establish problem statements only after deep exploration of the literature and clear understanding of the theoretical foundation so that they can identify the gap in the literature which the research can fill or address. Theoretical and conceptual “frameworking” are also introduced in this chapter, and the fundamental differences between a theoretical and conceptual model discussed. Finally, this chapter introduces a helpful analogy of a funnel, where the largest part of the funnel, the mouth, focuses on the topic in general, and the tip of the funnel holds the research question and clearly articulated purpose of the study. Presentation of literature supporting the problem statement is included in the body of the funnel.
