ABSTRACT
Novice researchers may find it difficult to identify and articulate a research problem in need of study. This chapter provides a lesson plan on how to articulate a research problem and its rationale. Reading assignments and discussion questions are designed to prompt students to understand what a research problem is and how to describe it. Large and small group discussions allow students to articulate their understanding regarding key concepts of narrowing, alignment, evidence, and importance. Graphical depictions and examples of research problems provide students with different representations and ways of thinking about research problems and purposes. Students write a draft of problem and purpose statements based on a topic of their choice as a formative assessment and the instructor provides feedback on this draft, as do classmates as part of small-group discussions. Summative assessment may take the form of a revised draft of the problem and purpose statements, or an inclusion of revised problem and purpose statements as part of a larger research proposal due later in the term.
