How to write a PROBLEM STATEMENT in your THESIS: Its 2 parts with an EXAMPLE 

Better late than never 😉

I believe 4am, Is actually the best

And here I am😂

I am glad I could help.

Ma supervisor wa Kitanzania wanasumbua sana afu nao hawajui kitu😅

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Sounds like a good idea. Keep the channel posted.

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Of course you can. Please do.

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Thank you Asewe.

Hi Eyasu, thanks for the comment. The two parts refer to the two parts of the problem statement which are discussed in the video. There is thus not two parts to the video as such. 😃 What I would recommend is maybe watching my other video on the research gap as it plays directly into the problem statement. Good luck and enjoy!

Thank you Celeste.

Thank you Casey. Working on a video as we speak.

I have the article listed on my published articles on ResearchGate in my bio.

Thanks George. Well, the problem is what your study tries to solve/address/shed light on. But in order to do this, you need to know what other studies have done on the topic of your study. So the literature review is reviewing the existing thought on the topic and that your problem is embedded in. Put differently: you cannot make a robust and rigorous contribution via addressing your problem, before not establishing what those before you have tried to establish and did establish. The literature review gives you and your contribution the integrity to withstand critique from existing thinking.

Hi Tunc, thank you for the question. Its a difficult one to answer because it really does depend. I would suggest that you maybe 1) look at guidelines that may be provided by the journal’s ‘Guide to authors’ and also, 2) have a look at previous papers that have been published to get an idea what they have used. This latter factor is particularly important as the papers were subjected to peer review and accepted, so it would be a good indication. With regards to ‘context’ or ‘background’ being used, in my experience I would argue that the difference is negligible. I would however argue that for a paper in a journal, I would use neither and only stick with the ‘Introduction’. I say this because of the limited space and word count allowed. If I have understood you incorrectly that the paper is not for a journal but for a thesis at a university, your supervisor and the guidelines in the department would apply. At the end of the day, I have seen many papers with different headings that have been published. As long as the paper is well written and coherent, more often than not the headings as such do not matter as long as they are logical. I hope this helps. Please do not hesitate to ask any further questions. Keep well!

@@profjohancoetzee4658 Dear Prof. Coetzee, Thank you very much for your prompt reply. I will follow your suggestion. All the best.

Hi Oluwakemi, yes you are. It is a personal preference of mine, however, to have the sources predominantly in the background that leads up to the problem statement itself. I prefer this because when I want to read the problem statement, I want to know exactly what the problem is, and not the background and what lead to the problem. For this reason, the sources would most likely not be needed in the section of the problem. But, you must always be guided by the preferences of your university and especially your supervisor. There is no hard rule that there must be no sources in a problem statement - as long as you are clear and there is an understandable logic as to what you are doing.

Hi Ekene. Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it. You raise an interesting point. The question is: are the gaps in the literature the actual problem? I don't think so - the research gap is not necessarily the research problem. If the literature does not deal with the problem, the gap exists. They are indeed related, no doubt, but the gap emanates from the problem not being addressed (in a particular context). I want to say, though, that it does depend on the type of study that you are doing - whether it being more empirical or literature-based. What are your thoughts?

Hi Anele, to use it? Of course you can 😁

Hi Nana that sounds like a good idea. I will make a note of it as a future video. Thank you for the suggestion.

Ok.

Hi Angel It is a bit difficult to do so without more details, but based on what you say, consider this: - A few sentences explaining the ACTUAL challenges face by higher secondary school students in there transition from Sindhi medium of instructions in to English mediums of instruction in science subject - Then, another few sentences arguing WHY these challenges are problematic and WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS WILL BE if they are not therefore addressed. I hope this helps!

Hi Fidelis thank you for the kind words. You are welcome to contact me via LinkedIn. Keep well.