Beginning this week, and over the next several weeks, you will be considering how elements of the doctoral study must be in alignment. This week, you will examine how an educational problem
EDDD 8004 Handout: Differentiation of Problem and Purpose
A point of confusion for many students is the difference between the problem a study is addressing and the purpose of that study. First, let’s look at each of these separately.
Problem
The Prospectus Guide refers to a research problem as an “identified gap in practice.” The key to the research problem is that it is something that exists (or maybe does not exist) at a local or other setting, which may be referred to as the study site. Although we use the word problem, the research problem is not always something bad that needs to be fixed; for example, it could be something good that we want to increase. The research problem is an answer to a What question and usually focuses on a noun or noun phrase such as student success, unsatisfactory performance, teacher satisfaction.
Purpose
In contrast, the purpose of the research study is referred to as the “intention of the study, which serves as the connection between the problem being addressed and the focus of the study.” The key to the purpose of the research study is that it is what you are going to do in your study to address the research problem. The purpose of the research study is an answer to a Why question and usually includes a verb or verb phrase such as identify success strategies, compare students’ scores, assess teacher satisfaction.
In quantitative studies, the purpose may be to find a relationship between two factors or two variables that relate to the research problem. Given previous research indicating that the lower a student’s math ability, the less likely the student will graduate from college, an example might be to determine if extensive remedial math tutoring that was provided during the first year relates to improved graduation rates for students who entered with very low math skills.
In qualitative studies, the purpose may be to increase understanding about the research problem. Following the example above, some students with very low math skills are successful and do graduate from college. What learning strategies and college support services do these students report using to assist them in being successful?
And Now Together: Aligning Problem and Purpose
After identifying the problem that your study will address, one of your first tasks in designing your study is to determine what the purpose of your study will be. The problem and the purpose must be aligned—they must fit with each other and with the other aspects of the study that you will design. One way of thinking about this is that you need to connect the dots by presenting a logical progression from the problem (gap in practice) to the purpose of the study.
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Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Purpose
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“Creativity is just connecting things.”
– Steve Jobs, cofounder of Apple Computers
So, is the purpose of the study to solve the problem?
Simply stated: No. The purpose of the study is to learn more about various aspects of the problem so that the problem can be better understood. This information, combined with findings from other studies and/or other information sources could perhaps lead to a resolution of the problem over time through one or more activities conducted by the study site. However, that is not part of your study. While your research will increase the understanding about an issue—which is a contribution to positive social change—you must be careful to state the implications of your research in realistic terms, staying within the scope of your actual study. How will the findings from your study be used to assist planning or implement change or guide future research? For project studies: how might your findings benefit individuals at the local site? For a dissertation: how might your findings contribute to understanding?
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Week 5 DISCUSSION:
“PROBLEM AND PURPOSE”
Beginning this week, and over the next several weeks, you will be considering how elements of the doctoral study must be in alignment. This week, you will examine how an educational problem can be developed into a purpose that can be studied. You will also examine how the problem and purpose are aligned.
Note: Remember to review the grading rubric and remember to use scholarly references to support your position. In the library you will find completed dissertations and project studies. To gain an understanding of how to align the problem and purpose statements, you might elect to review these resources.
To Prepare
· Review the Learning Resources.
· Review the study you have been analyzing, and consider how it is in alignment.
Assignment Task Part 1
· Using the doctoral study that you have selected, identify the problem and purpose. Explain in 1-page how they are in alignment.
· Support your arguments with references.
· Use APA style in your post.
Problem
· The problem for this study is that teachers struggle to engage early childhood learners in virtual learning.
Purpose
· The purpose of this study is to investigate teacher perceptions of the challenges they encounter implementing virtual instruction with early childhood learners.
Assignment Task Part 2
· Review your colleagues’ posts.
· Respond to at least two of them in a 200 word response each and offer another perspective.
LEARNING RESOURCES
Required Readings
· Burkholder, G. J., Cox, K. A., Crawford, L. M., & Hitchcock, J. H. (Eds.). (2020). Research designs and methods: An applied guide for the scholar-practitioner. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
· Chapter 20, “Writing the Research Proposal” (pp. 309-332)
· Walden University, LLC. (2016). Differentiation of problem and purpose Download Differentiation of problem and purpose[Handout]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
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