The Problem Statement It is the first section of a research project or thesis, usually applied to end of secondary, baccalaureate, bachelor's, master's and doctorate projects. It is generally the smallest section, compared to the rest of the chapters that make up this type of document..
This section is used to present the problem to be investigated, developing the ideas in an organized and logical way. For this, it is necessary to carry out an acknowledgment of representative facts in the context of the investigation. Subsequently, it must be indicated what is the problem that the research will address, in order to conclude with the formulation of a research question.
Erroneously, the problem statement is usually considered as the text where the research problem to be addressed is stated. When, in fact, the problem statement refers to the argumentation of how the researcher arrived at the questions about the problem that he is really interested in treating.
For the writing of this section, initially the subject should be approached from the general, and then move on to the specific. In addition, everything that is expressed in the statement of the problem must be demonstrated in the investigation that is carried out.
The extension that the problem statement must have in an investigation is essentially related to the academic level that is being studied. In this way, for a bachelor's or master's degree it will be considerably shorter, compared to a doctorate.
In preparing the problem statement, the cause of the problem should not be assigned, nor should the culprits be exposed, nor should they provide a solution or deal with more than one problem simultaneously..
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The elements that have been explained in the previous section are organized to give rise to a structure. Although there can be several ways to structure a problem statement, this is a simple way you can use:
First, the facts related to the research context are exposed, as well as the largest amount of empirical and theoretical data related to the topic to be studied. This is done with the aim of substantiating the absence of information regarding the topic to be investigated..
In addition to this, it is necessary to justify the study, giving the reasons why it will be carried out..
In this part of the problem statement a context will be established; later in the section "step by step" we explain how to do it.
Next, the discovery of inconsistencies about the knowledge of the subject is expressed.
To expose these inconsistencies, empirical or theoretical data are presented that contradict each other. To demonstrate these contradictions, the following techniques are applied:
The problem statement includes the research question. What is to be investigated is explained, proposing a question that arises from the problem encountered.
Asking the question is essential for the investigative process, since the general objective of the investigation arises from it. This question should be asked after carrying out a rigorous analysis of the information presented in the previous points..
You already know what the structure of the problem statement is, but what is the step by step to do it? You can follow these steps:
First of all, the topic on which the research is to be carried out is chosen. For undergraduate or graduate degrees, the selection of this topic will depend on the area of study being studied.
For example, if it is a degree in the environment, it is normal that the subject is related to pollution, climate change or the greenhouse effect.
When you have established the research topic you can start writing, starting with the first part of the structure, that is, the observation of data and facts. In this description of data and facts it is necessary to give a context to the investigation:
It refers to the question Where?
This can be a physical place, such as a country, a city, an institute or an office, among others. It can also refer to a metaphorical place, such as science or other disciplines.
For example, one place could be the Pacific Ocean, where there are islands of garbage..
Answer the question When?
It refers to the period of time within which the problem is registered.
For example, 2020 is the time in history when there is the most pollution in the sea, especially from plastic.
Describe the How?
The approach that has been taken before before this same problem is exposed.
For example, the way in which marine pollution is generated would be described; islands of garbage and other forms of the ocean floor and surface.
Note: in addition to describing the place, time and mode of data and facts, the inconsistency of information that exists about the problem to be studied will be explained. This is the second part that we explained in the "structure" section.
This section explains how the investigation will be approached, the characteristics of the work to be carried out and the need for its preparation..
The research question is also formulated. Here are a couple of examples.
To facilitate the understanding of these examples, they will be divided into the previously explained structure (observation of data and facts, finding the problem, research question).
Poor air quality in Mexico City affects both the environment and human beings. In the environment it affects flora, fauna, rivers and lakes, and in cities it causes deterioration of monuments and buildings. Likewise, in humans it causes respiratory and nervous system disorders, which can trigger serious diseases such as cancer, among others..
According to a study on the state of air quality in Mexico City, prepared by a University, it was reported that the permitted standards were met regarding the level of air pollution for carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and dioxide. sulfur.
However, the location from where the measurements prepared by the University are taken is within an area with lush tree vegetation, which is why it is difficult to obtain a real measurement of the pollution that exists in the city.
For this reason, for the purposes of this research, it is pertinent to ask the following question: Where in Mexico City should the air pollution meters be located, in such a way that their results show the real conditions of the city air quality?
Although respiratory infections are not new in the world, due to globalization there has been a change not only in the environment, but also in the way in which human beings relate to each other, causing the spread of the same and increasing death rates across the globe.
The World Health Organization establishes protocols for the prevention of contagions that are adopted by all nations, and that they can modify to adapt to their environment.
The Coronavirus brings together a large number of viruses that can cause respiratory infections such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), or the latter, known as COVID-19, among others..
In some cases, COVID-19 can cause nasal congestion, sore throat, runny nose, or diarrhea, most commonly causing fever, dry cough, and physical exhaustion..
Not all people who become infected experience these symptoms, and approximately 80% of those infected recover without the need for a particular treatment.
COVID-19 tends to affect older people more seriously, as well as those who suffer from heart problems, diabetes or high blood pressure. Statistically it is proven that the mortality rate of the virus is around 2% of those infected.
The actions that must be carried out to prevent its contagion are similar to those that are carried out to prevent any respiratory infection. However, in the universities of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, there is no uniformity in the way in which these measures are taken by the academic community.
Based on this, it is appropriate to ask the following question: How to educate the academic community of the universities of the city of Buenos Aires, to generate preventive and early warning actions that allow controlling the spread of respiratory infections and viruses?
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