From C. Badenhorst (2007) [email protected]
Developing*a*PPS&Q*
(Thinking activity but can (should) be incorporated in writing)
Precise convincing research writing begins with a clear research focus. In order to be
focussed, research needs to be well conceptualised.
Conceptualisation includes:
A researchable problem that is relevant to your audience, an appropriate research design
(paradigm, data collection methods, data analysis strategy, sampling, etc) and an
appropriate conceptual framework.
Some of the tools in conceptualising a research paper are the problem statement, the
purpose statement and the research questions (PPS&Q). The problem statement,
purpose statement and research questions need to be written up in a specific format. It
should be no longer than a page. You will address issues that you include in the
problem statement in other parts of your research paper. But for the purposes of
conceptualising your research, follow the format of the problem statement idetnified
below.
The Problem Statement
The problem statement is a clear, well constructed paragraph that succinctly states the
problem your research will help solve. Research is always conceptualised around a
problem. Often poorly conceptualised research simply has no problem. If you are
struggling to get to grips with your research study, try to identify the key problem.
Included in the problem statement is:
A statement of the problem (1 or 2 sentences). For example: Mature
students find it difficult to return to studying after a number of years away
from educational environments.
A few sentences that identify the knowledge gap. The knowledge gap is
something specific to academic contexts. All academic research is built on
previous research. Part of the process of conducting research for academics is
about reviewing the research that has come before and indicating where the
research currently being undertaken fits into the larger body of research. Does
your study agree with previous research, dispute previous research, attempt to
replicate an earlier study, disprove one, or introduce a new concept? The
knowledge gap is about referring to previous research, situating your
study within it and giving a reason why your study adds to current
research in this area. For example: Although much research has been
conducted on access to higher education institutions for mature students, and
performance, little is known about the studying practices of these students
when they return to learning after periods away from education.
From C. Badenhorst (2007) [email protected]
A sentence or two that provides a context for the study. The context refers to
the place, time, institution, environment, etc, in which your study takes place.
Without a context, the study is vague, ungrounded and difficult to
conceptualise. For example: More mature students are returning to higher
education institutions in Canada than ever before. Statistics show that before
2004, X% of students were above the age of 20 when entering their first year
of study. Since then, this figure has increased to Y%.
Finally, your problem statement needs a sentence or two that persuades the
reader through logic and documentation that there is a pressing need for this
research. You need logic so that your reader can see that you have added 1
plus 1 and reached 2. That your research problem makes sense. That you
haven’t made wild claims. You need documentation because in an academic
context evidence from research comes from two sources: i) primary data
such as interviews, observations, experiments, etc; or ii) secondary published
data.
Why is published data considered as evidence?
Referencing is important in an academic context because it serves as
evidence for you. Your readers will look at your evidence carefully in order
to establish whether or not they believe the claims you make in your research.
The more evidence, the more convinced your reader is, the closer to ‘truth’
your research gets. If your references are old or not relevant, then yor
evidence is weak. If your referencing is sloppy, then your reader assumes the
research is also sloppy.
For example: Febris (2004) and Cigol (2000) argue that mature students
often do not have the social capital necessary for successful completion of
studies which is why they enter educational institutions as mature students.
This study intends to explore if the difficulties mature students experience in
learning can be explained by a lack of social capital.
The Problem Statement usually implies a conceptual framework. What is
the conceptual framework in this example? If the conceptual framework is
significant to the study, then it should be mentioned clearly in the problem
statement. The conceptual framework needs to be unpacked in the literature
review.
The Purpose Statement
The problem statement leads into the purpose statement. This statement is the key
conceptual paragraph that frames and guides the research. Purpose statements can, and
should, be written for chapters, sections and paragraphs. The purpose statement for the
research as a whole will direct and focus the entire project.Often the purpose statement
changes through the research process. You need to continually revise and refine it.
Included in the purpose statement is:
From C. Badenhorst (2007) [email protected]
The sentence: The purpose of this research is to…
A sentence that says what you propose to do in the research.
What you propose to do should remedy the knowledge gap identified in the
problem statement.
The broad goal of the research. The purpose statement is clear on what the
research intends to do: to expose, explore, investigate, experiment, etc.
The purpose statement is usually followed by research questions, hypothesis
or objectives.
For example: The purpose of this research is to explore what difficulties
mature students experience when returning to educational studies after a gap
period. This study intends to research how mature students study in a faculty
MUN, and how these study habits relate to social capital.
The Purpose Statement should lead into the research questions.
Research Questions
The research questions are not a re-statement of the research problem. They
unpack the research problem. These are not questions one would ask an
interviewee. Instead, they are guiding questions like apple pie slices that
make up the whole pie. It is very easy for have a plum pie slice to slip in as
one of the questions. When this happens, the researcher often has to do the
research for both pies.
The questions alsogive the reader some idea of the scope of the project. They
indicate the size of the project and the area it will cover.
Think about the questions carefully.
Questions often correspond with chapters in a research project. In other
words, the questions can provide the organising framework for specific
chapters.
Questions must be framed as questions.
For example:
1. What does ‘returning student’ mean?’
2. What difficulties do mature returning students experience?
3. What study habits do mature returning students have?
4. How do these study habits and difficulties relate to social capital?
Can you see how there is a logic to the questions? They unpack the purpose statement in
an order that allows us to builds up knowledge in a systematic way. One question leads
to the other and the final question pulls it all together again.
A plum pie question in this example would be: Do mature students experience
difficulties because of institutional inefficiencies? The question in itself is important and
relevant. In the end, this may be a conclusion of the study but it is not the intention of
this study to focus on institutional efficiency. That is a different project.
From C. Badenhorst (2007) [email protected]
The problem of problem closure
Inevitably, defining a problem and simplifying a research thread means focusing the
research in one particular direction. Problem closure occurs when the way a research
problem is defined determines the causes and consequences and prevents alternative
ways of thinking about the problem from being accommodated. For example, HIV/AIDS
was initially conceptualised only in terms of the cause and it was only because activists
consciously reformulated the problem that focus shifted to developing more antiretroviral
drugs to treat symptoms (Guthman, 2011).
After the PPS&Q
• Develop the argument (take a stand on the problem), unpack assumptions,
establish counter-arguments, decide what evidence you will need to support your
argument.
• Develop the conceptual framework which will become part of your literture
review
• Expand the knowledge gap into the literature review
• Expand the purpose into the research design and methodology
• Decide what data you need to collect to address your questions.
• PPS&Q is always a work in progress. Continually re-work your PPS&Q
throughout the research process.
References
Badenhorst, C. M. (2007). Research writing: Breaking the barriers. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
Badenhorst, C. M. (2008). Dissertation writing: A research journey. Pretoria: Van
Schaik.
Guthman, J. (2011). Weighing in. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (Key text)
Wolcott, H. (2009). Writing up qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
