The introduction is the part of the paper that provides readers with the background information for the research reported in the paper. The main purpose of the introduction is to provide the necessary background or context for your research problem. How to frame the research problem is perhaps one of the biggest problem in proposal writing. If the research problem is framed in the context of a general, rambling literature review, then the research question may appear trivial and uninteresting. However, if the same question is placed in the context of a very focused and current research area, its significance will become evident.
The introduction typically begins with a general statement of the problem area, with a focus on a specific research problem, to be followed by the rationale or justification for the proposed study. The introduction generally covers the following elements:
A. Provide the context and set the stage for your research question in such a way as to show its necessity and importance.
B. Present the rationale of your proposed study and clearly indicate why it is worth doing.
C. Briefly describe the major issues and sub-problems to be addressed by your research.
D. Identify the key independent and dependent variables of your study by alternatively specifying the phenomenon you want to study in terms of concepts, types, effectiveness, or in other words what you know about the phenomenon.
E. State your hypothesis (theory), if any. For exploratory or phenomenological research, you may not have any hypotheses. (Please do not confuse the hypothesis with the statistical hypothesis.)
The introduction typically begins with a general statement of the problem area, with a focus on a specific research problem, to be followed by the rationale or justification for the proposed study. The introduction generally covers the following elements:
A. Provide the context and set the stage for your research question in such a way as to show its necessity and importance.
B. Present the rationale of your proposed study and clearly indicate why it is worth doing.
C. Briefly describe the major issues and sub-problems to be addressed by your research.
D. Identify the key independent and dependent variables of your study by alternatively specifying the phenomenon you want to study in terms of concepts, types, effectiveness, or in other words what you know about the phenomenon.
E. State your hypothesis (theory), if any. For exploratory or phenomenological research, you may not have any hypotheses. (Please do not confuse the hypothesis with the statistical hypothesis.)
In an introduction, the writer should:
• Create reader interest in the topic.
• Lay the broad foundation for the problem that leads to the study.
• Place the study within the larger context of scholarly literature.
• Reach out to a specific audience.
• Create reader interest in the topic.
• Lay the broad foundation for the problem that leads to the study.
• Place the study within the larger context of scholarly literature.
• Reach out to a specific audience.
