The Problem-Purpose Statement and Research Questions (PPS&Q)

The Problem-Purpose Statement and Research Questions (PPS&Q) technique is primarily a tool used to focus research. Research writing should always start with a clear research focus. However, for research to be focused, it needs to be well conceptualised. This conceptualisation involves creating a suitable research problem and selecting an appropriate research methodology and conceptual framework. While there are other tools that researchers use to conceptualise and focus their research, the PPS&Q method is a trusted tool that helps researchers align the Problem-Purpose Statement and Research Questions to ensure consistency. The PPS&Q method originated from qualitative research but has been adapted and refined by Cecile BadenhorstLinks to an external site. to be useful to all types of research.

Research writing is more about arguing than facts. They are conceptualised around a problem.

The problem is defined by the audience, the discourse community.

You make claims in research, and those claims become more truth like based on your evidence.

What is my argument? What is my claim? That it is possible to accurately predict if and when HIV+ patients will fall out of care.

You need to articulate the problem (why is there a need for this research). This will be come your rationale.

The problem here is that patients are not being retained in HIV care. Part of your Introduction chapter.

Then you need to identify a knowledge gap in the literature, the academic gap. 1-2 sentences that describes the gap in the literature and how this research intends to fill this. This is the academic rationale. Literature review

Next is the context - time, place, people. The context grounds the research within a particular situation. Introduction

Conceptual framework: It is the big picture that shapes everything you do in this research. Literature review.

Next is the Purpose Statement: 1-3 sentences the broad goal of this research. It also gives insight of the methodology you will use. Whatever you write here needs to close the knowledge gap that you wrote earlier. Methodology.

Research Question: Make sure it unpacks your problem. Question gives you an idea about the scope of the project.

What does lost to care mean? Why are patients lost to care? What is predictive modelling? How can predictive modelling be used to in complex/wicked problems? (This could be a plum pie question. Does it belong here? Maybe not as it is indicating that I already know that it is a wicked problem). How can predictive modelling be used to predict which patients have a higher risk of being lost to follow up?