Problem Statements

Presentation Overview

Types of problem statements:

• Formal
• Informal

Kinds of knowledge:
• Terminology
• Shared beliefs and mindsets
• Canonical works

Example problem statements

 What is a Problem
Statement?

A problem statement is a move that a document makes to help

the reader realize why that document is important.

Problem statements can be:

• formal (e.g., thesis statements), or

• informal (e.g., a sentence that tells readers how a new
development or discovery will effect them)
 Formal Problem
Statements

An example of a formal problem statement would be

the thesis statement that should appear at the outset of
your document.

For Example:
One of the problems faced by college admissions offices is
whether to give precedence to applicants with strong test scores
or to applicants with a variety of extracurricular activities.
 Formal Problem
Statements

When using formal problem statements be sure to keep

them specific, state only what you:

• Will be discussing in text of the document, and

• Can support with evidence.

 Helping the Audience
Understand Your Work

To write strong problem statements,

you need to know:

• What your readers already know

about the topic of the document,
and

• How you will highlight the

significance of your document.
 Kinds of Knowledge

You need to analyze your audience and gauge their

knowledge of the following areas:

• Terminology
• Shared beliefs/mindsets
• Canonical works
 Terminology

Specialized terminology: words or phrases that might

not be easily understood by readers from different
backgrounds.

For Example:
When an applied linguist uses the terms L1 and L2 to refer to a
person’s first and second languages.

The next slide provides examples of how specialized terminology can

be deployed in problem statements.
 Terminology

A Problem Statement written with special terminology

only:
School’s ESL instructors need to be especially mindful of the
overlap between a student’s L1 and L2.

A Problem Statement written with special terminology

that is also defined:
Instructors who teach students learning English as a Second
Language (ESL) should pay attention to the overlap between a
student’s first language (L1) and English, the target language
(L2).
 Shared Beliefs and
Mindsets

The idea of shared beliefs and mindsets

relates to the values an audience holds
and how these can change the way that
they interpret or understand the
statements you make. Shared beliefs and
mindsets often appear in the
assumptions that underlie a text.
 Shared Beliefs and
Mindsets

The next slide provides examples of how assumptions

about beliefs and mindsets can affect how a person might
read a text.

•The first quote assumes that the readers understand the terms
related to autism and the needs of autistic patients.

•The second quote conveys the same information, but spells

out those assumptions for an audience unfamiliar with such
conversations.
 Shared Beliefs and
Mindsets - Examples

1. Contains underlying assumptions about shared beliefs:

“We believe this research could lead to a development of more
specialized techniques for treating the autism spectrum.”

2. States the underlying assumptions in specific terms:

“…and such techniques are important because the autism spectrum
encompasses a number of disorders, and right now there is not
enough specialized treatment for each specific disorder.”
 Canonical Research

Canonical research refers to texts or theories that the

majority of experts in a field accept as significant.

For Example:
• Einstein's theory of general relativity in physics
• Ferris’ and Trustcott’s competing views on error
correction in second language writing
• The Pythagorean Theorem in geometry
 Canonical Research -
Examples

1. Assumes knowledge of a discipline specific canonical work:

"Apply the Pythagorean theorem in order to calculate the distance
between home plate and second base."

2. Does not assume knowledge of a discipline specific

canonical work:
"Use the Pythagorean theorem (A2 + B2 = C2, with C equaling the
triangle's longest side and A and B equaling the other sides) to calculate
the distance between home plate and second base. Remember, there are 90
feet between each base."
 Problem Statements for
a Variety of Audiences

Statements written for different audiences:

The following slides provide two examples of problem

statements.
• The first example, by Bao and Li, appeared in a materials
sciences professional journal.
• The second example, by Danigelis, appeared through a
popular media outlet (MSNBC).

These examples show how problem statements differ

depending on the context in which they appear.
 “Toward Textile Energy
Storage from Cotton T-Shirts”

• Written by Bao and Li (2012)

• Published in a professional journal: Advanced Materials.
• The journal is a peer-reviewed journal aimed at an
audience familiar with current developments in
materials science, which includes “the chemistry and
physics of functional materials.”
• Their problem statement is found in the first paragraph of
the article.
 “Toward Textile Energy
Storage from Cotton T-Shirts”

Bao & Li Problem Statement:

“The three-dimensional (3D) high-surface-area
characteristic of such textiles facilitates the access of
electrolytes, enabling high electrochemical performance of
textile super-capacitors. However, the employment of
organic surfactant for preparing CNT ‘ink’ is not
environmentally benign. The other drawback is that the use
of CNTs increases the cost of the device, which more or
less deters their technological applications” (Bao & Li,
2012).
 “Toward Textile Energy
Storage from Cotton T-Shirts”

Field Specific Terminology:

“The three-dimensional (3D) high-surface-area characteristic
of such textiles facilitates the access of electrolytes, enabling
high electrochemical performance of textile super-
capacitors. However, the employment of organic surfactant
for preparing CNT ‘ink’ is not environmentally benign. The
other drawback is that the use of CNTs increases the cost of
the device, which more or less deters their technological
applications” (Bao & Li, 2012).
 “Toward Textile Energy
Storage from Cotton T-Shirts”

Assuming Shared Beliefs/Mindsets:

“The three-dimensional (3D) high-surface-area

characteristic of such textiles facilitates the access of
electrolytes, enabling high electrochemical performance of
textile super-capacitors. However, the employment of
organic surfactant for preparing CNT ‘ink’ is not
environmentally benign. The other drawback is that the
use of CNTs increases the cost of the device, which more or
less deters their technological applications” (Bao & Li,
2012).
 “Toward Textile Energy
Storage from Cotton T-Shirts”

References to Canonical Research:

“The three-dimensional (3D) high-surface-area
characteristic of such textiles facilitates the access of
electrolytes, enabling high electrochemical performance
of textile super-capacitors. However, the employment of
organic surfactant for preparing CNT ‘ink’ is not
environmentally benign. The other drawback is that the
use of CNTs increases the cost of the device, which
more or less deters their technological applications” (Bao
& Li, 2012).
 “Your cotton T-shirt
could soon charge your
phone”

• Written by Danigelis (2012)

• Published on a commercial tech blog, MSNBC’s Future
of Tech
• This blog is maintained by MSNBC Tech contributors
and commercial partners.
• Her problem statement is implicit and distributed
across the first and fourth paragraphs of the blog entry.
 “Your cotton T-shirt
could soon charge your
phone”

In the Danigelis article, the problem statement is implicit

rather than explicit, like in Bao & Li (2012):
•“One day, donning a T-shirt could mean you’re also sporting
a smart device charger.” (Danigelis, 2012).

•“The engineers had to make the cotton highly conductive so

they tried several ‘recipes,’ Li said.” (Danigelis, 2012).
 Recap: Problem
Statements

Problem statements can be either:

• Formal, like a thesis statement
• Informal, like a explanatory sentence

Their primary functions are to help the reader:

• See why your document is important
• Help create raised awareness of an issue

Strong problem statements consider:

• Terminology
• Shared beliefs and mindsets
• Canonical works