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WRITING CHAPTER 1: ‘Introduction’

CONTENTS:

 Structure of the Thesis

 Writing Chapter 1: "Introduction"
 Writing Chapter 2: "Review of Literature"
 Writing Chapter 3: "Methodology" [Quantitative]
 Writing Chapter 3: "Methodology" [Qualitative]
 Writing Chapter 4: "Analysis of Data" (Quantitative)
 Writing Chapter 4: Analysis of Data (Qualitative)
 Writing Chapter 5: "Summary, Discussion and Conclusion"
 Writing Style and Language Expression
 APA Format & Style
 What are Examiners Looking for in a Thesis?
The 'Introduction' chapter is most important because it lays out what you
plan to do, why you want to do it, the significance of the study and the
limitations.
Chapter 1 of your Thesis is often called "INTRODUCTION". There is no fixed format
but it is sensible to write the introduction to form a logical funnel, where more general
aspects are told first and sentence-by-sentence, paragraph-by-paragraph proceeding
into more details. The following subsections may be helpful:

1. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

You have the option of not using the sub-section "Background of the Study" and go
straight in telling the reader briefly about the problem you are planning to
investigate. Start with sentences that are simple enough to understand even for
those who are not exactly experts in the topic. Begin with presenting a broad
perspective of the problem or issue which will lead to the next sub-section
'Statement of the Problem'.

2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

 This is where you tell the reader about the research problem (also referred to
a problem statement or statement of the problem) which is a statement about an
area you are concerned about, a condition that you feel should be addressed, a
difficulty that you want to eliminate, an issue or question that exists in the
literature you have read or something troubling encountered in your practice. Aim
to motivate the reader and provide understanding on why your research topic is
important. Utilise published journal articles to point out the importance, preferably
recent ones.
The problem or issue is a gap between between 'what should be
happening' and 'what is actually happening' (see diagram). Say for example your
study is about 'leadership styles of leaders in organisations' and how they impact
job satisfaction of staff. You investigated and established which leadership style
led to higher job satisfaction among staff in an organisation. In this section, you
explain
 why is the research topic important (rationale for conducting the study)
 why the problem mattered to you.
 what is already known and responses to the issue or problem
 how you study advances theoretical and/or practical knowledge
 You could refer to newspaper reports, research reports, journal articles and so
forth.
Note: Do not confuse the research problem with the thesis topic. The topic is something
to read and obtain information about whereas the research problem is something to be
solved or framed as a problem that must be answered.
[source: Bryman, Alan. The Research Question in Social Research: What is its
Role? International Journal of Social Research Methodology 10 (2007): 5-20]
Problem Statement
1. The Research Problem
2. How to write a Research Problem
3. What is a Problem Statement?

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

In this section, you make it clear to the reader, what you planned and how
narrowed the scope of the study and tell what the study is expected to achieve. Just
a few sentences would be sufficient. For example, The objective of this study is to
investigate which leadership style contributed to job satisfaction among staff and
the extent to which demographic variables (such as gender, age, experience,
qualifications) of staff influenced job satisfaction. At the end of the 'objectives of
the study', you could state as follows: 'Specifically, the study seeks to answer the
following research questions ..........'

4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS / HYPOTHESES

Now comes the task of narrowing the scope of the study. The 'Statement of the
Problem' that you wrote about earlier is still too broad and needs to be narrowed in
the form of 'research questions'. A Research Question is a question that focuses
your study and stipulates the interaction between variables. It could also be stated
as a statement. It should be narrow enough and researchable within the time frame
and available resources for your PhD.
Check your Research Question (RQ) against the following and the FINER Checklist
attached:
Example of Research Questions:
 Which leadership style enhances staff satisfaction?
 Are women leaders more democratic than men leaders?
 Is there a relationship between leadership style and staff
performance?
Hypothesis
A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for
the occurrence of a specified phenomenon. For example, there is
no difference in job satisfaction between male and female
workers. In other words, you are hypothesising that male and
female staff are equally satisfied and equally
dissatisfied with their job. Some authors suggest that
hypothesis should essentially be adopted in experimental or
quasi-experimental research methods where the independent
variable can be manipulated during the study in order to create
an effect (i.e. change) on the dependent variable.

Use this checklist to test how good are your Research Questions.
 Checklist for Research Question

Research Question
1. Creating a Good Research Question
2. How to write a Research Problem
3. Research

5. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Students often are confused with 'theoretical framework' and
'conceptual framework' - they are both different. Conceptual
 Framework consists of two words; 'conceptual' which is the
process of forming concepts and ideas; and 'framework' which is
the structure that connects the concepts and basic ideas. As
suggested by Miles and Huberman (1994), a conceptual framework
as a graphical or narrative form of expression of the main
concepts, factors or variables studied and the presumed
relationships between them. The concepts, variables or factors
mentioned is explained in the section on "theoretical framework"
stated in the "Review of Literature" or Chapter 2. For example,
your study is about 'job satisfaction' and its relationship to
leadership style and demographic factors. In the section on
'Review of Literature' you would discuss the theories underlying
leadership style, job satisfaction and the relationship between
leadership style and job satisfaction, theories underlying
gender of the leader and job satisfaction and so forth. The
'conceptual framework' will be created by you showing the
relationships between the concepts, variables and factors you
will be invesitgating in your study. See the diagram shown
below:
Conceptual Framework Showing the Relationship Between Demography,
Leadership Styles and Job Satisfaction

Note the following from the diagram above:

 The conceptual framework is constructed by the researcher and not something
that exists ready-made.
 It acts like a map organising and connecting the key ideas that shape your
thinking.
 It shows the relationship between several concepts or factors such as
demographic variables, leadership style and job satisfaction in the workplace
 It identifies the phenomena you propose to analyse
 It shows the relationships which you are seeking to establish which will be
reflected in the Research Questions.
 TRY THIS - How many Research Questions are you able to extract from the
above conceptual framework?
 The conceptual framework situates your study within prior theory and research
questions. For example,
o there are several theories explaining 'democratic leadership' and
o one of your research questions could be 'Do women leaders with a democratic
leadership style result in higher job satisfaction?'
 The conceptual framework provides clues on data collection procedures. e.g.
instrument to measure leadership styles; instrument to measure job
satisfaction.

How to Make a Conceptual Framework for a Thesis by

Maria Magher

6. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

After having stated the problem, the objectives of the study and the research
questions, you should include a section on 'significance' of the study in which
you tell the reader the contribution of your study. Focus should be on the
following:
 Why is your work important?
 What are the implications of your study?
 How does it link to other knowledge?
 How does it inform policy making?
 What new perspective does your study bring to the field?
 Who would you share your findings with when the study is completed?
Begin with a general contribution of your study and then proceed towards its
contribution to individuals such as practionners (such as teachers, managers),
parents, administrators, policy planners and so forth. For example, the study
on 'leadership style' produced findings that are relevant to managers,
principals, government officials and staff.

 Example - Significance of the Study

 Check this Website - Limitation of the Study, USC Libraries
 Significance of the Study
1. Significance of the Study
2. Significance of the Study
3. Significance of the Study

7. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The 'Limitations of the Study' is the section in which you tell
the reader the shortcomings, conditions or influences that you
could not control. You have to mention them because they may
influence the results of your study. Some researchers are
reluctant to write about the limitations of their study because
they feel it weakens their study and points out the flaws of
your study. However, it should be pointed out that most studies
especially in the behavioural and social sciences have
limitations and it is better to indicate upfront to the reader.
You stipulate the limitations but show why the results or
findings of your study are still important or significant. It
important that you clearly mention the limitations of the study.
WHY?
 Acknowledging your study's limitations gives you the opportunity to show that
you have critically thought about the research problem, data collection methods,
the underlying theory, relevant literature and the findings.
 You may examiners irritating when they ask you during the viva voce - why you
did not include varible X, why is you sample so small, why did you use intact
classes, how do you ensure there is no bias since you are the main person
collecting the data, how trustworthy is your data, how did you ensure subjects
were truthful in responding to your questionnaire and so forth. If you limitations
section is comprehensive, the likelihood of such questions from examiners can
be minimised.
 By stating the limitations of you study, you may preempt some of the queries
examiners may have about your study. For example, if you had argued that even
though your sample was small, the in-depth data you obtained through you
interviews provided thick description of the phenomenon you studied.
 When you state the limitations of your study, you are not listing the weaknesses
of your research. All studies have limitations. You should argue that these
 limitations do not impact the findings and even if they do, you have taken steps
to minimise the impact.
 When you state the limitations, you make it clear for addressing issues that you
did not promise to study. For example, if you are asked why you did not include
'gender' in your analysis, you do not have to defend or apologise because you
had given your reasons in the limitations sections.
The following are some possible limitations in a study:
 You did not use random sampling and instead used intact
classes which may significantly limit your ability to make
broader generalisations from the results. However, the degree
to which this reduces the quality of our findings is a matter of
debate.
 The study was restricted to a rural area and the findings may
not be generalisable to an urban environment because the
characteristics of the population may be different.
 If you were conducting an experiment and administering a
treatment or intervention on speaking skills, you may state as
follows; ....."the research was conducted over eight weeks and
this may not be enough for the researcher to observe all of the
students’ speaking performance in their classes. It would be
better if it was done over a longer period of time".
 Researcher Conducting the Study - Since data collections was
conducted by the researcher, it is possible that a certain degree
of subjectivity may be found - Explain how bias was minimised.
 Instruments Used - some respondents may have difficulty in
understanding the items in the questionnaire and its format
and may lead them to fill in incorrectly.
 It is possible that there is lack of previous studies on the topic -
however you must be sure there is little prior research in your
topic - check with your librarian. But discovering a limitation
can serve as an important opportunity to identify new gaps in
the literature and to describe the need for further research.
 Not including certain variables - "There might be some relevant
factors which significantly influence ..................... How these
factors are beyond the scope of this study and may be ideas for
further research".
 How to Write About Your Study Limitations Without Limiting Your Impact
by Amanda Hindle

Limitations of the Study

1. Scope and Limitations of the Study by Dr. C. Lentz
2. Limitations of Quantitative Research
3. Research Questions and Limitations of the Study

8. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
Definition of Terms or also referred to as 'Operational
Definition of Terms' is a brief section consisting of definition
of key terms or concepts used in the study. For example, the
term 'socioeconomic status' may have various meanings, so it is
important to clarify to the reader the way you operationalised
the term as used in your study Unfamiliar or technical words may
also require an exact definition. The following are some
guidelines:
 Only include terms that may not be well understood or open to
different interpretations. Each term should be in bold (for
emphasis) followed by a short description (not in bold). Treat
each definition as if you were quoting from a dictionary.
 The list format is suggested because it is easier to read and
use one paragraph for each term.
 The length of your definition paragraph depends on the number of
definitions you want to provide, so make sure to select the key
terms.
 [source: A Good Example Of Definition Of Terms In A Research
Paper. 2012-2016 Mcgrath Native Council]
..

Examples of PHRASES You Can Adapt for Use

When Writing Chapter 1 of Your Thesis
As mentioned earlier, in Chapter 1, you focus on the rationale for the study,
the research questions, the objectives of the study, the significance and
limitations of the study. This website provides an excellent list of phrases
which you could adapt when writing Chapter 1 of your thesis or project
paper.

'Introducing Work'. Academic Phrasebank by Dr. John Morley, The

University of Manchester.

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