What is the difference between the general problem and specific problems?

The general problem is one declarative paragraph stating your study's main task, key variables, respondents, setting, and time period. The specific problems (or sub-problems) break that general problem into individually answerable questions, phrased with words like "what," "how," or "is there a significant relationship," and every sub-problem must trace back to something named in the general problem.

How many specific sub-problems should a thesis have?

There is no fixed rule, but most Philippine undergraduate theses run three to six sub-problems: usually one on respondent profile, one or two on the main variable(s) being described, one on a relationship or difference (if the study is correlational), and often a closing question on recommendations or interventions. Panels tend to flag statements with only one sub-problem as underdeveloped and ones with more than seven or eight as unfocused.

Can a specific problem be answerable by yes or no?

No. DepEd's own Practical Research guidance is explicit that sub-problems must be researchable questions, not yes/no questions. A question like "Do respondents use the app?" is weak; "What is the extent of the respondents' use of the app in terms of frequency, duration, and features accessed?" is researchable because it demands a measurable or descriptive answer, not a binary one.

Does every sub-problem need its own statistical treatment?

Every sub-problem that asks for a relationship, difference, or comparison needs a named statistical tool (Pearson r, Chi-square, t-test, ANOVA) in your methodology chapter. Purely descriptive sub-problems (profiles, frequencies, extent of implementation) are usually answered with frequency counts, percentages, and weighted means instead, which still count as a defined analysis method, just not an inferential test.

Should the statement of the problem be written before or after the methodology?

Draft it before your full methodology, since your sub-problems should drive your choice of design and instrument, not the other way around. In practice, most students revise both together: writing a sub-problem often reveals that a planned instrument cannot actually answer it, which sends you back to adjust the wording, the design, or the questionnaire until all three line up.

What is the most common reason panels reject a statement of the problem?

Misalignment: a sub-problem promises an answer the study's design or instrument cannot actually deliver, most often a correlational sub-problem ("is there a significant relationship...") paired with a questionnaire that never measures one of the two variables being correlated. The second most common issue is sub-problems that do not trace back to anything named in the general problem.

Can I copy a statement of the problem format from another thesis?

You can copy the structural pattern (general problem paragraph, then numbered sub-problems), since that format is standard and not original to any one author. You cannot copy the actual wording, variables, or sub-problems from someone else's paper. Write your own sub-problems from your own variables and respondents; adapt the pattern, not the content.

Statement of the Problem: How to Write It, With Examples

TL;DR: A Philippine thesis statement of the problem has two parts: one declarative "general problem" paragraph naming your main task, variables, respondents, setting, and time period, followed by three to six "specific sub-problems" phrased as researchable questions (never yes/no) that each trace back to something in the general problem. Descriptive sub-problems ask "what is the extent/level/profile," correlational ones ask "is there a significant relationship/difference." Every sub-problem must match something your methodology and questionnaire can actually measure, since mismatch between the two is the single most common reason panels send a proposal back for revision.

Typing "how to write statement of the problem" usually means a defense or proposal deadline is close. This guide covers the exact general-problem-plus-sub-problems format Philippine SHS and college advisers expect, how to phrase sub-problems so they count as researchable, and two complete worked examples you can study as models. See our companion guide on how a thesis is structured chapter by chapter if you need the bigger picture first. Do not copy the example topics below into your own paper; the point is to show you the pattern so you can build your own from your own variables and respondents.

What Is the Statement of the Problem?

The statement of the problem is the section of Chapter 1 that names exactly what your study will investigate and answer. It normally sits after your background of the study and before your significance of the study, and it does one job: turn a broad topic into a specific, answerable set of questions.

Philippine research manuals split it into two parts. The general problem is a single paragraph, written as a statement rather than a question, that names the study's purpose, its main variables, its respondents, and its setting and time period. The specific problems (also called sub-problems or specific questions) break that general problem into individual, numbered questions that a panel can point to and say "yes, this was answered" or "no, it wasn't," one by one.

Disclaimer: exact chapter placement and required sub-parts vary by school and by adviser. Confirm the specific format your department's research manual requires before finalizing your draft.

General Problem vs. Specific Sub-Problems, at a Glance

Aspect	General Problem	Specific Sub-Problems
Form	One paragraph, declarative	Numbered list, interrogative (questions)
Length	3-5 sentences	One sentence per sub-problem
Contains	Purpose, main variable(s), respondents, setting, time period	One narrow, answerable question each
Must include	The overall "what this study did"	Words like "what," "how," or "is there a significant..."
Must avoid	Vague verbs ("study," "look into") without naming variables	Yes/no phrasing, double-barreled questions
Relationship to the rest of the paper	Mirrors your title and abstract	Each sub-problem maps to a section of your Results and Discussion, and to a line in your questionnaire

Per DepEd's Practical Research curriculum guidance, "the general problem should clearly state the main task/s of the researcher" and must name the study's participants, setting, and time period, while the specific problems "are stated as questions" that are "anchored on the general problem." A sub-problem that cannot be traced back to a phrase in the general problem does not belong in the list.

How to Write the General Problem

Write the general problem as one paragraph that answers five things in order: what you did (main task, using a verb like "determined," "assessed," or "described"), what you looked at (your key variable or phenomenon), who you looked at (respondents), where (setting), and when (time period). A standard sentence pattern looks like this:

"This study [determined/assessed/described] the [main variable] of/among [respondents] in/at [setting], during [time period]."

Worked example — general problem:

Topic: records management in barangay health facilities

"This study assessed the records management practices of barangay health stations in the Municipality of Alaminos, Laguna, as observed by their barangay health workers, during the 2025-2026 fiscal year, for the purpose of recommending measures to improve the accuracy and retrievability of patient records."

Notice every element is present: main task (assessed), variable (records management practices), respondents (barangay health workers), setting (Alaminos, Laguna), time period (2025-2026), and an implied output (recommendations). This is a model to study, not a paper to submit; your own general problem needs your own respondents, setting, and variables.

How to Write Specific Sub-Problems

Each sub-problem is a single researchable question that answers one narrow piece of the general problem. Per DepEd's own guidance for Practical Research 1, "a specific question to be formulated must be a researchable question" that begins with words like "what" or "how" rather than one answerable with a plain yes or no.

Worked example — specific sub-problems (continuing the barangay health example above):

What is the demographic profile of the barangay health worker-respondents in terms of age, length of service, and educational attainment?
What is the extent of implementation of records management practices among barangay health stations in terms of (a) record creation, (b) storage and filing, (c) retrieval, and (d) disposal?
What problems do barangay health workers encounter in maintaining accurate and complete patient records?
Is there a significant relationship between a health worker's length of service and the extent of records management implementation observed?
Based on the findings, what measures can be proposed to improve records management practices in barangay health stations?

Sub-problem 1 is a profile question, 2 and 3 are descriptive, 4 is correlational (it needs a statistical test), and 5 is a closing recommendation question. This progression, profile to description to relationship to recommendation, is the most common shape a Philippine sub-problem set takes.

Descriptive vs. Correlational Phrasing: Which One Do You Need?

Use descriptive phrasing ("what is the level/extent/profile of...") when your sub-problem only needs to describe a single variable using frequencies, percentages, or a weighted mean. Use correlational phrasing ("is there a significant relationship/difference between...") only when you actually intend to run an inferential statistical test, because that phrasing commits you to comparing at least two variables against each other in your Results chapter.

A common student mistake is writing a correlational-sounding sub-problem without a corresponding plan to measure both variables and run a test for it. If sub-problem 4 above asked about "length of service," the questionnaire must actually collect length of service as a number or bracket, and the methodology chapter must name the statistical tool (in this case, likely Pearson r or Spearman rho, depending on the data's level of measurement) that will test that relationship.

A Second Worked Example: A Correlational Study

Topic: commute time and work engagement among graveyard-shift call center agents

General problem: "This study determined the relationship between one-way commute time and the level of work engagement among graveyard-shift call center agents of a business process outsourcing company in Cebu City during the first semester of school year 2025-2026."

Specific sub-problems:

What is the profile of the respondents in terms of age, civil status, and primary mode of transportation to work?
What is the respondents' average one-way commute time to their workplace?
What is the respondents' level of work engagement in terms of vigor, dedication, and absorption?
Is there a significant relationship between commute time and the respondents' overall level of work engagement?
What coping strategies do respondents with longer commute times report using to sustain their work engagement?

Sub-problem 5 here is deliberately open-ended and qualitative in flavor even inside an otherwise quantitative study; some Philippine advisers accept this kind of closing question as a bridge toward a mixed-methods discussion, while others will ask you to cut it if your design is purely quantitative. Confirm with your own adviser before including one.

Making Sure Sub-Problems Line Up With Your Methodology and Questionnaire

A statement of the problem is not judged on its own. A panel reads it next to your methodology and your research instrument and checks, line by line, whether every sub-problem has a matching data source and analysis method. If sub-problem 2 above asks for "extent of implementation," your questionnaire needs items that produce a measurable extent (commonly a Likert scale), and your methodology needs to name how that scale will be interpreted (a weighted mean with a verbal interpretation range, for instance). If a sub-problem promises a relationship, your instrument must capture both variables, and your methodology must name the statistical tool.

This is the single most common point of failure students underestimate: writing an ambitious sub-problem that sounds impressive but that nothing in the rest of the paper can actually answer.

Common Reasons Panels Reject a Statement of the Problem

A sub-problem doesn't trace back to the general problem. If a variable shows up in your sub-problems but was never named in the general paragraph, cut or rewrite one of the two.
A sub-problem is answerable by yes or no. Rewrite it to ask for an extent, level, difference, or relationship instead.
A correlational sub-problem has no matching instrument item or statistical tool. Go back to your questionnaire and methodology before your defense, not during it.
Too many or too few sub-problems. One sub-problem usually signals an underdeveloped study; eight or more usually signals a study trying to do too much.
Sub-problems overlap or repeat each other. Each one should own a distinct piece of the general problem, not restate a neighbor in different words.

Tips for Writing Your Own

Start from your title, not from a template. Your general problem should be a fuller, sentence-form version of your title, not a generic paragraph borrowed from another paper.
Write sub-problems and your questionnaire side by side. If you can't picture the exact item or column that will answer a sub-problem, the sub-problem isn't ready yet.
Read your sub-problem list out loud as a checklist. If a stranger read only your sub-problems, could they predict what tables would appear in your Results chapter? If not, revise.
Keep the closing recommendation question only if your adviser wants one. Some programs require it as a bridge to Chapter 5; others consider it optional or redundant with your conclusions section.
Never submit an example topic from a guide like this one. Build your general problem and sub-problems from your own respondents, setting, and variables.

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Statement of the Problem: How to Write It, With Examples

What Is the Statement of the Problem?

General Problem vs. Specific Sub-Problems, at a Glance

How to Write the General Problem

How to Write Specific Sub-Problems

Descriptive vs. Correlational Phrasing: Which One Do You Need?

A Second Worked Example: A Correlational Study

Making Sure Sub-Problems Line Up With Your Methodology and Questionnaire

Common Reasons Panels Reject a Statement of the Problem

Tips for Writing Your Own

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