Chapter 1. Statement of the Problem

            This chapter is usually the shortest in that it includes a brief statement of the problem that will guide the dissertation. Some people see this as the “introduction” and may include such content as purpose, importance, or may include some data that underscores the statement of the problem. That statement can be in question form or a declarative statement. For example, your statement could read as a question: To what extent do three approaches to urban agriculture result in significant changes to a set of urban problems in housing, land use, economic development, employment, and etc? Or you could state: The intent of the dissertation is to compare and contrast three models of urban agriculture using a case study design. Here is an example of how one student outlined the first chapter:

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
Statement of the Problem and Significance of the Study . . . . . . . 1
Objectives and Use of the Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Research Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Research Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Hypotheses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

As you see, she included a series of research objectives, questions, and hypotheses. The hypotheses were included because she was actually testing these. In a case study oriented dissertation you can include research objectives and questions but not hypotheses. See how short this chapter is – only about 10 pages at max.