A problem statement addresses the need established by the literature review; it is one sentence that describes the “problem” or “need” the doctoral researcher plans to address with the dissertation. Once the researcher has established a problem statement to address the established need from literature, he/she must select and defend the application of a qualitative methodology or quantitative methodology as the best option for collecting data to address the problem statement. With the appropriate methodology selected, the researcher must then choose and defend a corresponding design to address the problem statement. At Grand Canyon University, the 10 Strategic Points tool allows the doctoral researcher to organize, review, and align the topic, problem statement, methodology, design, and other components of the dissertation research study. In this assignment, you will apply the 10 Strategic Points tool to develop a draft of the topic, problem statement, methodology, and design components for the study you suggested earlier in this course.

General Requirements: 
Use the following information to ensure successful completion of the assignment: 

• Refer to the research topic and related defense you submitted as the assignment for Topic 2 in this course. Carefully consider the feedback from the instructor on that assignment.
• Locate the most current version of the 10 Strategic Points template in the DC Network.
• This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. 
• Doctoral learners are required to use APA style for their writing assignments. The APA Style Guide is located in the Student Success Center. 
• Refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for specific guidelines related to doctoral-level writing. This manual contains essential information on manuscript structure and content, clear and concise writing, and academic grammar and usage. 
• This assignment requires that at least two additional scholarly research sources related to this topic, and at least one in-text citation from each source be included.
• You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.

Directions:
Locate your assignment and the related instructor feedback from Topic 2 of this course.

Download the most current version of the 10 Strategic Points template from the DC Network.

Following the section directions found on pages 1-2 of the 10 Strategic Points template, use the potential study topic you presented in the Topic 2 assignment and all relevant instructor feedback to revise/refine the topic and complete the following items by entering them in the table found on pages 14-15 of the 10 Strategic Points template:

1. Item #1: Broad Topic Area. The topic must align to your degree program and be defensible with the scholarly literature presented in the Literature Review section.
2. Item #2: Literature Review. The literature referenced in this section must build an adequate defense for studying the topic presented above. 
3. Item #3: Problem Statement. The Problem Statement, like the topic, must emerge from the relevant scholarly literature. It must be directly related to the topic presented above.
4. Item #7: Methodology and Design. The methodology and design must address the Problem Statement. You must provide a defense for your choice of methodology and design; explain how it addresses the Problem Statement and meets the need established by the Literature Review.