Process Of Problem Definition Research Articles

“Something wasn’t right”—parents of children with drug problems looking back at how the troubles first began

In this study we analyze how parents of adult children with drug use problems view the initial stages of identifying their children’s troubles as a severe drug problem. We focus on the parents’ accounts of the discovery process by identifying significant events in the parents’ narratives through ‘the micro-politics of trouble’. The study is based on an analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews with parents of adult children (aged 18+) with drug problems. Four themes emerged from the parents’ narratives: (1) the first signs of a problem, (2) drug problem or teenage defiance? (3) the awakening, (4) a passing phase. The different themes show how the parents’ interpretations of the situation influence their definitions and thus their actions. Early signs and indicators of something being wrong do not initially result in parents framing the situation as problematic as they are perceived as everyday concerns and dealt with as such. Our focus on the initial phase of the problem definition process and how this affects the parents may provide a better understanding of the parents’ situation and needs for support. This may be of use to professionals in the fields of social work and drug treatment who meet these parents and may have a role to play in the development of support measures that can improve their situation.

Community geography: Toward a disciplinary framework

Community geography is a growing subfield that provides a framework for relevant and engaged scholarship. In this paper, we define community geography as a form of research praxis, one that involves academic and public scholars with the goal of co-produced and mutually-beneficial knowledge. Community geography draws from a pragmatist model of inquiry, one that views communities as emergent through a recursive process of problem definition and social action. We situate the growth of community geography programs as rooted in two overlapping but distinct traditions: disciplinary development of participatory methodologies and institutional traditions of community engagement in American higher education. We then trace the historical development of these programs, identifying common themes and outlining several challenges that community geographers should prioritize as this subfield continues to grow.

Drought Victims Demand Justice: Politicization of Drought by Farmers in Southern Germany over Time

Farmers have an important role in problematizing and politicizing drought. Following the argumentative turn in policy analysis, the paper analyzes the process of problem definition by means of a framing analysis, zooming in on four major drought events covered in German farming sector journals that are published by farmers’ associations. The article compares the framing of the four most-cited drought events—1947, 1975–76, 2003, and 2011–12—in order to better understand how problematization has changed over time, and how farmers justify and rationalize calls for political action. Three research questions are answered: What problems are named by farmers journals when describing drought events, and what solutions are proposed? Who is considered responsible for problems and solutions? How has framing of drought changed over time? The paper shows that farmers frame drought as a matter of justice and assert their perceived right to subsidies, compensation, farmer-friendly tax policies, and market regulations by the state. From 2003, drought has been framed in association with climate change. The data findings suggest that there is no post-productivist, post-exceptionalist paradigm shift connected to proposed drought policy solutions. Drought framings appear to be persistent, giving priority to assured farmers’ incomes, not water distribution. Considering the lobby power of farmers’ associations in Germany, this finding helps to understand why state interventions remain the same over time.

DELPHI METHOD: THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROBOTIC LEARNING SURVEY IN TERTIARY EDUCATION

This article clarify the development of instrument which is related with robotic based learning by using the Delphi methods. The Delphi method provides the chance for researchers to gather input from participants without demanding them to work face-to-face. Often, the process is used to find consensus among experts who have different opinions and observations. The Delphi method enables group problem-solving using an iterative process of problem definition, discussion, feedback, and revisions. This paper discussed the basics of the Delphi method, its application potential, the selection of expert panels and the means on how consensus can be reached among the participants and also the procedure to obtain the final criteria of robotic learning which is 67 from 188 initially.

English

This article examines stakeholders’ engagement in attaining food security and reducing poverty in the rural areas endowed with water natural resource. The main purpose of the article is to find evidence of appropriate approaches to overcome food insecurity and poverty in areas having abundant natural resources but engulfed with food and income poverty. It reviews the principles of stakeholders’ engagement to examine the extent to which Magozi village leadership applies in agricultural transformations. Data were collected using ethnographic techniques of key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and documentary review. Findings from the study show that Magozi village has moved from food-aid dependency to food self-sufficiency by engaging stakeholders in the entire process of problem definition (recurring hunger and poverty), planning, resource mobilization to implementation. The main finding is the success stories of moving from food-aid to food self-sufficiency attributed to the irrigation scheme that came as a result of engaging various stakeholders including the Anglican Church, Tanzania Social Action Fund, Local Government Authority, and the community. The article recommends the adoption and implementation of many irrigation schemes for transforming rural agriculture in Tanzania Key words: Food security, irrigation, poverty reduction, stakeholders’ engagement.

Framework for Problem Definition – A Joint Method of Design Thinking and Systems Thinking

AbstractInnovative system development is crucial to survive the global competition for many organizations. Engineers are turning their focus on the early phase of system development where the customers' needs and wants are defined and problems are defined. Combination of design thinking and systems thinking is considered as a beneficial prescription. And today, some kind of recipes are in great demand. This paper focuses on problem definition process in the early concept stage and introduces a framework for generating creative and innovative problem statements that would bring out more chances for innovative solutions. The framework had been developed for a project based learning program in Keio University. The framework consists of five approaches. Most of them require users to exert design thinking and systems thinking at the same time. The paper introduces step‐by‐step process for each approach and examples.

Beyond problem solving: Engineering and the public good in the 21st century

Problem solving is upheld as a defining feature of engineering identity, and the ability to solve problems is built into engineering curricula as a learning outcome and a graduate attribute. The notion that problem solving is a desirable and defining attribute of engineering education and practice is hardly ever examined critically. The goal of the paper is to explore the extent to which the focus by engineers on problem solving, and the professional ethos of which it is part, determines their mode of engagement with the world and limits their ability to tackle root causes of social and environmental issues in technologically advanced societies. The paper's contribution to the literature is twofold. First, it argues that a focus on problem solving, brings with it epistemological and political biases which limit the ability of engineers to reflect on their knowledge acquisition and problem definition processes, and therefore to tackle problems effectively. Second, it is proposed here that the profession's attempts to maintain relevance in the 21st century will falter unless engineers clearly enunciate the “public good” that they are mandated to build, reinforce or protect. The nature of this mandate will have far-reaching implications for engineering institutions, disciplines and educational programs. This point is investigated by translating one particular formulation of the public good of engineering into a new set of disciplinary boundaries and curricular subject matter. A survey of academic and teaching staff at the School of Civil Engineering of the University of Sydney is conducted to assess the extent to which the paper's arguments about the public interest of engineering are likely to be accepted by engineering educators.

Mental innovation space of Vietnamese agro-food firms

Purpose – Vietnamese agro-food firms are often small and have short value chains. They are facing increasing competition from multinationals to serve the consumers of the rising middle class. It is assumed that co-creation or open-innovation can be a competitive innovation strategy for the Vietnamese firms. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to understand whether the agro-food firms have the “mental space” or an according mindset to innovate with their customers. Design/methodology/approach – A three dimensional model of “mental innovation space” (MIS) was developed, comprising of the: focus of innovation, level of innovation and degree of collaboration. A total of 14 Vietnamese agro-food companies agreed to embark on a process of problem definition for innovation according to these three dimensions. This process creates a deeper understanding of the firms’ fuzzy front end of innovation and results in less hypothetical findings, compared with traditional interviews. Findings – The results show that t...

The 2012 Cuts to Refugee Health Coverage in Canada: The Anatomy of a Social Policy Failure

AbstractIn 2012, Canada's federal government announced cuts to refugee health coverage. Evidence suggesting that the cuts represent a social policy failure has since been accumulating, including the 2014 Federal Court ruling ordering their reversal. This explanatory case study uncovers the problem definition process that led policy development by applying coding methods to governmental publications, transcripts of parliamentary proceedings and internal governmental correspondence obtained under the Access to Information Act. The systematic analysis identifies avoidable gaps that occurred and proposes an avenue for strengthening future federal social policy processes so as to avoid negative outcomes such as those that resulted here.

Knowledge based Approach for Formulating TRIZ Contradictions

The article presents how to innovate a product using information extraction from patents literature to identify and overcome TRIZ contradictions. Each initial inventive situation has to be formulated in terms of contradictions in order to use the most effective tool for problem solving provided by the TRIZ theory.The authors propose, (1) an algorithm guiding the user to move from an indefinite problem situation to obtain a clearer problem formulation, following a process inspired to the ARIZ approach for fixing physical contradictions, and (2) some strategies and tools for selecting, acquiring and finally modeling the necessary information to improve the effectiveness in building the contradiction model.All those strategies have been implemented in a knowledge management tool called KOM, working as an automatic patent searching engine based on a functional oriented search. An exemplary application is presented to explain how KOM is integrated in the problem definition process.

Case study of a custom colored carpet tile prototype utilizing sustainable sampling

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to examine the process of a custom colored carpet prototype that utilized innovative and sustainable sampling techniques. Design/methodology/approach – This study adapted the prototype design process of problem definition and research; creative exploration; and implementation by LaBat and Solowski. The stages of problem definition and research and creative exploration were conducted for this study. Since only a sample of the carpet tile was developed, the implementation stage was not applicable and was replaced with an deliberation stage. The deliberation process for sustainable sampling was based on the five major performance categories of the sustainable carpet assessment standard, NSF/ASNI 140-2007: Public Health and Environment; Energy and Energy Efficiency; Bio-based Content, Recycled Content, and Environmentally Preferable Materials; Manufacturing; and Reclamation and End of Life Management. Findings – A third party's proprietary sustainable sampling system was employed to support experimentation with multiple colorway applications, while minimizing sample waste. A custom colored commercial carpet tile that reflects one university's unique color palette was developed in collaboration with a large carpet manufacturer. Research limitations/implications – The deliberation stage was not intended to measure or award the points for the five performance categories. Moreover, the researchers are not eligible to certify carpet products. The certifiers are reputable auditors such as Scientific Certification Systems, UL Environment and NSF International. Rather, the five major performance categories of NSF/ASNI 140-2007 were employed as the framework for discussion. Practical implications – Although creating a custom-colored commercial carpet tile product was a laborious and time-consuming activity, consumers in today's society have begun to expect tailored products that meet their needs. Custom colorization provides for personalization and the support of established color palettes without the anticipated higher associated expenses incurred with a completely custom product. At universities, where the home team's colors are omnipresent and extremely meaningful to stakeholders, developing custom colored carpet tile is appropriate. Originality/value – Sustainable sampling was effectively utilized to facilitate a custom colored carpet tile prototype. This study fills a gap in the current literature since it incorporates a case study of the design of a sustainable interior product. Previously, few studies have tracked the inception and development of a carpet product through its design phases.

Analysis of the Relationship between the Resiliency Level and Problem Solving Skills of University Students

Higher education is becoming increasingly student-oriented. Therefore, the examination of students’ personal and social qualities from different perspectives has become highly critical for educational researchers. Among those qualities that receive special attention by the educational researchers is resiliency. Resiliency can be described as the ‘self-corrective tendency’ that motivates people to develop as normal adults even in the most difficult situations, while resilient can be defined as a person who is resistant and flexible and also has the ability to heal quickly, get better, overcome challenges of all kinds of trauma, tragedy, personal crises, and problems (Bezmez, Blakney, Brown, 1999 cited in Gürgan, 2006). Resiliency is a particularly important quality for educational researchers as it strongly affects the students’ ability to bounce back stronger and wiser from any difficulties, and the social-cognitive development process of the individuals. On the other hand, problem solving ability is considered as another critical quality that the students must gain as it facilitates the process of problem definition, information- gathering regarding the problem, determination of any obstacles that can prevent the problem-solution, and the motivation towards problem-solving behavior (Davidson, Deuser ve Sternberg, 1994 cited in Sardoğan, Karahan, Kaygusuz, 2006). Undoubtedly, problem solving behavior is closely related with personal characteristics. People who possess good problem solving skills can have better lives than others as they are more successful in figuring out the best possible solutions and know how to behave in problematic situations. The purpose of this research is to investigate the resiliency level of university students by various variables and the relationship between their resiliency level and problem-solving abilities. A survey study method was employed in this research. Data was gathered from 325 students who studies at Yeditepe University in Istanbul during fall, 2012. The survey was composed of three different sections. First section is developed by the researchers to obtain the demographic information of the participants. Second section is composed of a Resilience scale which was developed by Gurgan (2006), while the third and the last section was composed of a Problem Solving Inventory which was developed by Heppner and Peterson (1982) and adapted into Turkish by Sahin, Sahin ve Heppner (1993). Both scales have high reliabilities with a Cronbach Alpha .80 and .88 respectively. Any increase in the resiliency mean score obtained from the scale can be interpreted as an increase in the resiliency level of the university students. The minimum score that can be obtained from the resiliency scale is determined as 50 while the maximum score is 250. On the other hand, the high scores obtained from the problem solving inventory indicates that the person has a negative perception about his/her problem solving skills, and perceives those skills as unsatisfactory. The score that can be obtained from the problem solving inventory ranges between 32 and 192. Research findings reveal that university students have high resiliency level with a sample mean of 190.07. Furthermore, no significant difference has been found in the resiliency level of university students in terms of gender, grade level, monthly income, and accommodation facilities (p > 0.05). However, a significant difference has been found in their resiliency level in terms of faculty, work experience, academic achievement, self-perceived future job achievement, father's education level, parenting style and their description of selves (p<0.05). Sample mean of problem-solving ability has been found as 92.82. The total score that can be obtained from Problem Solving Inventory ranges between 32 and 192. The low scores indicated that the person had effective and successful set of behaviors related to problem-solving, while the higher scores indicated that the person felt inadequate and poor in terms of problem-solving skills. Therefore, the mean score of 92.82 for problem-solving skills indicates that Yeditepe university students’ problem-solving skills are at the middle level. On the other hand, the Pearson correlation coefficient of -0.672 (p<0.05) which was calculated for the relationship between resiliency and problem-solving skills of students indicated a positive and somewhat strong relationship between the resiliency level of university students and their problem-solving skills.

Cool Hand Nuke: Lessons From the Quiet Diplomacy of the Cienfuegos Non-Crisis

How does presidential framing and signaling of problems affect the potential solutions available to solve those problems? For example, the Cuban Missile Crisis was immediately labeled a crisis and limited alternative solutions. Conversely, the Cienfuegos submarine base dilemma of 1970—despite having graver potential consequences—was never framed as a crisis, was out of the public eye, and was equally successful at repealing a Soviet threat. We offer a Force Dilemma model that suggests the president's problem definition process should produce crisis classifications sparingly, considering and employing less confrontational instruments of power, without prematurely sending unnecessary signals to adversaries, contemporaries, and the public.

System dynamics problem definition as an evolutionary process using the concept of ambiguity

AbstractProblem definition is the most important phase of the system dynamics modeling process. In this paper, we propose an approach to enrich the problem definition process based on a continuous and conscious effort to elicit the hidden ambiguities of the dynamic hypothesis, and transform these ambiguities into questions. The answers to these questions would in turn sharpen the definition of the problem, and improve the dynamic hypothesis. We show how this approach can help in building models that are more suited to the real‐world dynamic problems and policy design. Finally, we proposed some guidelines for revealing ambiguities as a basis to problem definition and dynamic hypothesis in an iterative process. Copyright © 2012 System Dynamics Society.

Competing definition of climate change and the post-Kyoto negotiations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the definitional debates linked to climate change and their impact on the policy actors ' position and on policy content. It is suggested that while discussing about “climate change”, different policy arenas perceive different problems implying different responsibility attributions and different solutions. Design/methodology/approach – The study mobilizes different sources, such as regulations, research reports, and scientific papers, combined with personal interviews with international agents participating in the climate policy negotiations process. Findings – Initially, climate change has been defined as an environmental degradation problem. Progressively, other competing definitions of the problem occupied the public debate. Alternatively, climate change has been discussed as a development issue, a migration issue and a security issue. The paper argues that while this polyphonic discourse persists, the problem definition process remains unaccomplished, new institutional equilibriums cannot be established and, consequently, policymaking cannot follow. Practical implications – By focusing on the different perceptions and debates of the climate issue, this paper points to the conflicts transcending the international arena. This gives policy actors a wider view of the negotiating process in which they are involved. Originality/value – Most analyses explain the success or failure of international agreements by pointing to either the presence/lack of governmental compliance or the institutional complexity and need for coordination between enforcement agencies. Less attention is paid to the way public problems are perceived by different policy communities. This paper focuses on the definitional debates accompanying the post-Kyoto negotiations and their impact on the policy making process.

Social Theory and Climate Change

Social theorists have been dealing with issues of environment and climate change for quite some years, but on which topics have they focused and with whom have they been talking? Many of the articles included in this special issue exemplify a tendency to frame problems of climate change in terms of existing concerns, including the character of capitalism, the relation between nature and culture, or the social process of problem definition. Other forms of conceptual development are much more obviously driven by the challenge of understanding and perhaps fostering societal transformation in response to climate change. Meanwhile, policy proceeds on the basis of a characteristically thin account of the social world. In this short article I highlight differences in how these agendas unfold and comment on what this means for types of questions that social theorists have often, sometimes and not yet asked about climate change. I conclude that social theory — broadly defined — has much to offer but that realizing this potential will require concerted effort and active engagement with new and unfamiliar audiences.

Initiating transdisciplinarity in academic case study teaching

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe experiences with the initiation of transdisciplinarity in academic case study teaching with special reference to regional planning, based on the case study “Leben 2014 (Life 2014) – perspectives for regional development in the national park region Ober‐pinz‐gau, Salzburg”.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology used, was the evaluation of process steps of the project, based on the general project concept, protocols and questionnaires.FindingsA key for successful transdisciplinary cooperation is the integration of non‐academic actors at an early stage of the project. Important principles are the implementation of a structure of communication and networking in the case study region and the definition of rules of collaboration. The establishment of personal relations and network building is indispensable in order to guarantee a constant and broad exchange between all participants. Joint decision‐making processes are essential for stable cooperation, which includes a joint problem definition process at the outset of the case‐study phase as well as joint responsibility for decisions and joint ownership of ideas during and after the case‐study phase.Practical implicationsTransdisciplinarity in case‐study teaching also requires thorough preparation of academics. A constant discussion of different approaches to inter‐ and transdisciplinarity, the adaptation of existing conceptual frameworks to the specific requirements of the current case, the building of a committed teaching team and joint teaching of classes are all important. The careful selection of students and their specific preparation with respect to methodology and content are prerequisites for a successful outcome of a transdisciplinary case study.Originality/valueThe paper describes the experience of initiating transdisciplinarity in academic case study teaching.

Process of organizational problem definition: how to evaluate and how to improve

Managerial problem solvers need to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts in making sure that they are attending the right problem. They also need to know of some specific steps they can take, when necessary, to improve the effectiveness of this process of problem definition. This paper discusses modeling a measuring instrument to evaluate problem definitions, based on which it empirically compares two methods for helping to define problems in organizations. And, in light of the results of this comparison, it proposes a synthesis method designed by combining the strengths of these two methods of problem definition.

Reading between the Lines: Analyzing the Supreme Court’s Views on Gender Discrimination in Employment, 1971–1982

Supreme Court decisions can be read on two levels: as prescriptive statements of what legally can or cannot be done and as discourses that define the Court’s view of social problems. This article explores this latter role through a content analysis of Court decisions that directly address the struggle for women’s equality in the workplace during the 1970s. As it formulated the legal rules applicable to gender discrimination, the Court also gave social and political meaning to the concept of equality. Examining this process of problem definition in the judicial arena provides a different perspective for viewing Supreme Court decisions.

Farm crisis or agricultural system crisis? Defining national problems in a global economy.

The popular press, farm groups, and the Federal Government characterized the 1980s as a period of severe farm crisis. But the decline in farm numbers in the 1980s was not as steep as it had been in the 1950s, 1960s, or even the 1970s. Sociologists recognize that social problems are not the result of the sudden awareness of objective and identifiable conditions, but become defined through a collective process that assigns social significance to a set of conditions. What remains open to examination is how social systems and changes in those systems tend to structure the collective problem-definition process in such a way that one set of actors is able to promote its definitions over others. Using congressional hearings leading up to the passage of the 1985 Food Security Act and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) data on agricultural conditions in the 1980s, I argue that policy makers defined those conditions as an agricultural system crisis, not as a farm crisis. This choice of definitions reflected the ability of emerging transnational agribusinesses to convince policy makers that the pressures of an international economy required a restructuring of the national farm policies. I will then discuss how these findings improve our understanding of how the state negotiates its national responsibilities in a global economy.