Introduction (Literature Review)

The purpose of the introduction is to give the reader a solid background of the phenomena being studied.  It should provide the reader with information that will lead to the statement of the problem.  This information can include a need to replicate previous studies due to shortcomings or to apply previous research to a different population.  It can also discuss a new theory and the qualitative and quantitative data that has lead to this new idea about a relationship.  In general, by the time the introduction section is read, the reader should be able to understand the need for the present study and have a solid understanding of the researcher’s theory.