The opening paragraph of your introductions needs to establish the significance of the research topic.

It also needs to arouse the interest of the reader.

Example
Here are some extracts from the opening paragraph of an Introduction to a research paper in a second language learning journal.

Kate Parry's topic is a process approach to vocabulary-level reading:

The concept of process is by now well established in language research... The process approach is also increasingly affecting the field of reading ... Such process-oriented work has proved particularly valuable for those of us who teach reading and writing… (1991: 629).

The next paragraph begins: ‘One process, however, that has been neglected in second language research is ...’

Language Tip: Establishing current significance using verb tenses

A language feature to note is the use of a dynamic time perspective, with expressions such as:

‘... is by now well established …’

‘... is also increasingly affecting ...’

‘... has proved particularly valuable ...’