Writing a research question

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Writing a research question

Ethical considerations

Check with your institution to get the specific guidelines to follow to get your research proposal approved

Depending on the nature of the study, the research project may fall into one of three categories

Exempt from review

Do not require written consent forms

Expedited review

Full review

Subjects must also be willing participants

Privacy of individuals

General comments about problem statements

Especially for new researchers, avoid the use of the word “and” in a problem statement

Write for clarity: avoid technical jargon or complicated grammatical construction

The statement typically starts with “The purpose of this study…”

Mixed studies

This is the only time we recommend the use of the word “and” in writing a problem statement

Mixed studies are looking at two questions, one to be answered with a quantitative methodology and one with a qualitative methodology

Writing your question

Quantitative questions

For studies in which groups will be compared statistically, the general form of a quantitative question is: what are the comparisons of characteristics of groups based on an intervention

The general form of quantitative questions is: what are the descriptions of the characteristics of a group

Quantitative research is based on the collection and analysis of numerical data

Qualitative questions

The general form of a qualitative problem statement is: what are the patterns and perspectives of a group about something in a particular setting

Useful for describing or answering questions about particular localized occurrences or contexts and the perspectives of a particular group toward events, beliefs or practices

Guiding thoughts

Be interested in your topic

Given all the other demands on your time, feel what you devote to your research project

Work on a topic you don’t really have a vested interest in will not keep you motivated

Plan to study something you are excited about

Ask yourself whether your study has any importance

Analyze if your study has already been replicated (see if it works in your context)

Theoretical importance

Check if your study will add something important

Practical importance

Revise what you would gain by doing your study

Be flexible

Eventually, your problem statement will need to become permanently fixed but not necessarily at the beginning

Review your question to see if it has a slightly different focus

Adjust or refine your question as you progress if you wish

Avoid being too abstract

Have some basic ideas before doing much exploring

Do background research will help you in focusing your question

Think about what really concerns you in a certain area

Consider ease of access

Avoid looking for data which are not going to be available later

Be aware of the implication of your data collection

Consider when you will be able to have access to your sample

Choose a convenient sample

Bear in mind ethical considerations

Your sample may respond in a way they feel you want to see

Choose your own environment as an optimal place to look

Being realistic

Come up with a manageable question simple to answer

Keep your study simple to start

Realize you will have time constraints

Selecting a problem to study

It is important to look for a coherent and plausible topic you are interested in

Identifying a problem area

Prompts that may be helpful

Look at “hot topics” in current education to see if something piques your interest

Read the literature and see what the implications sections offer

Look at the Review of Educational Research for ideas

Have you seen a problem or concerned raised around you?

Check validity of research findings if you want to replicate

Identify a problem you want to try to develop

Think about a (past, future, present) phenomenon you wish to describe

What makes a researchable question?

The involvement of ethics with the question is an important consideration in developing a researchable topic

Questions based on opinion, personal philosophies or belief are generally not researchable

In order to be researchable, you have to be able to answer your question, supported by the data you collected

What kind of problem is it?

Quantitative

Determine the effect of something on something else: a new teaching methodology on student achievement, etc.

Find variables you can measure: student achievement, gender differences, relationships

Qualitative

Examine new constructs

Examine organizational structures

Why something does and does not work

Identify variables: what would affect the phenomenon

Get the root of misconceptions: understand a complex process

Theory developing: generate a hypothesis to explain