Writing Research Questions

This review is a collection of views and advice on composing research questions from problem statements. It mostly reads as a list of tips and suggestions.

A research question is the fundamental core of a research project, study, or review of literature. It focuses the study, determines the methodology, and guides all stages of inquiry, analysis, and reporting.

The research question begins with a research problem, an issue someone would like to know more about or a situation that needs to be changed or addressed, such as:

Areas of concern
Conditions that could be improved
Difficulties that need to be eliminated
Questions seeking answers

A research problem leads to a hypothesis (H) and/or research question (RQ) Questions should in some way. . .

Be worth investigating
Contribute knowledge & value to the field
Improve educational practice
Improve the human condition

Characteristics of a good research question:

The question is feasible.
The question is clear.
The question is significant.
The question is ethical.

From Research Problem to Research Questions and Purpose

Step 1. Draft a research question/hypothesis.

Example: What effects did 9/11/01 have on the future plans of students who were high school seniors at the time of the terrorist attacks? Example (measurable) Questions: Did seniors consider enlisting in the military as a result of the attacks?, Did seniors consider colleges closer to home as a result?

Step 2. Draft a purpose statement.

Example: The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the 9/11/01 tragedy on the future plans of high school seniors.

Step 3. Revise and rewrite the research question/hypothesis.

Example: What is the association between 9/11/01 and future plans of high school seniors?

Step 4. Revise and rewrite the research question/hypothesis.

Example: Purpose Statement (Declarative): The purpose of this study is to explore the association between 9/11/01 and future plans of high school seniors. Note: Both are neutral; they do not presume an association, either negative or positive.

Operationalize

Notice that the above research question suggested an association or a relationship. When composing your own, it is helpful to determine which variables you would like to understand, and then word your question in such a way as to suggest how you will test your question. This is called operationalizing, referring to the actions, processes, or operations used to measure or identify variables. Finally, you will want to be specific about whom you are studying. Using my example above, “students” is not specific, so I might revise to public high school seniors in the Midwest.

Expanding Simple Research Questions

You can expand your question by introducing additional variables or characteristics. We call these connecting, mediating, or moderating variables. Example: What is the relationship between 9/11/01 and enlisting in the military? Variables I might introduce to expand the question include:

Demographics (gender/age/ethnicity/religious preference)
Geographic location
Parent’s educational level
Role of parent
Student’s /parent’s political affiliation

Common Errors

The Nobel Laureate (taking on your life’s work) Example: The Effects of 9/11/01 on K-12 students The term paper (taking on too little) Example: How many high school seniors enlisted in the military prior to 2002 graduation? The Black Hole (taking on too much) Example: The Effects of 9/11/01 on High School Seniors

A Few Good Wording Tips*

1. When a relationship is expected among a certain type of subject, reference the population.

Example: Among young children, there is a positive relationship between level of psychomotor coordination and degree of self-esteem.

2. Make RQs and Hs as specific and succinct as possible.

OK: Administrators who provide wellness programs for their employees project positive effectiveness. Better: Administrators who provide wellness programs for their employees receive higher employee ratings on selected leadership qualities than administrators who do not provide wellness programs.

3. Avoid words or terms that do not add to the meaning of RQs and Hs.

Rather than: Among elementary school teachers, those who are teaching in year-round schools will report having higher morale than those who are teaching in elementary schools that follow a more traditional school-year schedule. Try: Among elementary school teachers, those who teach in year-round schools have higher morale than those who teach on a traditional schedule.

4. Stick to what will be studied, not implications or your value judgments.

Rather than: Religion is good for society. Try: Regular attendance at religious services is inversely associated with cheating behavior while taking classroom tests.

5. Name the variables in the order in which they occur or will be measured.

Example. There is a positive relationship between College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and first-semester grades earned in college.

6. Avoid the words significant or significance.

7. Avoid using the word “prove.”

8. Avoid using two different terms to refer to the same variable.

*Note: “Wording” examples are attributed to Dr. Kathy Haywood, UMSL

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS – Writing Research Questions

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Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, including a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. One or two-sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week. Writing Research Questions

APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with the APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in Loud-cloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage over-utilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Master’s level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to Lopes Write, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in Loud-cloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is a 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

Writing Research Questions

SCORE A+ WITH HELP FROM OUR PROFESSIONAL WRITERS – Writing Research Questions

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