Formulating the Research Question, Thesis of Qualitative research

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FORMULATING THE

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• (^) Once you have a topic of interest, a problem

statement , and a tentative title to your study, the

next step is to formulate your research questions.

• (^) The research question, if correctly asked, gives

the study its structure, direction, and guidepost.

• (^) Good research questions provide an idea on the

kind of data needed to be collected and analysed,

as well as the type of data collection procedures

that the researcher will use.

• (^) Those are good research questions because the answers

to these questions necessitate collecting, analysing, and

interpreting data.

• (^) The variables of the study can be extracted from the

research questions.

• (^) In that study, the independent variable is exposure

to cooperative learning and the dependent

variables are achievement in physics and

development of small group process skills.

• (^) The formulated research questions give a window into the research design – the method or procedure on how the study will be conducted.
• (^) Thus, in this study, academic achievement in physics is measured through a physics achievement test before and after a prolonged exposure to a cooperative learning environment.

Research questions are central to the research process:

• (^) They make one’s knowledge claims (i.e., those that were uncovered in the search for background information) more concrete and explicit.
• (^) To a large extent, research questions address the gaps in the literature.  (^) Your findings can open up new discourses in your conclusions.  (^) Are you proposing a new argument, definition, clarification, elaboration, or perhaps supportive evidence for your findings?
• Other researchers should be able to expand or add on to your research.
• (^) Others could refute, rebut, or offer contrary evidence to your findings.
• They might rephrase or recast your research questions as they present new or alternative interpretations of your findings.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• (^) The research question should be researchable. A researchable question is one that can be answered by collecting and analysing the data.
• (^) The problem implied in the research question should be valuable and worthwhile. Answers to the research question should have theoretical or practical importance.
• (^) The research question should point toward the data gathering procedures to be employed in the study.
• The research question should specify the samples or participants of the study.
• (^) The research question should specify the variables of the study.
• (^) The research question should indicate the methods or data gathering procedures to be adopted.
• (^) The problem implied in the research question should be clear. It is not too broad nor too narrow.