Developing a research question

Summary

This video from Academic Skills at the University of Melbourne emphasizes the importance of developing a strong research question, which is central to any research project. It should be relevant, manageable, specific, measurable, and clear. The video guides viewers on formulating a question by identifying a broad subject, narrowing it with 'how' and 'why' questions, and ensuring it's investigatable and interesting. It also discusses creating a purpose statement and offers tips on language use and resources for further development.

Takeaways

• 🔍 The research question is considered the most important component of research as it guides the entire project and focuses all efforts on answering it.
• 🤔 Researchers should first ask themselves what they want to know and aim to find out, considering if the data they have or will collect can answer their questions.
• 📊 The research question should summarize the significant issue that the research intends to investigate and should be clear, simple, and understandable to readers.
• 📚 A good research question must be relevant, manageable, specific, measurable, and investigatable, ensuring it is neither too broad nor too narrow.
• 🧐 Researchers should be able to question the data and pull out insights, ensuring they understand the data and can provide answers to their research questions.
• 💡 Formulating a research question involves identifying a broader subject of interest, researching existing literature and data, and then narrowing the topic with how and why questions.
• 📉 Avoid overly broad or too specific questions; instead, aim for specificity and measurability while maintaining relevance to the field.
• 🙅‍♂️ A research question should not be a statement but a question that requires investigation and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.
• 📝 When drafting a research question, consider the construct and application, ensuring the question is broad enough to show relevance within the academic field and addresses the 'so what?' factor.
• 📈 Use question forms such as 'what', 'how', 'why', and 'does' to frame the research question and include interpretive language that explains the importance of the research.
• 🔄 The process involves determining the broad topic, drafting a research question, forming a purpose statement, and revising the research question if necessary.

Q & A

Why is the research question considered the most important component of research?

The research question is fundamental because everything in a research project is focused on answering it. It guides the direction and scope of the research.

What should you consider when formulating a research question?

You should consider the broader subject of interest, the availability of data, and how and why questions that can narrow down the topic to something specific and measurable.

What are the features of a good research question?

A good research question should be relevant, manageable, specific, measurable, clear, simple, interesting, substantial, and investigatable.

How does relevance play a role in a research question?

Relevance ensures that the research question addresses an issue covered by the research and is of interest to the broader academic area, not just to the researcher.

Why is it important for a research question to be manageable?

A manageable research question keeps the scope within limits, avoiding being too large or too small, which ensures the research can be completed effectively.

What does it mean for a research question to be specific?

A specific research question is clear and focused, allowing for a targeted investigation that can be measured and investigated effectively.

How should clarity and simplicity be achieved in a research question?

Clarity and simplicity are achieved by ensuring that the research question is understandable to readers and does not rely on complex jargon or convoluted phrasing.

What is the significance of an interesting research question?

An interesting research question engages readers and makes them curious about the research, increasing the likelihood of their engagement and interest in the findings.

Why should a research question be a question and not a statement?

A question format invites investigation and exploration, whereas a statement does not prompt the same level of inquiry or research.

How can one determine if a research question is investigatable?

A research question is investigatable if it can be answered through research methods, such as data collection and analysis, and if the necessary resources and data are accessible.

What is the process of developing a research question according to the script?

The process involves determining the broad topic, drafting a research question, forming a purpose statement, and revising the research question based on the purpose statement.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Importance of a Research Question

The first paragraph emphasizes the critical role of the research question in any research project. It highlights that the research question is central to the research process, guiding the entire investigation. The speaker, Steve Campitelli, encourages researchers to consider what they want to know, what data they have or will gather, and whether they can answer the question. He stresses the importance of ensuring the research question is relevant, manageable, specific, measurable, clear, and interesting. It should summarize the significant issue being investigated, be of interest to the academic field, and allow for the extraction of meaningful insights from the data.

05:01

🛠️ Formulating a Research Question

The second paragraph provides a step-by-step guide to formulating a research question. It starts with identifying a broad topic of interest, such as cyberbullying, and then narrowing it down by asking how and why questions to create a specific, measurable, and investigable research question. The speaker emphasizes the importance of making the question open-ended, ensuring it cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. He also discusses the need to consider the construct being investigated, its application within the field, and its relevance to the broader academic community. The 'so what?' factor is also addressed, prompting researchers to justify the importance of their research.

Keywords

💡Research Question

A 'Research Question' is the central inquiry or problem that a research project aims to address. It is considered the most important component of research because it guides the entire research process. In the video, the importance of a research question is highlighted as it summarizes the significant issue that the research intends to investigate, and it is the focal point around which all research activities revolve.

💡Relevance

Relevance refers to the significance and pertinence of the research question to the field of study. A good research question must be relevant to ensure that the research contributes meaningfully to the existing body of knowledge. The script emphasizes that the research question should be an issue covered by the research and should not be too narrow or too broad.

💡Manageability

Manageability pertains to the feasibility and scope of the research question. It should be within the researcher's capacity to investigate without being overly ambitious or too limited. The video script mentions keeping the research question within scope, indicating that it should be neither too large nor too small.

💡Specificity

Specificity is the quality of being clearly defined or identified. A research question should be specific to allow for a focused investigation. The script illustrates this by suggesting that a good research question should not be too broad, like 'why is cyberbullying becoming more prevalent,' but rather more specific and measurable.

💡Measurability

Measurability is the extent to which something can be quantified or assessed. A research question should be measurable to allow for empirical investigation. The video script uses the example of identifying social factors leading to the prevalence of cyberbullying, which can be investigated and measured.

💡Clarity

Clarity in the context of a research question means that it should be easily understood by the readers. The script emphasizes the need for a research question to be clear and simple so that those engaging with the research can comprehend what the researcher aims to find out.

💡Interest

Interest refers to the engagement and curiosity that a research question can evoke in its readers. The script suggests that a good research question should be interesting, implying that it should capture the attention of the academic community and potential readers.

💡Substantial Question

A substantial question is one that has depth and significance. The video script mentions that a research question should be substantial, indicating that it should be meaningful and contribute to a broader understanding or solve a significant problem within the field.

💡Legitimacy

Legitimacy in the context of a research question means that it should be a valid and genuine inquiry. The script points out that the research question should be a question, not a statement, and that it should be investigatable, thus ensuring its legitimacy.

💡Investigatability

Investigatability is the ability of a research question to be explored and answered through research. The video script stresses the importance of being able to provide an answer to the research question, thus emphasizing the need for it to be investigatable.

💡Broader Subject

A broader subject refers to a general topic or area of interest that serves as a starting point for formulating a research question. The script suggests identifying the broader subject of interest, such as cyberbullying, and then narrowing it down through further questions to form a specific research question.

💡Purpose Statement

A purpose statement is a declaration of the reason or aim behind conducting a study. It is derived from the research question and provides a clear rationale for the investigation. The script outlines the process of forming a purpose statement from the research question, such as 'the purpose of this study is to investigate the causes of why chickens cross roads.'

💡Sample Research Question Language

Sample research question language refers to the type of phrasing or wording that can be used to construct a research question. The script provides examples of such language, including question forms like 'what,' 'how,' 'why,' and 'does,' which help in formulating questions that address the 'so what?' factor.

💡'So What?' Factor

The 'so what?' factor is a rhetorical question used to emphasize the importance or significance of the research question. It asks why the research is important and what difference it will make. The script mentions this factor as a way to ensure that the research question has relevance and impact within the academic area.

Highlights

The research question is fundamental and considered the most important component of research.

Everything in research is focused on answering the research question.

Consider what you want to know and what you aim to find out when formulating your research question.

Ask if the data you have or plan to collect can provide answers to your research question.

A good research question should summarize the significant issue the research intends to investigate.

A research question needs to be relevant, manageable, specific, measurable, clear, simple, and interesting.

The research question should be a substantial question, not a statement.

Identify the broader subject of interest when formulating a research question.

Research the general topic to find existing literature and data.

Narrow the topic by asking how and why questions to make the research question more specific and measurable.

Make the research question open-ended to avoid simple yes/no answers or single numbers.

Consider the construct of the research question and extend beyond just relying on data.

Ensure the research question has broad enough application to be relevant within your field.

Ask 'so what?' to determine the importance and significance of the research question.

Use question forms like 'what', 'how', 'why', 'does' when formulating the research question.

Address the 'so what?' factor by explaining why the research is important.

Develop a purpose statement from the research question to explain why the investigation is being conducted.

Revise the research question based on the purpose statement if necessary.

Examples of refining a research question from too broad to more specific and measurable.

Resources are provided for further information on developing a research question.

Transcripts

STEVE CAMPITELLI: Welcome to this video

on developing a research question presented

by Academic Skills at the University of Melbourne.

The research question is fundamental,

and a lot of people consider it to be the most important

component of research.

Why?

Why do you think that is?

Everything is focused on answering the research

question.

When you're thinking about your research project,

your research question, consider a few questions

that you can answer for yourself.

The primary one is, what do I want to know.

What am I aiming to find out.

Are there any interesting points that come out of the data

that you might have or that you're going to get.

Do you understand that data.

Can it provide answers to what you want to know.

Will you be able to question the data, pull things out.

Fundamentally ask yourself, can I answer the question.

The research question needs to summarise the significant issue

that the research intends to investigate.

So what are the features of a good research question.

Primarily, it needs to be relevant.

It has to be an issue covered by the research.

It's manageable.

Keep it within scope.

Don't go too large, but you can't be too small either.

We'll talk more about this.

Is it specific.

Is it measurable.

Can you investigate it.

It has to be clear and simple in the sense

that the readers, who are engaging with the research

question and the research itself,

need to understand what you're hoping to find out.

Is it interesting again in the sense

that any readers who are engaging with this

will be interested in that research.

It's a substantial question.

Is it legitimate.

Is it a question, not a statement.

And, perhaps fundamentally, can you actually provide an answer

to that research question.

So, again, is it investigatable.

So how do I formulate one?

Well, identify the broader subject of interest

that is arising out of the data, if you have the data.

If it's before the data, stick with the broader subject

of interest again.

So, for example, it might be something like cyberbullying.

Research that general topic to find out what literature

and what data exists already.

Then what you want to do is to start

narrowing the topic by asking how and why questions

around this topic.

So, for example, why is cyberbullying

becoming more prevalent.

Now, what do you notice about that question?

I'm hoping you're thinking it's still pretty wide.

So what we want to do is to get into something more specific,

something more measurable, something like that.

What are the social factors leading

to the increasing prevalence of cyberbullying

in young Australians.

It's quite specific.

It's measurable.

We're looking at factors that we can investigate.

So a tip, make it open-ended enough

so it can't just be answered by a simple yes or no

or a simple number.

Some elements to consider, the construct.

What's the idea that you're investigating.

Get beyond the data.

Don't just rely on the data.

It needs to extend it.

Application, is the question broad enough to show relevance

within your field.

So that's not too narrow, not too specific just

to be of interest or relevance to you

and a couple of other people, but to the broader

academic area.

And it speaks to the 'so what?' factor.

When you're looking at this, you might ask yourself 'so what?'.

And what you're asking there is, why is this important.

Why do I need to investigate this.

Try to have an answer for that.

So what's some of the sample research question

language that you might use.

It's grounded in the question forms

you're going to form the question around.

The words like what, how, why, does.

And here are some sample questions

on the screen in front of you.

Addressing the 'so what?' factor,

at some point you'll be asking yourself or using the language

which says this shows that.

Why is it important?

This is important because, this is significant because, this

points to, this suggests that.

And that type of language helps you get to the 'so what?'

factor behind this.

The why is this important.

Interpretive 'so what?' language should always appear somewhere

in academic discourse, whether it's at the point where

you're questioning yourself why it's important or when

you're doing the writing, explaining the rationale

for why you're doing that research or what it means.

So a process, determine the broad topic,

we've talked about that.

Draft a research question.

Then, a crucial point, out of the research question

form a purpose statement which says

why we're investigating this.

It will be something like the purpose of this study

is to investigate, determine, establish, and so on.

It's a purpose statement.

And then out of the purpose statement

you might need to revise your research question.

OK.

Let's make one.

I hope you're familiar with the classic English language

joke of why did the chicken cross the road,

because that's what we're looking at.

So a broad topic, chickens crossing roads.

Why?

Why do chickens cross roads?

Purpose statement, the purpose of this study

is to determine the causes of why chickens cross roads.

Research question, version one, why

did the chicken cross the road?

What do you think of this question?

Too broad?

Correct, too broad.

Not specific enough.

It relies on qualitative data, which

may not be attainable because chickens don't interview well,

as we know.

Version two, how many chickens crossed Grattan Street

in the period January to July?

Is this better?

It is, but it's gone the other way.

It's too specific.

It's closed information.

We can answer this with a statistic, a number,

very quickly.

Let's try again.

What are some of the environmental factors that

occurred in Parkville between January and July

that would cause chickens to cross Grattan Street?

We're looking at factors.

We're looking at causal factors that occurred in the area

in a specific time period.

We're starting to get specific, but we're also

looking at the why.

Why are chickens doing this.

But we can measure it.

We can investigate it.

It gets to the why and investigates

the purpose statement of determining

why chickens cross roads.

OK.

I hope you get the idea about the process, the language,

the need to be specific, the need to be relevant.

Here are some resources.

You can click on those URLs and go

to a series of similar type of information

which will give you a little bit more idea around developing

a research question.

Good luck with developing your research question.