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The Anatomy of a Research Question



In December, I asked for your feedback in a quick two-question survey. Thank you for providing it. This was one of the suggested topics :)

The goal of your research project is to answer one or more research questions (typically 1-2 questions, which may have related sub-questions, also termed secondary research questions). So, your question needs to be narrow enough to focus your research project. You can always explore additional questions that come up (using the same data) at a later time using the secondary use of research process with the REB.

Your specific research question will depend somewhat on the type of research you are conducting (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods), but in general, you’ll want it to specify the specific issue you are investigating and ensure it is answerable. A quantitative project might have a research question that begins with How frequently…, How many…, What percentage…, To what extent…, or What are… A qualitative research question might be more flexible and focus on discovering, explaining, or exploring a phenomenon.

A research question should be specific (what are you interested in understanding?), precise (with operationalized variables), complex (beyond a yes/no answer), doable (in the context or timeframe), and relevant (someone will care about your findings). In its most basic form, your research study is looking at “The effect of X on Y (in a certain context/population)”, so making that into a question “What is the effect of X on Y in this context?” is a good place to start!  A good research question will include the independent variable (IV; what you’re investigating or comparing, or X in the above example), dependent variable (DV; what you’re measuring, or Y), and the context and/or population (P) of interest. For example “What are the most important factors (DV) that influence Durham College students’(P) selection of a general education course (IV)?”

There are a number of frameworks that have been proposed for developing a good research question (see Davies, 2011 for a summary), but most of them suggest including information about the population/context, problem being examined, intervention/comparison used in your study, and the expected effect/outcome. When some or all of these key pieces of information are missing, the research question may be too broad and consequently not very meaningful. For example, do not ask “How does the online classroom affect students’ behaviors?” but instead “What effect does an asynchronous online general education course have on students’ scores on the Invented Mental Health and Wellbeing Inventory?”

Being informed about your topic can help you to write a good (precise, relevant) research question, so read the literature to get a grasp on what has already been done and where there are still gaps that you might be able to fill in.

If there is anything I can do to support your research or if you have suggestions for me in my role as Research Coordinator, please reach out on Teams or via email or pop in to my “office hours” on Fridays from 12:30-1:30pm on Whereby. 

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