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Research question (Transcends the data used to conduct the research…
Research question
Transcends the data used to conduct the research
question should not include mention of the specific data you are using to investigate your question
Many different kinds of data can be used to answer your research question, so don’t confine your question to the one type of data you plan to study
to be more abstract than those specific data
Has the capacity to surprise the researcher as they research
should not already know the answer to the research question you’re asking
Valuable research surprises your reader with new ideas or new relationships between existing ideas
Your research question needs to hint at surprising possibilities to increase the probability of original results
Clearly identifies the theoretical construct
is the phenomenon, event, or experience you want to learn more about
Should contain some suggestion of recognizability of the theoretical construct
specific enough way so that you’ll know it when you see it when you are coding for it in your data. In other words, it supplies a clear unit of analysis that allows you to tell the difference between that construct and other constructs relatively easily
Draws attention to the significance of the research
Once you have formulated your research question, ask yourself, ‘So what?
• What does the research question suggest will be achieved?
• What will the outcome of the research mean: 1) for the phenomena studied 2) for knowledge in your discipline 3) for contexts and applications beyond?
• What will happen if this research question is not answered?
Encourages a complex answer (e.g. use of how and why in the question)
Examples
• What is the nature of...
• What are the functions of...
• What are the mechanisms by which...
• How do . . . perceive...
• What factors affect...
• What strategies are used...
• How do . . . respond...
• How do . . . affect...
• What are the effects of...
• What is the relationship between...
• How are . . . defined...
• How do . . . differ...
• Under what conditions do...