RESEARCH QUESTIONS

EDU702
 Good Research Question

• Research questions should be feasible

• Can be investigated, not costly, not time
consuming etc
• Research questions should be clear
• Not confusing, direct to the point

EDU 702 Research Questions 2

 Good Research Question

• Research questions should be

significant
• Worth investigating
• Research questions should be ethical
• Do not involve psychological or physical
harm

EDU 702 Research Questions 3

 Research Questions

• Guides your purpose

• Each research question gives clear idea
of your research
• Quantitative or qualitative?
• Experimental? Survey?
• Interview? Questionnaire?
• With research questions, it’s easier to
identify the assumptions underlying the
questions, and the theories behind it. 4
EDU 702 Research Questions
 Writing Research Questions

• Basically
• Reformulate your topic as a research
question
• Ends with ‘?’
• Ask preliminary questions about the title
• Ask as many
• Generate several questions
• Formulate direct questions
• Be precise
EDU 702 Research Questions 5
 How to Derive Research
Questions

• Ask these questions

• What are the characteristics of this thing?
• What happens?
• And what order to things happen?
• When does it happen? To whom?
• When does it NOT happen?
• For whom is it a problem? Why is it a problem for
them?
• How can one tell it is a problem?
• Keep those you can answer 6
EDU 702 Research Questions
 Examples

Disruptive behavior among form

four students?
• What are the disruptive behaviors?
• What happens? When does it happen? To
whom?
• For whom is it a problem? Why is it a
problem for them?
• How can one tell it is a problem?
EDU 702 Research Questions 7
 How to Derive Research
Questions

• Shortlist the questions

• What exactly is the research problem here?
• Why is it important?
• Why does it need to be solved?
• How could I go about solving it?
• What exactly would I have to do to solve it?
• If I did that, what would my data look like?
• What would my findings look like?
• Answer the last three as precise as you
can EDU 702 Research Questions 8
 Ask what you would have to do to
solve the research problem

• What or who will form my sample?

• Why those/that, rather than others?
• How will I select them?
• How will I gain access to them?
• What exactly will I use?
• Why that/those, rather than other
equipment/instrument/methods
EDU 702 Research Questions 9
 Example RQs

• What factors that contribute towards

disruptive behavior among form four
students of SMK Methodists, Klang?
• What are the students attitude towards
authority?
• Is there a relationship between
disruptive behavior and parents’
economic status?
EDU 702 Research Questions 10
 Differences Among Area,
Problem, Purpose and Questions

Research Purpose
Topic/area Research Qs
Problem Statement
• Form 4 • Form four • To study • What are
students students why form the factors
with display student of that
disruptive disruptive SMK contribute
behavior behavior Methodist towards
display the
disruptive disruptive
behavior behavior of
form four
students in
SMK
Methodist?
EDU 702 Research Questions 11
GENERAL SPECIFIC
 Another Example

Research Purpose
Topic/area Research Qs
Problem Statement
• Science • Anxiety in • To study the • What is the
Education science anxiety anxiety level
classes among of students
students who attend
who attend form four
chemistry chemistry
classes classes?
• Is there a
difference in
the anxiety
level among
male and
female form
4 students? 12
GENERAL SPECIFIC
 One More Example

Research Purpose
Topic/area Research Qs
Problem Statement
• Online • Isolation in • To study how • What is the
learning the online students online
learning perceive learning
environment social learners’
presence in perception of
the online social
learning presence in
environment an online
learning
environment?

GENERAL SPECIFIC 13
 Questions into Hypothesis

• Strategy to unpack the question

• Highlight some of its different aspects
• Make it easier to identify an angle from
which the research question can be
answered
• Deriving statement that can be true or
false

EDU 702 Research Questions 14

 Example

TOPICS Question Hypothesis

• Disruptive • Is there a • There is a
behavior in relationship relationship
religious schools between parents’ between parents’
educational level educational level
and disruptive and the religious
behavior of school students’
religious school disruptive
students behavior

EDU 702 Research Questions 15

 More Examples

• RQ
• How does group discussion facilitate
concept formation?
• Do individual motivational characteristics
affect cognitive learning outcomes?
• What can international students tell about
the impact of culture on their experiences
in education courses designed and
delivered by a Malaysian university?
EDU 702 Research Questions 16
 Hypotheses

• Hypotheses
• There is a relationship between individual
and motivational characteristics and
cognitive learning outcomes

EDU 702 Research Questions 17