Week 3-2

Research Question Workshop

Prethinking

Before we start, take a few minutes to write about your three possible questions. Which is most interesting and important to you? Which are you most excited about? What concerns do you have about them as topics for this project?

If you don't have any potential Research Questions, take a few minutes to come up with a couple that might be a good fit for this project. What have you been wondering about lately? What decisions are you facing?

  • Break into groups of 3-4.
  • Go through each step in the workshop for each person's questions.
  • Feel free to revise your questions as you go.

A research question should be:

  • a question

    It should end in a question mark. A research question is not a statement.

  • that research can help

    If finding facts can't help us answer our question, it's probably not a great question for this project.

  • you make a decision about

    Our questions shouldn't be simple yes or no questions, or questions just about facts. A research question should require us to evaluate the information we find and make a decision about the answer.

Step 1

  • Is it a question?
  • Can research help?
  • Is there a decision?

Step 2: Danger Zones

Variables and Breadth

Be careful of variables in your questions--words that might mean many different things. These words make it very easy for your topic to become too broad.

One variable is possibly okay in a Research Question, but any more than that, and you're giving yourself too much to do.

Which NFL team is the best?


2,000 words
รท  32 teams
-----------
  ~63 words

Variables and Breadth

Be careful of variables in your questions--words that might mean many different things. These words make it very easy for your topic to become too broad.

One variable is possibly okay in a Research Question, but any more than that, and you're giving yourself too much to do.

48 words!

How does technology affect society? What variables do you see in this question?

How does technology affect society?

This question might be focused to become each of the following:

  • How did the development of agriculture affect the social structures of early humans?
  • Would the expansion of European empires in the 18th and 19th centuries have been possible without the invention of the mechanical clock?
  • How significantly does the increasing popularity of cell phones affect the societies of mountain gorillas?

What variables do you see in the question? How might they be narrowed down?

Subjective Terms and Vagueness

Be careful of words that are subjective--meaning different things to different people. Be especially careful of words related to "good," like "better" and especially "best."

It's hard to answer a Research Question where we can't all agree on terms.

Is organic produce better than conventional produce?

Better how?

  • Conventional produce is "better" because it is easier to produce in large quantities, and therefore feeds more people.
  • Organic produce is "better" because it is exposed to less pesticides.
  • Conventional produce is "better" because it is less likely to be damaged by pests.
  • Organic produce is "better" because it is often locally grown, and therefore has less of an impact on the environment.
  • Conventional produce is "better" because it is much less expensive to consumers.

Are there subjective terms in the question? If so, how might they be revised to be more specific?

Assumptions

Perceived Change in Teen Pregnancy

"Survey Says: April 2013: The Greatest Story Ever Told." The National Campaign.org. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Apr 2013. Web. 12 Nov 2015.

Actual Change in Teen Pregnancy

"Trends in Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing." Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Adolescent Health. 28 Aug 2015. Web. 12 Nov 2015.

What assumptions does the question make, if any? What does the question take for granted (that may or may not be true)?

Research

What is research for?

One simple answer: to find the information we need to answer a question.

Step 3

What information does the writer need in order to answer the question?

What "smaller questions" will the writer need to answer in order to make a decision about their Research Question?

Let's Revise and Share

Take some time to revise one Research Question. When we're done, we'll share these with the class.

What's in your head is more important than what's on the page.

It's okay if you can't 100% articulate what you're asking in a simple, one-sentence form. What matters is that you know what question you're trying to answer. As long as you have a clear sense of what you're trying to find out--even if it takes a whole paragraph to explain it--you're okay.

A Weird Tangent

For those of you who haven't seen it, what do you think about The Super Mario Movie?

A bingo card full of terrible guesses about what would be in the Mario Movie, a horrifying number of which were correct

Prejudice

prejudice, [prej-uh-dis]. n.

2. any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.

Dictionary.com

My prejudices affect how I view the Mario movie.

They don't mean that I won't like it, that I can't be surprised, or that I may not change my mind about some of those things. But they do influence my viewing of the movie.

Only by facing and acknowledging my prejudice can I view the movie fairly.

The Great Library - Phase 1