Developing the Research Question:
From Interest to Science
Samuel R. Mathews, PhD.
The University of West Florida
Pensacola, Florida, USA
and
Visiting Professor
Tallinn Pedagogical University
Tallinn, Estonia
Our Goal
• To emerge with one or more research
questions or problem statements
supported by a brief rationale grounded in
critical reviews of relevant empirical
literature and sound logic.
Requirements
– Attend seminar meetings (If you must miss a
meeting, email smathews@uwf.edu;
– Participate in discussions;
– Read assigned readings;
– Read and analyse empirical articles relevant
to the topic of research;
– Compose a brief integrated rationale for the
question based on the articles reviewed and
relevant theoretical literature;
– Participate in peer reviews of drafts;
Sources of the “Idea”
– Personal experiences
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Family
Personal educational history
Friends
Local, regional, national events
– Professional experiences
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As a teacher
As a school leader
With colleagues, school leaders, others
As part of a community
Sources of the “Idea”
• Professional reading
– Professional journals
– Texts for classes
– Ministry reports
• Institutional interest
– School policy statements, mission, vision
– Ministry priorities, official positions
– Parliamentary legislation
Sources of the “Idea”
• Regardless of the source, the topic is best
served when you have an interest in it and
it reflects something of your values,
passions, or professional goals;
• When the source of the idea is based on a
very close personal theme, a personal
bias could cloud the ability to approach the
topic scientifically
Ways of “knowing”—Systems of
Inquiry
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Intuition—it just seems so; all my feelings
point to the answer;
Faith/belief—based on my values and my
firm commitment to a set of principles it is
so;
Authority—this or that person is a
powerful person and so, the views must
be correct;
Ways of “knowing”—Systems of
Inquiry
• Common sense—
– all my personal experiences lead me to a
conclusion; my experiences are varied and
extensive, my conclusions must be correct;
• Rational method—
– based on logic emerging from “self-evident”
truths; proof for “self-evident” truths is not
required
• These “ways of knowing” are all valuable
to our everyday lives but, our profession
demands more;
Ways of “knowing”—Systems of
Inquiry
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Science—systematic inquiry into natural
phenomenon;
Goals of a Scientific Inquiry
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Describing
Predicting
Understanding/Explaining
Applying
Describing
• Definition—list and elaborate the key
attributes of the phenomenon under study;
What are the main attributes of the
phenomenon we are studying?
• Differentiation--set some phenomenon
apart from others; How is the phenomenon
we are studying different from other
related ones?
Describing
• Recording, measuring, or counting
examples of the phenomenon; How do I
know when the phenomenon occurred?
• Relationships between the phenomenon of
interest and other, related phenomena;
How is the phenomenon I am studying
related to other phenomena?
Predicting
• Forecasting—estimating with some degree
of certainty outcomes at a future time on
some measure of performance at an earlier
time;
• Hypothesizing—given a set of conditions
based on a theory, some specific change in
a particpant's behavior might be predicted;
Understanding or Explaining
• Most difficult of the goals of science to
achieve;
• The aim is to establish that changes in one
factor or set of factors causes change in
participant's performance on some task;
• This is a major part of building or testing a
theory;
Understanding or Explaining
• Criteria for Establishing Causal
Relationships:
– When there is a change in one factor, there is a
change in the second factor (covariation)
– The change in the factor associated with the
cause always precedes a change in the factor
associated with the effect (precedence)
– The factor (or factors) claimed to be the cause
must be the most likely and alternative
explanations must be eliminated;
Applying Results of Scientific Inquiry
• Scientific inquiry provides a strong and powerful
base from which to develop new approaches and
evaluate existing practices;
• Questions that arise from individuals in the field of
psychology frequently address:
– Impact of new approaches to prevention or
intervention
– Evaluation of existing practices;
– Theory testing or theory building;
Characteristics of Scientific Inquiry
• Empirical—data are based on observable
evidence
• Public—rationale, procedures and
methods, analyses, results, and
interpretations are subjected to public
evaluation
• Tentative—considers alternative
interpretations and conclusions and reflects
opposing viewpoints;
Characteristics of Scientific Inquiry
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Non-trivial--the importance of the
question with regard to theory, informing
practice, or resolving contradictions in a
field is clearly established;
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Based in existing literature—researcher
links premises underlying research
question or problem statement with
empirical and theoretical literature.
Research Questions and Problem
Statements
• Specify key constructs or concepts to be
addressed
• Specify key relationships among
constructs or concept
• Reflect an empirical approach to the
problem
Research Questions or Problem
Statements
• Reflect a plausible and non-trivial scope of
investigation given the existing knowledge
on the themes
• Reflect a plausible scope of investigation
given resources of the investigator
Specify Key Constructs or
Concepts
• Constructs reflect theoretical entities
(hypothetical construct) that may not be
directly observed (e.g. personality,
cognition, self efficacy, self esteem)
• Constructs within research question are
based on empirical and theoretical
literature
Specify Key Relationships
Among Constructs
• Relationships among constructs are based
on findings within empirical studies and
theoretical positions
• Relationships among constructs are based
on sound and internally consistent logical
arguments
Reflect an Empirical Approach
to the Problem
• Constructs specified within the research
question can be translated into some
observable indicator
• Indicators are derived from existing
empirical literature and include tests,
interview questions, observation
checklists, or other means of gathering
data through the senses.
Reflect a Plausible and Non-trivial
Scope of Investigation
• The scope of the question is sufficient to
be interesting to relevant individuals
• The scope makes sense given previous
studies
• The results and interpretations emerging
from the study provide new and useful
insights into the problem being studied
Reflect a Plausible Scope given
Resources of the Investigator
• Potential participants are available and
accessible to the researcher
• Assessment and measurement strategies
are within the skills and resources of the
researcher
Reflect a Plausible Scope given
Resources of the Investigator
• The data analysis procedures are
consistent with the researcher’s resources
• The time available to the researcher is
sufficient for conducting the study and
writing the report