Examining your research question
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Examining your research question
In this example we use a pro forma to unpick a
research question.
The example is taken from a lecturer in HE who was
conscious of some groups of students who didn’t
seem to focus as well as others during his
teaching.
The analysis starts by writing a research question,
before unpicking it for assumptions and
assertions, returning eventually to a more finelytuned and useful question.
Starting question:
[Begin with a research question. Don’t worry about it at this stage, just
write something]
• Why are some of my students not engaging with my sessions?
Once you have your initial question you are
ready to begin to interrogate it for
assumptions and assertions.
The idea is to ask yourself honestly ‘what
am I assuming here?’
Take nothing for granted!
Starting question:
[Begin with a research question. Don’t worry about it at this stage, just
write something]
• Why are some of my students not engaging with my sessions?
Implicit issues and assumptions:
[In this section you should explore what assumptions underpin your
research question. These may be hidden and hard to uncover…]
•
•
•
•
•
Implies a definition of ‘engaging’. What is this… for me; for them?
Implies a subset of students. Which ones? Am I sure it’s only these ones? How?
Saying that some are not engaging implies judging them. How am I doing this?
Are there alternatives?
Question implies that it is their problem. Try: ‘What am I doing to prevent some
students engaging in my sessions?’ …. Note ‘my sessions’!!
Why am I worried about this issue? Are they doing worse? Or is it to do with
how I feel?! How am I judging this?
Now, with these assumptions clear, start to
identify other questions that are related to
the initial one, but which take the issue
further.
Starting question:
[Begin with a research question. Don’t worry about it at this stage, just
write something]
• Why are some of my students not engaging with my sessions?
Implicit issues and assumptions:
[In this section you should explore what assumptions underpin your
research question. These may be hidden and hard to uncover…]
•
•
•
•
•
Implies a definition of ‘engaging’. What is this… for me; for them?
Implies a subset of students. Which ones? Am I sure it’s only these ones? How?
Saying that some are not engaging implies judging them. How I am doing this?
Are there alternatives?
Questions implies that it is their problem. Try: ‘What am I doing to prevent some
students engaging in my sessions?’ …. Note ‘my sessions’!!
Why am I worried about this issue? Are they doing worse? Or is it to do with
how I feel?! How am I judging this?
Related questions:
[In this section, try to identify related questions that arise from your
assumptions.]
•
•
•
What do I expect of students in sessions? What do I value? What do they
value? How do I impose my values on them? … and vice versa? What games are
being played here?
How do I teach? What are the strengths and weaknesses of my approach? How
would it feel to be a student in my sessions?
What opportunities for ‘engagement’ am I providing? How might these be
privileging some students over others?
Finally, you are ready to re-write your
original question. Note how, in this
example, it has changed and is now much
clearer – both in focus and in terms of the
assumptions that it had originally implied.
This question should be much better as a
focus for research.
Starting question:
[Begin with a research question. Don’t worry about it at this stage, just write
something]
• Why are some of my students not engaging with my sessions?
Implicit issues and assumptions:
[In this section you should explore what assumptions underpin your research
question. These may be hidden and hard to uncover…]
•
•
•
•
•
Implies a definition of ‘engaging’. What is this… for me; for them?
Implies a subset of students. Which ones? Am I sure it’s only these ones? How?
Saying that some are not engaging implies judging them. How I am doing this? Are
there alternatives?
Questions implies that it is their problem. Try: ‘What am I doing to prevent some
students engaging in my sessions?’ …. Note ‘my sessions’!!
Why am I worried about this issue? Are they doing worse? Or is it to do with how I
feel?! How am I judging this?
Related questions:
[In this section, try to identify related questions that arise from your assumptions.]
•
•
•
What do I expect of students in sessions? What do I value? What do they value? How
do I impose my values on them? … and vice versa? What games are being played here?
How do I teach? What are the strengths and weaknesses of my approach? How would
it feel to be a student in my sessions?
What opportunities for ‘engagement’ am I providing? How might these be privileging
some students over others?
Fine-tuned question:
[In this section you are now ready to re-write the research question in a more
precise and useful way.]
• How are students engaging in my sessions in different ways and what does
this allow them to achieve? What would I like to change?
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