Good Research Questions
The difficulty of focusing on a good question
Good Research Questions
Your research hinges on a good question.
A good idea and a good interest is not
enough.
‘Without the articulation of a good question
you are travelling blind’ (O’Leary 2010:47)
Good Research Questions
Your research hinges on a good question.
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They Define an investigation - it can
define the topic;
Define the nature of the research endeavour;
define the questions you are interested in;
Define your constructs and variable –and
indicate whether you foresee a relationship
between variables –
Good Research Questions
• Set boundaries – It makes your research
doable and when faced with an interesting
tangent, ask yourself ‘what does this have
to do with my question – nothing, its
relevant, well nothing really but its at the
heart of what I want to know (than rethink
the question.
Good Research Questions
• Provide direction – blueprint for your
project, your engagement with literature,
your data gathering,
• Act as a frame of reference for
assessing your work
Good Research Questions
• A research project should in some way
enlarge our understanding of a subject
or problem. In simple terms, research is
about asking a good question, finding
an answer, and arguing your case.
Good Research Questions
• A research project should in some way
enlarge our understanding of a subject
or problem. In simple terms, research is
about asking a good question, finding an
answer, and arguing your case.
Good Research Questions
One Research question
Finding the question
 If you are struggling you are not alone
 What interests you
 What makes you curious
 What will make a difference in your ministry
 What do you know something about
 Reading for sensitivity
 Something you can critically engage with (more than
description)
Good Research Questions
“Discovery consists in seeing what
everyone else has seen, and thinking
what no one else has thought”
Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Good Research Questions
Focusing the question
• A research question is not the same as a
dissertation title.
A linear process for narrowing the question…
a. What is your topic?
b. What is the context for your research?
c. What do you want to achieve?
d. Are there any potential relationships you want to
explore?
e. Is this too broad
Continued refinement
Good Research Questions
Refining the question
• Synthetic- ties together both theological
and practical discourses
• Analytic - not likely to be self-evident. It
should summon a further line of quite
specific questions
• Provocative - engagement with some
known problem or promises to transgress
current assumptions.
Good Research Questions
A Good Research Hypothesis
• A good research question can also be restated as a hypothesis, i.e. formulating a
tentative answer that can be tested by
further investigation. It is something taken
to be true for the purpose of argument.
Good Research Questions
• Sub Questions: What needs to be
asked in order to answer this question?
• You have your question now ask ‘how
do I answer it?’
• Reading
Good Research Questions
Groups of 4 to come up with
questions to examine or
refine/affirm your research
question.