[Photo by Brandi Redd on Unsplash]
If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there…
~ Old Talmud saying
When reflecting on what makes a good research question, I would like to draw from my experience (of both what good research question is and is not) as well as from the literature on research design.
Good research question:
- invites “deeper thinking” by using open-ended questions, thus fostering contribution to the larger field of knowledge (Booth, Colomb, & Williams, 2008, p. 44);
- can evolve over time, as a researcher expands his or her knowledge of the subject area (Race, 2010), and as he or she is able to do “problematization” and “gap-spotting” better (Alvesson & Sandberg, 2013).
- has a precise focus and identifies the problem that a research project will address within its limits (length, time, the expertise of the supervisor, etc.).
- brings some sort of innovative component to the research field and contributes to the meaningful conversations within that field.
As Blaikie (2004) points out, formulating a good research question is the “most difficult part of any research design”. Understanding how to construct a good research question will ensure the success of the whole research project from the beginning.
References:
Alvesson, M. & Sandberg, J. (2013). Constructing research questions: Doing interesting research. London: SAGE. doi: 10.4135/9781446270035
Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (2008). The Craft of Research (3rd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.