Session on how to select an appropriate research question.

1. Selecting a Research
Question

2. The Goldie
Locks
Theory

3. Where to begin?
Literature review
What are you doing
already at work?
What are your
interests?
What are public
issues?

4. Who should help?
Professors
Colleagues
Fellow students
Educational journals
Librarians
Parents
Politicians ;)

5. Two methods
Find something you
are passionate
about and live to
research about it
Find something
doable and get it
over with

6. Methods: Pros & Cons
Passion will sustain you
You may still be sick of
it when you are finished
You will do a better job
You will naturally gather
information as you go
You may wander until
you find your passion
You will get started
more quickly
You may struggle to
finish if you get sick of it
You will be less likely to
have solid background
information
You will be less likely to
become a “true expert”

7. Methodologies
Some choose the
methodology and
then find a research
question that fits
that methodology
I do not recommend
this approach. It
requires too large of
a hammer on
occasion

8. The Best Place to Look
Chapter five of
dissertations
Each department at NIU
retains copies of the
dissertations completed
in their area
Many other research
studies will also provide
similar information

9. Start Small
It is generally easier
to widen a study
Few of you will start
small enough
Inherently, you will
narrow
Small bites! Do not
pick a topic which
will take eight years

10. General Idea
The influence of technology on
instruction

11. Research Question
Does technology influence
instruction?

12. Focused Research
Question
Do web based tutorials have a
positive impact on secondary
school honors biology students?

13. The Hypothesis
Based upon sound rationale
Clear and concise statement of
relationship between variables and
used measurable terms
Must be testable (quantitative)

14. Some examples
Redheaded girls will excel in math
Boys are more likely to struggle in first
grade reading than girls
Students with a last name at the front of
the alphabet are more likely to be on
the honor roll
Teachers over 6’ tall are more effective

15. Types of Hypotheses
Inductive –generalization from observations
Deductive – derived from theory and then
tested
Research (working) hypothesis – drives
your research proposal
 Directional (relationship with a positive or
negative impact)
 Non-directional (relationship but not the impact)
 Null - no relationship

16. Smoking
There is a
relationship between
smoking and cancer
 What is it?
There is no
relationship between
smoking and cancer

17. Proposal
1. Introduction and setting of the context of the
proposed research
a. Problem statement
b. Significance of the problem
2. Purpose
a. Purpose of the study
b. Significance of the proposed study
c. Feasibility of the study
d. Research questions
e. Definition of terms

18. The Format
Chapter 1: Introduction and problem
statement
Chapter 2: Review of the literature
Chapter 3: Methodology
Chapter 4: Results
Chapter 5: Conclusions and suggestions for
further research

19. Proposal – cont.
3. Background and Review of the Literature
a. Theoretical basis of study
b. Review of literature
4. Methodology
a. Hypothesis
b. Research method
c. Data Source/population
d. Sampling technique(s)
e. Human subjects compliance
f. Variables
g. Data collection
h. Data analysis techniques
i. Limitations

20. Proposal – cont.
5. Implications
6. References and appendices
Bibliography is the key item here