V. Devising Clear Research Questions – Activity Sheet

Instructions: 

For option 1 – fill out this sheet with your own Masters research goals in mind.

For option 2 – fill out this sheet pretending that you will do a research project on the case outlined in the reading.

1. What is your topic? Describe your topic in three sentences or less. [Note: consider using some of the other techniques in the Murray and Overton reading to brainstorm or sketch out your topic before you get to this stage].
2. Now, describe your topic AGAIN using ‘the Auntie/Uncle statement’ that Scheyvens describes on page 29.
3. What is the context (geographical location, institution, other)?
4. What do you want to achieve? (to explore, to change, to discover, to understand…)
5. Are there relationships you want to explore (impacts, increases, decreases, relationships, correlations, causes)?
6. What is the nature of your question(s) (what, why, when, where, how or who)
7. So what? Why might your question interest others? Answer this question in three sentences or less.
8. Fill in the blanks: I am studying ___________ because ____________ in order to help people understand ________.  (If the sentence is too complex, break it down into more than one question)
9. Write out your research question in the clearest way possible. If you have more than one question or a main question (aim) with sub-questions (objectives) then write all of them. We will use your answer(s) for this part of the activity sheet in our class discussion.