Formulating research questions from a narrowed topic
I hope by this point you have a narrowed topic, but narrowing, in itself, is not enough. We also need to discover governing questions to guide our research. Brainstorm a series of questions you might ask about your narrowed topic. One of these will hopefully evolve into the research question that your paper will attempt to answer.
Example:
Topic: student authority in writing
Narrowed Topic: undergraduates not invested in what they are writing for their composition classes (defines authority, narrows to first-year students and composition classes)
Research Questions:
- Why are students not more invested in their essays?
- What main problems are caused by students not being invested in their writing?
- What could instructors do to encourage students to be more invested in their writing?
- What could students do to feel more invested in their writing?
Group Brainstorm:
As a group, think of 4 or 5 possible research questions for each member’s narrowed topic.
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