Educational Research: Steps in Developing a Suitable Research Question

This essay provides a detailed examination of the process involved in developing a suitable research question within the context of educational research. The paper begins by emphasizing the importance of the research question as the foundation of any educational study, highlighting how it influences all subsequent research steps. The essay outlines the key stages involved, including identifying a relevant research topic, deciding on a specific problem to address, and formulating a clear research question. It discusses the complexities of this process, stressing the need for researchers to consider various factors such as the audience, existing literature, and potential ethical considerations. The paper also highlights the importance of refining the research question, evaluating its clarity, focus, and complexity. Furthermore, it emphasizes the collaborative nature of this process, advocating for input from multiple researchers and adherence to ethical guidelines. The essay concludes by reiterating the crucial role a well-developed research question plays in determining the success of an educational research project.

Running head: INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
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Introduction to Educational Research
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The processes for arriving at a suitable research question
The process of arriving at a suitable research question involves the identification of the
research topic, deciding which problem will be addressed in the research and finally formulation
of the relevant research question based on the topic selected. The process of arriving at a suitable
research question involves complex steps in the whole research process (Nobre, 2017). This is
because the researchers need to under all steps. In this case, arriving at an appropriate research
question becomes a complex process. According to Bryman (2017), the process of getting a
suitable research question cannot be taken lightly because all the further discussion and steps of
the research depend on this question selected. The same question selected determines the
problem of the research to be addressed and therefore, it should be selected properly. The
suitable question selected will call for correct and good responses for the educational research.
The researchers will choose an interesting topic that will help in generating a suitable
research question. The research question is considered as the outcomes of the research topic
because what is answered in the educational research depends on the topic selected. In
connection with this, professional educational researchers will focus on the topic they are
studying to develop a relevant and suitable research topic. They will choose a broader topic that
will give a wide range of generating a suitable research question. Besides, there is a need to do
some more research concerning the general topic selected for the research in order to determine
the qualities of the research question to be considered. This can be done by reading and
researching what has already been done in magazines, journals and other researches similar to
the topic. In this case, the question used by other researchers should be studied and analyzed to
check if it can be twisted to be used in the current research. The relevancy of the research
question in educational research used by other scholars in similar research should be evaluated

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and discussed for validity determination. Some of the things to consider in this are the
determination of what other scholars suggested regarding the research question used in their
research. How did the research question used contributed to the success of the other parts of the
research? What conclusions did the other educational researchers conclude after selecting the
research question?
Moreover, suitable research question selection can be achieved through consideration of
the audience in the educational research. Most of the researches are done for the academic
purpose and therefore it is important to keep the audience in mind when selecting the suitable
research question. One should consider if the research audience will be interested in the research
question selected or not. In addition, the researchers should evaluate some of the reactions they
are expecting from the audience after selecting a certain type of research question (Busse, 2012).
The audience will have different political and social ethics and therefore different reactions are
expected from the audience. It depends on the personal understanding of the audience regarding
the research question used. The question should be standardized by understanding the likes and
dislikes of the audience to be addressed in the research.
Besides, choosing a suitable research question for educational research involves asking
yourself some questions. Some of the questions that researchers should ask themselves are; why
are we choosing the question? How relevant is the question in relation to the research topic? Will
this question address all areas of concern of the research? These questions will help the research
identify if the research question selected is suitable in addressing all parts of the research. In
addition, the questions will help the researchers find out which area is better covered by the
research question. In addition, the research question can be adjusted based on research
objectives. By asking themselves some questions regarding the research question, the researchers

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can modify the question where necessary. The other thing done in the process of arriving at a
suitable research question is evaluating the type of question to be used. The question is written
down on the paper for evaluation. Shea (2013) suggests that the researchers evaluate the question
together to determine if it covers all areas of concern. All suggestions regarding the type of
question selected are taken into consideration.
In addition, there is a need for more revision of the question done through evaluation of
the question (Ploeg, 2019). Some of the things considered in the evaluation of the research
question include; determination of whether the research question is clear. The research question
should be always clear for a better understanding of whoever is carrying out the research.
Moreover, the research question should be focused on the topic of discussion. In this case, the
researchers should make sure that the research question selected covers all areas of concern in
the research. Besides, the evaluation of the research question complexity is done. The researchers
should make sure that their research question does not need just a simple answer like “yes” or
“no”. The researchers developing the research question should make sure that for the answers to
be achieved thorough research will have to be done.
The research question development should always begin by identifying the subject matter
of the research and what is investigated in the research. Before the researchers arrive at the final
research question, the problem of the research should be well structured. It is through
understanding of the research problem that the relevancy of the research question will be
determined. The problem of research should be developed to in sets to determine the most
effective ones. The problems need to be modified in subsidiary research questions and the most
effective one selected. Alternatively, it is important to raise the required questions in the research
that will help the researchers focus on their thoughts. The attempt of raising the questions will

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help the researchers to focus on the objective of the research when developing a research
question.
The development of the research problem is done by redefining the research question for
the necessary modifications and adjustments. In the process of developing the research question,
the refinement goes on until the researchers now feel that the question is now suitable for their
research to start. Everyone in the research should be satisfied with the research question
developed. This will enable everyone to contribute fully to the research because he or she knows
well what is researched and the problem to be solved through the research question developed
(Van Stade & Buchbinder, 2015).
As stated earlier, the process of developing the research question is very complex and
requires a deep research and analysis. If the unclear or irrelevant research question is developed,
the outcome of the research will not be satisfying. The wrong research question can lead research
into irrelevant conclusions. The creativity is required in the development of the research question
because it should cover all area of concern in the research. In this case, all the available
researchers should combine their ideas and contributions to the research question. The
modification of the ideas contributed by the researchers should be done until the most suitable
research question is arrived. There should be an agreement amongst the researchers developing
the question. Some ethics are applied in this process because it is one of the important and
sensitive steps of education research. All the points regarding the research question provided by
the individual researchers should be considered important. Everyone’s ideas should be respected
and there should be no researchers who think their points are better than those of others.
Actually, this is all about for mutual contribution. In every research, respect is the key factor to
be considered and this should not be exceptional. All the developed research questions should be

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written down on the paper to make sure that they are all analyzed and evaluated for a suitable
one to be selected.
Conclusion
In this essay, various steps in the process of arriving at a suitable research questions have
been discussed. All the steps are considered so important for the development of the better
research question. Successful research is the one that is supported by a very strong, complex and
compressive research question. It is through the research question that the aim of the research is
well defined and understood by the audience of the research. Once the appropriate research
question is developed, the audience of the research will have no hard time in understanding the
aim of the research. Actually, they will be in a better position to understand what the research
requires. In addition, the researchers will have a smooth process of carrying out their research.
They will be able to understand which step to take throughout their research. Moreover, the
outcomes of the research are expected to be successful because, through a good research
question, the aim of the research will be well structured. The researchers will come up with
comprehensive research and successful ones once they arrive at a very suitable research question.

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References
Bryman, A. (2017). The research question in social research: what is its role?. International
Journal of Social Research Methodology, 10(1), 5-20.
Busse, J. W. (2012). What is your research question? An introduction to the PICOT format for
clinicians. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 56(3), 167.
Nobre, M. R. C. (2017). The PICO strategy for the research question construction and evidence
search. Journal of Revista latino-americana de enfermagem, 15(3), 508-511.
Ploeg, J. (2019). Identifying the best research design to fit the question. Part 2: qualitative
designs. Journal of Evidence-Based Nursing, 2(2), 36-37.
Shea, J. A. (2013). Problem statement, conceptual framework, and research question. Journal of
Academic educational research, 76(9), 923-924.
Van Stade, D., & Buchbinder, M. (2015). Community-based participatory research (CBPR) in
South Africa: engaging multiple constituents to shape the research question. Social
science & medicine, 61(12), 2577-2587.