Research Question Problems
Which problem does this question have? “How does TikTok affect teenagers?” A) Too narrow B) Too broad C) Leading
A) Too narrow
Which is the strongest research question? A) Why is pollution harmful? B) How does pollution affect people? C) To what extent does air pollution affect the health of children aged 10–15 in Hanoi?
(C) To what extent does air pollution affect the health of children aged 10–15 in Hanoi?
Which type of question asks what, who, where or when? A) Evaluative B) Descriptive C) Predictive D) Comparative
B — Descriptive
What type of research question asks what, who, where or when?
Descriptive
Which information is normally needed when writing a reference for a book? A) Author B) Title C) Publisher D) All of these
D — All of these
Why is question "What colour are the shoes worn by one student during PE today?" isn't a good reserach question? Write at least 2 things
is too narrow
isn't global
Which question is most appropriate for a research project about school lunches? A) Are school lunches good or bad? B) To what extent does the nutritional quality of school lunches affect students aged 12–14? C) Why are school lunches healthy?
(B) To what extent does the nutritional quality of school lunches affect students aged 12–14?
Which type of question compares two or more things? A) Comparative B) Causal C) Exploratory D) Predictive
A — Comparative
What type of question asks if one thing explains or justifies another?
Causal
In a book reference, what does the surname refer to?
The author's second/last name.
Which question is very leading? A) How does fast food affect teenagers' health? B) Why is fast food harmful to teenagers? C) What are the positive and negative effects of fast food? D) To what extent does fast food affect teenagers' health?
B is very leading
Give two reasons why this is a strong research question: “To what extent does daily social media use affect the quality of friendships among teenagers aged 13–16?”
It is specific/focused; it identifies the age group; it identifies the amount of social media use; it identifies the specific effect being investigated.
What type of question is this? “Does lack of sleep cause lower concentration in teenagers?”
Causal
What does a correlational question investigate? A) What something is B) Links between things C) The value of something D) What will happen
B — Links between things
Put these parts of a book reference into the correct order: Title – Publisher – Year – Surname – Initial – Edition.
Surname, Initial, Year, Title, Edition, Publisher
What is the main problem with this question? “Is social media ruining teenagers' lives?” A) Too narrow B) Too broad C) Too vague and leading
C — Too vague and leading
A student wants to investigate exercise and concentration. Which question would be more appropriate? A) Does exercise help? B) To what extent does daily physical activity affect the concentration of high school students? Write reason(s) as well!
B — it is more specific and focused.
What type of question is this? “To what extent are teenagers who exercise regularly happier than teenagers who do not?”
Comparative
Which type of question tests the value or quality of something?
Evaluative
A student has the following information: Smith, J. / 2022 / Oxford University Press / Research Skills for Students / 2nd edition. Which piece of information is the publisher?
Oxford University Press
A student writes: “How does using TikTok for two hours every evening affect the sleep quality of Vietnamese teenagers aged 13–16?” Why is this a stronger research question than “How does social media affect young people?”
It is more focused/specific because it identifies the type of social media, amount of use, age group and specific effect
Improve this question so it becomes more suitable for research: “Does technology make students worse at learning?”Give a new research question and explain two changes you made.
Example: “To what extent does daily use of educational technology affect the academic performance of students?” — it identifies the type/amount of technology use and specific outcome.
Identify the type of each question: A. “What are the main patterns of migration in Vietnam?” B. “What will happen to the population if migration increases?” C. “How does migration affect two different communities?”
A — Descriptive;
B — Predictive;
C — Comparative
A student wants to find out whether there is a relationship between the amount of time teenagers spend exercising and their level of happiness. What type of research question would be most appropriate?
Correlational
Why is it important to use a correct reference when conducting research? Give two reasons.
Example: To show where information came from and to give credit to the original author/source.