How can you create research questions that work best with non-experimental research?

1 Step 1: Identify your research problem

The first step in creating research questions is to identify and define your research problem. This is the gap in knowledge or practice that you want to address with your research. You should be able to state your research problem clearly and concisely, and explain why it is important, relevant, and feasible to investigate. You can use existing literature, theory, or data to justify your research problem and show how it contributes to your field of study.

2 Step 2: Choose your research approach

The second step in creating research questions is to choose your research approach. This is the general strategy or framework that guides your research design and methods. There are different types of non-experimental research approaches, such as descriptive, correlational, causal-comparative, or evaluative. Each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses, and suits different purposes and questions. You should choose your research approach based on your research problem, objectives, and assumptions.

3 Step 3: Formulate your main research question

The third step in creating research questions is to formulate your main research question. This should be a clear and specific question that guides your entire research project and summarizes what you want to find out. It's important to avoid asking questions that are too broad, vague, complex, or normative. Depending on your research approach, you can use different types of words or phrases to start your main research question, such as “what” for descriptive research, “how” for descriptive or evaluative research, “why” for causal-comparative research, “to what extent” for correlational research, and “how effective” for evaluative research.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?