Developing Research Questions and Proposals

3 lessons · 52 min

What you will learn

• Turn a topic into a focused question
• Align objectives with questions
• Outline a research proposal

Lessons

• 1. From topic to question
• 2. Writing a proposal
• 3. Hypotheses and variables

From topic to question

A good question is focused, researchable with the time and data you have, and significant to someone. Narrow by population, place, time period or variable.

Check it with FINER: Feasible, Interesting, Novel, Ethical, Relevant. Avoid yes/no questions unless you will test a precise hypothesis.

Example

Topic: remote work. Question: How do hybrid working arrangements affect perceived work–life balance among mid-level government employees in Dubai?

Exercise

Write your question in the blueprint and test it against FINER.