Developing a Research Question

 You need to first choose a topic. Make sure that the topic you choose is one in which you are interested – one that about which you don’t already know a great deal.  Use the topic list provided, and when you have chosen a topic, make sure that the topic is still available, and if it is, sign up on the class topic list.

 You will be writing two types of research questions today.  Primary Research Question – this is the question that you will be answering in your whole paper.  Support Questions – These are the questions that you will develop in order to help you answer the Primary Research Question.

 Work with a partner to brainstorm possible primary research questions. Your question should: be one to which you don’t already know the answer be one that is not easy to answer. You should not be able to Google it and get the answer on a single site. be one that is a potentially long answer.

 Homelessness  Short answer: How is the government helping the homeless? (It gives you a list)  Medium answer: How do people become homeless? (limited answers)  Long answer: What motivates some homeless to refuse help or assistance when it is offered? (thought provoking, not easily answered)

 Once you have identified your primary research question, you need to generate a list of supporting questions that will help you find the information that will help you answer it, since the answer is not going to be easy to find.  I would like you to create a list of at least ten support questions. You may not use all ten – but you should always have more than you need, right?

 Primary Research Question: What motivates some homeless to refuse help or assistance when it is offered?  Support Questions: What help is offered to the homeless? What evidence is there of the homeless accepting help? What does this evidence indicate about the people accepting this help? What evidence is there of the homeless refusing help? What does this evidence indicate about the people refusing this help?

 Finalize your primary research question  Generate at least 10 support questions that will help you answer your primary research question