1. L3:Teach

2. “Research” versus “research”
You must be careful when crafting your research question. Your research question must be aligned with the purpose of Capital “R” Research or your work will not demonstrate achievement within the AP Research course.
To clarify:
Little “r” research is basically just searching for literature to develop an argument or stance around an issue or to report on what is known about a problem or question.
Questions that look more like debates about controversial issues are little “r” research questions and must be avoided.
Questions that can be answered by looking up scholarly works that have already been published are little “r” research questions and must be avoided.
Capital “R” Research is where a student has a well-articulated research method to generate evidence to support a new understanding or new piece of knowledge, which, if someone else “repeated” it, that person could come up with the same understanding and validate the new piece of knowledge.
Questions that are narrow, focused, and unanswerable by the literature in the field are Capital “R” Research questions and are required for this course.

3. Problem Statements Can Lead to Effective Research Questions
There is a problem in or with ________________.
Despite _____________(something that should be happening), _________________ is occurring (provide supporting evidence after this statement).
This problem has negatively impacted_______ (victims of problem) because __________.
A possible cause of this problem is _____________. Perhaps a study which investigates _______ by a __________ (method) could remedy this situation.
Here is a sample problem statement template. You can see the blanks lead the student to focus their topic, give reasons to the significance of the study, suggest variables that might be involved, and suggest a way/purpose for a study to understand the problem better. These are all elements that can lead to an effective research question. In essence, a problem statement helps a student distill down or concentrate their understanding of a problem so that they can develop a research question.

4. Effective Research Question Criteria Emerge from Problem Statement Elements
Focused Topic: A clear element of the problem or topic of inquiry (cyberbullying, male body image, recurring themes of flowers)
Context: population, place, time, genre (middle school males, Emily Dickinson poetry from )
Variables/components: components of focused topic to be identified, counted, measured, etc. (punitive measures taken, text used to describe women as flowers, time spent playing video games)
Purpose: to explore, explain, or create

5. For Example…
Broad issue of online role playing games potentially affecting male body image.
Use the template to distill down what you want to study about this problem in a focused way.

6. Problem Statements Can Lead to Effective Research Questions
There is a problem in or with the effects of online role playing games on high school aged male body images
Despite appropriate physical and health education at the high school level, year old males are developing unhealthy body images and engaging in unhealthy efforts to achieve such images (see Made-up-name, 2015).
This problem has negatively impacted year old males who engage in online role playing games because such games portray the male image in only one way (the high achieving, muscle-building athlete).
A possible cause of this problem is our lack of understanding of how year old males (who regularly play role playing games) internalize the male image presented to them in such games. Perhaps a study which investigates the high school-aged male perceptions and attitudes of the male image presented to them by role playing games by a qualitative method using interviews could remedy this situation.
I used the template for the social sciences BUT there are other templates and other ways to word problem statements (seeing as a problem in one discipline might not be a problem in another discipline)

7. Problem Statement Format for History
There is a problem in or with understanding the end of “empires”
Despite the belief that political empires ceased to exist at the end of the Cold War (something that is general accepted in current scholarship) post-Cold War military interventions (something that refutes accepted thinking) suggest that empires did not end after the Cold War but were transformed as part of a new international system.
This problem has negatively affected our ability to understand globalization because standard definitions of empires are not useful in the study of contemporary history.
A possible cause of the problem is the meaning of “empire” in modern politics. Perhaps a study which investigates how politicians use the term “empire” to achieve political objectives through historical case study research could remedy this problem.

8. Problem Statement Format for the Humanities
There is a problem in or with determining the root cause of the Salem Witch Trials in the late 17th century.
Despite the pervading theory that mass hysteria came out of an overzealous religious faith fueled by superstition and belief in a spiritual realm inhabited by demons and angels (a commonly accepted explanation), the notion that rye mold containing hallucinogenic chemicals might have invoked strange behavior or psychological distress has been offered as an explanation.
This problem has negatively impacted the cultural view of women in colonial America (something influenced by the theory) because they have been labeled as weak, more susceptible to influence, and possessing of a nature that is inherently evil in literature and art.
A possible cause of this problem is that medical and psychological knowledge was rudimentary at the time, and the majority of members of the medical community were male. Perhaps a study which investigates the symptoms of known accepted and known medical and psychological conditions during the same time period by descriptive, historical research (method) could remedy this problem.

9. L3: Practice I

10. Transforming Topics/Problems into Research Questions
What does it take to transform a topic of inquiry or a problem into a well-defined research question capable of yielding a long-term investigation?
Let’s transform the bullying study excerpt into a problem statement and then try to transform the problem statement into a research question

11. Helping Students Find Problem Statement Examples
Look at the cyberbullying research article excerpt.
Can you find the problem statement format embedded within?
Can you see where the author is leading up to a research question and method to collect data to answer the question?

12. Students can see examples of problem statements by looking through existing scholarly, peer- reviewed articles to find problem statements.
Within the problem statement you can see the author’s thought processes in narrowing down the interest in a problem into a focused research question and a method to find answers to the question with a research study.

13. Cyberbullying Problem Statement
There is a problem in or with middle school education.
Despite efforts to educate middle schoolers on appropriate, safe, and effective uses of technology for learning, cyberbullying is occurring which affects about ten million middle school students each year (Beane, 2008).
This problem has negatively impacted 28% of middle school students because many schools decline to discipline off campus behavior.
A possible cause of this problem is how to effectively address the ill effects of cyberbullying are complex or unknown. Perhaps a study which investigates the ill effects of cyberbullying and how they were addressed by a mixed method, case study could remedy this situation.
Now let’s try and transform this problem statement into a research question…how do we do that?

14. From Problem Statement to Research Question
What are the Ill-effects of Cyberbullying and Associated Punitive Measures Implemented by Four Middle Schools in District XYZ: A Case Study
Focus-Cyberbullying
Context-4 middle schools in District XYZ
Variables-Ill-effects of cyberbullying and punitive measures
Purpose-explore
Its important to point out here that just by reading a problem statement-you should be able to infer what the research question should be and the associated (aligned) research method would be. A problem statement is NOT a requirement of the paper or course BUT is an EFFECTIVE tool or strategy that in MOST cases works to help students form a focused research question and associated method.

15. L3:Teach II

16. Writing an Effective Research Question is Paramount
If the question fails, the study fails; and ultimately, the paper fails.

17. Wandering through the Inquiry Journey: Common Student Missteps
Identifying a BROAD research question or problem at the beginning of their academic paper and then changing the nature of their problem halfway through the paper.
Identifying a BROAD research question/problem and then FINALLY focusing the research question during the method component of their academic paper.
Titling their academic paper with a catchy title which confuses the reader when they are trying to figure out how their research question/problem ties to the title.

18. Criteria for Effective Research Questions
What were some of the criteria that you listed in your homework from last night?
After gathering participant criteria-give them additional criteria on next page.

19. Focused Research Question Context (time, place, population)
Variables (measurable, observable)
Purpose
(explore, explain, create)
Value (why significant, who cares)
Feasibility (can the study be done with your resources)
Focused
Effective research questions have the following components: variables, focused topic, purpose, context
Show the connection between the focus, scope, value, and feasibility of problem statements to research questions on the next slide.

20. feasible valuable proper focus
Start with a focused topic-like bullying in schools, choreography in musicals, people who engage in e-vap instruments
Zero-in on the purpose: to explore, explain, or create. If you want to explore, what phenomenon, incident, or variables about that topic do you want to explore and is the exploration valuable, feasible?
If you want to explain, what do you want to explain? The relationship between two variables, the strength of the relationship between two variables, the existence of a variable (this is usually an exploration).
If you want to create, what do you want to create with? Do you know enough about this thing or things to manipulate and design with it?
Next decide on specific variables to explore, explain, or use to create something. If you are explaining, these variables must be written/described in a way that they are measureable.
Finally decide the time, location, and population that these variables and this context applies to-which is of the most value and is feasible to study , Atlanta, Georgia, 12th graders
Context
Variables
Purpose

21. Let’s Practice
We will evaluate a research question according to the six criteria for writing effective research questions.
We will attempt to revise the question and then evaluate it again.

22. feasible feasible valuable focused focused
Context
focused
focused
Variables
Purpose
First Attempt: What is the impact of bottled water on the environment?
Focused topic-bottled water and environment-hrm—environment seems a bit too big here. But we can address that in the variables
Purpose: seems exploratory; but I think there is a lot of information about plastic bottles and impact on the environment to focus the purpose to one of explanatory. Explanatory-explaining the relationship between bottled water and the environment. We need to look at these variables and narrow them down to make this research question effective.
Variables-bottled water and environment-too vague. What about the bottle water, what about the environment?
Context-which environment, which bottled water, where, when?
This student should do more digging/searching through existing studies before fine-tuning the question
Second Attempt: What is the local environmental impact of the PET recycling habits of XYZ high school students?

23. L3: Practice II

24. Revising Research Questions
Your table group will be assigned 1 or 2 from your worksheet to identify the strength of the question using the criteria discussed for effective research questions.
Revise the question if necessary.
Provide rationale for why your revisions make the question more effective than the original version. Be prepared to report your revised question and rationale to the entire class.

25. Key feasible valuable focused
Context
focused
Variables
Purpose
First Attempt: What are the causes of cyberbullying by middle schoolers from ?
Focused topic-middle schoolers cyberbullying
Purpose-to explore (not much is known apparently)
Variables-”causes”-cannot determine the “cause” of anything in society –way too many variables. Might want to narrow this down into “ill-effects”.
Context = middle schoolers but can a student gather data on all middle schoolers from the entire world (no). Which middle schoolers, which grade level, what location? Further more, is that time frame appropriate?-might be-just provide rationale
Initially, scope and feasibility is off…but it is valuable information.
Second Attempt: What were the ill-effects of cyberbullying and the punitive measures taken to address cyberbullying at XYZ Middle School from ?

26. Key feasible valuable focused
Context
focused
Variables
Purpose
To what extent is embedding journalists an ethical and effective way of reporting truth in wartime?
fought by American soldiers?
Focused topic-embedding journalists in wartime to report the truth-truth? Wartime? Seems focused-let’s keep going.
Purpose-explanatory-this affecting that
Variables-embedding journalists-what about them-the gender, the age, the time length? Reporting the truth-seems vague? Can we tighten this up? Ethical-ethical how-to the reporter-to the public- to the media-to those that fight? Effective? Effective how, effective to whom. There are too many variables here. Cut one.
Context? Which war-all wars-where-who is fighting-who embeds journalists
To what extent do embedded American journalists affect accuracy of reporting truth of casualties and successes in 21st century wars fought by American soldiers?

27. L3: Reflect

28. Reflection-Include your response in your workbook.
Looking back at the research question you developed for homework, would you revise it? If so, how?
What purpose (if any) does a problem statement serve in the AP Research course?