1. ASKING THE RIGHT RESEARCH QUESTION… Jen Janecek-Hartman, PhD. UTTC TCUP PI

2. Framing the Research Question  Considerations for framing the research question must include:  Capacity of institution  Interest/passion for the research question  Betterment of TCU and communit(y)ies served  Deciding what to study  Support for the project  Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts  Research Methodology

3. Capacity of the Institution  Resources-$$  Personnel-who can carry out research  Technology  Faculty loads  Others?

4. Passion/Interest for Research Question  Champion for the research project  Supporters for the research project  Community interest  Community support  Relevant to others outside your community/TCU  Others?

5. Betterment of TCU Communit(y)ies Served  Will research support mission of institution?  Will research impact TCU, CC, or mainstream educational practices?  Will research improve community way of life?  Will research affect other levels of education?  Others?

6. Deciding what to study (Old or New Ideas)  What area do you want to study—faculty, student demographics, service area and how these impact student learning?  Study something you’re already doing to test its impact  Study something new to learn its impact  Study cultural education and its applications to student learning  Focus on faculty teaching applications and their impact on learning outcomes

7. Support for the project  Administration  Community  Faculty  Students  Elders  Financial  Others?

8. Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts  Does the project further educational research?  Is the information gained applicable to other TCUs and IHEs?  Does research project impact many audiences including Veterans, different age groups, and other demographics?  Does research impact other social areas other than education such as parenting, citizenship, culture in the workplace, etc.

9. Research Methodologies  Choose research methodology  Western Social Science Research Method Quantitative Qualitative Mixed Method  Indigenous research methodology  Blend of Western and Indigenous ND Tribal College Research Model Participatory Action Research-Frieire

10. NSF-Draft Meta Questions 1. How do learner outcomes relate to indigenous learner structures and processes? (identity, retention, ways of knowing, etc.) 2. What is the relationship between indigenous education and community development? 3. What is the significance of faculty approaches to learning outcomes in STEM education? 4. How do the institutional frameworks (structures &processes) influence STEM outcomes? 5. What can be learned by comparing Indigenous education in other cultures to the Tribal College experience in the U.S.? 6. CORE—STEM LEARNING, STEM LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN STEM, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN STEM

11. Reacting to the Meta Questions  Discuss the meta questions at your table  Appoint a note taker  Appoint a reporter  Be ready to report out the top 4 topics that came out of your discussions at the 1pm session. Questions?