Diversity Equity , Inclusion and Social Justice

Generating Your Problem of Practice Research Question(s)
The first step in your dissertation proposal is to identify your Problem of Practice and state it as a research question. The importance of this step cannot be overemphasized. The research question defines every aspect of your study—what will you study, how many people will you study, the literature you will review, the research techniques and methods available to you, the techniques used for data collection, etc. The clearer and more precise your question, the more likely you are to have a successful study. To help you move from a general research theme to a well-defined, clear research question, use the series of questions below. Note that you have been given a small area in which to write each question. This is intentional.

Identify your Problem of Practice research theme, the general area you would like to investigate. Be sure to write in the form of a question (i.e. What kinds of instructional activities result in greater student engagement How successful has the Discovering Math program been in promoting student success?).

Identify your Problem of Practice research question. Based on this theme, can you identify several more specific research questions? Be sure to write in the form of a question (i.e. Which of the three instructional activities (individual projects, group projects, teacher guided discussion) engage students the most? Or How is student engagement measured during instructional activities? Did the Discovering Math program meet the goals and objectives set for it?)

Identify a “too-specific” research question. Next, write your question, getting even more specific and reducing your question to an even smaller unit. Write each of your question(s) on a smaller scale, in terms as precise as possible. Be sure to write in the form of a question (i.e. How do students describe engagement when involved in specific instructional activities (individual projects, group projects, teacher guided discussion)?

Identify the question(s) that make most sense to you and have your colleagues review the question(s). Review your three questions and write the question that is at the level that makes the most sense to you.

Identify key words. Once you have identified your research question, you will need to review the literature related to the question you wish to investigate. Begin by identifying the key words that will help you locate the literature that may be relevant to your particular study. Consider both broad and narrow key words (i.e. student engagement activities, strategies that engage students).
Broad Key Words Specific Key Words

Consider resources. Conduct a Google Scholar search using the key words identified in the previous step and identify specific journal articles, dissertations, and books that you can consider plan on researching during your literature review.
Empirical Studies (dissertations, theses, research journals) General Publications- Craft Knowledge (general articles about the topic)

From your Google Scholar search, identify at least 5 resources with at least two from each category or source (empirical and craft). Based on the items you have identified, review five publications related to your proposal. As you review the articles, pay attention to details such as who was studied, how they were studied, and what measures were used. See if there are themes related to this work. Fill out the table as you identify how the resources relate to your study.
Title/Author Description of the Study How it Relates to Your Study
Title/Author Description of the Study How it Relates to Your Study

Interpret your knowledge for action or literature review findings. Are the methods used in prior work the same as or different from what you propose for yours? Will your work build on work that already exists?
How will your research be the same as previous work? How will your research be different from previous work?

Revise your question. In the space provided identify your revised research question, which may have changed as a result of the literature review.