Research questions - United States of America

Science Practices: Developing Research Questions

This page provides webinars and resources related to developing interesting and doable research questions. 

Having students develop a GLOBE project can be daunting, especially for those new to field investigations or carrying out research independently for the first time. Developing a narrow, interesting and doable (with the equipment on hand and in the time allotted) research question is the first step. Often, students attempt to solve the world’s problems with a complex question that cannot be answered within the time constraints of a typical school day.  

Webinars: 

How to develop a good research question with Jillian Anderson from Lexington School for the Deaf. This webinar was held as part of the GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium in 2020.

This 'Asking Research Questions' webinar with Mike Jabot was held November 14th, 2017.  

Watch Mike Jabot's Nov 2017 webinar on youtube. 

Webinar FAQ:

Q: Some students cannot come up with any questions. Are there strategies for engaging students in question formulation process? 

Dr. Mike Jabot: Use the Q-focus in the Question Formulation Technique. This uses phenomenon to stimulate question generation. For ideas, check out NGSS phenomena.  

Q: How do we help students figure out what an appropriate experiment would be based on time, funding, level, and equipment constraints? 

Dr. Mike Jabot: Don't constrain their questions at first. Work with students to make this realization themselves. Once they have identified things that are out of their realm, they can work towards narrowing their questions.  

Other webinar resources are listed at the end of the page. 

In this webinar from Spring of 2017, Mike Jabot from the State University of New York at Fredonia reviews the Question Formulation Technique from the Right Question Institute.  

Watch Mike Jabot's Feb 2017 webinar on youtube.

In this webinar from 2016, Kevin Czajkowski will help participants develop grade-appropriate research questions and discuss ways to incorporate narrower but more frequent field investigations throughout the school year.

Watch Kevin Czajkowski's webinar on youtube.

Resources and links:

• Mike Jabot's November 2017 webinar slides (PDF)

• Mike Jabot's February 2017 webinar slides (PDF)

• Kevin Czajkowski's webinar slides (PDF)

• The Right Question Institute

• NGSS Phenomena

• 11-12 September 2012 SCRC Webinar: Scientist Skills: How to develop a research question 

• What Makes a Good Research Question? http://www.globe.gov/documents/10157/2591244/GLOBE_Research_Questions_Worksheet.pdf

• Guide to Asking Questions

• Steps in the Scientific Process

• BLOG POSTS

  • Developing Good Research Questions- blog post by Bill Meyers, a GLOBE teacher from Alexander Dawson School in Lafayette, Colorado. 

  • Writing Meaningful Research Question blog post by GLOBE Science Working Group member Claudia Cecilia Caro Vera.

  • How To Come Up With a Good Research Question: Clouds Edition, blog post by Marile Colon Robles, NASA Langley.