The Research questions They are a fundamental pillar of the research itself, from the possible questions the concepts and theories that seek to answer them emerge.
In other words, we can state that the research questions are one of the first steps in the investigative process. We take first steps because normally the research question actually involves a conceptualization or theory about the question itself..
The research questions are part of the research methodology and is carried out at the beginning of the same. The question itself supports the research project so it is a fundamental piece in the process.
The importance of having a good research question is quite high, since If there are flaws in the question, the research is most likely doomed.. This is because the research question is the fundamental guide to develop the research and if it points in the wrong direction at first, it is almost impossible to hit the target..
A good research question should be a piece designed as part of a specific process, that is, it must be able to clearly delimit the scope of the investigation and imply its specific purpose.
The main thing to achieve the above is to understand that the question cannot leave room for doubt as to the expected answer, that is, there can be no ambiguity as to the purpose of the research or the results expected from it..
To achieve this, it is important that the researcher be very clear about precisely what do you hope to find, it does not matter if the results show the opposite of what he speculates.
Any serious research question must have the following three components implicit, otherwise it is highly probable that the research itself will not achieve greater results.
Research questions must be relevant, i.e., must be able to impact society and / or the market so that they have the necessary validity, it is important not to get confused in this regard, even the most unlikely things can become relevant in research.
The point is that if an investigation is not relevant, it will be difficult to find funding or people willing to work on it, and in the end, the results will not be of any use..
The question should be asked in a language accessible to as many people as possible or at least to those who have a specialized language, in case the question and research itself so require.
Finally, a good research question has to be achievable, or, in other words, the power to answer that question. should be in the range of what is possible, taking into account the availability of resources available to the researcher.
The above can be a little clearer if we put it in an example.
Let's take as an example that, in our research we want to establish what are the main foods consumed by a particular population.
The first thing to do is try to establish the question. If we put something to say, what are the main foods consumed by women in country X? we would be missing two of the three pillars mentioned before.
On the one hand, the question is not relevant since we only want to know what is consumed in x population, not in the whole country. And second, the question is not feasible because it would practically require a census to know this for sure..
So to avoid ambiguities and give importance to the research question we could, for example, say: What are the main foods consumed by women in region x of x country?
Apparently it is better, but depending on the method we use for the investigation it may cost us a little more or less to know clearly.
If for saying something, you are going to take a sample by means of a survey or something like that, it is perfect, but if, for example, you are going to take supply sources such as stores or markets, you really will not know which are the main foods consumed by women. In the latter case, it would be advisable to change the word women for people and then you would have a good research question.
Research question What are the main foods consumed by people in region X of X country?
As you can see, the question is relevant, both at the market level and at the social and health level. It is quite clear regarding the language in which it is formulated and the implication of the question itself. And furthermore, it is achievable, since it encompasses a specific group of people who can be accessed using various tools in order to establish what the question in question raises..
Remember that the research question must be concise, in clear language and that its claims are achievable within budget and resources. with what is counted.
Develop a good research question is the first step towards the success or failure of a project, try to clearly establish the parameters exposed in this text so that you can formulate useful research questions, with meaning and whose answer is achievable according to the conditions in which the research is developed.
It is also important that you keep in mind that research questions can be interrogative or affirmative, that is, you can actually pose the postulate as a question, or as a statement. In the same way, this will really be known at the time of developing the research and contrasting the postulate with the results..
The above note is so that you do not get confused with the Research questions In those cases that you need to use an affirmative phrase for the postulate, the important thing is that it is contained in the validity parameters mentioned above..
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