Getting to the right research question

It's that time of year.  We are at the start of a year-long applied research course, and everyone needs to get to the right question.  In other words, we are searching for a feasible-to-answer question that does not "re-create the wheel" but rather builds on existing research.  It is often hard to "sit with the process" at this phase of the game - as the question emerges after the idea-discussion-literature review-discussion process takes place.

I often tell my students that this is an iterative process - and to expect that.  We want to move beyond questions that start and stop at "how many"  -  to questions that also address the why, how, what - broader questions that will yield more information for our social work practice.

You will get to the right question - one you have enough passion for to get you through the year, have faith!

Here are some of the research questions posed by students in recent years: 

--What is the role of self-efficacy impact worker retention in child protection settings?

--How do child protection workers experience case practice with girls who have been sexually exploited?

--How do workers implement an agency's theoretical model on a daily basis?

--Do workers in an office with a father-inclusive practice initiative report more father-inclusive case practices than those in an office without such an initiative?

--How do bereaved mothers make meaning out of their experience of loss?