This document discusses developing research questions for a study. It provides examples of different types of research questions, such as descriptive, explanatory, and evaluative questions. The document also discusses how the research questions imply what type of data needs to be collected and how it will be analyzed. Developing good research questions is important as it guides the entire research process from data collection to analysis.

1. Sugeng Hariyanto (Dr.)
sugeng@transbahasa.com
sg_hariyanto@yahoo.co.id

2.  Research problems should be in interrogative forms.
 Start will questions words
 Topic is in “phrase form”.

3. Where the questions from?
 From literature review (previous research)
 Pre-existing topics (current situation/experience)
 Your own finding (from the data collected for other
research).
Topic:
• Teachers’ belief
• Grammar awareness
• Teacher talk/student talk

4. Types of research questions
 Descriptive, explanatory, evaluative
 Desc.: How, when, where, what, is/are, do/does dan to
what extent
 Explanatory: why
 Evaluative: What is the best …, should English students
….
 Primary/secondary
 Main/contributory

5. Types of research questions
 Descriptive, explanatory, evaluative
 Primary/secondary
 Primary: more important
 Secondary: less important, additional information
 Main/contributory
 Main: Most important
 Contributory: earlier question whose answer will lead to
the main question

6. Types of research questions
 Overarching/subordinate
 Overarching: General main question
 Subordinate: Operationalized sub-questions of the
overarching question
 Empirical/methodological/theoretical
 Empirical: producing empirical findings
 Methodological: observing or suitability of a research
method
 Theoretical
 Observing theoretical concept and its application in the
field

7. Example 1
 Do English teachers use more or different language to
speak to boys and girls?
 How many words of a solicit are directed to boys/girls?
 How many are solicits are academics directed to boys
and girls?
 How many are solicits are non-academics directed to
boys and girls?
 Does the teacher provide different types of feedback for
boys and girls when they response correctly?
 Does the teacher provide different types of feedback for
boys and girls when they response incorrectly?

8. Example 2
 To what extent does TV1 side with Golkar Party and its
officials?
 What words are used to report Golkar’s great events?
 What words are used to report great events of other
political parties?
 What words are used to report incident that may
jeopardize the image of other political parties?

9. Implication of your research
question for data, data collection
and analysis
 Example 1:
 Data: transcript of the classroom talk
 Data collection: observation (recording)
 Data analysis: Identify certain words or phrase, or
clauses and explain them

10. Implication of your research
question for data, data collection
and analysis
 Example 2:
 Data: recorded stories/news from TV1
 Data collection: observation (recording)
 Data analysis: Identify certain words or phrase, or
clauses and explain them

11. Research questions and
methodological consequences
No Research questions Data needed Data Data Analysis
collection
Exercise:
1. Work in pair and fill in the table above.

12. Bibliography
 Litosseliti, Lia. et al. 2010. Research Methods in
Lainguistics. New York. Continuum International
Publishing Group