2. Thing we Know and Want to Know
Brainstorm under the two columns as much as you can about the topic already and ideas about what you could or want to find out about it. You
can use this tool to help with your question generation.
DON’T JUDGE ANYTHING AT THIS STAGE!!
• Think we know
• Want to know
• 40% of the world‟s population lives
• What causes poverty?
•
•
•
•
•
•
on under US$1 a day.
Nottingham is the UK‟s poorest city
10 million children died from poverty
before the age of 5 in 2003
HK experiences a huge wealth gap
Over a billion of the world‟s children
live in poverty
The world has the resources
available to feed twice the world‟s
population
The cost of living continues to
increase across the world
• How can we help those in poverty?
• What could make it easier for
•
•
•
•
people to escape poverty?
What could end poverty? Are there
any solutions?
Why are some counties more
developed than others?
Why are poor people treated
differently from rich people?
If the wealthy gave to the
poor, could we eradicate poverty?
3. 10 of the
Best!
1.
2.
3.
• Is the eradication of poverty as simple as the
•
Copy the best 10
statements/
questions from
the last exercise.
•
Change any
statements to
questions at this
point.
•
Identify any
closed question
by highlighting
them.
•
•
rich giving to the poor?
What is the stigma surrounding people in
poverty and why does it exist?
What effects (e.g. psychological) does living in
poverty have on those who have escaped it?
How efficient is the minimum wage in reducing
poverty?
What is the relationship between the poverty
rate and the unemployment rate?
How does the definition of „poverty‟ change in
different cultures?
4. Closed to Open
For genuine effective enquiry it is better to have a series of open questions. These are questions that cannot be answered
simply but instead, need research and analysis to be addressed. If any of the questions in your list are closed, then now is
the time to try and make them open.
Closed
Open
e.g. “How can climate change be stopped?”
This is a relatively closed question because
the answer is simply to stop putting CO2 into
the atmosphere.
An improved version of this question might
be…”To what extent can the effects of climate
change be off set?”. This question requires
investigation and analysis of the conflicting
information that will be out there.
Closed
Open
Write any closed questions here
Write the open versions of your questions here
Is the eradication of poverty as simple as the
rich giving to the poor?
What effects does living in poverty have on
those who have escaped it?
How will the rich giving to the poor affect
poverty rates and the wealth gap?
What effects does living in poverty have on
those who have escaped it, and how does this
affect other aspects of their life?
5. Review
and
Improve
Question stems are a good
way of helping to improve your
questions. The stems below
are useful in constructing good
research questions. Use these
to modify your questions and
see if you can improve them.
To what extent…?
How far…?
Whose
responsibility is
it…?
Should…?
Do the benefits of…
outweigh the
disadvantages?
What is more
important…?
• What scientifically historical factors
•
•
•
•
contribute to the primitive state of
certain developing countries
today?
To what extent is the minimum
wage an effective way to reduce
poverty?
Compare and contrast the way
poverty is experienced in different
countries
Analyze aspects of various political
ideologies that contribute to an
increase in poverty
Is the eradication of poverty as
simple as the rich giving to the
poor?
6. Review
and
Improve
Question stems are a good
way of helping to improve your
questions. The stems below
are useful in constructing good
research questions. Use these
to modify your questions and
see if you can improve them.
To what extent…?
How far…?
Whose
responsibility is
it…?
Should…?
Do the benefits of…
outweigh the
disadvantages?
What is more
important…?
• To what extent is the minimum
wage an effective way to reduce
poverty?
• Compare and contrast the way
poverty is experienced in different
countries
• What is the stigma surrounding
those in poverty, and why does it
exist?
• To what extent does living in
poverty affect the lives of those
who have escaped it?
7. Your questions here
Your questions here
Words
Your questions here
Actions
Your questions here
Numbers
Nature
Your questions here
Your questions here
Your questions here
Your questions here
8. Evaluate Your Final Question
This tool might help you take a final critical look at your question. How does it score on the scales? A “good” question will
score highly in all areas.
