Research topics, questions, methods, samples

Project
Nguyen Hong Giang
Hoang Quy
Vu Thi Hong Duyen
Pham Thanh Binh
Truong Thuy Anh
ED STUDENTS
RESEARCH

Project objectives
Enhancing research competence and engagement among students
in the English Department
1. enhancing student research competence
2. facilitating student research engagement
3. encouraging student research publication (research forum, student
research conference proceedings)

Gallery Walk
• Divide the students into groups with a list of questions on a specific
topic.
• Allow 15 minutes for groups to discuss and write their answers on the
poster.
• After 15 minutes, have the groups rotate to the next station.
• Each rotation lasts for 2 minutes.
• At each station, students add or give feedback on the previous group's
answers.
• After 7 rotations, each group will receive their original poster back and
have 5 minutes to read the comments/feedback.
• Facilitator goes through each topic, addressing key points.

GALLERY WALK QUESTIONS
Research topics Literature
Review
Research aims Research
questions
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 5
•

QUESTION 1
HOW CAN A RESEARCHER FOCUS A BROAD TOPIC TO MAKE IT
EASIER TO STUDY?
KEY THINGS TO NOTE:
TO FOCUS A BROAD TOPIC, A RESEARCHER CAN:
 IDENTIFY SPECIFIC ASPECTS OR SMALLER PARTS OF THE BROADER TOPIC.
 LOOK AT EXISTING RESEARCH TO FIND AREAS THAT HAVEN’T BEEN EXPLORED MUCH.
 SET CLEAR GOALS AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR THE RESEARCH.
 THINK ABOUT PRACTICAL LIMITS LIKE TIME, RESOURCES, AND AVAILABLE DATA.

TOO BROAD, TWO NARROW, OKIE
• "IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON STUDENTS"
• "THE IMPACT OF USING KAHOOT ON VOCABULARY ACQUISITION FOR 10TH-GRADE STUDENTS IN ONE
SPECIFIC SCHOOL IN A RURAL AREA"
• "THE EFFECT OF BLENDED LEARNING ON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' ENGAGEMENT IN MATHEMATICS
CLASSES IN URBAN SCHOOLS"

QUESTION 2
WHAT ARE SOME GOOD WAYS TO CHOOSE A RESEARCH TOPIC THAT
MATCHES YOUR INTERESTS AND WHAT’S ALREADY BEEN STUDIED?
• KEY THINGS TO NOTE:
 REVIEW RECENT RESEARCH TO FIND CURRENT TRENDS AND WHAT’S MISSING IN THE FIELD.
 REFLECT ON YOUR OWN INTERESTS OR EXPERIENCES RELATED TO THE TOPIC.
 TALK TO YOUR SUPERVISOR FOR ADVICE ON POTENTIAL TOPICS.
 LOOK FOR TOPICS THAT COMBINE WHAT YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT WITH ACADEMIC
RELEVANCE.

QUESTION 3
HOW DOES LOOKING AT EXISTING RESEARCH HELP IN REFINING A RESEARCH TOPIC? CAN YOU
GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF THIS PROCESS?
REVIEWING EXISTING RESEARCH HELPS BY:
 SHOWING WHERE THERE ARE GAPS OR AREAS THAT NEED MORE STUDY.
 PROVIDING BACKGROUND INFORMATION, WHICH HELPS IN NARROWING THE FOCUS.
 HELPING TO REFINE RESEARCH QUESTIONS BASED ON WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN.
 EXAMPLE: IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN “IMPROVING STUDENT MOTIVATION IN ONLINE COURSES,” A LITERATURE
REVIEW MIGHT SHOW A LOT OF RESEARCH ON GENERAL MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES BUT LESS ON SPECIFIC
METHODS FOR ONLINE SETTINGS.
 THIS COULD HELP YOU NARROW YOUR TOPIC TO “EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING STUDENT MOTIVATION IN
ONLINE COURSES” FOCUSING ON A SPECIFIC AREA WITHIN THE BROADER TOPIC.

READING PHOBIA DIFFICULTIES THAT UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH MAJORS OFTEN ENCOUNTER IN READING SKILLS

RESEARCH ON HOW MUCH THE FREQUENCY OF ENGLISH
USE IN DAILY COMMUNICATION AFFECTS THE
IMPROVEMENT OF ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS OF SENIOR
STUDENTS IN THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT AT HANOI
UNIVERSITY (HANU).

QUESTION 4
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RESEARCH TOPIC AND A RESEARCH TITLE, AND WHY IS
IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?
 RESEARCH TOPIC: THE BROAD AREA YOU ARE INTERESTED IN EXPLORING. IT’S THE GENERAL
SUBJECT OF YOUR STUDY.
 RESEARCH TITLE: A SHORT AND SPECIFIC STATEMENT THAT SUMMARIZES THE MAIN FOCUS OF
YOUR RESEARCH. IT SHOULD GIVE A CLEAR IDEA OF WHAT THE RESEARCH IS ABOUT.

IMPORTANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE HELPS BECAUSE THE TOPIC DEFINES THE AREA
OF YOUR RESEARCH, WHILE THE TITLE GIVES A PRECISE OVERVIEW OF WHAT YOUR RESEARCH
WILL COVER.

QUESTION 5
WHAT SHOULD YOU CONSIDER WHEN CREATING A RESEARCH TITLE TO MAKE SURE IT
REPRESENTS YOUR STUDY WELL?
 CLARITY: MAKE SURE THE TITLE IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND.
 RELEVANCE: IT SHOULD ACCURATELY REFLECT THE MAIN FOCUS OF YOUR RESEARCH.
 CONCISENESS: KEEP IT BRIEF, IDEALLY 15 TO 20 WORDS.
 CONTEXT: IF POSSIBLE, INCLUDE SOME INDICATION OF THE RESEARCH CONTEXT OR METHOD.

QUESTION 1
HOW DO UNDERSTANDING EXISTING THEORIES AND THE HISTORY OF RESEARCH IN A SPECIFIC
AREA HELP IN SETTING THE DIRECTION FOR YOUR RESEARCH?
 EXISTING THEORIES: THEY HELP YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND
METHODS FOR YOUR RESEARCH. THEY PROVIDE A BASE FOR DEVELOPING YOUR RESEARCH
QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES.
 HISTORY OF RESEARCH: IT SHOWS HOW THE TOPIC HAS DEVELOPED OVER TIME, HELPING YOU
FIND GAPS OR AREAS THAT NEED MORE INVESTIGATION. THIS HELPS GUIDE THE FOCUS AND
APPROACH OF YOUR RESEARCH.

QUESTION 2
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CONDUCTING A GOOD LITERATURE REVIEW AND HOW DO THESE BENEFITS HELP WITH YOUR
RESEARCH PROJECT?
 IDENTIFYING RESEARCH FRONTIERS: HELPS YOU FIND NEW AREAS TO EXPLORE BEYOND WHAT’S ALREADY KNOWN.
 PUTTING RESEARCH QUESTIONS IN PERSPECTIVE: GIVES CONTEXT FOR FRAMING AND REFINING YOUR RESEARCH QUESTIONS.
 LIMITING AND DEFINING QUESTIONS: HELPS YOU NARROW DOWN AND SPECIFY YOUR RESEARCH FOCUS.
 UNDERSTANDING CONTRADICTORY FINDINGS: HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND DIFFERENCES IN PREVIOUS STUDIES AND HOW TO APPROACH
YOUR STUDY.
 EVALUATING METHODOLOGIES: ASSISTS IN SELECTING OR IMPROVING YOUR RESEARCH METHODS.
 AVOIDING REPLICATION: ENSURES YOUR STUDY DOESN’T DUPLICATE WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE.
 INTERPRETING FINDINGS: HELPS PLACE YOUR NEW RESEARCH IN THE CONTEXT OF EXISTING KNOWLEDGE.

QUESTION 3
HOW CAN A LITERATURE REVIEW HELP IN DEFINING THE CONCEPTS OR ASPECTS OF YOUR
RESEARCH? CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE?
 CLARIFYING CONCEPTS: A LITERATURE REVIEW PROVIDES DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS
FROM PREVIOUS STUDIES, WHICH HELPS YOU REFINE AND SPECIFY YOUR OWN CONCEPTS.
EXAMPLE: IF YOUR RESEARCH IS ABOUT "LEARNER AUTONOMY," A LITERATURE REVIEW MIGHT
SHOW THAT CONCEPTS LIKE SELF-REGULATION AND SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING ARE IMPORTANT.
THIS HELPS YOU DECIDE WHICH SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF LEARNER AUTONOMY TO FOCUS ON IN
YOUR STUDY.

QUESTION 4
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONDUCTING A LITERATURE REVIEW AND JUST
SEARCHING FOR RELEVANT STUDIES ON A TOPIC?
• EXPECTED ANSWER:
 LITERATURE REVIEW: INVOLVES A DETAILED AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF EXISTING RESEARCH,
INTEGRATING FINDINGS, AND UNDERSTANDING THEORIES TO GIVE A BROAD OVERVIEW AND
INFORM YOUR NEW RESEARCH.
 SEARCHING FOR STUDIES: SIMPLY INVOLVES FINDING STUDIES ON A TOPIC WITHOUT
NECESSARILY PUTTING THEM INTO A BROADER CONTEXT OR ANALYZING THEIR FINDINGS IN
DEPTH.

QUESTION 5
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES OF USING DIFFERENT STRUCTURES (HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, CONTRASTIVE
APPROACH, ASPECT-BY-ASPECT APPROACH) WHEN WRITING A LITERATURE REVIEW?
 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:
ADVANTAGE: HELPS SHOW HOW THE FIELD HAS DEVELOPED OVER TIME AND HIGHLIGHTS TRENDS IN RESEARCH.
CHALLENGE: CAN BECOME TOO BROAD AND MIGHT NOT FOCUS ENOUGH ON CURRENT RESEARCH GAPS OR RECENT DEVELOPMENTS.
 CONTRASTIVE APPROACH:
ADVANTAGE: ALLOWS YOU TO COMPARE DIFFERENT THEORIES OR VIEWPOINTS, MAKING IT CLEAR WHY YOUR STUDY IS NEEDED.
CHALLENGE: REQUIRES A THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF DIFFERING OPINIONS, WHICH CAN BE COMPLEX TO ORGANIZE AND
SYNTHESIZE.
 ASPECT-BY-ASPECT APPROACH:
ADVANTAGE: FOCUSES ON SPECIFIC ASPECTS OR VARIABLES IN DETAIL, HELPING TO INTEGRATE FINDINGS INTO YOUR RESEARCH
FRAMEWORK.
CHALLENGE: CAN BE FRAGMENTED IF NOT WELL-ORGANIZED, AND REQUIRES CAREFUL STRUCTURING TO MAINTAIN A CLEAR
NARRATIVE.

QUESTION 1
• HOW CAN LOOKING AT THE LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH IN
PREVIOUS STUDIES HELP YOU FIND A NEW RESEARCH PROBLEM?
• KEY THINGS TO NOTE
 LIMITATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: WHEN PREVIOUS STUDIES MENTION THEIR LIMITATIONS OR
SUGGEST AREAS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH, THEY POINT OUT WHERE THEIR WORK DIDN'T FULLY
ADDRESS THE TOPIC. THESE GAPS CAN HELP YOU IDENTIFY WHERE MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED.
EXAMPLE: IF A STUDY ON ONLINE LEARNING MENTIONS THAT IT DIDN'T INCLUDE A DIVERSE
SAMPLE OF STUDENTS, YOU MIGHT EXPLORE HOW DIFFERENT TYPES OF STUDENTS USE ONLINE
LEARNING TOOLS.

QUESTION 2
• WHAT ARE SOME GOOD WAYS TO COMBINE FINDINGS FROM PREVIOUS RESEARCH TO FIND A
RESEARCH GAP?
 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS: COMPARE RESULTS FROM DIFFERENT STUDIES TO FIND
INCONSISTENCIES OR AREAS THAT HAVEN’T BEEN EXPLORED MUCH.
 THEMATIC SYNTHESIS: GROUP FINDINGS BY THEMES TO SEE WHICH TOPICS HAVE BEEN LESS
STUDIED.
 GAP IDENTIFICATION: LOOK FOR PATTERNS WHERE RESEARCH IS LACKING, LIKE UNDER-
REPRESENTED GROUPS OR NEW SETTINGS.
EXAMPLE: IF THERE’S PLENTY OF RESEARCH ON EFL STUDENT MOTIVATION BUT NOT ON SPECIFIC
AGE GROUPS, THIS COULD BE A USEFUL GAP TO EXPLORE.

QUESTION 3
WHY MIGHT A RESEARCHER DECIDE TO FOCUS ON JUST ONE OR TWO RESEARCH GAPS INSTEAD
OF TRYING TO COVER MANY?
 PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS: TIME, BUDGET, AND RESOURCES LIMIT HOW MUCH CAN BE STUDIED,
SO FOCUSING ON FEWER GAPS MAKES THE PROJECT MORE MANAGEABLE.
 FEASIBILITY: IT’S EASIER TO DO A THOROUGH JOB ON FEWER GAPS THAN TO SPREAD EFFORTS
TOO THIN.
 RELEVANCE AND IMPACT: RESEARCHERS MIGHT CHOOSE GAPS THAT HAVE THE MOST POTENTIAL
TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE OR ALIGN WITH THEIR INTERESTS.
EXAMPLE: A RESEARCHER MIGHT STUDY HOW DIGITAL TOOLS AFFECT LEARNER AUTONOMY DUE
TO AVAILABLE RESOURCES, EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE OTHER GAPS.

QUESTION 4
CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU MIGHT WRITE A RESEARCH PROBLEM AFTER
REVIEWING THE LITERATURE? HOW DOES THIS EXAMPLE SHOW HOW YOU FIND AND FOCUS ON
A RESEARCH GAP?
 EXAMPLE: AFTER REVIEWING THE LITERATURE ON “LEARNER AUTONOMY IN EFL CONTEXTS,”
YOU MIGHT WRITE A RESEARCH PROBLEM LIKE: “ALTHOUGH RESEARCH HAS LOOKED AT
LEARNER AUTONOMY IN TRADITIONAL CLASSROOMS, THERE’S A GAP IN UNDERSTANDING HOW
AUTONOMOUS LEARNING STRATEGIES WORK IN VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS.”
 ILLUSTRATION: THIS EXAMPLE IDENTIFIES A SPECIFIC GAP (VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS) AND FOCUSES
ON A PARTICULAR ASPECT OF THE TOPIC (AUTONOMOUS LEARNING STRATEGIES), SHOWING HOW
REVIEWING THE LITERATURE HELPS IN PINPOINTING AND DEFINING A RESEARCH PROBLEM.

QUESTION 5
HOW DOES HAVING A CLEAR RESEARCH PROBLEM HELP MAKE A RESEARCH PROJECT
SUCCESSFUL?
 FOCUS: A CLEAR RESEARCH PROBLEM PROVIDES DIRECTION FOR THE STUDY, GUIDING HOW YOU
DESIGN, CONDUCT, AND ANALYZE YOUR RESEARCH.
 CLARITY: IT HELPS IN CREATING SPECIFIC RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES, MAKING
YOUR GOALS CLEAR AND ACHIEVABLE.
 RELEVANCE: ENSURES THAT YOUR STUDY ADDRESSES AN IMPORTANT ISSUE OR GAP,
CONTRIBUTING VALUABLE INSIGHTS TO THE FIELD.

QUESTION 1
HOW DO RESEARCH QUESTIONS AFFECT THE CHOICE OF RESEARCH METHODS AND DESIGN FOR
A STUDY?
 INFLUENCE ON METHODOLOGY: RESEARCH QUESTIONS HELP DETERMINE WHETHER YOU SHOULD
USE QUANTITATIVE METHODS (LIKE SURVEYS OR EXPERIMENTS) OR QUALITATIVE METHODS (LIKE
INTERVIEWS OR CASE STUDIES). FOR INSTANCE, IF YOUR QUESTION IS ABOUT MEASURING THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VARIABLES, YOU’D LIKELY CHOOSE A QUANTITATIVE APPROACH. IF YOUR
QUESTION IS ABOUT EXPLORING PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, A QUALITATIVE APPROACH WOULD BE
MORE SUITABLE.
 DESIGN IMPLICATIONS: THE TYPE OF RESEARCH QUESTION (E.G., DESCRIPTIVE, EXPLORATORY,
CAUSAL) HELPS IN PICKING THE RIGHT RESEARCH DESIGN. FOR EXAMPLE, EXPERIMENTAL
DESIGNS ARE GOOD FOR CAUSAL QUESTIONS, WHILE ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDIES ARE BETTER FOR
EXPLORATORY QUESTIONS.

QUESTION 2
WHAT ARE THE KEY FEATURES OF WELL-FORMULATED RESEARCH QUESTIONS, AND HOW DO
THEY RELATE TO THE RESEARCH PROBLEM OR GAP?
• EXPECTED ANSWER:
 CHARACTERISTICS:
CLARITY AND SPECIFICITY: THE QUESTION SHOULD BE CLEAR AND WELL-DEFINED.
FEASIBILITY: IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE TO ANSWER WITH THE CHOSEN METHODS AND
RESOURCES.
RELEVANCE: IT SHOULD ADDRESS THE IDENTIFIED RESEARCH PROBLEM OR GAP.
APPROPRIATE SCOPE: IT SHOULD BE NEITHER TOO BROAD NOR TOO NARROW.
 ALIGNMENT: GOOD RESEARCH QUESTIONS ARE BASED ON THE RESEARCH PROBLEM OR GAP
FOUND IN THE LITERATURE REVIEW, MAKING SURE THEY FOCUS ON IMPORTANT AND RELEVANT
PARTS OF THE ISSUE.

QUESTION 3
HOW CAN RESEARCHERS MAKE SURE THEIR RESEARCH QUESTIONS ARE NOT TOO BROAD OR TOO NARROW?
 BALANCED SCOPE: CREATE QUESTIONS THAT ARE SPECIFIC ENOUGH TO BE FOCUSED BUT BROAD ENOUGH TO
COVER IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE PROBLEM.
 PILOT TESTING: DO SOME PRELIMINARY RESEARCH OR ASK EXPERTS FOR FEEDBACK TO REFINE THE QUESTIONS.
 CLEAR OBJECTIVES: MAKE SURE THE QUESTIONS MATCH THE STUDY’S GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS TO KEEP THEM
MANAGEABLE AND RELEVANT.
EXAMPLE: INSTEAD OF ASKING, "WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON LEARNING?" A MORE FOCUSED
QUESTION COULD BE, "HOW DOES USING MOBILE LANGUAGE LEARNING APPS AFFECT VOCABULARY ACQUISITION
AND MOTIVATION AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS STUDYING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE?"
EXPLANATION:
SCOPE: THIS QUESTION IS SPECIFIC TO MOBILE APPS AND EFL STUDENTS, MAKING IT MORE FOCUSED.
ASPECTS COVERED: IT LOOKS AT BOTH VOCABULARY AND MOTIVATION, PROVIDING CLEAR DIRECTION.
RELEVANCE: IT DIRECTLY ADDRESSES THE IMPACT OF A SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGY ON SPECIFIC OUTCOMES FOR A
DEFINED GROUP OF STUDENTS.

QUESTION 5
CAN YOU GIVE EXAMPLES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS SUITED FOR QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH DESIGNS?
 QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH EXAMPLE: "WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF USING LANGUAGE LEARNING APPS ON THE
IMPROVEMENT OF VOCABULARY TEST SCORES AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS LEARNING ENGLISH AS A
FOREIGN LANGUAGE?"
REASON: THIS QUESTION AIMS TO MEASURE HOW THE USE OF LANGUAGE LEARNING APPS IMPACTS TEST
SCORES, WHICH INVOLVES COLLECTING AND ANALYZING NUMERICAL DATA.
 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH EXAMPLE: "HOW DO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS EXPERIENCE AND PERCEIVE THE
BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF USING LANGUAGE LEARNING APPS FOR IMPROVING THEIR ENGLISH
LANGUAGE SKILLS?"
REASON: THIS QUESTION EXPLORES STUDENTS’ PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND PERCEPTIONS, REQUIRING
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS FROM INTERVIEWS OR FOCUS GROUPS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR SUBJECTIVE VIEWS.

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