What to Know
This page summarizes some of the information from the Web sites you explored. This information helps you learn what you need to know for this activity about writing effective research questions. You may want to take notes to help you remember the most important points. You can return to the Web sites for more exploration if you want to learn more.
Writing Effective Research Questions
Effective research questions are big enough to hold your interest and small enough to answer. Many questions focus on facts that can be memorized. These memory questions are very useful, but they may not provide enough information.
Usually, you cannot fully learn about complex topics just by asking memory questions. Other types of questions can help you delve deeper into a topic. These include convergent, divergent, and evaluative questions.
Fact Questions
Fact questions always have a correct answer and usually start with words like:
- Who…?
- What…?
- Where…?
- When…?
Some examples of memory or fact questions are:
- Who invented the calendar?
- What is copyright?
- Where is Kazakhstan?
Convergent (Why) Questions
Convergent questions require more explanation than memory or fact questions but usually have correct answers. They often start with words like:
- Why…?
- How…?
- According to…?
Some examples of convergent, or why, questions are:
- Why do we have copyright laws?
- How is a PC different from a Mac?
- According to most scientists, what is the most likely impact of greenhouse gases?
Divergent (Idea) Questions
Divergent questions usually have many acceptable answers and often include words like:
- What if…?
- How could…?
- How would…?
Some examples of divergent, or idea, questions are:
- What would your life be like if you lived in another country?
- How could greenhouse gases affect the weather where you live?
- How would research be different if copyright laws did not exist?
Evaluative (Opinion) Questions
Evaluative questions require judgment to decide among various opinions or answers. They often include words like:
- Do you think…?
- Why should…?
- How well…?
Some examples of evaluative, or opinion, questions are:
- Do you think downloading music and graphics from the Internet is always OK?
- Why should educational use of copyrighted materials have different rules than commercial use?
- How well did the text support the author's point of view?
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