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Educational Leadership - Ed.D. and Ph.D.

Research guide for students pursuing an Ed.D. or Ph.D. in Educational Leadership

Developing a Research Question


When you need to develop a research question, you want to ask yourself: what do you want to know about a topic? Additionally, you'll want to determine:

  • WHO you are researching,
  • WHAT you are researching,
  • WHEN your research topic takes place,
  • WHERE your research topic takes place, and
  • WHY you are researching this topic.

Try these steps to formulate a research question:

1. Start with your topic (Online learning in K-12) 2. Focus your topic (Ask who, what, where, when, why?) 3. Formulate a question to ask about your topic (How might online learning be implemented in middle school?) 4. Narrow your question if possible (Has VLACS been successful with middle schoolers in New Hampshire?)

Check out these links and the video below for more information:

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