Developing a research idea comes from what inspires us and what kinds of questions we want answered. The first step in doing so is finding a research question you think is worth pursuing, then translating your conceptual question into a testable one.

Overview

What is the difference between a conceptual question and testable question? Conceptual questions are what you and your team ultimately want to research – and find answers to!

Conceptual example: Do students learn better online or in person?

Your team should begin by discussing the conceptual question you are most interested in answering. This is how research begins.

Once you have a conceptual question in mind, you will need to translate it into a testable question. For example, when asking whether students learn better online or in person, a few questions remain. What is meant by “learning” and how can you measure it? What is meant by “better”… a higher class grade? The feeling that you have learned something? Or something else?

Testable example: Do students rate their perceived learning as higher when prompted to think about online classes compared with when prompted to think about in person classes?

Note that the testable example is more specific. It provides more details on how the conceptual question will be explored. An important concept when forming testable questions is an operational definition. You will need to operationally define your study variables.

Operational definition of “perceived learning”: A rating on a 1 (a little learning) to 7 (a lot of learning) rating scale.

Remember: Personal experience can be a source of inspiration for research, but to create a testable idea requires thought, attention, compromise, and an open acknowledgement of the pros and cons of the methodology.

Worksheets – Download and Submit on Canvas (One per team)

Lab 1_Rough Project Idea