INTERACTIVE AND APPLIED LEARNING After, or while, reading this chapter:

Go to the Online Learning Center at Go to your online Student Mastery

www.mhhe.com/fraenkel8e to: Activities book to do the following
activities:
• Learn More About What Makes a Question Researchable • Activity 2.1: Research Questions and Related Designs
• Activity 2.2: Changing General Topics into Research Questions
• Activity 2.3: Operational Definitions
• Activity 2.4: Justification
• Activity 2.5: Evaluating Research Questions

R obert Adams, a high school teacher in Omaha, Nebraska, wants to investigate whether the inquiry method will increase
the interest of his eleventh-grade students in history. Phyllis Gomez, a physical education teacher in an elementary school
in Phoenix, Arizona, wants to find out how her sixth-grade students feel about the new exercise program recently mandated
by the school district. Tami Mendoza, a counselor in a large inner-city high school in San Francisco, wonders whether a client-
centered approach might help ease the hostility that many of her students display during counseling sessions. Each of these
examples presents a problem that could serve as a basis for research. Research problems—the focus of a research investigation—
are what this chapter is about.

quantitative, or mixed method) used to conduct the

What Is a Research Problem? study rather than the other way around, i.e., the meth-
odology determining the question. The following ex-
A research problem is exactly that—a problem that amples of initial research questions in education are
someone would like to research. A problem can be any- not sufficiently developed for actual use in a research
thing that a person finds unsatisfactory or unsettling, a project but would be suitable during the early stage of
difficulty of some sort, a state of affairs that needs to be formulating a research question. An appropriate meth-
changed, anything that is not working as well as it might. odology and research paradigm (in parentheses) are
Problems involve areas of concern to researchers, con- provided for each question. Although there are other
ditions they want to improve, difficulties they want to possible methodologies that might be used, we consider
eliminate, questions for which they seek answers. those given here as particularly suitable.
For researchers and students alike, research problems
are usually identified from several sources including • Does client-centered therapy produce more satisfac-
(a) the research literature—see detailed discussion in tion in clients than traditional therapy? (experimental
Chapter 3 on the role of the literature review in formulat- research; quantitative)
ing research questions; (b) problems in practice or work- • What goes on in after-school programs during an av-
related contexts; and (c) personal biography or history erage week? (ethnographic research; qualitative)
(such as current or past personal experiences or iden- • Does behavior modification reduce aggression in
tities, race, ethnicity, gender, class background, family autistic children? (single-subject experimental re-
customs, religion, and so forth). search; quantitative)
• Do teachers behave differently toward students of
different genders? (causal-comparative research;
Research Questions •
quantitative or mixed method)
How can we predict which students might have trou-
Usually a research problem is initially posed as a ques- ble learning certain kinds of subject matter? (correla-
tion, which serves as the focus of the researcher’s in- tional research; quantitative)
vestigation. In our view, the research question should • How do parents feel about the school counseling pro-
dictate the research type and paradigm (qualitative, gram? (survey research; quantitative)

27

fra97851_ch02_025-036.indd 27 22/12/10 9:35 PM

 28 PART 2 The Basics of Educational Research www.mhhe.com/fraenkel8e

• Why do first-generation college students have a 3. Does high school achievement influence the aca-
lower graduation rate at San Simeon University? demic achievement of university students?
(case study; mixed method) 4. What is the best way to teach grammar?
• How can principals improve faculty morale at low- 5. What would schools be like today if World War II
performing middle schools? (interview research; had not occurred?
qualitative)
We hope you identified questions 2 and 3 as the two
What all these questions have in common is that we that are researchable. Questions 1, 4, and 5, as stated,
can collect data of some sort to answer them (at least in cannot be researched. Question 1 is another metaphysi-
part). That’s what makes them researchable. For exam- cal question and, as such, does not lend itself to empiri-
ple, a researcher can measure the satisfaction levels of cal research (we could ask people if they believe God
clients who receive different methods of therapy. Or re- is good, but that would be another question). Ques-
searchers can observe and interview in order to describe tion 4 asks for the “best” way to do something. Think
the functioning of an elementary school classroom. To about this one for a moment. Is there any way we can
repeat, then, what makes these questions researchable is determine the best way to do anything? To be able to
that some sort of information can be collected to answer determine this, we must examine every possible alterna-
them. tive, and a moment’s reflection brings us to the realiza-
There are other kinds of questions, however, that tion that this can never be accomplished. How would
cannot be answered by collecting and analyzing data. we ever be sure that all possible alternatives have been
Here are two examples: examined? Question 5 requires the creation of impos-
sible conditions. We can, of course, investigate what
• Should philosophy be included in the high school
people think schools would be like. Figure 2.1 illustrates
curriculum?
the difference between researchable and nonresearch-
• What is the meaning of life?
able questions.
Why can’t these questions be researched? What about
them prevents us from collecting information to answer
them? The reason is both simple and straightforward:
There is no way to collect information to answer either Characteristics of Good
question. Both questions are, in the final analysis, not
researchable. Research Questions
The first question is a question of value—it implies
Once a research question has been formulated, re-
notions of right and wrong, proper and improper—and
searchers want to turn it into as good a question as pos-
therefore does not have any empirical (or observable)
sible. Good research questions possess four essential
referents. There is no way to deal, empirically, with
characteristics.
the verb should. How can we empirically determine
whether or not something “should” be done? What data 1. The question is feasible (i.e., it can be investigated
could we collect? There is no way for us to proceed. without expending an undue amount of time, energy,
However, if the question is changed to “Do people think or money).
philosophy should be included in the high school cur- 2. The question is clear (i.e., most people would agree
riculum?” it becomes researchable. Why? Because now as to what the key words in the question mean).
we can collect data to help us answer the question. 3. The question is significant (i.e., it is worth investi-
The second question is metaphysical in nature— gating because it will contribute important knowl-
that is, transcendental, beyond the physical. Answers edge about the human condition).
to this sort of question lie beyond the accumulation of 4. The question is ethical (i.e., it will not involve phys-
information. ical or psychological harm or damage to human be-
Here are more ideas for research questions. Which ings or to the natural or social environment of which
ones (if any) do you think are researchable? they are a part). We will discuss the subject of ethics
in detail in Chapter 4.
1. Is God good?
2. Are children more engaged when taught by a teacher Let us discuss some of these characteristics in more
of the same gender? detail.

fra97851_ch02_025-036.indd 28 22/12/10 9:35 PM

 CHAPTER 2 The Research Problem 29

Figure 2.1 Researchable

No Yes Versus Nonresearchable
Not researchable Researchable Questions

Do children enrolled in
Should I put my youngster preschool develop better
in preschool? social skills than children
not enrolled?

At which age is it more

What is the best way to helpful to introduce phonics
learn to read? to children—age 5, age 6,
or age 7?

Who commits more

Are some people born bad? crimes—poor people
or rich people?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS SHOULD BE FEASIBLE question be clear. What exactly is being investigated?
Feasibility is an important issue in designing research Let us consider two examples of research questions that
studies. A feasible question is one that can be investigated are not clear enough.
with available resources. Some questions (such as those
involving space exploration, for example, or the study of Example 1. “Is a humanistically oriented class-
the long-term effects of special programs, such as Head room effective?” Although the phrase humanisti-
Start) require a great deal of time and money; others re- cally oriented classroom may seem quite clear, many
quire much less. Unfortunately, the field of education, people may not be sure exactly what it means. If we
unlike medicine, business, law, agriculture, pharmacol- ask, What is a humanistically oriented classroom? we
ogy, or the military, has never established an ongoing re- begin to discover that it is not as easy as we might
search effort tied closely to practice. Most of the research have thought to describe its essential characteristics.
that is done in schools or other educational institutions is What happens in such classrooms that is different
likely to be done by “outsiders”—often university profes- from what happens in other classrooms? Do teachers
sors and their students—and usually is funded by tempo- use certain kinds of strategies? Do they lecture? In
rary grants. Thus, lack of feasibility often seriously limits what sorts of activities do students participate? What
research efforts. Following are two examples of research do such classrooms look like––how is the seating
questions, one feasible and one not so feasible. arranged, for example? What kinds of materials are
used? Is there much variation to be found from class-
Feasible: How do the students at Oceana High
room to classroom in the strategies employed by the
School feel about the new guidance program re-
teacher or in the sorts of activities in which students
cently instituted in the district?
engage? Do the kinds of materials available and/or
Not so feasible: How would achievement be af-
used vary?
fected by giving each student his or her own lap-
Another term in this question is also ambiguous.
top computer to use for a semester?
What does the term effective mean? Does it mean “re-
sults in increased academic proficiency,” “results in
RESEARCH QUESTIONS SHOULD BE CLEAR happier children,” “makes life easier for teachers,” or
Because the research question is the focus of a re- “costs less money”? Maybe it means all these things
search investigation, it is particularly important that the and more.

fra97851_ch02_025-036.indd 29 22/12/10 9:35 PM

 30 PART 2 The Basics of Educational Research www.mhhe.com/fraenkel8e

Example 2. “How do teachers feel about special Defining Terms. There are essentially three ways
classes for the educationally handicapped?” The first term to clarify important terms in a research question. The
that needs clarification is teachers. What age group does first is to use a constitutive definition—that is, to use
this involve? What level of experience (i.e., are probation- what is often referred to as the dictionary approach. Re-
ary teachers, for example, included)? Are teachers in both searchers simply use other words to say more clearly
public and private schools included? Are teachers through- what is meant. Thus, the term humanistic classroom
out the nation included, or only those in a specific locality? might be defined as
Does the term refer to teachers who do not teach special
A classroom in which: (1) the needs and interests of
classes as well as those who do?
students have the highest priority; (2) students work on
The phrase feel about is also ambiguous. Does it
their own for a considerable amount of time in each class
mean opinions? emotional reactions? Does it suggest
period; and (3) the teacher acts as a guide and a resource
actions? or what? The terms special classes and edu-
person rather than an informant.
cationally handicapped also need to be clarified. An
example of a legal definition of an educationally handi- Notice, however, that this definition is still some-
capped student is: what unclear, since the words being used to explain the
term humanistic are themselves ambiguous. What does
A minor who, by reason of marked learning or behavioral
it mean to say that the “needs and interests of students
disorders, is unable to adapt to a normal classroom situa-
have the highest priority” or that “students work on their
tion. The disorder must be associated with a neurological
own”? What is a “considerable amount” of each class
handicap or an emotional disturbance and must not be
period? What does a teacher do when acting as a “guide”
due to mental retardation, cultural deprivation, or foreign
or a “resource person”? Further clarification is needed.
language problems.
Students of communication have demonstrated just
Note that this definition itself contains some ambigu- how difficult it is to be sure that the message sent is the
ous words, such as marked learning disorders, which message received. It is probably true that no one ever
lend themselves to a wide variety of interpretations. completely understands the meaning of terms that are
This is equally true of the term cultural deprivation, used to communicate. That is, we can never be certain
which is not only ambiguous but also often offensive that the message we receive is the one the sender in-
to members of ethnic groups to whom it is frequently tended. Some years ago, one of the leaders in our field
applied. was said to have become so depressed by this idea that
As we begin to think about these (or other) questions, it he quit talking to his colleagues for several weeks. A
appears that terms which seemed at first glance to be words more constructive approach is simply to do the best we
or phrases that everyone would easily understand are re- can. We must try to explain our terms to others. While
ally quite complex and far more difficult to define than we most researchers try to be clear, there is no question that
might originally have thought. some do a much better job than others.
This is true of many current educational concepts
and methodologies. Consider such terms as core curric-
ulum, client-centered counseling, active learning, and
quality management. What do such terms mean? If you
were to ask a sample of five or six teachers, counselors,
or administrators, you probably would get several dif-
ferent definitions. Although such ambiguity is valuable
in some circumstances and for certain purposes, it repre-
sents a problem to investigators of a research question.
Researchers have no choice but to be specific about the
terms used in a research question, to define precisely
what is to be studied. In making this effort, researchers
gain a clearer picture of how to proceed with an investi-
gation and, in fact, sometimes decide to change the very
nature of the research. How, then, might the clarity of a © The New Yorker Collection 1998 Tom Cheney from cartoonbank.com.
research question be improved? All Rights Reserved.

fra97851_ch02_025-036.indd 30 22/12/10 9:35 PM

 RESEARCH TIPS
• Terms that individuals outside the field of study may not
understand
• Terms that have multiple meanings
Key Terms to Define • Terms that are essential to understanding what the study
is about
in a Research Study • Terms to provide precision in specifications for instru-
ments to be developed or located
• Terms necessary to ensure that the research question is
sharply focused

Another important point to remember is that often 2. Any classroom judged (by an observer spending at
it is a compound term or phrase that needs to be de- least one day per week for four to five weeks) to pos-
fined rather than only a single word. For example, the sess all the following characteristics:
term nondirective therapy will surely not be clarified by a. No more than three children working with the
precise definitions of nondirective and therapy, since same materials at the same time
it has a more specific meaning than the two words de- b. The teacher never spending more than 20 minutes
fined separately would convey. Similarly, such terms per day addressing the class as a group
as learning disability, bilingual education, interactive c. At least half of every class period open for stu-
video, and home-centered health care need to be de- dents to work on projects of their own choosing at
fined as linguistic wholes. their own pace
Here are three definitions of the term motivated to d. Several (more than three) sets of different kinds
learn. Which do you think is the clearest? of educational materials available for every stu-
dent in the class to use
1. Works hard
e. Nontraditional seating—students sit in circles,
2. Is eager and enthusiastic
small groupings of seats, or even on the floor to
3. Sustains attention to a task*
work on their projects
As you have seen, the dictionary approach to clari- f. Frequent (at least two per week) discussions in
fying terms has its limitations. A second possibility which students are encouraged to give their opin-
is clarification by example. Researchers might think ions and ideas on topics being read about in their
of a few humanistic classrooms with which they are textbooks
familiar and then try to describe as fully as possible
what happens in these classrooms. Usually we sug- The above listing of characteristics and behaviors may
gest that people observe such classrooms to see for be a quite unsatisfactory definition of a humanistic
themselves how they differ from other classrooms. classroom to many people (and perhaps to you). But it
This approach also has its problems, however, since is considerably more specific (and thus clearer) than the
our descriptions may still not be as clear to others as definition with which we began.† Armed with this defi-
they would like. nition (and the necessary facilities), researchers could
Thus, a third method of clarification is to define im- decide quickly whether or not a particular classroom
portant terms operationally. Operational definitions qualified as an example of a humanistic classroom.
require that researchers specify the actions or operations Defining terms operationally is a helpful way to
necessary to measure or identify the term. For example, clarify their meaning. Operational definitions are useful
here are two possible operational definitions of the term tools and should be mastered by all students of research.
humanistic classroom.
1. Any classroom identified by specified experts as †This is not to say that this list would not be improved by making
constituting an example of a humanistic classroom the guidelines even more specific. These characteristics, however,
do meet the criterion for an operational definition—they specify the
actions researchers need to take to measure or identify the variable
*We judge 3 to be the clearest, followed by 1 and then 2. being defined.

31

fra97851_ch02_025-036.indd 31 22/12/10 9:35 PM

 32 PART 2 The Basics of Educational Research www.mhhe.com/fraenkel8e

“I want to “Susan’s teacher

buy an says her work
inexpensive “Hi” isn’t artistic.”
car.” “Under “Up to “I disagree!
$10,000.” $25,000!” She’s very
creative!”
Potential Car
Buyer Salesman

Painting

“He does “He knows how to please

get really good people, that’s for sure.”
grades.”
“Margaret really likes
“No, he has no “Nah. He’s Mrs. Robinson.”
common sense no good in
at all.” woodshop.”

“Jamie is “No way! He was the

really smart, only one who got lost on
isn’t he?” our camping trip.”

Figure 2.2 Some Times When Operational Definitions Would Be Helpful

Remember that the operations or activities necessary to 10. As observed by teacher aides using the “Mathemat-
measure or identify the term must be specified. Which of ics Interest” observation record*
the following possible definitions of the term motivated In addition to their value in helping readers under-
to learn mathematics do you think are operational? stand how researchers actually obtain the information
1. As shown by enthusiasm in class they need, operational definitions are often helpful in
2. As judged by the student’s math teacher using a rat- clarifying terms. Thinking about how to measure job
ing scale she developed satisfaction, for example, is likely to force a researcher
3. As measured by the “Math Interest” questionnaire to clarify, in his or her own mind, what he or she means
4. As shown by attention to math tasks in class by the term. (For everyday examples of times when
5. As reflected by achievement in mathematics operational definitions are needed, see Figure 2.2.)
6. As indicated by records showing enrollment in Despite their virtues, however, operational definitions
mathematics electives in and of themselves are often not illuminating. Reading
7. As shown by effort expended in class that “language proficiency is (operationally) defined as
8. As demonstrated by number of optional assignments *The operational definitions are 2, 3, 6, 8, and 10. The nonopera-
completed tional definitions are 1, 4, 5, 7, and 9, because the activities or opera-
9. As demonstrated by reading math books outside class tions necessary for identifying the behavior have not been specified.

fra97851_ch02_025-036.indd 32 22/12/10 9:35 PM

 MORE ABOUT
RESEARCH
trivial. Some recipients complained of “cheap shots,” arguing
that their research had not received a complete or fair hear-
ing. While it is doubtless true that research is often specialized
The Importance of a Rationale in nature and not easily communicated to persons outside the
field, we believe more attention should be paid to:

R esearch in education, as in all of social science, has some-

times been criticized as trivial. Some years ago, Senator
William Proxmire gained considerable publicity for his
•
•
Avoiding esoteric terminology
Defining key terms clearly and, when feasible, both consti-
tutively and operationally
“golden fleece” awards, which he bestowed on government- • Making a clear and persuasive case for the importance of
funded studies that he considered particularly worthless or a study

the student’s score on the TOLD test” is not very help- a considerable) expenditure of time, energy, materials,
ful unless the reader is familiar with this particular test. money, and/or other resources, it is easy to appreciate
Even when this is the case, it is more satisfactory to be the point of view that some useful outcome or payoff
informed of what the researcher means by the term. For should result from the research. The investment of one-
these reasons we believe that an operational definition self and others in a research enterprise should contribute
should always be accompanied by a constitutive one. some knowledge of value to the field of education.
The importance of researchers being clear about the Generally speaking, most researchers do not believe
terms in their research questions cannot be overstated. that research efforts based primarily on personal interest
Researchers will have difficulty proceeding with plans alone warrant investigation. Furthermore, there is some
for the collection and analysis of data if they do not know reason to question a “purely curious” motive on psycho-
exactly what kind of data to look for. And they will not logical grounds. Most questions probably have some de-
know what data to look for if they are unclear about the gree of hidden motivation behind them, and for the sake
meaning of the key terms in the research question. of credibility, these reasons should be made explicit.
One of the most important tasks for any researcher,
therefore, is to think through the value of the intended
RESEARCH QUESTIONS research before too much preliminary work is done.
SHOULD BE SIGNIFICANT Three important questions should be asked:
Research questions also should be worth investigat-
1. How might answers to this research question ad-
ing. In essence, we need to consider whether getting
vance knowledge in my field?
the answer to a question is worth the time and energy
2. How might answers to this research question im-
(and often money). What, we might ask, is the value of
prove educational practice?
investigating a particular question? In what ways will
3. How might answers to this research question im-
it contribute to our knowledge about education? to our
prove the human condition?
knowledge of human beings? Is such knowledge im-
portant in some way? If so, how? These questions ask As you think about possible research questions, ask
researchers to think about why a research question is yourself: Why would it be important to answer this
worthwhile—that is, important or significant. question? Does the question have implications for the
It probably goes without saying that a research ques- improvement of practice? for administrative decision
tion is of interest to the person who asks it. But is in- making? for program planning? Is there an important
terest alone sufficient justification for an investigation? issue that can be illuminated to some degree by a study of
For some people, the answer is a clear yes. They say this question? Is it related to a current theory that I have
that any question that someone sincerely wants an an- doubts about or would like to substantiate? Thinking
swer to is worth investigating. Others, however, say through possible answers to these questions can help you
that personal interest, in and of itself, is an insufficient judge the significance of a potential research question.
reason. Too often, they point out, personal interest can In our experience, student justifications for a pro-
result in the pursuit of trivial or insignificant questions. posed study are likely to have two weaknesses. First,
Because most research efforts require some (and often they assume too much—for example, that everyone

33

fra97851_ch02_025-036.indd 33 22/12/10 9:35 PM

 34 PART 2 The Basics of Educational Research www.mhhe.com/fraenkel8e

Group A: No relationship Group B: Relationship

Male Female Male Female
Republican

Republican
16 16
Democrat

Democrat
16 16
16 16 16 16
Figure 2.3 Illustration of Relationship Between Voter Gender and Party Affiliation

would agree with them (i.e., it is self-evident) that it is attractiveness? speed and weight? height and strength? a
important to study something like self-esteem or abil- principal’s administrative policies and faculty morale?
ity to read. In point of fact, not everyone does agree It is important to understand how the term relation-
that these are important topics to study; nonetheless, it ship is used in research, since the term has other mean-
is still the researcher’s job to make the case that they ings in everyday life. When researchers use the term
are important rather than merely assuming that they are. relationship, they are not referring to the nature or qual-
Second, students often overstate the implications ity of an association between people, for example. What
of a study. Evidence of the effectiveness of a particu- we and other researchers mean is perhaps best clarified
lar teaching method does not, for example, imply that visually. Look, for example, at the data for groups A
the method will be generally adopted or that improve- and B in Figure 2.3. What do you notice?
ment in student achievement will automatically result. The hypothetical data for group A show that out of
It would imply, for example, that more attention should a total of 32 individuals, 16 are Republicans and 16 are
be given to the method in teacher-training programs. Democrats. It also shows that half are male and half are
female. Group B shows the same breakdown by party af-
filiation and gender. What is different between the two
RESEARCH QUESTIONS OFTEN INVESTIGATE groups is that there is no association or relationship be-
RELATIONSHIPS tween gender and political party in group A, whereas
There is an additional characteristic that good research there is a very strong relationship between these two fac-
questions often possess. They frequently (but not always) tors in group B. We can express the relationship in group
suggest a relationship of some sort to be investigated. (We B by saying that males tend to be Republicans while fe-
discuss the reasons for this in Chapter 5.) A suggested re- males tend to be Democrats. We can also express this re-
lationship means that two qualities or characteristics are lationship in terms of a prediction. Should another female
tied together or connected in some way. Are motivation join group B, we would predict she would be a Democrat
and learning related? If so, how? What about age and since 14 of the previous 16 females are Democrats.

Go back to the INTERACTIVE AND APPLIED LEARNING feature at the

beginning of the chapter for a listing of interactive and applied activities. Go to
the Online Learning Center at www.mhhe.com/fraenkel8e to take quizzes,
practice with key terms, and review chapter content.

fra97851_ch02_025-036.indd 34 22/12/10 9:35 PM

 CHAPTER 2 The Research Problem 35

RESEARCH PROBLEM
Main Points
• A research problem is the focus of a research investigation.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• Many research problems are stated as questions.
• The essential characteristic of a researchable question is that there be some sort of
information that can be collected in an attempt to answer the question.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• Research questions should be feasible—that is, capable of being investigated with
available resources.
• Research questions should be clear—that is, unambiguous.
• Research questions should be significant—that is, worthy of investigation.
• Research questions should be ethical—that is, their investigation should not involve
physical or psychological harm or damage to human beings or to the natural or social
environment of which they are a part.
• Research questions often (although not always) suggest a relationship to be investi-
gated. The term relationship, as used in research, refers to a connection or associa-
tion between two or more characteristics or qualities.

DEFINING TERMS IN RESEARCH

• Three common ways to clarify ambiguous or unclear terms in a research question
involve the use of constitutive (dictionary-type) definitions, definition by example,
and operational definitions.
• A constitutive definition uses additional terms to clarify meaning.
• An operational definition describes how examples of a term are to be measured or
identified.

clarification by constitutive definition 30 operational

example 31 definition 31 Key Terms
empirical referent 28

1. Here are three examples of research questions. How would you rank them on a scale
of 1 to 5 (5 5 highest, 1 5 lowest) for clarity? for significance? Why? For Discussion
a. How many students in the sophomore class signed up for a course in driver train-
ing this semester?
b. Why do so many students in the district say they dislike English?
c. Is inquiry or lecture more effective in teaching social studies?
2. How would you define humanistically oriented classroom?
3. Some terms used frequently in education, such as motivation, achievement, and even
learning, are very hard to define clearly. Why do you suppose this is so?
4. How might the term excellence be defined operationally? Give an example.
5. “Even the clearest of definitions does not always guarantee meaningful communica-
tion.” Is this really true? Why or why not?
6. We would argue that operational definitions should always be accompanied by con-
stitutive definitions. Would you agree? Can you think of an instance when this might
not be necessary?
7. Most researchers do not believe that research efforts based primarily on personal interest
warrant investigation. Do you agree in all cases? Can you think of a possible exception?

fra97851_ch02_025-036.indd 35 22/12/10 9:35 PM

 36 PART 2 The Basics of Educational Research www.mhhe.com/fraenkel8e

Research Exercise 2: The Research Question

Using Problem Sheet 2, restate the research problem you listed in Research Exercise 1 in a sen-
tence or two, and then formulate a research question related to this problem. Now list all the
key terms in the question that you think are not clear and need to be defined. Define each of
these terms both constitutively and operationally, and then state why you think your question is
an important one to study.

Problem Sheet 2
The Research Question An electronic version
of this Problem Sheet
1. My (restated) research problem is: ________________________________________
that you can fill in and
print, save, or e-mail
____________________________________________________________________ is available on the
2. My research question(s) is/are: ___________________________________________
Online Learning Center
at www.mhhe.com/
____________________________________________________________________ fraenkel8e.
3. The following are key terms in the problem or question that are not clear and thus
need to be defined:

a. d.

b. e.

c. f.

4. Here are my constitutive definitions for these terms: __________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

5. Here are my operational definitions for these terms: ___________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

6. My rationale for investigating this question/problem (why I would argue that it is an

important question to investigate) is as follows: ______________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

fra97851_ch02_025-036.indd 36 22/12/10 9:35 PM