Writing a thesis is not easy. Many a students struggle with the process. The first thing that almost every supervisor will ask his or her student is to come up with a research question. Believe me or not, it is a skill to come up with one. It is not easy and being turned back to go and redo the question is very very normal. This simple document demonstrates how one can come up with a research question. It gives examples of ideas/questions and explain why it is not fit to be a question or why it fits. Enjoy!
Writing a research questionPossible questions:
1. Departmental leadership and school improvement: a case of
selected schools in South West Education Division (SWED)Problem:
This is not a question. A research question should actually end
with a question mark ?. The idea is not clear. Is it assessing the
relationship between the two, or what?
2. The role of heads of department in transforming the school: a
case of selected schools in South West Education Division
(SWED)Problem: This is not a question. A research question should
actually end with a question mark ?. Please also note that the idea
is using technical terms which may become complicated to
operationalize in research. The work transform is not clear.
3. The role of heads of department in school improvement: a case
of selected schools In South West Education Division (SWED)Problem:
This is not a question. A research question should actually end
with a question mark ?. Again, school improvement is not clear i.e.
you can improve school in many way. Better be clearer.
4. Assessing the effectiveness of heads of department in
secondary schools: a case of selected schools in South West
Education Division (SWED)Problem: This is not a question. A
research question should actually end with a question mark ?. In
addition, the work effectiveness is a technical word that is
specifically used in economics. One better be careful.
5. Effectiveness of heads of department in secondary schools: a
case of selected schools in South West Education Division
(SWED).Problem: This is not a question. A research question should
actually end with a question mark ?. As stated above, be careful
with the use of effectiveness.
6. What role do heads of department play in school improvement?
- a case of selected schools in South West Education Division
(SWED)This is a question. It actually ends with a question mark ?.
It is clear from the question that the researcher will be looking
for specific roles of HoDs. However, school improvement is not
clear. Improvement could mean exam performance, or hygiene, or
interpersonal relations, or any other thing. Therefore, the
question can be improved.
7. To what extent do heads of department practice
transformational leadership in secondary schools from the South
West Education Division (SWED)?This is a question. It actually ends
with a question mark ?. It is clear from the question that the
researcher will be looking for the degree of institutional
leadership as practiced by HoDs. One expects that the researcher
will define instructional leadership, its components. Then the
researcher will observe, either by questionnaire or direct
observation how HoDs are practicing these.
