I have seen where it is customary to have sub-questions to a main overarching question in my department for graduate research studies, but is there a rule of thumb on such an approach to writing research questions? Your input would be grartely appreciated.
Many thanks,
Debra
Hi Debra,
I would argue that there is no 'rule-of-thumb'. Customs and tradition should not really guide the type of question - nor how many. Individual study aims and objectives should guide this alone. For some studies (paradigm and methodology will often dictate) a single 'over-arching' research question, statement or hypothesis will suffice. For others - more will be needed. In the case of some approaches i.e. mixed methods - one would expect more than one question and/or statement as different methods and frameworks are being used that cannot usually be applied to a single question
Hi Debra,
I agreed with Dean but in addition to the study objectives the analysis plan should contribute to the questionnaire and how each question is structured. For instance, if you are interested in multivariate analysis such as regression, the metric or measurement of the responses will determine the type of regression analysis you can performed.
If one research question neatly sums up your inquiry - then one question will suffice. If there are several aspects embodied within the main research question, then sub-questions that capture the research in its entirety are useful.
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