Developing Qualitative Research Questions: A Reflective Process
Source: International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Volume 22, Issue 4 July 2009, pages 431 - 447.
The reflective and interrogative processes required for developing effective qualitative research questions can give shape and direction to the study. Good research questions do not necessarily produce good research. However, poorly conceived or constructed questions will likely create problems that affect all subsequent stages of a study. In qualitative studies, the ongoing process of questioning is an integral part of understanding the lives and perspectives of others.
This paper addresses both the development of initial research questions and how the processes of generating and refining questions are critical to the shaping of a qualitative study.