Presented by : Abu baker Sami

Supervised by : Asst. prof. Mansor Kathim

This chapter emphasizes the central role of research questions in
empirical research. It explains why research questions are essential
compared to topics or hypotheses and explores their sources and
types. The chapter also discusses how research questions should
be operationalized, considering their impact on data collection and
analysis. Additionally, it highlights the importance of documenting
research questions, including their origin, rationale, and
implementation. The discussion is framed within linguistic studies,
providing relevant examples and focusing on linguistic data and
analysis.
 Research Questions in Linguistics
• Why Research Questions?
• Essential for guiding data collection, analysis, and ensuring a
coherent research project.
• Research questions help focus the study and contribute to
knowledge.
• Example: "What are the borrowing practices of UK Primary
School Year 6 girls and boys in terms of fiction and non-
fiction?"
In empirical research, especially in social sciences, research questions
serve as the foundation of the study. They guide the investigation and
help define the scope of the research. The process begins with asking,
"What am I trying to find out?" These questions provide direction, but
they should not be too rigid, allowing flexibility as the research
progresses. Sometimes, unexpected but relevant issues may arise that
are outside the original scope, and additional questions may need to be
formulated. Hypotheses are often more specific and found in
quantitative research, aiming to be tested, while research questions are
broader and exploratory, typically found in qualitative research. They
should enable discovery of new insights and allow room for refinement
as the study develops.
Research questions typically come from two main sources: the
literature and pre-existing topics.
• From the Literature: During your literature review, you may:
• Discover an unanswered research question, but ensure it's still
relevant and investigable.
• Decide to replicate or challenge someone else’s work, possibly in a
different context or with a new method.
• Identify a gap in the existing research, where some related
questions have been explored, but others haven’t.
• The benefit of developing research questions through
literature review is that they are grounded in existing
research, ensuring coherence in the overall study.
• From a Pre-existing Topic: A current event, political or social
issue, or a new phenomenon can drive the formulation of
research questions. For example, studying the impact of
Hurricane Katrina or the 2008 U.S. presidential elections on
sociolinguistics or political rhetoric.
• A research question can also emerge from your own
findings. If your data suggests new questions not originally
considered, you can introduce these, provided it doesn’t
disrupt or overwhelm your research. If feasible, these
questions can be incorporated into the research narrative.

• Data may also be "hypothesis-generating" (such as in diary

studies) or "hypothesis-testing." In the former, findings may
inspire new research questions (e.g., causes of anxiety in
language learners), which can later be empirically tested
Research questions can vary in type based on what they aim to explore.
Using the example of UK primary school teachers' beliefs about foreign
language teaching, research questions can focus on:
Descriptive: What beliefs do teachers hold?
Exploratory: Why do teachers hold these beliefs?
Causal: How do these beliefs influence teaching practices?
Comparative: Do teachers agree or disagree with certain methods?
Questions often start with interrogatives
like Do, What, How, Why, Is/Are, or When, depending on the research
focus.
research questions can also be categorized or prioritized in other
ways, such as:
Primary/Secondary: Some questions are more central to the study
(primary), while others are less critical (secondary), based on their
importance or the data available to address them.
Main/Contributory: Some questions are essential to answer first
(contributory) before addressing the main research question, as
they provide foundational insights.
These distinctions help structure the research process and clarify
the focus in a dissertation or thesis.
Research questions can be categorized as:
Empirical: Focus on gathering data about real-world phenomena.
Example: "How do UK primary school teachers perceive the
effectiveness of French language teaching?"
Methodological: Explore the research process or tools used.
Example: "Are fieldnotes an effective method for studying code-
switching in migrant workers' conversations?"
Theoretical: Involve developing or applying theoretical frameworks.
Example: "What theoretical framework best explains Hong Kong
children’s English writing development?"
While empirical questions are most common, methodological and
theoretical questions can add depth, especially if the approach is
innovative.
The number of research questions depends on the
project's scope and feasibility. Start with many
questions, then narrow down to those that can be
thoroughly addressed within available resources (time,
data, effort). Some questions may be too broad or
resource-intensive (e.g., global studies or long-term data
collection) and should be sacrificed to ensure depth and
focus. Removing unmanageable questions strengthens
the study and can inspire future research. Prioritize
quality over quantity
In linguistic and applied linguistic research, many research
questions focus on analyzing language itself, unlike the
examples in section 1.4, which didn’t require linguistic analysis.
For instance, sociolinguistic research might examine:
Language Use: Questions like "Is the use of 'be like' increasing
in British English?" or "Does its use vary by age or
gender?" focus on actual language patterns.
Perceptions of Language: Questions like "Is 'be like' perceived
as gendered?" or "Why is it perceived this way?" explore how
language is viewed by speakers.
Such questions guide data collection (e.g., recordings, surveys)
and analysis (e.g., frequency, perception studies), emphasizing
the importance of linguistic data in research.
 Implications of your research
questions for data,
data collection and analysis
Research questions shape data collection and analysis. For
example, "Are authentic materials more effective than
designed ones?" requires an experimental setup, while "How
do students construct femininity in conversations?" needs
natural talk recordings. Analysis depends on the theoretical
framework, ensuring alignment with research goals.

In short, questions guide data, methods, and analysis.

 Documenting your decisions in
your article, dissertation or thesis
When writing a dissertation or thesis, document all decisions related to your
research questions, data collection, and analysis. Use a table to summarize:

This helps organize your work and guides readers. Ensure each research question
has a rationale and shows originality (e.g., new context or approach).
Continuously refer to your research questions throughout the work, especially in
data collection, analysis, and discussion, to maintain focus and clarity.
 References
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