Module 3 – Developing a Participatory Research Question
The importance of a good question
Curiosity is a wonderful thing. It helps us to notice the world around us and to seek ways to understand our world and the people in it. An important first step in making the kind of change we want to see in the world is to ask questions and to try to recognize how we understand it, but also how other people understand it. Deciding on the right question to ask is a critical first step in trying to make a change. As Einstein once said, “if I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes”.
Setting a question collaboratively
Within YPAR, setting your question collaboratively with your community is important. It means you can draw on the wisdom of the group and also bring in more diverse voices. When looking at a topic like the environment, everyone has an interest in this, so everyone’s voice should count. By setting up your question with your community, you are also more likely to have them support you in finding ways to meaningfully answer the question.
Considering your team and your community
When designing YPAR, you need to decide on who your community is and also who your team is. These groups will be important throughout the research process, beginning with setting the research question, if not before.
Good research questions
There are so many good questions that it would be good to have answered about the environment. In setting a good research question it is important to set a question that is feasible and can be reasonably answered in the time, and with the resources, you have.
Once you have your overarching research question, you can create sub-questions and you can ask a range of questions when you are collecting your information, but these should all feed into one central question. One of the most common issues young researchers find is that their questions are too broad or ambitious, so consider if you can narrow your focus. Don’t worry if you need to go back and adjust your question a few times. This is a normal part of the process of refining a good question.
Here are a few questions to test if you have a good question:
- Does it serve its purpose?
- Is it what your community wants to know?
- Is it manageable?
- Has it been checked by a research ethics board or a group of trusted adults?
Video
How can we practice?
Think about:
- What is the question or area of interest you want to ask?
- What are you trying to achieve?
- Who is on your team or in your community?
Reflection Exercise on Research Questions
Either on your own, with your team, or with your community, think about the questions you most want answered. It may also be good to keep a journal of your answers or create a visual map.
List these questions or draw them.
Now think about more specific questions based on these questions and prioritize them
Choose one or two questions with your community and think about the following questions:
- Does it serve its purpose?
- Is it what your community wants to know?
- Is it manageable?
Where can we find out more?
There are a range of resources on designing YPAR and each will cover material on forming good questions Here is one example, with a guide to forming questions on pages 20-25:
Barry Checkoway & Katie Richards-Schuster (n.d.). Participatory Evaluation With Young People. https://www.participatorymethods.org/sites/participatorymethods.org/files/participatory%20evaluation%20with%20young%20people_Checkoway.pdf
