BADKE’S RESEARCH QUESTION SNAFUS

Which Is Your Poison? (Answer: None,

Hopefully)

GOOD RESEARCH QUESTIONS…

Are notably narrow in focus

Are action-oriented, goal-driven, and

research-inspiring

Are largely selfless and empathic—you do this

for the world’s benefit as much as your own

Center on the how and the why over the what

and the who

AND THE BAD…?

Miss the Mark. Let us count the ways…

THE ARROW THAT ISN’T THERE

THE BLUNT ARROW

THE TRIDENT (OR FORK)

THE FUZZY TIP

THE “SHIV”

PLAGIARISM

WERE YOU LISTENING?

Of what Badke error is the following

research question guilty?

What is the connection between the

Prohibition movement and the Suffrage

movement? Did Prohibition make alcoholism

worse in America, and if so, how?

+ RQ / Δ RQ ?

What are the implications of

human cloning for our

definition of a “person?”

Of which Badke error is the following

research question?

Does our posture affect how we feel

about ourselves?

Of which Badke error is the following research

question?

When is a satire go too far in terms of critiquing

society on serious issues, or is it just a way for

racists and bigots to keep getting away with their

prejudices, including a disclaimer at the

beginning?

+ RQ / ΔRQ

What is the best approach to

reducing homelessness in an

urban setting?

Of which Badke error is the following

research question?

How do literary devices work in

Dostoevsky’s novel The Brothers

Karamazov?

+ RQ / ΔRQ

How might a child’s ability or

inability to participate in regular

imaginative play affect his/her

critical problem-solving skills later

in life?

+ RQ / ΔRQ

If [Michael] Chandler is correct that

adolescent suicide is linked to loss of

persistent identity over time, can the

increasingly disruptive nature of modern

life be a factor in the growth of teenage

suicide?

+ RQ / ΔRQ

Who was the real John Brown?

+ RQ / ΔRQ

What were the political and social

reasons for creating Atlantic City?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Badke, William. Research Strategies (2nd Edition). iUniverse:

New York, 2004.

Chandler, M.J et al. (2003). Personal Persistence, Identity, and Suicide: A

Study of Native and Non-

Native North American Adolescents. Monographs for the Society of

Research in Child

Development, Vol. 68, No. 2. Available at: www.ccyp.wa.gov.au

www.diabetesmine.com (image)

www.jillclarkspeaks.com (image)

“Sample Research Questions.” Columbia University.

Available at: www.columbia.edu/itc/psychology/H2