Free Lesson · Senior High: Writing a Good Research Question

Free sample lesson · Grades 11–12 Research · about 45 minutes
No login needed. A real lesson in the FI weekly format.

Goal

I can judge whether a research question is good and rewrite a weak question into one that is clear, focused and researchable.

1. Warm-up

Which is easier to answer in one school year: “Is social media bad?” or “How many hours a day do Grade 11 students in our school spend on TikTok on school nights?” Why?

2. Learn: five checks for a good research question

1. Clear — the words mean one thing (avoid “bad”, “good”, “a lot”).
2. Focused — names who, what and, if needed, where and when.
3. Researchable — you can collect data to answer it with the time and tools you have.
4. Relevant — the answer is useful to someone.
5. Ethical — answering it does not harm or embarrass participants.

3. Worked example

Weak: “Do students like online learning?”
Problems: “students” is too broad; “like” is vague; no time or place.
Stronger: “What are the main challenges Grade 11 online learners at Filipino Institute report in completing weekly tasks during the first term?”
Why it works: it names the group, the topic (challenges in weekly tasks) and the time, and it can be answered with a short survey.

4. Practice: improve these questions

1. “Is fast food unhealthy?”
2. “Why are OFW families different?”
3. “Does exercise help?”

Show sample answers

1. “How often do Grade 11 students in our barangay eat fast food each week, and what reasons do they give?”
2. “How do children of OFW parents in Grades 7–10 in our school describe the effect of video calls on their study habits?”
3. “Is there a relationship between minutes of exercise per day and self-reported sleep quality among Senior High students in our class?”

Other good answers are possible — check each one against the five checks.

5. Your turn

Choose a topic you care about. Write one research question and test it against all five checks. Then write one sentence on how you would collect the data (survey, interview, observation or measurement).

6. Reflect

Which of the five checks was hardest for your question, and how did you fix it?

---

Like this lesson? Enrolled FI Senior High learners get a full week of lessons in every subject, with teacher feedback in My FI. Enrolment is open all year.
Enrol or reserve a slot · See fees · More free lessons · Questions: [email protected]