Becoming a Researcher in Art Education: Forming Research Questions

Abstract

This is the second part of a four-part series of editorials concerning the development of research skills by early career researchers in art education. It focuses on the questions that are used to frame the inquiry on which theory is based and best practices are built. Considering how much art education takes place in the world, the field is remarkably under-theorized, which makes the serious consideration of research questions of great importance.In forming research questions, it is important to remember that research in art education is about both art and social science; therefore, it is a process of social inquiry. Different social stances result in different interpretive perspectives, regardless of claims to objectivism. Often, the most seemingly objective stance is merely the one based on the most pervasive perspective. All educational research topics are studied from a particular perspective, and the form chosen to articulate a research question can reveal the perspective from which it came.With that said, research questions carry with them an assumption of closeness between that which will be studied and the story eventually told about it. As a result, research questions need to be clear. When questions are unfocused, the research pathway lacks direction. Clear research intentions are critical in determining appropriate research methods.Research questions should be answerable. Although good questions often lead to other questions, they must also lead to inquiry that can end in some conclusive results, given the resources available. A difficult part of creating a research question is finding the right scope to balance breadth and depth in order to make the research manageable. Inappropriate research questions may be too big to be completed in a single project or too small to be important.A critical issue concerns the relevance of research questions to research and theory development in the professional field and, often, to educational practice. Some questions are simply not pertinent at a particular time or in a particular place. Although some research questions are intended to replicate previous results, questions may have already been answered in the field, and the next questions leading from them are those that should be studied.Most important, good research questions are those significant enough to study. In a way, doing research is a type of social service; a research question should be worth the time and effort it takes to answer it, not only in terms of individual endeavor, but in terms of its service to the professional community. …