CRITICAL THINKING RESEARCH QUESTIONS FRANCESCA GACHO PHD ABD
CRITICAL THINKING & RESEARCH QUESTIONS FRANCESCA GACHO, PHD (ABD) GRADUATE WRITING COACH ANNENBERG SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION FGACHO@USC. EDU | ANNENBERG. USC. EDU/GRADUATE-WRITING
§ Define § what we mean by “critical thinking” and “research questions/problems” § Learn § how to narrow a topic to a more manageable scope § Identify § steps to developing a research question for a possible topic or issue § Identify § strategies to formulate and strengthen research questions Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING? Critical thinking is careful, conscious, and skeptical thinking. Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
• Thinking • about the logic and method of our texts (whether we’re writing them or reading them), • Dealing • with texts from different perspectives • Recognizing • the different cultural, ideological, and cognitive frames we bring to understanding texts. • Reading • “outside” of the text & moving beyond understanding the message and to evaluating it Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
Knowing. Gathering and reporting information and displaying mastery of basic knowledge or course content. Knowing Understanding Applying Analyzing Creating Evaluating Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu Understanding. Using facts to predict, infer, order, compare. Using knowledge in different contexts. Applying. Using knowledge to solve problems or do something. Analyzing. Breaking down problems/data/facts and seeing patterns and components in order to understand the parts and how they fit together into a whole. Creating. Generalizing about facts/knowledge across more than one situation. Seeing larger relationships, creating new knowledge, and drawing conclusions. Evaluating. Assessing and making value judgments. Solving problems in an original way. Seeing from multiple perspectives and using sophisticated reasoning.
WHAT IS A RESEARCH QUESTION? A research question or problem is a clear, definite expression or statement about (1) an issue or concern, (2) a condition to be improved upon, (3) a difficulty to be eliminated, or (4) a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or within existing practices. Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
§ … needs meaningful understanding and deliberate investigations. § … does not offer a solution or how to do something, offer a vague or broad proposition, or present a value question. §. . . can be a direct question (How does race influence marketing? ) §. . . or can be an indirect question (This paper examines the role of race in marketing. ) Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
CRITICAL THINKING TO RESEARC H QUESTIO Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu Asking Questions
§ Step 1: Choose Your Topic § Step 2: Ask Yourself Questions § What are Subtopics in this broad research topic? § What’s interesting to me? § Who is my audience? § What does the assignment require? § Step 3: Gather information § You can gather information from two types of sources: your reference sources and general reference sources. § Reference sources can help you identify potential research topics and give you an introduction to major works & key authors § General Reference sources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, general information websites like Wikipedia. They provide overview of topic and are not often cited. They can also help you define terms and concepts as background knowledge. Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
§ Start broad and slowly narrow § Different source types = different uses § Wikipedia, academic blogs, & online summaries: Good for introductory knowledge; not always credible sources for academic writing § Textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias: Good, reliable (though sometimes dated) information especially if you’re looking at established theories or concepts § Scholarly journals and articles: Good for citations and support; might be too specific and detailed for a brainstorming session Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
§ Activity pt. 1: Brainstorm as many key terms in one minute. § Begin with 2 -3 terms (avoid long phrases) § Think of terms that databases might likely use: both technical and general terms. § Use synonyms (and be concise) § Activity pt. 2: Use the library database to help find sources. § Our goal is to get a brief overview of what's being discussed about this topic. § http: //libraries. usc. edu Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
§ ASK § Open-ended “how” and “why” questions about your general topic. § ASK ABOUT: • the history of your topic • the structure and composition of your topic • how your topic is categorized • ask “what if? ” and other speculative questions • ask questions that build on agreement with your sources • ask questions that reflect disagreement with your sources Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
Verbs express actions or relationships between ideas. Avoid “All-About” Papers • Customer trust and brand crisis The impact of brand crisis on customer trust • Race and marketing the influence of race on marketing of household products. • “All-About” papers are ones that have a lot of information but it’s unclear to the reader how the information offers something new. • “All-About” papers are often the result of vague or broad RQs. Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
A topic is too broad if you can state it in 3 to 6 words • the importance of customer trust. • Leads to vague and broad RQ: Why is customer trust important? How important is customer trust? • the role of race in marketing campaign design. • Leads to broad RQ: How does race play in marketing campaign design? Why does race place a role in marketing campaign design? Narrow by selecting a focus • the importance of customer trust in the automotive industry • the role of race in marketing campaign design in pharmaceutics Narrow by adding condition, context, category, or problem • the problem of regaining customer trust after a crisis in the auto industry. • the role of racial stereotypes in marketing hypertension medication to consumers over 60. Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
Why conduct this research in the first place? 3 Steps: 1. Name Your Topic “I am trying to learn about (work on, studying) ________ 2. Add an indirect question “because I want to find out who/what/when/where/ whether/why/how _____” 3. Answer “So What? ” by motivating your question “in order for my reader to understand how, why, or whether _________” Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
Why conduct this research in the first place? 3 Steps: 1. Name Your Topic “I am trying to learn about the presence of racial stereotypes in marketing hypertension medicine to consumers over 60 …” 2. Add an indirect question “because I want to find out how certain images, messages, and intentions might influence their likelihood to purchase … ” 3. Answer “So What? ” by motivating your question “in order for my reader to understand how pharmaceutical marketing may be inadvertently perpetuating racist images and messages. ” Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
Indirect RQ: This study examined the (1) presence of racial stereotypes in marketing hypertension medicine to consumers over 60. It aimed to find out (2) how potentially stereotypical images and messages used by marketers might influence consumers’ likelihood to purchase. In doing so, this study hopes to explain (3) how pharmaceutical marketing may be inadvertently perpetuating racist images and messages. Direct RQ: This study answers the following research question: (1) How does the presence of racial stereotypes in hypertension medicine advertisements aimed at consumers over 60 years old (2) influence their decision to purchase? By finding out how such images and messages are received by consumers, this study hopes to better understand (3) how pharmaceutical marketing may be inadvertently perpetuating racist images and messages. Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
REFINING YOUR RESEARC H QUESTION Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu Clarifying for yourself how to proceed
§ A PRACTICAL RESEARCH PROBLEM § Is a problem caused by some condition in the world that makes us unhappy because it costs time, respect, security, pain, etc. § The solution is an action that eliminates the cause of the problem or ameliorates its costs. § A CONCEPTUAL RESEARCH PROBLEM § Is a problem that arises simply because we do not understand something about the world as well as we would like. § This problem is solved by answering a question that helps us understand it better. Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
PRIMARY SECONDARY § Primary Questions are open-ended questions and they typically begins with “how” or “why. ” These are what the entirety of the paper will address. § Secondary Questions are questions that can be answered by facts. These will be answered along the way in support of the primary question. Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
SECONDARY PRIMARY § An example of a Primary Question is: How can healthcare providers use digital media to reach underrepresented populations at high-risk for diabetes? § An example of Secondary Questions are: What are the underrepresented populations that suffer the most from diabetes? What are their digital media habits? Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
SECONDARY PRIMARY § An example of a primary question in a humanities-style paper is: § How does incivility as a strategy relate to power and domination, particularly from the president of the United States and online? § Secondary questions might include: § What are the conditions that contribute to the prevalence of incivility? What are the implications of incivility when it is used by a “speaker” with tremendous political power? Bratslavsky, L. , Carpenter, N. , & Zompetti, J. (2020). Twitter, incivility, and presidential communication: A theoretical incursion into spectacle and power. Cultural Studies 34(4), 593 -624. Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
HYPOTHESIS § Your primary RQ should be specific and focused enough to allow you to hypothesize. § How can healthcare providers use digital media to reach underrepresented populations at high-risk for diabetes? § Healthcare providers can mostly likely reach high-risk underrepresented populations for diabetes through social media posts and You. Tube ads. § How does incivility as a strategy relate to power and domination, particularly from the president of the United States and online? § The idea of spectacle likely plays a large role in how incivility manifests on Twitter, which elite users might be using to legitimate power and advance their own political agendas. Bratslavsky, L. , Carpenter, N. , & Zompetti, J. (2020). Twitter, incivility, and presidential communication: A theoretical incursion into spectacle and power. Cultural Studies 34(4), 593 -624. Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
§ Is your research question clear? § With so much research available on any given topic, research questions must be as clear as possible in order to be effective in helping the writer direct their research. § Is your research question focused? § Research questions must be specific enough to be well covered in the space available. § Is your research question complex? § Research questions should not be answerable with a simple “yes” or “no” or by easily- found facts. They should, instead, require both research and analysis on the part of the writer. Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
• NOT THIS: Why are social networking sites harmful? • BUT THIS: How are online users experiencing or addressing privacy issues on such social networking sites as Snapchat and Facebook? • NOT THIS: What is the effect on the environment from global warming? • BUT THIS: How is glacial melting affecting penguins in the Arctic Circle? • NOT THIS: What’s the relationship between Tik. Tok and youth activism? • BUT THIS: How do young adults use Tik. Tok to engage with activism? What strategies do young adults use to deliver entertaining and pointed social and political commentaries on Tik. Tok? Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
§ Name Your Topic “I am trying to learn about (work on, studying) ________ § Add an indirect question “because I want to find out who/what/when/where/ whether/why/how _____” § Answer “So What? ” by motivating your question “in order for my reader to understand how, why, or whether _________” Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
§ Evaluate your RQ: § Is it clear? Is it focused? Is it complex? § Begin brainstorming a hypothesis: § What is the possible/tentative answer to your research question? § How will you prove this? § What methods or sources will you use to prove this tentative answer? § Why is this answer and research question relevant? Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
Booth, W. , Colomb, G. , Williams, J. (2008). The Craft of Research, 3 rd Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. FOR FURTHER READING Bratslavsky, L. , Carpenter, N. , & Zompetti, J. (2020). Twitter, incivility, and presidential communication: A theoretical incursion into spectacle and power. Cultural Studies 34(4), 593624. DOI: 10. 1080/09502386. 2019. 1656760 Labaree, R. (2020). “The Research Problem/Question. ” Organizing Your Social Sciences Paper. USC Library Guides. http: //libguides. usc. edu/writingguide/introduction/r esearchproblem University Writing Center. “Critical Thinking. ” Texas A&M University. https: //writingcenter. tamu. edu/Faculty/Instruction/ Critical-Thinking “What is Critical Thinking? ” Massey University. http: //owll. massey. ac. nz/study-skills/what-iscritical-thinking. php Francesca Gacho, Graduate Writing Coach, fgacho@usc. edu
CRITICAL THINKING & RESEARCH QUESTIONS FRANCESCA GACHO, PHD (ABD) GRADUATE WRITING COACH ANNENBERG SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION FGACHO@USC. EDU | ANNENBERG. USC. EDU/GRADUATE-WRITING
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