A research project always has one or more research questions. First, it is important to realize that the research question is closely connected to the research purpose. Whether you are performing exploratory, descriptive or explanatory research influences the type of research question that best fits the research project. 

• Exploratory questions are useful to get a preliminary understanding of a topic about which little is known yet.

• Descriptive questions can be applied to document a more detailed picture of the topic or phenomenon 

• Explanatory questions help to explain the causal forces behind the phenomenon (Neuman, 2014; Qualtrics, n.d.). 

 

Furthermore, qualitative research questions usually focus on examining certain phenomena, meanings and experiences, while quantitative research questions generally address quantities, similarities and differences, and investigate whether relationships between variables exist (Qualtrics, n.d.). The most important thing to remember that a research question needs to be answerable with the chosen method and the collected data. 

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References

Neuman, W. L. (2014). Basics of social research: Qualitative & quantitative approaches (Third edition, Pearson new international edition). Pearson.

 

Qualtrics. (n.d.). How to write qualitative research questions. Retrieved May 18, 2023, from https://www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/research/qualitative-research-question/