A good qualitative research question

Researchers, according to Agee (440), should match their zeal and ambitions with the study issue. When one has a straightforward roadmap of the path they want their study to go, it is much easier to create a research topic (Baglione 48). The researcher should create explanations and justifications for performing the study, which provides a good starting point for analysis (Craig 40). Following the development of the study’s goals, the researcher can engage in thorough reading to learn what other people have written on the same subject (Roisin, Dallat, and Fitzmaurice 93). The research question should hence aim at enhancing the existing research, opposing the findings, or filling some gaps (Service 615). A good qualitative research question should be investigative with the aim of seeking for a solution or raise a discussion (Koro-Ljungberg, Mirka, and Hayes 30). It is hence imperative that the question addresses a broad subject that can, later on, be narrowed down into a single concept.

The research question should provide more than one response, and it is hence important that the researcher can find prior studies conducted on the same subject (Catherine, Ziebland, and Mays 114). It is also important that the research question is not too broad which again makes it difficult for the researcher to narrow it down and establish conclusive findings (Sullivan 452). A good research question should be able to serve the interest of the researcher and other people. It is hence important that the research topic addresses societal issues and those that have the potential of improving the society and their livelihoods (White 36). A research question also ought to be subjective so that the researcher can make good interpretations based on the results and data gathered during the research process (Golafshani 600). The research question should also have a purpose which can be achieved through the research (Fielding 24). Finally, a good research question should be easy to understand and open-ended to enable the researcher to develop enough content on the subject.

Part Two

Prevalence of obesity and overweight in housewives and its relation with household activities and socio-economic status

This research article discusses the prevalence of obesity among housewives in India (Saboo, Banshi, et al, 20). Women are more predisposed to weight gain due to their inactivity. The article begins by looking at the predisposing factors to obesity in women which includes weight gained after childbirth, unhealthy eating and lack of exercises (Saboo, et al, 20). In particular, most housewives seemed to be content in their lifestyles and hence put a little effort in regulating their weight. Obesity is attributed to various lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Excess weight may be difficult to control if not well regulated, and hence there is a need to ensure that one checks their health status periodically. According to the article, rapid urbanization contributes to the weight gain among women due to the acquired sedentary lifestyles in the city, especially in India (Saboo, et al, 20). The aim of this research paper was to find a connection between obesity in housewives and their activity levels in Ahmedabad City in India. The study gathered data by categorizing the participants in their social classes, and the body mass index was used to evaluate whether a person was obese or not.

This research article qualifies to be a good research question because it gives way to an analysis of the data acquired during the study. The research question also enables the reader to understand the aim of the survey which in this case is to find the relationship between the women’s activity rate and obesity. Finally, the research question is objective and hence allows the researcher to gather unbiased information and later summarize it logically.

Works Cited

Agee, Jane. “Developing qualitative research questions: a reflective process.” International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 22.4 (2009): 431-447.

Baglione, Lisa A. Writing a Research Paper in Political Science: A Practical Guide to Inquiry, Structure, and Methods. ,2015.

Craig, Dorothy V. Action Research Essentials. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass, 2009.

Donnelly, Roisin, John Dallat, and Marian Fitzmaurice. Supervising and Writing a Good Undergraduate Dissertation. Sharjah: Bentham Science Publishers, 2013. Donnelly,

Fielding, Nigel G. Sage Handbook of Online Research Methods. SAGE Publications, 2016.

Golafshani, Nahid. “Understanding reliability and validity in qualitative research.” The qualitative report 8.4 (2003): 597-606.

Koro-Ljungberg, Mirka, and Sharon Hayes. “Proposing an Argument for Research Questions that Could Create Permeable Boundaries within Qualitative Research.” Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research 4.3 (2010).

Pope, Catherine, Sue Ziebland, and Nicholas Mays. “Analysing qualitative data.” British medical journal 320.7227 (2000): 114.

Saboo, Banshi, et al. “Prevalence of obesity and overweight in housewives and its relation with household activities and socio-economic status.” Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Research 1.1 (2014): 20.

Service, Robert W. “Book Review: Corbin, J., & Strauss, A.(2008). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.” Organizational Research Methods 12.3 (2009): 614-617.

Sullivan, Gail M., and Joan Sargeant. “Qualities of qualitative research: part I.” (2011): 449-452.

White, Patrick. Developing research questions: A guide for social scientists. Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.