Developing a Research Question

This blog post will mark the start of Project #2. In this post, I will develop and explore possible research topics for this next assignment, in relation to my major. I will list off several research questions that I am interested in and would like to provide an answer to.

Going back to Project #1, I am going to be answering the following question: "What kinds of public debates and arguments are taking place in my field or discipline?"

Got Credit. "Education." 03/16/15 via Flickr.
Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

In the education field, there are a lot of current "hot" debates or topics in the news. Some include:

• cost of university tuition
• salary of educational professionals
• international American schooling
• Standardized testing (specifically: Common Core)
• college ratings
• sexual assault at universities
• nutritional value in school lunches

Personally, I find most of the topics surrounding universities to be the most interesting. Here are some potential research questions that I would consider using:

1) How has the cost of tuition for universities affected the number of students attending colleges?

• most interesting to me--it is getting to be more and more expensive, and their does not seem to be any stop to it in the near future
• I am worried and nervous about it, so I myself am eager to know the answer.
• related question: Will the cost of tuition continue to rise in the next few years? Why or why not?

2) How will the implementation of college ratings affect universities and the students who attend them? What is the overall purpose? 

• This may be a really broad question, but I am interested in knowing just what the definition of this is. 
• Also, this is a very current topic that is spearheading now, so I would like to know what this could mean in the future for me as a student.

3) Has the low salary of teachers and professors affected the quality of education? If so, how?

• I have always been interested in this topic, mainly because I have always wanted to become a teacher, despite the low salary.
• Like any other career, the lack of motivation and incentive is normally caused by a low pay-grade. 
• If the teachers are not being paid very much, how motivated are they to teach, and to teach thoughtfully and purposefully?
• Also, as the price of living is going up in certain cities and areas, is the salary for teachers also increasing? If not, then how are they expected to be able to teach in that area?

I find these three topics the most interesting out of my list, but the third one is the topic I am most passionate about. If I have the choice, I will most likely choose this option as my research topic.

--Jenny Bello