Choosing a Topic and Developing

Research Questions Introduction Selecting and evaluating a topic Developing research questions Talk About It Your Turn

Tech Tools in this presentation• RSS• Bloglines

You’ve been assigned a research paper, and you’ve chosen a subject that’s interesting to you.

Introduction

How do you figure out what part of your subject to research? There are so many possibilities!

You need to focus.

Narrow your subject to a specific topic that is suitable for research.

One way to break a broad subject into separate topics is to use a mind map.

Introduction

VIDEO GAMES

popularity

culturalinfluence

production

gaming systems

design technology

Selecting and evaluating a topic

However, it’s very important to make sure the information you find online is current.

The Internet can be a valuable tool when you’re looking for the most up-to-date information on your topic.

How do we know this information is current?

Instead of you finding updates, the updates find you!

Tech Tool: RSSRSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) keeps you up to date on new Web content. It displays a headline on your desktop whenever a Web site to which you have subscribed is updated. You can use RSS to gather information on topics that you are considering for your research.

Tech Tool: RSSOne way to view your RSS feeds—information about the sites to which you have subscribed—is to use a feed reader. A feed reader will manage your feeds in the same way that an e-mail account manages e-mail messages.

Like e-mails, the information you are researching is delivered automatically to your reader as it is updated.

Tech Tool: Bloglines

Bloglines is a free site that helps you locate items of interest in blogs, Web sites, and more by using an RSS feed.

To set up an RSS feed, go to a feed reader such as Bloglines.

Video games

• Cultural influences

• Technology

• Gaming systems

Use the ideas generated from your research to create keywords, and then search for those keywords with Bloglines.

Tech Tool: BloglinesWith a Bloglines account, you can search for the information you are interested in much as you would search with a search engine.

Bloglines will return a list of sites that you can explore.

Copy and paste the URL into the Bloglines search box.

Tech Tool: BloglinesSearch the sites, and identify ones that supply RSS feeds by looking for the orange RSS symbol.

The site will then notify your Bloglines account when an update has been made.

Selecting and evaluating a topicAfter you settle on a narrow topic you must evaluate

your topic to make sure that it is suitable for research. Ask these questions:

Q: Is the topic narrow enough to be researched effectively?

Topic: video games’ effect on society

A: This topic is both narrow and objective.

Q: Is the topic objective rather than subjective?

Q: Are enough different sources on the topic readily available?

Selecting and evaluating a topic

A: I’ve located several books, articles, and Web sources that have information on video games, so I know I’ve picked a good topic.

Choosing a topic that is very recent or technical may make it difficult to find appropriate sources.

General question Specific research question

Working with specific research questions will make it easier to find useful information when you research.

Developing research questions

How have video games influenced American culture?

Following are some general questions you can use as a guide to formulate specific questions for your topic.

What is the general question, and how can you define it?

What are the topic’s parts, and how do they work together?

How has violence in video games influenced American culture?

How has the topic changed over time?

Developing research questions

How has the rapid growth of video game technology affected American culture?

General question Specific research question

How is the topic similar to or different from related topics?

Developing research questions

How does the influence of video games on American culture compare to the effects of other recent technologies?

General question Specific research question

What are the topic’s advantages and disadvantages?

Developing research questions

What are the positive and negative influences of video games on American culture?

vs.

General question Specific research question

Finding your focus is the key to success. Once you’ve narrowed down your topic and research questions, the fun can begin!

Conclusion

Talk About It Discuss these questions with your classmates.

4. Have you ever used RSS feeds before? If so, what are some tips you would give others? If not, what are some questions you have about RSS feeds?

1. In this lesson, the student chose to research video games. What are some other possible research topics that are relevant to teenagers today?

2. How can the topics generated in question 1 be narrowed into specific, objective research questions?

3. How can you use a Bloglines account to get the most up-to-date information on these questions?

Your TurnUse a piece of paper or a computer to follow these steps:

2. Create a concept map to narrow the subject into topics.

3. Select a topic from the map and use the questions from this lesson to evaluate it.• Is it narrow?• Is it objective?• Are sources readily available?

1. Select a broad subject that interests you.

4. Write three specific research questions that describe exactly what you want to learn.

The End