Closed questions are ones that can be answered with a single word (e.g. yes, no, Churchill, 1943, etc.). A great key question starts with either 'what', 'why', or 'how'. 3. Base it on a historical knowledge skill Make your question focus on one of the historical knowledgeskills in history.
What are some examples of historical inquiry?
These are examples of historical questions, or what we might call historical inquiry. Historical questions are often complex. They ask things like how, why, or to what extent? Sometimes they ask the about the relationship between two phenomena. To answer such questions, it would be necessary to do research.
What makes a good history question?
A good question leads to the understanding that its response is part of a larger conversation that’s been taking place among historians and/or the public. It leads to the desire to explain oneself, to elaborate, and to the recognition that a simple answer will not suffice.
What is a key inquiry question in research?
Key Inquiry Question. The Key Inquiry Question is the question that your research is aiming to answer. At the beginning of the research process, you know very little about the topic at hand. However, you need to be clear about what you are trying to discover. By reducing your focus down to a single Key Inquiry Question,...
What makes a good question in a research paper?
If you can answer a research question with little to no research, then it doesn’t make a good question. As mentioned earlier, a research paper is all about interpreting a problem based on comprehensive research. Also, a good research question should contribute or provide new information about the topic.

What is a historical inquiry question?
Historical inquiry is an active process which enables students to question, analyse, interpret, explain and communicate their understanding of the past. Exposure to valid interpretations and perspectives using sound evidence gathered from primary and secondary sources enhances the investigative process.
What makes a good inquiry question?
Arguable - resists simplistic answers. Complex - resists yes/no answers and elicits complex responses. Specific in language - resists vague or undefined words.
What are five characteristics of an effective inquiry question?
Here are some of the most essential characteristics of a good question.Relevant. A good question is relevant. ... Clear. A good question is framed in a clear, easily understandable language, without any vagueness. ... Concise. ... Purposeful. ... Guiding But Not Leading. ... Stimulates Thinking. ... Single-Dimensional.
How do you write an historical inquiry?
The Process of Historical Inquiry:Choose a time period or theme.Narrow your inquiry to a specific topic or event.Do background research to get an overview.Develop your essential question.Gather your sources.Work with each source:Corroborate the evidence across sources.Put it all together: make your argument.
What are the 2 kinds of questions while making inquiries?
There are two main types of question: those that can be answered yes or no, and those that have to be answered with a specific piece of information or a sentence such as I don't know. Each type of question has its own special word order.
What are the 4 elements of inquiry-based learning?
The Core Structure of Inquiry-Based LearningOrientation/Observation. The teacher introduces a new topic or concept. ... Question/Conceptualize. Students develop questions related to the topic, make predictions, and hypothesize.Investigation. This is the lengthiest part of inquiry learning. ... Conclusion. ... Discussion/Sharing.
What are the 5 examples of inquiry-based learning?
5 Examples of Inquiry Based LearningInquiry Planning. Student planning is the first phase of the inquiring-learning process. ... Information Retrieving. Students should think about the information they have currently and the information that they still need. ... Project Processing. ... Creativity Skills. ... Project Sharing.
What are the ten factors of effective questioning?
Instead, consider introducing these effective questioning strategies.Wait time. Once you have asked your question, allow adequate wait time before taking answers from pupils – they need time to consider their responses.No hands up. ... No opt out. ... Say it again, better. ... Probing. ... Pepper. ... Think-pair-share. ... Whole-class response.More items...•
What are some historical inquiry skills?
What Skills Should You Have When You Leave a History Class?Chronological Thinking. Chronological thinking is at the heart of historical reasoning. ... Historical Comprehension. ... Historical Analysis and Interpretation. ... Historical Research Skills. ... Historical Issues--Analysis and Decision-Making.
What are the critical skills of historical inquiry?
What are historical skills? The historical skills of comprehension, chronology, terms and concepts; analysis and use of sources; perspectives and interpretations; empathetic interpretation, research and explanation and communication are described for each stage of learning in the history K-10 syllabus.
How do you do inquiry skills questions?
How To Teach Effective Questioning Skills for Inquiry-Based...Start with the basics. Recap the Q-Matrix and how to generate deep questions. ... Use a provocation. ... Brainstorm a few examples. ... Group Chats. ... Examples of Simple “Tweaks” to Steer Students To Asking Deeper Questions: ... Related Reading:
What are examples of inquiry?
The definition of an inquiry is a question or an investigation. An example of inquiry is a policeman interrogating a crime suspect. The act of inquiring. Search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; as, physical inquiries.
What are some historical questions?
Historical questions are often complex. They ask things like how, why, or to what extent? Sometimes they ask the about the relationship between two phenomena.
Why are historians important?
Historians play a vital role in society. They are the people who uncover and explain the past. They describe to us what the past was like so that we can understand and learn from it. We know what happened at the Battle of Lexington and Concord because historians have researched it, allowing it to become accepted fact.
What is historical methodology?
Historical methodology is the process by which historians gather evidence and formulate ideas about the past. So, what we need to remember is that history involves more than just recall. It is more than memorizing dates and names. It involves critical thinking and analysis. It involves tracing cause and effect.
What is the difference between historical methodology and biographies?
Biographies are a common secondary source. An interpretation is one particular perspective , or view , about the past. Historical methodology is the process by which historians gather evidence and formulate ideas about the past. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Create your account.
Why is the scientific method important?
The scientific method serves as a guide in this endeavor. The scientific method is a process of investigation used to arrive at a truth. It involves acquiring new knowledge or correcting and integrating previous knowledge.
What degree do you need to be a history major?
If you major in history in most colleges, you will receive a B.S., a bachelor's degree in science. In fact, in most schools, history is referred to as 'social science.'. As scientists, historians have to abide by certain 'rules.'. They can't just make things up. The history they write must be based on evidence.
Is history considered scientific?
For example, sometimes two historians can examine the same exact evidence and arrive at different interpretations. When that happens, sometimes one interpretation 'wins out' and becomes accepted, while other times, the two interpretations remain as rival views. So, while history is considered 'scientific,' there is also a subjective element present at times. But that is a whole other lesson!
How do you create a Key Inquiry Question?
An interrogative is a question word. Here are some common interrogatives with which you can start a Key Inquiry Question:
Why is it important to reduce focus down to a key inquiry question?
By reducing your focus down to a single Key Inquiry Question, it will help you to avoid wasting time on needless research, but also help you tell if your research has ultimately been successful.
What is a closed question?
Closed questions are ones that can be answered with a single word (e.g. yes, no, Churchill, 1943, etc.). Most 'closed questions' start with the interrogatives 'does', 'did', 'was' or 'are'. A great key question starts with either 'what', 'why', or 'how'.
What do you need to be clear about in research?
At the beginning of the research process, you need to be clear about what you are trying to discover as a result of your research. To create a focus to drive your research, you are required to create a Key Inquiry Question.
What is the purpose of assessing the accuracy of someone else's hypothesis?
This kind of task will require you to look at all of the arguments being made and test these arguments based upon what your sources tell you. This is a great way of working out whether someone's claim about the past is trustworthy, or if the are simply manipulating the facts.
How to write a historical event?
Write three hypotheses and answer all of them. Make up an answer the create a question to answer it. Assess the accuracy of someone else's hypothesis. Write a narrative of the historical event.
How to limit your topic?
Limit your topic by mentioning specific historical information, including people, times, places or concepts.
When studying history, do we need to analyze things?
When studying history, we need to analyze things on their terms, not ours. Put ourselves in their shoes (Empathy). We want to avoid presentism (viewing the past through the lens of today)
What is a whole book on history?
Whole books on history are an answer to just one historical question (and that question is NOT "What happened at this time?")
What is a good research question?
It may fit all the above criteria, but if the writer does not find it interesting, then they won’t explore it exhaustively. But if the author likes it, then they will have a reason to ensure the reader is well-informed about it by using all facts they know about it, or they can find.
What is it like to write a research paper without a research question?
Writing a research paper without a good research question is like asking a librarian for a book. The library is full of books so without specifying what type of book you want or the topic it’s on they’ll have no idea what you want. Use the following tips to develop a good RQ; Select an interesting general topic.
Why do you reframe value based questions?
This is essentially because they can be manipulated to align with one’s opinion instead of research . The good news is that you can always reframe value-based questions, so they become objective, and make good research questions. For instance, in the case, if “should euthanasia be legalized” you may reframe the question to “discuss the social and ethical implications of legalizing euthanasia for the terminally ill?”
What is a research paper?
A research paper is an extended essay that presents your argument or interpretation of a problem. It should be based on the in-depth exploration of curriculum books, journals, interviews and legitimate internet sites. What this means is that instead of being value or opinion-based, a good research question is objective. It is based on extensive data and not personal opinion. For instance, questions such as “should euthanasia for the terminally ill be legalized, or should gun laws be implemented?” make good questions for an argumentative essay but not a research paper.
What is a good RQ?
A good RQ requires comprehensive researching and an exhaustive analysis of ideas. Also, it should be debatable. The facts and opinions you use to address the RQ should create room for further discussions in future. For example, the question.
Is a potential RQ objective?
A potential RQ may be objective, but if it cannot be answered using existing data or if data cannot be collected on it, then you should avoid using it. For instance, although the question “does life exist in planet Venus” is objective, it does not make a good research question because there’s no existing information about life in planet Venus yet.
Is a research question a good question?
If you can answer a research question with little to no research, then it doesn’t make a good question. As mentioned earlier, a research paper is all about interpreting a problem based on comprehensive research. Also, a good research question should contribute or provide new information about the topic. So, if the answers to your research question ...
What is a good research question?
One of the most important aspects of a good research question is that it must be unique to you. Therefore, you have to think of a question that no one else has researched or a question that has not been researched in the specific way you are proposing. Once you have narrowed down your list of questions, check prominent publications in your field to make sure that previous researchers haven't already explored it. If you find papers or studies that are similar but not identical to yours, note the author (s) and publication (s) in case you want to use them as possible sources.
How to make a research question for a topic in the liberal arts?
If you are creating a research question for a topic in the liberal arts field, there will probably not be existing quantifiable data in previous publications. Instead, make sure that you can argue your position in a knowledgeable and informed manner. Look for passages in the text that support your argument and search for quotes from other researchers that you can cite to strengthen your argument.
What is qualitative research?
Qualitative research questions tend to be open-ended questions that explore people's experiences or beliefs to better understand a topic. These questions usually begin with "what" or "how," and they aim to generate information that is difficult to measure, such as people's attitudes, perceptions, or motivations.
Can a question be answered in one sentence?
A good research question cannot be answered in one sentence, and it certainly can't be answered in just one word.
What is an inquiry lesson?
Inquiry lessons introduce students to the "doing" of history. Through using evidence to investigate historical questions, students are given the opportunity to see that history is not just a collection of facts, but rather a rigorously constructed set of arguments. As students encounter new and in some cases contradictory evidence, they are asked to reconsider their initial views, learning that interpretations of the past can change based on the available historical evidence.
What is the purpose of the first document?
The first document, or set of documents, should confirm students' initial hypotheses, which are often similar to ideas presented in the textbook's narrative or media portrayals of the past. The second round of sources should contradict or challenge the ideas from the documents that the students previously encountered.
What is hypothesis revision?
Each session of analyzing evidence is followed by a hypothesis-revision session in which you help students examine their hypotheses, remove those hypothesis that are no longer supported by the data, and add new hypotheses as warranted.
What is Stanford History Education Group?
The Stanford History Education Group, located at the nation's leading School of Education, engages in projects at the forefront of how students learn history. Our staff have decades of history teaching experience in high school, middle school, and elementary school classrooms.
Who said it is not fair to discriminate?
There is also a graphic organizer that accompanies the lesson. The first document in this lesson, a speech by Roosevelt, provides an answer likely held by several students, "it is not fair to discriminate.".
Why is it important to have a research question?
A good research question is essential to guide your research paper, project or thesis. It pinpoints exactly what you want to find out and gives your work a clear focus and purpose. All research questions should be:
What should a research question be based on?
The research question should be developed based on initial reading around your topic, and it should focus on addressing a problem or gap in the existing knowledge.
How many questions are there in a research question?
Depending on the scope of your research, you may identify just one question or several. You may also have one primary research question and several secondary questions or sub-questions that relate to the same problem.
What is the thesis statement in a research paper?
The answer that you develop is your thesis statement — the central assertion or position that your paper will argue for. In a bigger research project, such as a thesis or dissertation, you might have multiple research questions, ...
What to do if data is impossible to access?
If such data is impossible to access, you will have to rethink your question and ask something more concrete. Does not ask for a subjective value judgement. Avoid subjective words like good, bad, better and worse, as these do not give clear criteria for answering the question.
What is a feasible answer?
Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints. Specific enough to answer thoroughly. Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis. Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly. In a research paper or essay, you will usually write a single research question to guide your reading ...
What should a question aim to contribute to?
The question should aim to contribute to an existing debate — ideally one that is current in your field or in society at large. It should produce knowledge that future researchers or practitioners can build on.
