Developing Research Questions: A method for transforming a question into a problem statement

In this research to practice paper, the results of an approach for transforming topic ideas into questions for developing a research problem statement are presented. The purpose of this study is to assess students' understanding of the research problem they pose to address. The goal is to motivate students to think beyond their own interests in the topic and consider the interests of a broader audience. An Activity Worksheet Method for transforming questions to a problem statement was developed. The worksheet asks students to articulate if the problem they plan to address is a practical or a conceptual problem. In this paper we present results from undergraduates who used the activity worksheet method to transform questions to a research problem statement. The main research question is "How do students perceive the usability of the Activity Worksheet Method for developing problem statements?" The activity worksheet was completed by 41 students enrolled in two sections of an undergraduate data visualization course in the Department of Computer Graphics Technology at Purdue University. After completing the worksheet, students were asked to provide feedback on the usability of the worksheet. Results show 68% of students responded positively when questioned on the usability of the worksheet. The responses were based on a 5-point Liker scale ranging from 1-5: Strongly Disagree (1), Disagree (2), Neutral (3), Agree (4) and Strongly Agree (5). The implications of this work will help students build skills in developing strong research questions that inform a practice that is required in engineering and computing education. The contribution of this work is in helping students to pose questions and ask questions that will strengthen their critical thinking skills in the practice of engineering and computer science.