Question

Part 1: What Are You Curious About? (Interest Inventory)Good research starts with genuine curiosity. Check 2-3 areas you want to explore (or add your own):

In one sentence, describe something you wonder about in one of these areas:
Part 2: Narrowing the Focus (From Topic to Research)
A strong topic is focused, researchable, and complex.
Complete the sentence frames: General Topic
Specific Focus (who, what, when, where, or why?):
Why this topic matters (real-world impact or relevance):
Check your focus:

Part 3: Drafting a “Working” Inquiry-Based Research Question
Strong research questions guide your investigation, not answers. What do you want to know about your topic?
Draft Your “Working” Research Question:
Part 4: Planning the Research
Good researchers plan before they search.
List 2 types of sources you could use:

Possible keywords or phrases to search:

Answer 1

I can help you fill this out — below are three example areas you might explore (pick 2–3 you like or add your own). For each I give a one-sentence wonder, then I fully complete Parts 2–4 for one example so you can see how to move from topic to research plan. Tell me which area you want to use or paste your own and I’ll refine it with you.

Example Areas (pick 2–3 or add your own)
1) Climate change and cities
- One-sentence wonder: How do urban trees and green roofs actually affect summer heat and energy use in neighborhoods?
2) Social media and adolescent mental health
- One-sentence wonder: In what ways does daily use of image-focused social apps influence self-esteem and anxiety in high-school students?
3) AI in education
- One-sentence wonder: How effective are AI tutoring tools at improving math performance for middle-school students compared with traditional homework help?

Full example filled-in (I’ll use #2: social media and adolescent mental health)

Part 1: What Are You Curious About? (Interest Inventory)
- Checked areas: Social media; Adolescent mental health; Education (optional)
- One-sentence wonder: In what ways does daily use of image-focused social apps influence self-esteem and anxiety in high-school students?

Part 2: Narrowing the Focus (From Topic to Research)
- General Topic: Social media’s effects on adolescents
- Specific Focus (who, what, when, where, or why?): Who — high-school students (ages 14–18) who use image-focused apps (e.g., Instagram, Snapchat); What — effects on self-esteem and anxiety; When — over the course of a school year; Where — urban public high schools in my state/city (or specify a region)
- Why this topic matters (real-world impact or relevance): Mental health issues and social-media use rise in parallel; understanding specific app types and user groups helps schools and parents design better guidance, interventions, and policy to protect teens’ well-being.

Check your focus:
- Focused? Yes — a specific age group, app type, outcomes, and setting are named.
- Researchable? Yes — can be studied via surveys, interviews, existing studies, school records, and experimental designs.
- Complex? Yes — relationship likely varies by frequency, content type, social context, and individual differences (not a yes/no answer).

Part 3: Drafting a “Working” Inquiry-Based Research Question
- Draft Your “Working” Research Question:
How does daily use of image-focused social media apps relate to changes in self-esteem and anxiety levels among 14–18-year-old students in urban public high schools over one school year?

(Notes: This is inquiry-based — it asks how use relates to changes rather than presuming a cause.)

Part 4: Planning the Research
- List 2 types of sources you could use:
1) Peer-reviewed empirical studies (psychology, adolescent health, communications journals) on social media use and mental health.
2) Primary data from surveys or short longitudinal questionnaires administered to high-school students (with validated scales for self-esteem and anxiety).

- Possible keywords or phrases to search:
- "image-focused social media" + adolescents + self-esteem
- "Instagram" OR "Snapchat" + "adolescent anxiety" + longitudinal
- "social media use frequency" + teens + mental health outcomes
- "self-esteem scale adolescents" OR "Rosenberg self-esteem adolescent study"
- "social comparison" + teens + social media

Next steps I can help with
- Narrowing location/sample size or turning this into a workable study design (survey questions, timeline).
- Finding and summarizing 5 strong sources.
- Revising the research question to be more specific (e.g., include frequency thresholds, compare genders, or test mediators like social comparison).

Which area would you like to use, or do you want to paste your own idea?