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 sample completions you can copy or adapt — plus a blank template you can fill in for your own idea. Pick one sample that matches your interests or paste your topic and I’ll help you tighten it.

First, here are 2–3 areas you might check as your initial interests:
- Technology & Society (AI, social media, privacy)
- Environment & Climate (climate change, urban planning, biodiversity)
- Health & Well-being (mental health, public health policy, nutrition)

Example 1 — Technology & Society: AI in Education
Part 1 — Curiosity sentence:
- I wonder how AI tutoring tools change the way high school students learn math and whether they help lower-achieving students catch up.

Part 2 — Narrowing the Focus
- General Topic: AI in K–12 education
- Specific Focus (who, what, when, where, or why?): How AI tutoring tools affect math learning outcomes for high school students in U.S. public schools (who, what, where)
- Why this topic matters (real-world impact or relevance): If AI tutors improve learning for struggling students, schools could adopt cost-effective interventions that reduce achievement gaps.
- Check your focus: Focused (specific population and outcome), researchable (studies, pilot programs exist), complex (involves pedagogy, equity, technology).

Part 3 — Working Research Question
- How do AI-based tutoring programs affect math achievement and engagement among low-performing high school students in U.S. public schools?

Part 4 — Planning the Research
- Two types of sources: peer-reviewed education research articles; evaluation reports from school districts or edtech providers
- Possible keywords/phrases: “AI tutoring high school math,” “intelligent tutoring systems K-12 evaluation,” “AI education equity math outcomes,” “adaptive learning pilot study high school”

Example 2 — Environment & Climate: Urban Heat Islands
Part 1 — Curiosity sentence:
- I wonder which low-cost urban design changes reduce summer temperatures most effectively in low-income neighborhoods.

Part 2 — Narrowing the Focus
- General Topic: Urban heat island mitigation
- Specific Focus: Effectiveness of low-cost interventions (street trees, cool roofs, reflective paint) in reducing summer air temperatures in low-income neighborhoods in mid-sized U.S. cities
- Why this topic matters: Vulnerable communities face higher heat risks and fewer resources; effective cheap solutions could reduce heat-related illness and improve equity.
- Check your focus: Focused by intervention type, location, and population; researchable via case studies and municipal data; complex (climate, policy, socioeconomic factors).

Part 3 — Working Research Question
- Which low-cost urban interventions (street tree planting, cool roofs, reflective pavement) have measurable effects on summer temperatures in low-income neighborhoods of mid-sized U.S. cities?

Part 4 — Planning the Research
- Two types of sources: municipal climate/heat-mapping datasets and peer-reviewed urban planning studies
- Possible keywords/phrases: “urban heat island cool roofs study,” “street tree cooling effect low-income neighborhoods,” “reflective pavement temperature reduction case study”

Example 3 — Health & Well-being: Social Media and Teen Mental Health
Part 1 — Curiosity sentence:
- I wonder how daily time spent on social media platforms influences anxiety and sleep quality among teenagers.

Part 2 — Narrowing the Focus
- General Topic: Social media and adolescent mental health
- Specific Focus: Relationship between daily screen time on social media, anxiety symptoms, and sleep quality among teens aged 13–17 in the past 5 years
- Why this topic matters: Understanding this relationship can inform guidelines for healthy social media use and interventions to improve teen mental health.
- Check your focus: Specific population and outcomes, plenty of recent studies and survey data, multidimensional (behavioral, psychological, technological).

Part 3 — Working Research Question
- What is the relationship between daily social media use and anxiety symptoms and sleep quality among adolescents aged 13–17?

Part 4 — Planning the Research
- Two types of sources: longitudinal surveys (e.g., Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance), peer-reviewed mental health studies
- Possible keywords/phrases: “social media use anxiety adolescents sleep,” “teen screen time mental health longitudinal,” “Instagram use teen anxiety sleep quality study”

Blank template for your own idea
Part 1 — Curiosity sentence:
- [In one sentence, what you wonder about]

Part 2 — Narrowing the Focus
- General Topic:
- Specific Focus (who, what, when, where, or why?):
- Why this topic matters (real-world impact or relevance):
- Check your focus: (Is it focused? researchable? complex?)

Part 3 — Working Research Question
- Draft Your “Working” Research Question:

Part 4 — Planning the Research
- Two types of sources you could use:
- Possible keywords or phrases to search:

Next step
- Pick one of the examples to use as your project, or paste your curiosity sentence and I’ll help you fill the blank template and refine the working question and keywords.