Guiding Question

Once you have a problem worth tackling, it will be necessary to develop a guiding/central question.  What is a guiding question?  A guiding question "is the fundamental query that directs the search for understanding. Everything in the [research] is studied for the purpose of answering it. "Guiding questions help provide focus and coherence for your research ".[1]

Characteristics
  • Good guiding questions are open-ended yet focus inquiry on a specific topic.
  • Guiding questions are non-judgmental, but answering them requires high-level cognitive work.
  • Good guiding questions contain emotive force and intellectual bite.
  • Guiding questions are succinct. They contain few words but demand a lot.

How to Develop a Good Guiding Question
  • Determine the theme or concept you want students to explore
  • Brainstorm a list of questions that cause one to think about the topic but that don't dictate conclusions or limit possible directions of investigation. Wait to evaluate and refine the list until there are several possibilities.
  • If the problem is multi-disciplinary, the question must allow for multiple avenues and perspectives.
  • Consider the six queries that newspapers answer: who, what , when, where, how, and why
[1] Traver, R. (March, 1998). What is a good guiding question? Educational Leadership, p. 70-73.