Experience suggests that when developing the research questions it is very beneficial to also diagram the problem or topic. This is often called a conceptual framework.  According to Miles and Huberman (1994), “A conceptual framework explains, either graphically or in narrative form [diagrams are much preferred], the main things to be studied - the key factors, constructs or variables - and the presumed relationships among them” (p. 18).

A diagram of the topic is literally worth more than 10,000 words. The task here is to create a diagram of the topic that includes clearly defined variables (independent, dependent, etc.) along with the relationships of those variables and key factors that influence the variables and the relationships.  This task is often done in conjunction with the development of the research questions and it is an iterative process.

Click on diagram for a lager view

Example

Research Questions:

1. Which factors do users and developers believe cause misunderstandings about the requirements for information systems?

2. Which factors do users and developers believe have the most impact on misunderstandings?

3. What is the difference between users’ and developers’ perceptions of these factors?

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2006 - Chad McAllister,  Requirements Determination of Information Systems: User and Developer Perceptions of Factors Contributing to Misunderstanding, PhD Dissertation

Example

Research Questions (selected):

1. 1.How does the level of employee involvement affect the level of employee empowerment?
   

2. How does the level of employee empowerment affect the level of employee satisfaction?

3. How does the level of employee satisfaction affect the level of intention to leave the company?

4. How does job-type—hourly, salary non-management, engineers, and managers—affect the respective components or employee involvement, employee empowerment, and employee satisfaction?

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2004 - Joel Light, The Relationships and Effects of Employee Involvement, Employee Empowerment, and Employee Satisfaction by Job-Type in a Large Manufacturing Environment, PhD Dissertation

Example

Click on diagram for larger PDF view.

Mind Mapping

I will often use mind mapping to identify and explore the key variables, relationships, and contextual factors associated with my research project. Read more on mind mapping....

Align and Integrate

All the components of the research methodology should be consistent with the variables, relationships, context, etc. identified in the conceptual framework. Anytime you make a change to the conceptual framework all other components should be reviewed and revised as necessary to maintain an internally congruent design. In addition, any time you make changes to the other components of the methodology you should revisit the conceptual framework to ensure it is consistent and congruent.

References

Miles, M. B. & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.