My topic remains,
but my focus shifted, completely.
When the course
started in January, I had a lot of questions concerning various aspects of copyright:
its definition, content, language, purpose, effects, etc.
Now I have even
more questions about copyright: its stakeholders, concept, philosophy, construction,
etc.
Apparently, I have
moved a step further. My original questions stayed at the superficial level of
the topic. Four months later, I am able to pay attention to issues that give
birth to my original superficial questions without being over-tangled by these
issues. And that realization pleases myself.
So, how did I get
here? To answer this question, let me take a long quotation from an article on
WikiEducator (The research question, n.d.):
“How
does a research question evolve?
A
researcher starts with an area of interest: a topic or subject. These areas may
arise from confusion that the researcher has about a particular topic, from
problems that need solving, or from simple intellectual curiosity. But topics
and subjects are very broad, and the process of formulating a question is a way
of narrowing and focusing the area of study until it becomes truly
researchable.
Developing
a good research question is an on-going and iterative process. As the
researcher does the background work to understand the topic, the topic will
modify and change until a searchable and meaningful question emerges that will
then become the primary research focus.”
Yes,
that’s exactly what happened. I became interested in copyright because I was
confused by it. Copyright caused problems to my work. I started talking to
people (my peers and professors) about my confusion, and was advised to
approach it in various ways with a variety of methods, in which process I
learned to clarify my confusion so that people would be able to give me better
suggestions. In the process of my research I read a lot of and watched a lot of
boring stuffs, but some resources were so amazing that they made me think in ways
that have never occurred to me before. And that’s when significant iterations
in my research questions happened.
I didn’t expect that
the simple action of coming up with a question could be so productive. But I’m
still wrestling with my research question. I was originally interested in
developing practical solution to real life problems through my research, but
now I find my research is becoming more like a “pure research” than an “applied
research”. So, does that happen often? What can I do when it happens?
Reference
The
Research Question. (n.d.) In WikiEducator. Retrieved April 8, 2016, from http://wikieducator.org/How_to_get_started_on_research/The_research_question
I've seen this happen with past projects of my own, too. To take a general (or passionate) curiosity and turn it into a workable research project can really disconnect it from that initial spark of curiosity. I think the best way forward is to remember that initial curiosity and problem, and then connect back to that when preparing and sharing results. I kind of think of it as, "how could I share these results with someone who is in a similar position now to where I was when I started wondering?" While the results may not answer the same question, they might shed light on the original practical issue for others facing the same confusion.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with your research!
Hi Quill, thanks for your advice.Jotting down initial thoughts ccould really help by creating a connection between the research and the reality. Practical issues that arouse one's interest in a topic may not be resolved by one research, but as long as they are recorded, they will definitely be dealt with in some later research. I guess that's how the transition between pure research and applied research happens. I'm glad Professor Galey asked us to record our initial thoughts in the first post, otherwide I would have totally forgotten about my original "curiosity". These "initial sparks of curiosity" will definitely be a part of my documentation in my future researches.
ReplyDeleteHey Yun,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to praise you for taking on a project that confused you. Many of us would be nervous to do research on a subject that confuse us, even though the subject impacts us in our daily life, like you at work. I myself have to admit that I chose a subject that I had some knowledge of, even if it was not a lot, and I already had some idea about what I wanted to know about this specific subject. Your honesty is inspiring, and maybe next time I'll try exploring a completely new subject myself. Also, regarding your question about pure or applied research, I totally agree with Domenico, and yet I do not see your research turning into more a more "pure research" project a problem. Either way, you will shed new light on the subject, which I think is the most important goal of research. Good luck!