Each of these steps is discussed in turn: There are six steps required to construct a descriptive research question: (1) choose your starting phrase (2) identify and name the dependent variable (3) identify the group(s) you are interested in (4) decide whether dependent variable or group(s) should be included first, last or in two parts (5) include any words that provide greater context to your question and (6) write out the descriptive research question. Structure of descriptive research questions Once you identifying the different types of variable you are trying to measure, manipulate and/or control, as well as any groups you may be interested in, it is possible to start thinking about the way that the three types of quantitative research question can be structured. In this example, the group of interest are adolescents. This example also highlights the need to identify the group(s) you are interested in. For example, if we were interested in investigating the relationship between gender and attitudes towards music piracy amongst adolescents, the independent variable would be gender and the dependent variable attitudes towards music piracy. An independent variable (sometimes called an experimental or predictor variable) is a variable that is being manipulated in an experiment in order to observe the effect this has on a dependent variable (sometimes called an outcome variable). However, where you plan to create comparative and/or relationship-based research questions, you will deal with both dependent and independent variables. If you plan to only create descriptive research questions, you may simply have a number of dependent variables that you need to measure. You are unlikely to carry out research that requires you to control for variables, although some supervisors will expect this additional level of complexity. In most undergraduate and master's level dissertations, you are only likely to measure and manipulate variables. To provide a brief explanation a variable is not only something that you measure, but also something that you can manipulate and control for. It also explains the difference between independent and dependent variables, which you need to understand to create quantitative research questions. It explains the two main types of variables: categorical variables (i.e., nominal, dichotomous and ordinal variables) and continuous variables (i.e., interval and ratio variables). If you are unfamiliar with the different types of variable that may be part of your study, the article, Types of variable, should get you up to speed. Whether you are trying to create a descriptive, comparative or relationship-based research question, you will need to identify the different types of variable that you are trying to measure, manipulate and/or control. Identify the different types of variable you are trying to measure, manipulate and/or control, as well as any groups you may be interested in In this article, we discuss each of these four steps, as well as providing examples for the three types of quantitative research question you may want to create: descriptive, comparative and relationship-based research questions. However, to create a well-structured quantitative research question, we recommend an approach that is based on four steps: (1) Choosing the type of quantitative research question you are trying to create (i.e., descriptive, comparative or relationship-based) (2) Identifying the different types of variables you are trying to measure, manipulate and/or control, as well as any groups you may be interested in (3) Selecting the appropriate structure for the chosen type of quantitative research question, based on the variables and/or groups involved and (4) Writing out the problem or issues you are trying to address in the form of a complete research question. There is no "one best way" to structure a quantitative research question.
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How to structure quantitative research questions
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