Were you taught how to ask questions? The facilitators of this session were not, even though we have learned over time to develop effective research questions when conducting our own research and helping others with theirs. The Research as Inquiry frame from the ALA Association of College & Research Libraries’ Framework for Information Literacy centers question-asking as an essential part of the research process. However, librarians generally spend much of their time with learners focused on finding credible sources, sometimes skipping over the central role inquiry plays in the research process. We wondered if question-asking was even a skill that we could help our students develop. As it turns out, we can!
Learners often experience anxiety at the beginning of the research process (Kulthau, 2004), feeling that they will choose the wrong topic and eventually fail as a result. As long as the formulation of an inquiry is commonly conceptualized as “plucking a topic like an apple off a tree,” (Bates, 1994) the process will continue to feel risky for many. Librarians will sometimes address topic development with a concept map or a reference sources exercise but ,with limited classroom time, the inquiry portion of the research process can end up sidelined in our instruction.
We maintain that centering the art of question-asking from the beginning of and throughout the research process, as opposed to starting the process with thesis-statement-writing or finding credible sources, can lower the stakes for failure? among learners while encouraging them to express their creativity and curiosity. In teaching Research as Inquiry, librarians at the University of New Mexico have relied on adaptations of the Question Formulation Technique (QFT), a relatively simple approach that helps learners generate questions and improve their question-asking skills.
Over time, we have adapted the QFT to work with high school, undergraduate, and even graduate students. We use it alone, as an exercise to develop question asking muscles, and with related lessons on topic development and finding background information. We sometimes ask questions about topics related to the subject of a particular course and other times topics of personal interest. We have also shared the QFT with general education instructors in workshops about research as inquiry and some instructors have incorporated it into their teaching.
In this session participants will experience different versions of the QFT, adapted for different learners, disciplines, and instructor preferences. We will also discuss our experiences working with students and faculty on the art of question-asking. Then participants will work together in pairs or small groups to develop a lesson plan using QFT for their own context.
Learning Objectives
Participants will experience the Question Formulation Technique as students in order to identify the major components of the QFT and determine topics they can use for their QFT.
Participants will review iterations of the QFT in order to create a customized QFT for their classroom.
Time: 90 minutes (this is negotiable)
Materials needed: projector, computer with internet access, paper and pens for participants
References
Kuhlthau, C. C. (2004). Seeking meaning: A process approach to library and information services. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Bates, M. J. (1994). Seeking meaning: A process approach to library and information services by Carol Collier Kuhlthau. Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, 64(4), 473–475.
Right Question Institute. (2023). The Question Formulation Technique (QFT). Retrieved from https://www.rightquestion.org
