Choosing an Area to Research

Keep notes and write journal entries while going through the following  activities designed to help find a research area.
 

• Look back through the notes taken during the tutorials and at the sources themselves.  What possible research areas are found within those notes.
• Reread your finished research   project and make notes about possible  research areas.

• Examine the research done by other students and explore possibilities for further research based on their work.  Look for ways to collaborate with others on the research.
• Talk to family members, neighbors, and other people in the community about research projects they feel are important.
• Visit the local museums, schools, churches, etc.  and talk to the  about projects they are engaged in that another research project might enhance.
• Read local histories looking for issues and events  that might make good research projects.

After finding a suitable area for research, a specific question must be developed.  This research question will guide all of the research done in this area.   It must be limited to a small part of the research area, as the research questions on the tutorials were limited.  Use the research journal to list possible research questions on the research area.

    Write them in the style of the tutorial research questions which were:

    "Was Louis Gregory  guilty of first degree murder in the death of Roy Martin?
     "Was the founding of Sumner a result of racial prejudice or racial cooperation?"
     "Did the Black population of Delaware Township,  increase after the 1879 Black exodus  from the South?"
     "Is the town site of Old Quindaro historically significant enough to warrant inclusion on the National Park Service Underground Railroad Trail?"
 

    After writing several possible research questions on your research area, test the appropriateness of each question by asking  the following questions about each one.
 

•     Is the research question of interest to me ?
• Is there enough understanding of the area and interest to justify an extended period of research on this question?
• Does it relate to my life or areas of the community I am interested in?

• Is the question researchable ?
• Is the question about a narrow part of the larger research area?
• Are there resources available to answer this question?  What are they?
• Will their be time to gather and work through these resources?
• What is the purpose for doing this research?
• Does the question ask an important question about the community?
• Will the answer to the question provide leads for other possible research in this area?
• Will the research reveal information that is important to understanding today's community?

 
• Is the question original?
• Has this research already been done?
• Is there a possibility that this research will refute accepted notions of research already done, or expand the knowledge base about that area?

 
Choosing the Right Research Method
 
    The traditional idea of research is to report the results in a research paper.  Often, however, other media or types of literature are appropriate as well.  In the tutorials, both a research paper and a n alternative format, such as poetry, music or drama were required.

    There are other ways to share research findings, and it is important that the right format be chosen to answer the research question.  Below are some formats and their descriptions to help choose the best format to answer the research question.

Traditional Research Paper:

    This is the most common format and is especially appropriate for data based research but is also well suited for many other types of research.  It uses a  traditional  format with footnotes and a bibliography page as defined by the Modern Language Association.

The Researched Base  Humanities Project:

    Short stories, dramas, art works,  musical compositions , photographic studies are but a few of the types of humanities based projects that can result from a research project.  The finished piece must be accompanied by a paper that puts the piece into the context of the research area and a bibliography page.

Archiving Activities:

    Without researchers who discover and share resources, there would be no expansion of understanding of the community history.    There are many local histories, photographs, and other sources that need to be scanned and placed on the internet.  An editor's introduction is needed to place the archived works in context

• Hints on Establishing a School Archive
Planning a Tour:

     Many projects cannot be understood unless the presentation is in the field.  Develop a presentation on an historic site in the area, lecture to the group before time and lead a tour of that site.

Writing a Children's Book

    Translate the story you have learned into an illustrated children's book.  Go to several elementary schools and read the book to the children there.

• Hints on writing historical fiction for children
Oral Histories:

    The most powerful community history comes from the mouths of those who have lived there.  Interview someone who has ties to this community or another to discover how the times in which that person lived influenced his or her life.  These stories should be preserved in audio, video or internet format.
American Women's Oral History
Library of Congress: Oral History Lesson

Field Research

    Some of the most authentic research can be gathered by asking people for their opinions on important issues.  This is more than just an opinion poll, but seeks to answer a research question using answers to questionnaires, interviews, and observations as data.  Such a research project focussed on a school would provide valuable information for the community in which it is located.
 

                                                        Getting Started

    The research projects above should follow the same model as the tutorials.  Create a notebook that will include the steps of research they did.  Use this notebook to organize the research for the final project.

Good Luck.

 

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