Gwenin: Clarity by Design

Supporting research, travel, and access – one toolkit at a time.

Effective Inquiry Design for Research Success

A framework for inquiry-led learning in academic and professional contexts

Introduction

In academic research, the formulation of a research question is not merely a procedural step; it is the intellectual foundation upon which the entire study rests. A well-constructed question guides methodology, shapes scope, and determines the relevance and impact of findings. Increasingly, educators and supervisors are recognising the value of inquiry-led learning, where the research question is designed not to elicit a single answer, but to open a space for exploration, dialogue and interdisciplinary insight.

This article offers a structured approach to designing research questions that invite discovery. It draws on established frameworks and current pedagogical guidance to support supervisors, educators and emerging researchers in cultivating curiosity-driven inquiry.

Principles of Effective Inquiry Design

A strong research question should be:

  • Focused and feasible: Narrow enough to be answerable within the constraints of time, data and resources
  • Open-ended and generative: Framed to invite multiple perspectives and evolving interpretations
  • Contextually relevant: Connected to real-world issues, communities or disciplinary tensions

The FINERMAPS framework, Feasible, Interesting, Novel, Ethical, Relevant, Manageable, Appropriate, Potentially publishable, Systematic, is widely used to evaluate research questions across disciplines.

For practical examples and criteria, see Scribbr’s guide to writing strong research questions and Research.com’s breakdown of question types and structures.

Structuring the Question: A Scaffolded Approach

Supervisors can support students in developing inquiry through the following scaffold:

  1. Start with a topic
    Example: Disabled-led curriculum design
  2. Spot the tension
    What is being debated, misunderstood or overlooked?
  3. Frame the question using exploratory language
    Use “how,” “why,” or “what happens when…” to invite depth and nuance

Testing and Refining the Question

Once drafted, a research question should be evaluated for clarity, feasibility and scope. The University of Galway’s guide to testing your research question recommends iterative refinement through preliminary literature searches and supervisor consultation.

Key criteria include:

  • Is the question answerable with available evidence?
  • Does it invite diverse methodologies or perspectives?
  • Can it evolve as new insights emerge?

For typologies across qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods, see ResearchMethod.net’s overview and Research Questions Generator’s tutorial.

Common Pitfalls in Question Design

Supervisors should help students avoid the following traps:

  • Overly broad questions: e.g., “What is education?”
  • Overly narrow questions: e.g., “What did one student say on one day?”
  • Settled questions: Those with widely accepted answers and little room for debate
  • Disguised statements: Phrasing that asserts rather than inquires

As highlighted by ResearchPal’s analysis of common student research mistakes, unclear or unfocused questions often lead to weak methodology and superficial analysis.

Reflective Review and Ongoing Development

Supervisors can use the following prompts to support student reflection:

  • Is the question clear and focused?
  • Does it connect to a meaningful issue or area of change?
  • Can the question accommodate multiple types of evidence and interpretation?

Encouraging students to revisit and refine their questions throughout the research process fosters intellectual agility and deeper engagement. For reflective models, see Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and Gibbs’ reflective framework.

Conclusion: Inquiry as a Lifelong Skill

The ability to ask meaningful, open-ended questions is central to academic success and professional adaptability. In an era of interdisciplinary complexity and rapid change, inquiry-led thinking equips learners to navigate uncertainty, contribute to knowledge production and engage ethically with diverse communities.

By framing research questions that invite discovery, educators and supervisors help students become not just answer-seekers, but knowledge-makers capable of shaping the future of their fields with curiosity, clarity and care.

Explore more with us:

Relentless. Results-driven. Remote-ready.

I manage multiple live websites, numerous publications, and patents – delivering research, strategy, and commercialisation expertise.

See how we can work together