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University of Minnesota

Kathryn A. Martin Library

EDUC 7040: Principles of Adult Education Research Guide

This guide provides resources for Principles of Adult Education (Fall 2025).

How to use this page

This page will walk you through strategies to spark your curiosity as you ask and develop research questions. Leading with curiosity makes for a more engaging research experience. Pick and choose the strategies that work for you!

Types of Curiosity

This self-assessment will help you understand the different types of curiosity you gravitate towards and give you a way to frame your exploration.

Reflect: How do you see evidence of the kinds of curiosity from the self-assessment in your everyday life and in class? 

  • Epistemic curiosity - “the drive to know”
    • You may enjoy: puzzles, riddles, discussing abstract concepts
    • For a research topic, you may enjoy examining a specific theory around your topic
  • Perceptual curiosity - “the drive to experience and feel”
    • You may enjoy: trying new foods, exploring the outdoors, and traveling
    • For a research topic, you may enjoy a deep-dive into a new topic
  • Interpersonal curiosity - “the drive to know more about other people”
    • You may enjoy: people watching, meeting new people, reading biographies and memoirs
    • For a research topic, you may enjoy exploring the human story of your topic

These reflection questions are intended to get you thinking. It can be helpful to bounce ideas off your classmates, professors, or a librarian. 

Identify your topic

Check your notes.

Browse through your notes and look for ideas introduced during class that piqued your interest or that were related to something you care about. Think about your answers to these questions:

  • Why are you interested in this topic?
  • Why is it important? Why should other people be interested?
  • What do you already know about the topic?
  • What do you want to find out or learn more about?

Do some initial background reading.

Background reading involves reading works related to your topic in order to get a big picture overview before diving into your research. Looking up your topic on Wikipedia, in a reference book or site, or in a web search can give you the overview you need and identify unresolved questions or areas of ongoing research. 

Though Wikipedia and reference books may not be what you cite in your final assignment, they usually contain bibliographies that can point you toward resources for further reading.

Brainstorm a list of possible topics and questions.

Based on your background reading and content from class, take a few minutes and brainstorm as many topics or questions as you can. Don't stop to refine, as that can be done later. As you go, see if you can rephrase topics or statements into questions. 

Activities like this provide you a great starting point for identifying what really piques your interest. Once you have a list, you can prioritize the topics and questions you brainstormed to find the one that both interests you and fits within the bounds of your assignment.

Turn a topic into a question

Once you have a topic, your natural next step may be to gather a few sources related to the topic and summarize what those sources say. But this approach lacks your unique ideas—what interests you about the topic and how you interpret the information you find.

Your goal in conducting research should be to answer a question or solve a problem. This approach leads you to select sources carefully, extract meaningful and useful information, and draw your own conclusions.

Test your question

Just like creating strong passwords, you should also try to develop strong research questions.

Weaker questions...

  • Can be answered with "yes" or "no"
  • Can only be answered with opinion or speculation because evidence is not available
  • Suggest a predetermined answer
  • Don't have significant for others or pass the "so what?" test

Stronger questions...

  • Are open-ended and have nuanced answers
  • Are answered through analyzed evidence from multiple sources or collected through original research
  • Lead to conversation and additional questions
  • Have clear significance for other people

Remember: You can revise weaker research questions to make them stronger.

Scoping Your Questions

Broad vs. Narrow

A too-broad question has a lot of problems. The depth of research suffers when there are too many avenues to explore, and not enough time to explore them. However, questions can also be too narrow. There may not be many, if any, resources available if a topic is too narrow. This doesn't mean the topic shouldn't be studied, but your assignment may not be the right avenue for answering your particular question.

Narrowing a Question

Initial topics are often too broad for assignment requirements, and will need to be narrowed down. If you find yourself stuck when trying to narrow a research question, consider these guiding questions:

  • What, specifically, interests you about this topic?
  • What sub-topics could you consider?
  • What do you already know about the topic?
  • What do you not know, but would like to find out?
  • Are there intersections between this topic and other topics?

Ask the Ws

Asking yourself about the 5 Ws can help you identify what you already know and want to learn, and even highlight some possible intersections with other topics!

  • Who are the populations affected, professionals working on the issue, and other people who are interested?
  • What mysteries, controversies, assumptions, or other aspects of the topic interest you?
  • When did important events occur, or which historical phase of your topic interests you?
  • Where do you want to focus geographically?
  • Which points of view or approaches will you consider?