Who's afraid of research questions? The neglect of research questions in the methods literature and a call for question-led methods teaching

This paper examines the place of research questions in the teaching of research methods. It describes the neglect of research questions in both methods texts and the wider academic literature, but notes that this situation is not peculiar to educational research and that similar concerns have been raised in the social sciences more widely, as well as in the humanities. It explores some possible explanations for this neglect and argues that the lack of attention paid to research questions may be related to the availability of appropriate resources, the structure and content of methods texts and the way some research is conducted and presented. Question-led methods teaching is presented as both a logical approach to the teaching of research design and data analysis and also a strategy that may help to overcome some of the weaknesses in current practice. It is argued that focusing on research questions can encourage capacitybuilding among new researchers and may discourage the early formation of ` mono-method' identities.