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c. The focus will normally be expressed as a topic; the next stage is to expressour interest in that topic through one or more questions that we would like theresearch to answer. For example:Focus: learners’ attitudes to self-access centresResearch questions: How often do learners (at a certain level) visit the selfaccesscentre? What do they do when they visit the self-access-centre? Ifthey do visit, to what extent do they feel the self-access centre supports theirlearning? if they do not use the self-access centre, why not?Now look back at the topics defined above and define research questions forthem.d. Research questions allow us to be clear about the purpose of our study. Theyare, however, difficult to write and normally need to be revised several times.Here are some criteria you can use in evaluating research questions (seeBryman, 2008) 7 . Are they■■■■■■■■■■Clear?Specific?Researchable/answerable?Worthy of your time and effort?Linked (where there is more than one)?Beware of questions of the ‘what is the effect of X on Y?’ variety because inclassroom-based educational research it is practically impossible to controlvariables in a way that permits conclusions about causality.3. Collecting Dataa. A wide range of options (qualitative and quantitative) are available forcollecting data:■■■■■■■■■■■■■■Classroom observationInterviewsQuestionnairesDocumentary evidence (e.g. students’ work)Forms of assessment (e.g. test scores)Reflective writing (e.g. learning journals)Visual methods (e.g. photographs).A key question for us is: how do we decide which methods to use?268 | Teacher Beliefs Autonomy