EDUC 217 - Foundations of Education: Topic Development

Start by phrasing your subject or general topic in the form of a question.

Then ask yourself further questions about your topic:

• What do you know about it? What don't you know?

• What aspects or viewpoints of your topic interest you? Examples include social, legal, medical, ethical, biological, psychological, economic, political, and philosophical. A viewpoint allows you to focus on a single aspect.

• What time period do you want to cover?

• What place or geographic region do you want to cover? Examples include national, international, local social norms & values, economic & political systems, or languages.

• What population do you want to cover? Examples include gender, age, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, educational attainment, species, etc.

• What is the history of your topic?  How did it originate? How has it changed?

• How does your topic fit into a larger system or structure?

• Next, look for resources which provide background information. Some selected general and specialized subject sources can help narrow the topic.

• Remember, there are two layers of research:
  1) a broad search to discover resources and to read some background information
  2) specific searches for information once you've focused your topic.