iEngage Summer Civics Institute

There are a lot of topics that you may be presented with in your group. How can you pick just one to research? You should choose an issue that interests you! Do you have any personal reason to care about one of these issues? Do you know someone who has been impacted by one of these issues? These issues are important and researching them involves asking questions, investigating, and finding answers.

Narrowing Your Issue

Once you choose an issue that interests you, you will need to narrow that issue into something more manageable for the time that you have to spend. Here's an example of some of the questions that you can ask to help you through this process:

Issue: Bullying in Schools

Questions to ask using Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How

Who: Does bullying affect certain students more than others (i.e. gender, age, socioeconomic status)?

What: What are the different types of bullying (i.e. physical, verbal, relational, cyberbullying)?

Where: Does bullying occur more in public or private schools?

When: When did bullying online start? When did schools start developing anti-bullying policies?

Why: Why are there not greater consequences for bullying in schools?

How: How can schools work with parents, community organizations, and local authorities to address bullying effectively?

The why and the how are usually the most interesting questions that you can ask about your topic.

Follow the instructions below:

1. With your small group, write your broad issue at the top of your paper. 
2. Write out a couple of ideas for the why and the how of your issue.
3. Discuss with your group and be prepared to discuss with the rest of the class after.

Questions for the Group Discussion:

1. Why do you think your topic is important?
2. What questions do you hope to answer through your research?
3. How do you think your research could contribute to addressing your broad issue?