Research Question

The question at the heart of my proposal flows from the concept of the problem statement. If the research problem statement, previously rendered, is that it is not known how or to what extent quality management principles impact effectiveness and efficiency when applied to instructional design efforts, the research question then becomes, "How and to what extent do quality management principles impact effectiveness and efficiency when applied to instructional design efforts?" However, let's refine this a little; it's way too broad. Instead of "quality management principles," which is all-encompassing, let's use "quality management practices," which is more precise. Furthermore, it should be a given that both quality management principles and practices are going to have a positive effect on efficiency; after all, that's what they're designed for. So, let's take out the efficiency from the equation. Thus, we are left with "How and to what extent do quality management practices impact effectiveness when applied to instructional design efforts?"

In terms of methodology, this question statement forms a mixed methodology approach. Both quantitative and qualitative measures would need to be taken. In order to separate the two methods, the question needs to be broken up as follows: 1. "How do quality management practices impact effectiveness when applied to instructional design efforts?" and 2. "To what extent do quality management practices impact effectiveness when applied to instructional design efforts?" The former requires application of qualitative research methods and the latter quantitative research methods.

Let's try to refine this even more so as to enable more precise analysis. Rephrasing the questions give us 1. "How does the application of quality management practices to instructional design efforts impact the effectiveness of the instructional outcome?" and 2. "To what extent does the application of quality management practices to instructional design efforts impact the effectiveness of the instructional outcome?" Either of these should provide sufficient data to effectively describe the relationship or to effectively quantify it.