We very often start out on a research project with a BIG question. Or a big problem or puzzle. Why do people think that there is no climate crisis? Why are universities not funded properly? How can we cope with increasingly turbulent weather? How can we ethically use AI in teaching?  You get the idea. Add your own big question or questions at this point. Mine is always about how we can make schools better for more kids more of the time. Now most of the big problems we are interested in are not researchable. They are just too big. We would need a huge team, more funding than is feasible and a very long time to tackle them. And there are probably too many complexities for us to figure out how we could actually do the research anyway. Well thats certainly the case in my big problem. But just because we can’t research  our big problem(s), our vexing problem, our infuriating problem doesn’t mean that we should abandon it. Quite the opposite. We need to hang onto our big problem but then work out a little one. We need to find out what piece of the problem/puzzle can we realistically do. We work on finding our little problem/puzzle in multiple ways. Not one way. Many. And there is no right way. What follows is not an exhaustive list. it’s a few strategies from me. Do ask around for additional strategies. We often start by going to the literatures. We read to see what is already out there. And we find ideas for little problems. Pretty often people who have published research make recommendations for what needs to happen next. So we can gather their suggestions. We can also scope the literatures to see where there seems to be a debate or discussion that we might contribute to. We can of course look to see where there doesn’t yet appear to be a lot of research done. We can think about ways to tackle a little problem that haven’t yet been canvassed- a different method, new theory etc. Each of these reading -the-literatures approaches is helpful and each and all will give us an idea of possible little problems we could research. An alternative little problem finding beginning is to go to a policy or practice that seems to be difficult. Well there are always lots of those to choose from eh. Following media and professional conversations, speaking to people in the field and looking at government reports generally yields lots of ideas for little researchable problems. If this is the way that you start to narrow down your potential research then you usually go to the literatures next. Once you have some potential little problems to research you can do a combination of these:

1. Brainstorm/mind map/talk through possible questions/hypotheses – consider whether you want an applied or conceptual project.
2. Brainstorm/mind map/talk through possible research designs – what would you actually do and how?
3. Assess what might be most strategically important – some little problems are just more likely than others to generate more significant results
4. Think about what little problem interests you most and why. Ask yourself whether you already have useful knowledge or experience in relation to the little problem or whether you want to take this opportunity to learn a new method, engage with a new body of knowledge etc.
5. Think about what is realistic and do-able in your context. Check your design – how much research can you actually do given your circumstances – where you are, how much time and resources you have etc?

Once you have settled on a short list of possible little problems, questions and designs – or only one – it is very useful to go back to your big complex messy problem. Can you spell out how, why and what getting some kind of answer to your little problem puzzle will contribute to understanding the big problem? If you are interested in applied research, that is, you want something to happen, can you say what might happen as a result of your little problem research? Does the big problem justify looking at the little one? Does it provide a convincing rationale. And can you write the rationale with its connections between the big and little problems in a succinct manner?  I’ll pause if you want to have a go right this minute. If you can write the connections between big and little, then you are already well on the way with your research. You are able to write a proposal that will convince a potential supervisor, publisher or funder. That’s because supervisors, publishers, funders – and other readers – are most likely to be interested in your little problem/puzzle if and when they can see how it relates to a bigger problem/puzzle that they are also interested in, and that they too know to be something that needs addressing. Whoever your reader is, spelling out the connections between the big and little problems is key to getting their attention and buy in. And by the way, getting a grip on the big and the little problem you are working on is also the path to writing a convincing introduction, and persuasively outlining the significance of the study and addressing the So What and Now What in a conclusion.