Finding a research question that answers the "so what?" question is one of the hardest parts of qualitative research.

But that may be because what you think is your (narrowly framed) question is actually your answer to a much bigger question.

Let me explain. A thread... 1/

Qualitative projects often get started because the researcher notices something interesting about the world.

Let's say you notice that a kid you know developed an imaginary friend at the beginning of the pandemic. 2/

Based on that observation, you might think: "Ooh! I want to do a project on kids and imaginary friends during the pandemic."

And, if someone asks you about your research question, you might say something like: "How are kids using imaginary friends to cope with the pandemic?" 3/

Now, that's certainly a question you could answer. But it's somewhat narrow. There's no clear link to theory/implications. And your end product will probably just be a descriptive account of a few different ways that kids engage with imaginary friends. 4/

And so, if you frame your question that way, your advisor (or a reviewer) might ask "so what?" Essentially, they might push you to "think bigger" or identify "what your case (kids and imaginary friends) is a case of." 5/

What I'd say, meanwhile, is that what you've actually found isn't your question but one possible answer to a larger question.

Something like: "How are kids coping with the pandemic?" Or, even bigger: "How do kids cope with social isolation?" 6/

Those are big questions - the kind that have clear "so what" implications. They're also the kind of questions that have multiple possible answers. And one of those answers might be imaginary friends. But you might find other strategies kids are using to cope, as well. 7/

Now, you might think: There's no way I can uncover all the ways kids cope with isolation!

But you don't have to. You can make an important contribution by revealing a few or even one key strategy kids use that hasn't been discussed before. Like imaginary friends. 8/

Basically, what I'm saying here is - if you're struggling to frame your research question, or if you're getting pushback because your question is "too narrow," you might actually have an answer and what you really need to find is the question that answer answers, instead. 9/9

Here's a blog post version for sharing:
Answering the "So What?" Question http://www.jessicacalarco.com/tips-tricks/2021/2/3/answering-the-so-what-question