Choosing your
own topic
Let's assume that your course instructor for a course on introductory motor
behavior wants you to pick a particular physical
activity and then discuss how someone learns how to perform that
activity. Pick a topic that interests you, or that you have some knowledge
of. Think about how you would learn how to master it. Draw on your own experiences,
your readings, and just general knowledge.
For example:
| Activity | How to learn the activity |
|---|---|
|
roller blading |
|
Stating your
research questions
Try to be as open minded as possible at this early stage of inquiry. What
you are attempting to do now is find background information on your general
topic, so keep an open mind and explore your topic. Run with any ideas that
come to you and see where they lead. For example, you might ask yourself the
following:
- Do prior skills (like ice skating, playing hockey, roller skating, skiing, etc.) have any effects?
- How do physical fitness levels affect roller blading?
- Is age a factor in learning?
- Are their demographic or social factors that might influence learning this skill (like social class, peer groups, income levels, etc.)?
- What motivators are involved?
Refining your
topic
At this preliminary stage start thinking about how you will go about finding
out background material for your topic. Think about keywords
and concepts (like roller blading, blading, roller skating, skating,
etc.) that might be used to look for material.
Depending on your course and your assignment instructions the choice of topics will vary considerably. You may be asked to look at a historical perspective of a particular topic, or compare two or more different topics, or even discuss a research design for a particular topic. No matter what it is the method of going about obtaining background materials is similar.
The remaining tutorial modules and example pages in this series will help you with more specific search strategies and suggest library sources that you should be familiar with.
