From "So What?" to "What If?"
Transform your curiosity into powerful research questions for AP Seminar
You've successfully analyzed the social media article and explained why its arguments matter. That's a huge first step. But the real power of AP Seminar comes when we shift our thinking from understanding what others have said to exploring what we want to find out. We're moving from asking "So what?" to asking "What if...?"
This module is your first step in learning how to turn your natural curiosity into a powerful research question.
Our Toolkit: The QUEST Framework
To guide us on this journey, we'll use a 5-step research process called the QUEST Framework. Think of it as our roadmap for every project this year. It's a reliable tool that helps us think like real researchers.
The steps are:
Q - Question and Explore: Start with a mystery or a big question that sparks your curiosity.
U - Understand and Analyze: Dig into sources to see what the conversation is already about.
E - Evaluate Multiple Perspectives: Look at the issue from different angles to see its full complexity.
S - Synthesize Ideas: Connect the dots between sources and your own ideas to form a new, unique perspective.
T - Team, Transform, & Transmit: Work with others to transform your research into a compelling message and share it.
The Goal: Finding Your Voice
Why do we use this framework? Because the ultimate goal of this course is to equip you with the power to analyze information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate your own evidence-based arguments. QUEST helps you move beyond simply reporting on facts and instead allows you to develop your own perspective and add your unique voice to important academic and real-world conversations.
Let's Begin with "Q"
Every journey starts with a first step. For us, that's the Q.
✍️ Action: Open your composition book to a new page and title it "Q in QUEST: Building a Research Question." Write down one thing you are still curious about after reading the social media article.