First you came up with a list of questions and then you researched the answers. Great! With this information, now you’re almost equipped to answer this question: How should we – locally or nationally – balance the needs of people and nature?
Almost?! Yes, almost.
You see, good decisions (especially in research) don’t start with a solution. They start with a problem.
Decision-making is really about sifting through a multitude of questions, researching the answers (both of which you’ve done!) and then deciding on the one better question that still needs answering. This is the very specific, root-cause problem that needs to be answered to create a solution.
Think about it this way:
Let’s say you’ve been investigating the decline of the caribou, believing that a better balance between people and nature starts with ensuring a future for this threatened species. If you look at the answers to your questions, you’ll probably see that the caribou are ecologically and culturally important, but also that saving the caribou will be expensive. Your research suggests that we need more parks and more hunting to control predators and quicker action to tackle climate change. But that’s three answers, not one. Three decisions? Imagine researching and using story to convince the world they need to take three big steps to save the caribou. It’s asking for too much and you’re limiting your chances at success.
So, you ask, why not just pick one of those three answers and get at it? Well, as your research shows, none of those answers will likely work in isolation and each option will be met with resistance (from the resource sector, animal rights groups and taxpayers, respectfully). And saying you’re going to research and tell the story of ‘saving the caribou’ isn’t an option either. If you don’t articulate how you’re going to save the caribou, you’re not adding anything new to the conversation. You’re not researching a new idea; you’re not telling a story that actually answers the question.
What to do?
Decide on that very specific, root-cause problem that needs to be answered. That’s your decision. That’s how you solve a problem. And the outcome? Your answer? Your final product? It’s more likely to have the impact you want; it’s going to help you realize your vision for balancing people and nature (and land you an ‘A’ in this class).
Questions to reflect on:
- What is the one specific, root problem of the one issue that you think needs to be addressed in order to balance the needs of people and nature, locally or nationally? (And don’t forget, you can define this question anyway you want.)
- What can you bring to this problem? How can you research an answer that takes advantage of your skills and interests? And how will you tell that story?
- What does success look like to you?
Part One
Find Your Better Question:
This activity might sound daunting, but it’s really not that hard. You’ve done the major work – you’ve brainstormed questions and found answers. Now, it’s about pulling together everything you’ve learned and deciding on the most important question you want to help answer with research and story. In the writing world, we call this a guiding question.
Here’s how you can uncover your better or guiding question:
- State the issue you’re trying to address.
- Identify an indicator, something that tells you there IS a problem.
- Now ask why this is happening?
- For the reason you just gave, ask why this is happening?
- Again, for the reason you just gave, ask why this is happening?
- Do this one or two more times.
By the time you get the fourth or fifth why, you might see something that resembles a root cause.
Before you begin:
- There can be many root causes. Try to identify one at a time.
- Root causes don’t have to be universal. They can AND often are very specific to a community.
- It’s tempting to offer multiple explanations for something. You might want to say something is happening because of x and y. But for this exercise, choose one explanation – the one you think is most important.
- Ask a friend, a teacher or a mentor to do this exercise with you. The best way they can help is to repeat your answers back to you to see if the reasoning is sound.
Example:
Problem: Caribou are at risk of extinction.
Indicator: Caribou numbers are declining.
Why: Many factors, including increased predation.
Why: Predators have easier access to caribou habitat.
Why: We’re building roads into caribou habitat to access timber resources.
Why: Wood-built housing is cheap and fast, and is increasingly seen as a climate-friendly solution.
Why: There are no affordable, climate-friendly alternatives to quickly build homes that don’t require timber sourced from caribou habitat. (ROOT CAUSE!)
In this example, your better question is: ‘How can we quickly build affordable, climate-friendly homes for a growing population that doesn’t hurt – directly or indirectly – the caribou?’
You’ve decided to solve this problem. You’ve decided you will use research to find the answer and share that answer through story. And if people read your story and agree with your research and implement your idea? That’s you realizing your vision for balancing the needs of people and nature through the lens of this class.
Part Two
Reflect on Your Better Question:
After completing the activity above, reflect on what you’ve determined is the better question and ask yourself:
- Is this better question a problem I think I can answer? (Does it play to your skills? Is it interesting to you? Will you find solving this problem fun and fulfilling?)
- Can good research uncover an answer that’s been overlooked?
- Can story help share this research and inspire someone to act on it?
If the answer to these questions is no, go back to the previous activity and refine the parameters of your issue, which will change your indicator. (Ex: Rather than looking at the state of caribou nationally, change the scale to look at the state of one caribou subspecies, or caribou in one region, or the fate of one herd.) Keep refining until your better question feels right to you. Or you can use the guide below to help you refine your ideas into a guiding question.
Writing a Guiding Question
A clear guiding question, or thesis, tells the reader what you want to explore and the purpose for creating your story.
Make sure the question is:
- Relevant
- Focused and specific
- Practical
Guiding Question Tips:
- Start with a broad topic and conduct a bit of research to better understand the issue.
- Identify what gaps in knowledge exist that prevent the issue from being resolved.
- Taking what you’ve learned, narrow your focus to a specific knowledge gap addressing a specific aspect of the issue.
- Identify the problem (why the answer or knowledge is missing) that you will research and create a story from the answer you uncover.
Examples:
| What is the relationship between ____ and _____? | In what ways does ____ improve ____? |
| How has ____ changed over time? | What is the best way to solve _____? |
| What is the impact of ____ on ____? | See more examples |
| How effective is ____? |
Resources:
How can I form strong guiding questions?