ABSTRACT
After Lincoln and Cuba (1985), we have adopted the term focus of inquiry to describe the initial topic that a qualitative researcher pursues. How do you generate a focus of inquiry? If you are a researcher with a topic at hand this is not a difficult task, although the fit between the qualitative research paradigm and the research question can present problems which we will discuss later. As a student in search of a research topic, developing a focus of inquiry can be quite challenging. In our work with beginning student researchers we have used the following exercise, which involves both brainstorming and concept-mapping, in order to help them arrive at a focus of inquiry.
