Best for
Inquiry projects, social inquiry, science investigations, report writing, and any class where students need a clear research process.
English / Social Sciences / Science • Years 9-13 • Ready to use tomorrow
Research Methods Handout
Use this handout to help ākonga plan better inquiries, choose suitable methods, and gather information with more care. It supports students to ask stronger questions, use evidence responsibly, and work with both formal and community-based knowledge sources.
Free inquiry scaffold, premium adaptation path
This handout is ready to print and use as-is. If you want a version tuned to your class topic, local community inquiry, or assessment brief, Te Wānanga can adapt the prompts while keeping the research process coherent.
- Swap in a local issue, iwi/hapū topic, science investigation, or historical inquiry focus.
- Generate a junior or senior version with more or less support.
- Save the adapted version and reopen it later in My Kete or Creation Studio.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 20-30 minutes for inquiry setup, or longer if students use the scaffold to plan a full project.
- Grouping: Whole-class modelling first, then individual planning with pair feedback or conferencing.
- Prep: Bring the inquiry task or topic students are about to work on, so the method choices feel purposeful.
- Teaching move: Help students match method to question instead of treating “research” as only Googling facts.
Resources already provided
- Question-planning prompts
- Method-selection guide
- Source-type planning scaffold
- Mātauranga Māori / community research considerations
- Progress self-check
- Curriculum companion for planning/reporting
If the lesson asks students to design a research plan, the process scaffold is already here so kaiako are not left building one from scratch.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning how to shape a focused and useful research question.
- We are learning how to choose methods that fit the inquiry.
- We are learning how to gather information in ways that are responsible and well planned.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can explain what question I am investigating and why it matters.
- I can choose research methods that fit the task.
- I can identify what sources or people I still need to consult.
Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment
Use the companion page to make the curriculum intent explicit around inquiry, information literacy, critical reading, and reporting in English, science, and social sciences contexts.
Research in an Aotearoa context
Research in Aotearoa should not treat all knowledge sources as identical or interchangeable. Good inquiry may involve books, reports, interviews, oral histories, community expertise, and mātauranga Māori. Students need help recognising when a source is formal, when it is lived, and when respectful engagement matters more than easy extraction.
Start with a better question
- Too broad: “What is climate change?”
- Stronger: “How is climate change affecting kai gathering in our local area?”
- Too broad: “What happened in the past?”
- Stronger: “How do different primary sources represent the 1975 hīkoi?”
Match the method to the question
Use document or source analysis when...
You need to compare accounts, track language, or understand how a topic has been represented.
Use observation or fieldwork when...
You need direct evidence from a place, event, or system.
Use interview or kōrero when...
You need insight from lived experience, expertise, or community knowledge.
Use data or reports when...
You need patterns, trends, or formal evidence to support a conclusion.
Source-planning scaffold
- My inquiry question: _____________________________________
- Why it matters: __________________________________________
- Methods I will use: ______________________________________
- People / sources I need: _________________________________
- What I still need to find out: ____________________________
- How I will present my findings: ___________________________
Mātauranga Māori and community research prompts
- Who has authority or lived knowledge in this area?
- What would respectful engagement look like?
- How will I acknowledge the source of cultural knowledge?
- Am I extracting information, or learning in relationship?
Self-check before I begin
- I have a focused question, not just a broad topic.
- I know which methods fit the inquiry best.
- I can name the sources or people I need to consult.
- I have thought about respectful and responsible research practice.
- I know what kind of final product I am working toward.
Tautoko / Support
- Offer one shared class question before students design their own.
- Reduce the scaffold to question / methods / sources for students who need less text.
- Conference quickly with students before they start gathering sources.
Whakawhānui / Extension
- Ask students to justify why one method is more suitable than another.
- Invite students to combine formal sources with community-based knowledge.
- Have learners map what evidence is still missing after their first round of inquiry.
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Social Sciences — Tikanga ā-Iwi
Level 3–4: Investigate social, cultural, environmental, and economic questions; gather and evaluate evidence from diverse sources; communicate findings and reasoning clearly for different audiences and purposes.
English — Communication
Level 3–4: Read, interpret, and evaluate information texts; write clearly and purposefully for specific audiences; apply critical thinking skills to evaluate sources and construct well-reasoned responses.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
This resource sits within a kaupapa that recognises mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system with its own frameworks, values, and ways of understanding the world. The New Zealand Curriculum calls for learning that reflects the bicultural partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which means every subject area has an obligation to engage authentically with Māori perspectives — not as cultural decoration but as substantive contributions to how we understand our topics. The concepts of manaakitanga (care for others), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whanaungatanga (relationship and belonging), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) provide a values framework applicable across all learning areas, and all are relevant to the work in this handout.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. Related resources from the same unit are linked in the unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.
Inclusion: Support ELL students with vocabulary pre-teaching. Provide accessibility options as needed.
Curriculum alignment
- Social Studies — Understanding: Students understand how systems thinking helps us analyse complex social, economic, and environmental challenges and identify leverage points for change.