GETTING STARTED WITH RESEARCH DEVELOPING A RESEARCH PROJECT AND PROPOSAL

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GETTING STARTED WITH RESEARCH DEVELOPING
ARESEARCHPROJECT AND PROPOSAL
Neil Haigh, AUT University
c. 2008
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Engaging in Research

• Rigour
• strict or scrupulous accuracy, precision,
  exactness
• done in a strict, thorough way
• logical exactitude
• exquisite exactness

• and
• inspiration
• intuition
• invention
• fantasy

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Research Starts With

• identifying
• a topic
• a thesis
• a question
• and
• establishing a case
• if case established
• designing
• doing
• reporting

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Identify a Research Topic

• Topic the subject matter or phenomenon.
• Almost invariably a topic is embedded in wider
  fields of knowledge about certain phenomenon.
• For example
• topic tertiary teachers reasons for
• their (non) participation in teaching
• development workshops
• fields of knowledge
• teacher education, motivation,
• workplace learning, ?

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A Research Topic
Tertiary teachers reasons for their
participation or non-participation in teaching
development workshops
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Map The Topic

• Identify (map) the phenomenon
• Clarify the meaning of ideas, concepts, words
  associated with the phenomenon
• State these meanings clearly
• Assess and delimit the potential scope of the
  topic feasibility, manageability
• Write a topic statement

Assist / share topic mapping
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Assessing Feasibility

• To consider
• time available for doing research (realistic
  estimate!)
• scope of topic research question / time
  available
• time required for each/all of the question
  answering activities (issue dont know what we
  dont know!)
• time to write/report
• time to extend personal knowledge and skills
• accessibility of data sources/data
• availability of resources required (materials,
  funds, people, tools, literature
• adequacy of available resources
• ethical considerations can they be met?

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Identify A Thesis

• A
• point of view
• that
• you believe
• should be
• formulated
• and/or
• evaluated
• systematically

Initially a tentative, speculative, hunch
type of idea
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A Thesis

• Differences in tertiary teachers views about
  (a) the need to improve existing teaching
  capabilities, (b) the need to engage in
  continuing improvement of teaching capabilities,
  and (c) the most effective ways of enhancing
  teaching capabilities help account for their
  participation or non-participation in teacher
  education workshops

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Identify A Research Question?
Because there is uncertainty and tentativeness
associated with a thesis when it first comes to
mind it is then reshaped as a QUESTION What is
.? Does a relationship exist between .

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A Research Question
Do differences in tertiary teachers views about
(a) the need to improve existing teaching
capabilities, (b) the need to engage in
continuing improvement of teaching capabilities,
and (c) the most effective ways of enhancing
teaching capabilities help account for their
participation or non-participation in teacher
education workshops.

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The research question determines

• the purpose of the research
• to describe descriptive
• to explain/predict relationships between
  phenomenon
• correlational
• to investigate influence/control of phenomenon
  
• experimental

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To Consider Next

• Is there a convincing case for bothering to
  invest time, energy and resources in an attempt
  to answer the question?
• LITERATURE REVIEW

Will a contribution be made to existing
scholarship? And, what practical benefits may
there be if the question can be answered?
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Establish A Case

• Has my question
• been asked already and answered satisfactorily?
• not asked (a gap)?
• been asked already but not answered
  satisfactorily
• (limitations/inadequacies in the
  research)?
• been asked and answered satisfactorily but
  generalization of answer to a new context needs
  to be checked?

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If A Case Exists

• Then decide on
• approach/strategy/design
• data to be gathered to answer the question
• data-gathering methods
• data analysis/interpretation methods/techniques/t
  ools
• ethical considerations
• reporting of the research
• and
• re-assess feasibility
• N.B. Having clear and precise research questions
  
• assists decision-making about these
  aspects

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The Data
Is it QUALITATIVE? Concerns the qualities of
phenomenon Use words to represent What
type of qualitative data is it? attributes,
meanings, understandings, patterns
Is it QUANTITATIVE? Concerns already
quantified or quantifiable features of
phenomenon Use numbers to represent What type
of quantitative data is it? nominal, ordinal,
interval, ratio, discrete, continuous
(implications for statistical analyses)

Is the data VALID is the data right,
relevant, accurate, complete, ? Who/where should
the data be obtained from? How much data needs to
be obtained?
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The Approach/Strategy/Design
Influenced by the research question e.g. Survey/D
escriptive/Interpretive - comprehensive detailed
mapping of a phenomenon Case Study in-depth,
as a whole, focus on an instance of a natural
phenomenon (what it involves and what
inter-relationships exist). Correlational
investigation to establish whether a relationship
exists between phenomenon Experimental
systematic variation of one phenomenon to assess
its effect on another phenomenon (does it
influence, cause) Ethnographic in-depth,
sustained investigation of a socio/cultural group
to identify how the members experience their
world what it means to them. Action Research
focuses on everyday action/practice and the
outcomes are intended to solve problems or
improve practice. Involves a 4 step cycle of
activities

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The Data Gathering Methods
Influenced by the approach / nature of data /
feasibility Include Systematic observation
(observation schedule) Testing -
Measurement Questionnaire Diary,
Journal Document collection Interview Participa
nt observation (field notes) Is the method
RELIABLE if used on another occasion, by
someone else, would the same data be
obtained? Note There are always pros and cons,
strengths and limitations for each method. Not
possible to have a fool-proof/flawless method.

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The Data Analysis/Interpretation Methods

• For Quantitative
• May need to transform data in the form of words
  (eg questionnaire
• responses) into numbers
• There are simple (e.g. descriptive statistics,
  tests of association and
• difference chi-square, t-test) as well as
  complex statistical analyses
• (e.g. multiple analysis of variance, factor
  analysis). Choice will
• depend on the question to answer and the nature
  of the data.
• Software can simplify analysis process BUT need
  to know what to
• use. There are always experts around.

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The Data Analysis/Interpretation Methods

• For Qualitative
• requires interpretation of words, images, other
  symbols
• when interpreting, researchers either try to
  push their personal
• beliefs, assumptions, conceptions, values to
  one side OR explicitly
• acknowledge the potential influence of these
  factors
• interpretation typically involves
• differentiation (and coding) of discrete units
• categorization of units (drawing on
  personal/academic theories,
• creating new categories)
• identifying themes and patterns (connections,
  relationships
• between categories)
• developing propositions, generalizations
• checking for fit with all of the data, new data,
  informants views,
• existing theories

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Ethical Considerations
Ethical approval application information and
comment required on Research objectives Justifica
tion Procedures for recruiting participants and
obtaining informed consent Procedures in which
research participants will be involved Procedures
for handling information and materials produced
in the course of the research Access to
participants Informed consent Confidentiality Pote
ntial harm to participants Participants right to
decline Arrangements for participants to receive
information Use of information Conflicts of
interest

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Reporting

• Consider
• types of publications
• intended publication/presentation avenues
• Note sometime a provisional report format is
  required
• for a research proposal

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Re-assess Feasibility

• To consider
• time available for research (realistic estimate!)
• scope of topic research question / time
• time required for each/all of the question
  answering activities (issue dont know what we
  dont know!)
• time to report
• time to extend personal knowledge and skills
• accessibility of data sources/data
• availability of resources (materials, funds,
  people, tools, literature
• adequacy of available resources
• ethical considerations can they be met

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The Proposal
Prepare if project is conceptually sound and
feasible