Educational Research Design Module (Week 2)
The following is a description of the Tuesday morning class that took place on 25th April 2017 from 10:00 to 13:00.
Description
THIS WEEK: Research Questions (Part 1); Library (Part 2)
NOTES: from today’s class…
PART 1
#LTTCRM = Twitter Feed
From research area to research question.
Research is about asking good questions
Good research is about asking better questions
When you’re reading papers, focus on what the author’s research question is.
Do I need a hypothesis?
No, it is not mandatory.
For each narrow research question, can you predict what is likely to be found.
Research Area = Adaptive Learning
Research Topic = Towards a domain model for secondary school mathematics
Research Question =
Clear, focussed, complex,…..
Appropriate level of complexity.
Feasibility – do you have the resources, how long will the research take, can you obtain the permission if the necessary participants.
Use a question format (rather than a statement)
Making a strong research question
Do I know the field and its literature well?
What are the important research questions?
What areas need further exploration?
Could my study fill a gap?
Hourglass Model
Cough & Nutbrown, 2002, p.33-34
– Goldilocks Test: is the question too big, too small, too sensitive, what question would be just right?
– Russian Doll Principle: break down the research question from the original statement, get to the heart of the question
PART 2
Library – Roisin Guilfoyle (and Diana)
Devise search strategy
Find relevant information for your proposal
Evaluate your information
Set up an EndNote account.
Research – can be
=======
Theoretical
Empirical
Practice
Policy
Literature – can be
========
Published or unpublished
Peer reviewed or refereed by editor
Not reviewed
Community reviewed
Not always scholarly
Types of Literature
==============
Books
Journal Articles
Reports
Official Publications
Conference Proceedings
Grey Literature
Websites
Theses
Popular Media (Newspapers, magazines, etc)
Literature and Your Proposal (2,500 to 3,000 words)
======================================
Proposal heading
Introduction – Possible sources (Books, grey literature, journal articles,
Context and rationale for research
Chapter 1 – Aim of the research and research objectives
Chapter 2 – Literature Review – critical – Possible sources (Books, journal articles, reports, official publications, ……
Chapter 3 – Research Design – Possible sources (Books, journal articles, conference proceedings, theses)
* Theoretical Perspective
* Methodology
* Methods
Ethical Considerations – Possible sources (Books, DIT policy
Delimitations and limitations and outline of timescales/research plan
Beginning to search
===============
– Background reading
– Define your topic
– Identify concepts/keywords (very important)
– Narrow/broaden focus
Example – the highest level of abstraction
– Formative assessment of first year university students
– formative assessment of university students
– assessment of university students
How to narrow the focus of a subject
===========================
The experience of part time postgraduate students in using electronic library resources during their first year.
Tips on topic selection
================
– You can research one or two aspects of a larger subject/topic
– You should make a list of keywords
– ??????????
Finding alternative keywords
=====================
Thesaurus/Dictionaries
Tips for searching with Keywords
Find alternative keywords
Link terms with Boolean search operators (AND/OR/NOT)
Use advanced search features
Don’t use generic terms, sentences
Keep a research log
Evaluate results
– relevance
– quality
Databases
========
Subject Gateways
A – Z by Subject
Education
Australian (distance learning)
Science Direct
ERIC
myendnoteweb.com