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KV712 Intro to Research Methodology Session1
- 1. Irena Andrews (ProgrammeLeader) Andy Davies Keith Turvey (Course Leader) Richard Wallis MA Education (Teaching Leaders) KV712 Research Contexts Professional Enquiry 2013/14
- 2. Constructing knowledge Masters levelresearch aims to produce warrantable knowledge • It can inform theory, policy and practice • We aim not only to find out, but also to convince others • Frameworks guide and shape our inquiry • Research does not take place in a vacuum • A community of scholars who share similar conceptions of proper questions, methods, techniques and forms of explanations
- 3. Paradigm • the wordthat describes the community of scholars and the conception of problem and method they share (Schulman, 1986; Sparkes, 1998:11) • Paradigms provide particular sets of lenses for seeing the world and making sense of it in different ways (Sparkes, 1992:12) • Paradigms are basic belief systems that represent the most fundamental positions we are willing to take (Guba and Lincoln, 1998:24) • A set of assumptions which a group of scientists or other theorists share, and which form a basis for their investigations (Kuhn, 1962, 1970 in Swann and Pratt, 2003:207)
- 4. 3 elements ofa paradigm (Guba and Lincoln, 1998, p.201 - 220) • Ontology: What is the form and nature of reality/truth? • Epistemology: What is the nature of the relationship between the knower (you) and what can be known (knowledge)? • Methodology: How can the enquirer find out what s/he believes can be known?
- 5. Quantitative Research • Viewssocial world as hard and objective and similar to the natural world • Assumes that clear cause and effect relationships can be established while scrutinising human behaviour • Knowledge of the social world is discovered in the same way as scientists discover knowledge about the physical world • Knowledge is gained only through our senses • Facts are substantiated scientifically or by a large number of people
- 6. Qualitative Research • Basedon the premise that the social world is different from the natural world and what we see is not necessarily the truth • Cause and effect statements cannot always be made to explain events • Social reality is created by human experience rather than discovered • Aims to describe views, perceptions and events scientifically to explain phenomena
- 7. Mixed Research approaches •Recognises multiple influences • Takes a pragmatic approach • Collects different types of data simultaneously or sequentially to best understand research problems
- 8. Influences on theresearch process Adapted from Newby 2010 p 32 Philosophy Paradigms Educational theory Research process Methodology Methods Research question
- 9. In groups discuss Whattype of researcher am I and how can I articulate this in the light of philosophy, values and paradigms? What type of researcher am I and how might that affect my choice of methodology and hence the sort of research I might do? Why?
- 10. Common research models inteacher research What is: • Action research? •Case study? •Evaluation? What type of outcomes might you expect in each case?
- 11. Action Research Research andaction together • change to practices occurs within the research project; • the research process has discrete cycles; • literature reading is cyclical; • knowledge claimed from a singularity, generalisability is fuzzy
- 12. Case Study andEvaluation •change to practices emerge after the research project; •research process is linear; •literature reading provides context for analysis; •knowledge claimed from a singularity, generalisability is fuzzy
- 13. Survey • change topractices emerge after the research project; • practices drawn from the quantitative paradigm; • research process is linear; • literature reading is context for analysis; • knowledge claimed is generalisable to a defined population.
- 14. Experimental research • Aimsto show relationship between cause and effect – eg effect of TA’s on reading ability • Groups need to be matched for age, gender, social class, ethnicity etc • True experiment: a laboratory setting. Variables isolated, controlled and manipulated Quasi-experiment: a natural setting. Variables isolated, controlled and manipulated. – Difficult to match groups and achieve corresponding features between groups in a natural setting
- 15. Intended Research Outcomes Some associated approaches Someexamples of questions Changes in practice – How can…? How has…? Action research Evaluative case studies How can we improve teaching How effective was …. Data gathered and analysed – Statements of what is the case Surveys: Questionnaires and Interviews (descriptive analysis) Ethnographic studies (illustrative narrative) What do teachers think about the role of ICT in the curriculum? New explanations – explanatory theories of what is the case Experimental/quasi- experimental research (Hypothesis testing) Ethnographic studies Surveys – open ended and semi structured interviews Why are teachers responding in this way to this particular initiative?
- 16. Data Collection tools •Questionnaires •Interviews •FocusGroups •Observation •Documentary evidence
- 17. Documentary evidence • Source– is it current? Reliable? Accurate? • Where did it come from and who is it for? • How might interpretations of different recipients (parents/pupils /teachers/ policy makers) vary? • What implicit values, ideologies or assumptions about the social/political/ educational context are present? • What alternative discourses exist?
- 18. The place ofthe researcher • Detached observer: ‘One way mirror’ looking in from the outside • Observer who balances participation with detachment; closeness with distance; familiarity with strangeness • Complete participant: Complete participation, lives with the respondents
- 19. 6 important focussingquestions 1. What is the nature of the phenomenon or process or social reality that I wish to investigate? 2. What will count as evidence? 3. What broad area is the research concerned with? 4. What is the intellectual puzzle? 5. What do I want to get out of it? 6. What do I want to be able to say? (after Mason, J. (1996) Qualitative Researching London: Sage Publications
- 20. An intellectual puzzle? •Research is not a report, or a quick fix solution • Research is grounded in and informed by theory • Theory is concerned with the systematic construction of knowledge • It can explain phenomena • Enlighten about what is already known and how that knowledge has been constructed • Research based in a theoretical framework can help us to formulate questions and tell us how to proceed or indeed how not to proceed
- 21. Discuss How can thetwo activities complement each other Where are the potential tensions? How might you plan to address this? Think about your Impact Initiative in the light of a masters level research study
- 22. Frames for researchquestions Research questions What Context Community of practice You and positions Concerns for whom and why Meanings/ frameworks Data? Ethics? Feasible – time & resources What/when/how? Fit? Enquire into what? Researchable?
- 23. Concepts: What arethe main concepts in your research thinking? How will you describe them? Issues:Draw a map indicating the key ideas of debate and contestation that are relevant to your particular concerns. Contexts: Draw up a genealogy of the key thinkers in your research area to indicate the development of theories, perspectives or methods From: Blaxter et al (2001) How to Research Buckingham: Open University Press Getting started – individually start to identify the following: