Doing Your Research Project PDF
Preview Doing Your Research Project
Open University Press McGraw-Hill Education 8th Floor, 338 Euston Road London England NW1 3BH [email protected] www.openup.co.uk and Two Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121-2289, USA First published 1987 Second edition published 1993 Third edition published 1999 Fourth edition published 2005 Fifth edition published 2010 Sixth edition published 2014 First published in this seventh edition 2018 Copyright © Open International Publishing Ltd, 2018 All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd of Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library ISBN-13: 978-0-335-24338-9 ISBN-10: 0-33-524339-X eISBN: 978-0-335-24339-6 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data CIP data applied for Typeset by Transforma Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, India Fictitious names of companies, products, people, characters and/or data that may be used herein (in case studies or in examples) are not intended to represent any real individual, company, product or event. Dedicated to the memory of Judith Bell: 1929–2015 Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction PART I Preparing the Ground 1 The Researcher and the Research Journey 2 Approaches to Research 3 Planning the Project 4 Ethics and Integrity in Research 5 Reading, Referencing and the Management of Information 6 Literature Searching 7 The Review of the Literature PART II Selecting Methods of Data Collection 8 The Analysis of Documentary Evidence 9 Using the Internet and Social Media in Research 10 Designing and Administering Surveys 11 Planning and Conducting Interviews 12 Diaries, Logs, Critical Incidents, Blogs and Vlogs 13 Observation PART III Interpreting the Evidence and Reporting the Findings 14 Interpreting the Evidence and Reporting the Findings 15 Writing the Report Glossary References Index Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction PART I Preparing the Ground 1 The Researcher and the Research Journey Introduction The research journey Navigating the maze What it means to carry out research What it means to be a researcher The role of a researcher Intentional roles of the researcher Unintentional roles of the researcher The responsibilities of the researcher Self-reflection The Researcher and the Research Journey Checklist Further reading 2 Approaches to Research Introduction Styles of research Advantages and disadvantages of quantitative and qualitative research methods Action research and the role of practitioner researchers Case study Survey Applied research The experimental style Ethnography and the ethnographic style of research The grounded theory approach Thematic analysis Narrative inquiry and stories Which approach? Self-reflection Laying the Groundwork Checklist Further reading 3 Planning the Project Introduction Selecting a topic Getting started The purpose of the study Hypotheses, objectives and researchable questions Working title and the project outline Timing Supervision Codes of practice for supervision Keeping records of supervisory tutorials The research experience Writing as you go along and the research diary Self-reflection Planning the Project Checklist Further reading 4 Ethics and Integrity in Research Introduction The difference between ethics and morals Research contracts, codes of practice, protocols and the principle of informed consent Ethics committees Confidentiality and anonymity Safeguarding confidentiality and anonymity if disseminating information online Ethical research in practice, the problems of ‘inside’ research and personal codes of practice Codes of ethical practice relating to intellectual ownership/property Self-reflection Ethics and Integrity in Research Checklist Further reading 5 Reading, Referencing and the Management of Information Introduction Reading Note-taking Note-taking and guarding against plagiarism Referencing Creating, editing and storing references Backing-up: better safe than sorry Making a note of references The management of information A lot of fuss about nothing? Self-reflection Reading, Note-taking, Guarding against Plagiarism, Referencing and the Management of Information Checklist Further reading 6 Literature Searching Introduction Defining the parameters of your search (search limiters) and keywords Focusing, refining and grouping your keywords Digital or print? Libraries, librarians – and books Google Search Google Books Journals Evaluating sources Copyright and licensing restrictions when downloading items from the web Self-reflection The Top Ten Guide to Searching the Internet Checklist Further reading 7 The Review of the Literature Introduction The ‘critical review’ of the literature Theory and theoretical (or conceptual) frameworks The ‘critical review’ in practice Reviewing the reviews Using quotations Self-reflection Review of the Literature Checklist Further reading PART II Selecting Methods of Data Collection Introduction Constraints Reliability and validity Thinking about computerized data analysis? Not thinking about computerized data analysis? A reminder! Further reading 8 The Analysis of Documentary Evidence Introduction The nature of documentary evidence Approaches to documents The location of documents The selection of documents The critical analysis of documents Fact or bias? Self-reflection The Analysis of Documentary Evidence Checklist Further reading 9 Using the Internet and Social Media in Research Introduction Ethical considerations in the use of the Internet and social media for the collection of data Social media, the research process and social digital tools Using social media in research Summary Self-reflection Using Social Media in Research Checklist Further reading 10 Designing and Administering Surveys Introduction Exactly what do you need to find out? Question types Question wording Appearance and layout Drawing a sample Piloting the survey Distribution and return of surveys The rights of respondents and your rights and responsibilities Non-response Analysis of data Self-reflection and recap Designing and Administering Surveys Checklist Further reading 11 Planning and Conducting Interviews Introduction Advantages and disadvantages of the interview The ethics of conducting interviews Question wording The interview schedule Group interviews and focus groups Recording interviews Skype and Google Hangouts Bias – the old enemy Remember! Self-reflection Planning and Conducting Interviews Checklist Further reading 12 Diaries, Logs, Critical Incidents, Blogs and Vlogs Introduction Representativeness The diary-interview method Piloting returns forms and instructions to participants Five case studies The ethics of diary use Blogs and vlogs Self-reflection Diaries, Logs, Critical Incidents, Blogs and Vlogs Checklist Further reading 13 Observation Introduction Unstructured observation Participant observation Structured observation and keeping records Recording behaviour Content A few (more) words of warning After the event Self-reflection Observation Checklist Further reading PART III Interpreting the Evidence and Reporting the Findings 14 Interpreting the Evidence and Reporting the Findings Introduction List questions Quantity and category questions Measures of central tendency Coding Grids
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