Research Methods and Practice 5FD027 Session 1 Sept 2010 N112

Session objectives:  Acquire an overview of the module and its assessment  Develop an understanding of what research is  Understand the meaning and need for research  Understand the different types of data available

Split into …  2 groups  Mike Jackson- N112  Janet Goldsbrough- N802

What is research?  Research can question the way in which we have always done things or thought about things…research can help us to think differently. (Kay, Tisdall et al 2009)  J.R. Tolkein  There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

What is research?  What do you think Research is? Discuss and feedback.  “ Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.  Hurston(1960)Hurston1960  So what do you think research is? Why do research on children?

What research is not Not mere information gathering Not transporting info from one place to another Not just rummaging for info Not just a catchword used to gain attention

The ‘myths’ of research  Research can only be done by academic professors and knowledgeable experts  The research process is too intellectual, complex, mysterious and time consuming for people like me  Research produces hard facts which are unquestionable  ______________________________________  Research is a strict scientific exercise  ______________________________________  Research can not change anything  There are not any real benefits from doing research Adapted from Blaxter et al. (2001: 4 in Robert –Holmes, 2005: 3 )

Is it true?  There are only two men teachers at my school – and they are both funny therefore all men teachers are funny!

Is there a need for research?  Educational research involves the rigorous and ethically appropriate process of arriving at ________ __________________________________________ of an educational nature through the systematic collection and critical analysis, interpretation and presentation of relevant data and other forms of information. (Sharp, 2009: 3)

What is truth?  Cohen

Research: the ‘fear factor’  Most people associate the word ‘research’ with activities which are substantially removed from day-to- day life and are pursued by outstanding gifted persons with an unusual level of commitment. There is, of course, a good deal of truth in this viewpoint, but we argue that the pursuit is not restricted to this type of person and indeed can prove to be a stimulating and satisfying experience for many people with a trained and enquiring mind. Howard and Sharp (1983: 6 cited in Bell, 2005: 2)

The module  How we assess your research:  This module is intended to provide students with knowledge and understanding of primary and secondary research, research methodology, methods and ethics and to examine the impact research has on professional practice in Children’s and Young People’s Services. This module forms the foundation for the student’s individual research project in the Pathway Core Module Researching Services which is undertaken by all students and leads you into the level 5 module Researching services.

Learning Outcomes  1.Demonstrate an understanding of primary and secondary research, research methodology, methods and ethics and discuss the impact of research on professional practice.  2. Use a critical reflective approach to the work context to examine current research in relation to your area of work- based practice

How to show you have done these.  Submission of an assessment (3000 words)  An essay demonstrates understanding of primary and secondary research methodology, methods and ethics and discusses the impact of research on professional practice in Children’s and Young People’s Services (L01). Using a critical reflective approach to the work context write a discussion paper critiquing an article from a research journal of an area of work – based practice, this is presented in a seminar (L02).

Dates 1. Essay submission: 19 November 2. Seminar presentation : 6 th October Choose a current research article from a research journal, write an A4 paper on it following the given criteria and in small groups lead a discussion on it. This will involve a critique in groups of the article to consider the impact of the research on their practice. A Feedback sheet from the group will be provided for you to include with your submission in July to show your reflection.  1 and 2 together will total 3000 words.

Why not simply report experience?  Scenario: ‘I teach in a secondary school in Derbyshire and I have noticed that there are very few women in senior or middle management positions. I have a friend who teaches in a primary school who tells me that although the majority of the staff are women the Head has always been a man. I come to the conclusion that men have greater access to promotional posts than women.’

You need to know  How common this is?  Is there a significant disparity between promotion of the sexes?  Has this been constant?  What might account for the imbalance?  Where do I go from here?  Are there issues of staff development?

So now…  I have grounds for thinking that there may be a problem  Am I looking at implications for practice.  My assumption is that I will be able to improve /disseminate good practice.

Think-Pair-Share your thoughts  Without engaging in a discussion about the issues behind this, discuss and word storm why reporting this experience would be inadequate as a meaningful comment on the current situation in education.  Feed back.

The point is  To establish a specific research problem  To conduct an enquiry into this  To establish evidence about a situation  To analyse and interpret findings  To explore implications for future practice

Research is always  Observed and recorded  A search for new knowledge  A search for evidence  Seeking to formulate new theories

So….  how would you research the strength of Sellotape?  One person in each group to observe how the team decide they would do this.

Correlation  Now substitute sellotape for an educational issue- what factors/variables should you consider?

Types of research  Historical research – ‘studying the past’  Descriptive research – ‘surveying the present’  Correlation research – ‘statistical relationships’  Causal research – ‘causal linkages’  Experimental research – ‘testing variables’  Case study research – ‘in-depth study of 1+’  Ethnographic research – ‘describing events within the life of a group’  Research and development research – ‘interaction between research, product and evaluation’

What issues arise with the following themes?  How boys behave in class?  Do girls write neater than boys?  What influence do parents have on education?  Do girls need a sat nav?  Are boys lazier?

Primary or secondary  Researchers use use two types of research to obtain their data; this is where they collect data for themselves, it is first hand information and there a many different methods, these include participant observation, experiments and questionnaires data is where they use data that already exists, e.g. other sociologists' research, the Internet, television documentaries, statistics and books.  Opinions?

Primary v secondary research  What advantages and disadvantages are there to each and is one ‘better’ than the other?

Links     

Learning Outcomes By reflecting on my learning from the taught session I:  have acquired an overview of the module and its associated assessment  developed an understanding of the meaning of research, its purposes and aims  am able to clarify what research is and is not  have an appreciation of the different types of research

For next week  Choose and find out the meaning of:  Qualitative  Quantitative  Action Research  Case Study  Triangulation

How to do a mind map.  F:\Mind Mapping.ppt  1 1  2 2  3 3