Dr. Anne Adams Research Methods

Choosing a Research Method Purpose of Research Appropriate Evidence Appropriate Research Method SUPPORT: YOUR NOT ALONE

Purpose of Research Improve your practice Improve others’ practice Change systems and procedures Change over-arching mind-sets / approaches and beliefs

OVERVIEW Research Reflection Action Research – Stages in Research Approaches to research - and how stages relate to this. Levels in research

NO RIGHT OR WRONG BUT GOOD QUALITY RESEARCH MOST EFFECTIVE ROUTE FOR YOU

RESEARCH REFLECTION [REFLEXIVITY]

Reflexivity (1) “Reflexivity requires an awareness of the researcher's contribution to the construction of meanings throughout the research process, and an acknowledgment of the impossibility of remaining 'outside of' one's subject matter while conducting research. Reflexivity then, urges us "to explore the ways in which a researcher's involvement with a particular study influences, acts upon and informs such research." (Nightingale and Cromby, 1999, p. 228).

Reflexivity (2) ‘Personal reflexivity’ ‘Epistemological reflexivity’ YOUR IMPACT ON RESEARCH: Own values, experiences, interests, beliefs, wider aims in life and social identities have shaped the research. RESEARCH IMPACT ON YOU: How the research may have affected and possibly changed us, as people and as researchers. ‘Epistemological reflexivity’ Research question limiting what can be 'found?' Study design & analysis impacted on findings? How could this be done differently

Reflexive Account BACKGROUND: Market Research / Psychology / Computer Science / Sociology RESEARCH QUESTION: identify market, Increase knowledge base, design cycle, Understanding in context.

RESEARCH STAGES and APPROACHES

Action Research PLAN REFLECT ACT OBSERVE What is my question?

Action Research What is my question? Specific Issue / Problem (e.g How does tutor contact time affect TMA scores) What is my question? Specific PROBLEM with a technical solution (e.g. computer Visualisations increasing problem understanding) Broad Issue (e.g. WHY do some people benefit from learning in collaboration more than than others?)

VARIATIONS IN RESEARCH TRADITIONAL TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT ETHNOGRAPHIC / EXPLORATORY

Initial PROBLEM / ISSUE Students always email / call me wanting immediate responses when its not possible (e.g Away at a conference, at a funeral, asleep). Then they are frustrated / upset by the delay in response.

Traditional T&L example…. MAYBE (hypothesis) – if they could see my diary they’d time their contacts so that I could respond right away and we’d both be happy?

Traditional T&L example Will open diary access improve interactions PLAN: Who, when, where diary access / measurement of improvement ACT: Implement diary access REFLECT: Did it make a difference OBSERVE: Collect data & analyse findings

Reductionistic Reduce – Break-down & define variables (concepts / things) to measure e.g. What is improvement? Measure – How to measure, When, With what tools & analysis. Sampling - (e.g. types of students, times of year), Biases (e.g. tutor teaching style).

Traditional Research Question Methods…. Objective measures: Logs (e.g. first class logs) with critical incidents, experiments. Subjective measures: interviews, focus groups, Surveys.

WHAT OTHER APPROACH COULD THERE BE TO THIS PROBLEM?

Technical Development Developing a agent based application as a first stop for students that evaluates questions by key words as a) initial FAQ type problems gives the appropriate reply b) less urgent NON-FAQ gives student a time-frame for response c) Urgent Questions: sends these to a separate urgent email account & texts the lecturer of these emails.

Technical Development example? What is my question? Plan (sys req, dev cycle) Who REFLECT Develop & evaluate Collect data / analyse

Technical Development Development – feed in from students & / or tutors Objective Evaluation of system – for usability / accuracy / speed of responses and students perceptions of the system – user trials, experiments Subjective Evaluation of the system - post-hoc interviews, focus groups, surveys.

WHAT OTHER APPROACH COULD THERE BE TO THIS PROBLEM?

The big picture: Gathering all the data from OTHERS PERSPECTIVE ?

Action Research & Exploratory Research PLAN REFLECT ACT OBSERVE What is my question?

Action Research (2) Plan Reflect Act Observe Initial Question Further Question

FOCUS / contextual (1)? student & tutor communication Face to face at residential schools Formative assessments & feedback Letters via the post Telephone conversations Email communication between student & tutor First Class tutor moderating student & tutor communication

FOCUS / Point of Inquiry ? Who (different student types) At the end of a specific course What courses When – e.g. throughout, after TMAs Type of email: first class, personal F student & tutor email communication

FOCUS / Point of Inquiry ? How do communications with tutor change over time? Who contacted & Why (tutor, students, others)? Expected response times & why? What are the barriers to student / tutor communications? How do these interactions differ from other forms ? What good about student / tutor communications? student & tutor email communication

Exploratory Research Uncover very new convincing findings Provides context of where to go forward Through sampling can highlight specific & generic issues.

OVERVIEW (A) Traditional (B) Technical Development (C) Exploratory / Plan / act / observe (analyse data) / reflect (B) Technical Development Plan / develop application / Implement development / observe (analyse data) / reflect (C) Exploratory / Ethnographic Plan / observe (analyse data) / reflect …… possible ACT (make a change) / observation PLAN REFLECT ACT OBSERVE What is my question?

Good Quality Research ISSUES OF BIAS Not Divide but to compliment Exploratory (discovery) – reductionistic (justification) Henwood / Pidgeon – good quality research 7 golden rules of good quality research

Levels in research Initial QUESTION? ACT and /or OBSERVE PLAN: Background research & planning ACT and /or OBSERVE REFLECT: Implications / Discussion Initial QUESTION?

Action Research & Levels PLANNING courses, teaching activities REFLECT on Changes to current practices CONDUCTING EVERYDAY ACTIONS (E.G. Teaching) PLAN: Background research & planning ACT and /or OBSERVE REFLECT: Implications / Discussion Initial QUESTION?

You’re NOT alone PhD Supervisor team CREET Research Support Library, IET, User-labs Ethics / SRPP / Data Protection Research / Consent

CONCLUSIONS

Overview of Research Issues Reflexivity in Research & Listening to others reflexivity Action Research & Level of abstraction Selecting a method – the quant / qual divide Good quality research & Bias