Tuesday 30th September 2014
"Organising Your Lecture Notes"
Richard Miles
Potential Helpful Book: "Doing Your Research Project" by Judith Bell
- Helping to gather data, interviews and questionnaires
- Visual research
400 hrs study for a 40 credit module
6-9000 word written element and related practical work
A research project that is synthesised from the research
2.5hrs minimum support on the written element of the module in addition to support with the practical project
DEADLINE: THURSDAY 15TH JANUARY 2015 AT 4PM
Turn up with questions and preparation for each half an hour tutorial
- Try to have a substantial draft submitted by Christmas
- Make your supervisor you first port of call
Indicative Content:
- A cohesive research project- it all joins together and sythesised
- It needs to evidence in-depth critical research
- A coherent written argument and related practical investigation
- Your work needs to show an underlying and methodological process of research
Planning the Project:
- How the ideas and the initial research is going to get turned into a dissertation and a practical project- HOW IS IT GOING TO GET TURNED INTO A SYNTHESISED THING
- The more thought that goes into it before it is made, the more successful that it will be
You need to:
- Write down all of the questions that you would like to investigate about your topic
- Consider each on their merits and focus on two (primary question and a supplementary secondary)
- Write an A4 'First Thoughts' sheet for each question (preconceptions and ideas)
- What is the purpose of the study? Is your question researchable?
- Working Title
Project Outline:
- Consider Timings with Work, Holidays, Life as the DEADLINE IS IN 15 WEEKS
- Think about the working title and the components for each that needs researching
- Allocate time for each
- Draws up a project outline based on the above
- Allow generous time for initial reading and writing up
- Factor in Tutorial times
- CONSULT WITH YOUR SUPERVISOR ABOUT ALL OF THIS
Literature Search
- Reading takes more time then you think
- How much can you actually read in this 100 hrs?
- Start by trying to find out all of the key texts on your chosen topic
- Do a search into Google Scholar
- Focus your reading based on an initial assessment of this survey
- Find key texts and plan time to read these Find secondary sources/ criticisms of key texts (triangulation)
- Use journals (www.jstor.org)
Referencing:
- Start compiling the Bibliography at the beginning of the project
- Reference as you go along
- Include all of the details (Harvard Referencing)
Ethics:
- Ethical approval must be granted by the supervisor if any research is to involve a human subject for data not in the public domain, eg. if you are interviewing or observing someone
-'Data not in the public domain' is information which is private and you need specific permission to use
Research:
- How are you going to research your information for your dissertation
- There are different approach methods which will get you different results
- Action Research- Theory, Doing something about it, Reflecting, Changing Initial Theory and Starting Again
Questionnaires:
- Is this the best way to investigate your topic?
- Begin to word questions and discuss with your supervisor
- Avoid ambiguity, imprecision and assumption
- Avoid double. leading, presuming or offensive questions
Interviews:
- Is it the best way of investigating your topic?
- Begin to word questions and discuss with your supervisor
- Structured or Unstructured interview?
Experiments of making and new techniques is forms of practical and primary research
CHECKLIST:
- Don't procrastinate
- Plan research methods carefully
- Select the most appropriate methods
- Document all stages carefully
- Produce a detailed project plan/outline with timings and stick to it.
- Get the most from your supervisor
No comments:
Post a Comment