Posted: May 23rd, 2015

Research perspectives: Assignment 2 FAQ

Research perspectives: Assignment 2 FAQ

Some general points

Read the task sheet carefully. Keep asking yourself: have I covered all the required elements? Read and re-read the criteria. This assignment is worth 60% and you are expected to show independence and sophistication in your understanding of the topic you choose, as well as a clear understanding of how to locate and evaluate academic literature on the topic, as is reflective of Master’s level work.

How do I identify a problem worthy of research within my area of professional interest and expertise?

There’s no one right way to identify a problem worthy of research. A number of students have emailed a one sentence topic to their lecturer with the question ‘is this a good topic?’. When an experienced researcher has an idea that they think might be worth researching, the first step is always to undertake a literature review to find out what research already exists on the topic. It’s impossible to tell whether a topic is one that it would be valuable to investigate without finding out what is already known about it. If you’re struggling to find a topic, another possible line of approach is to start with the literature. Find an article you are interested in and see what the authors say there about the gaps in the literature, or if they make recommendations for further research. A problem worthy of research could be expressed in a number of ways: as (i) a gap in knowledge that is important in some way; (ii) an applied / social / education problem that could be addressed through research; (iii) in terms of a research question.

How do I write the literature review?

When you are writing the literature review, do NOT simply list the studies and write summaries and critical evaluations of each of them. The literature review should synthesise thematically the existing research that you’ve found that is relevant to the topic you’ve chosen. Look at the research articles that you’ve read for this subject and for others you’ve been studying. Every one will have a literature review. The literature review explains how others have approached topics within the field you’re interested in and creates the foundation for you to develop your argument about the relative merits of the alternative approaches you consider. If you have written an annotated bibliography as you’ve been compiling the literature, look for threads that link the different parts of the literature together. Can you tell a convincing and logical story about the literature that’s been published about your topic, that leads naturally to your evaluation of alternative approaches?

Please adhere to the UTS Harvard Referencing Guide: http://www.lib.uts.edu.au/students/discover-your-library/referencing-and-writing/referencing-styles. Don’t forget that you need page number references for any direct quotes or very specific paraphrases from each article.

What is meant by ‘alternative research perspectives’ on the problem?

You are asked to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of alternative broad perspectives, by which we mean the range of approaches that have been considered in the subject: positivist/quantitative/experimental, interpretive/qualitative/ethnographic/action research, emancipatory, critical theory, feminist, and so on. We are therefore looking for you to situate your thinking about how to address your topic within the perspectives we have been talking about, and to suggest at a broad-brush level the sorts of evidence that would be needed (eg. quantitative survey or measurement for experiments, ethnographic methods in an interpretivist approach etc). Ask yourself, as you did in the first assignment, what kinds of evidence and argument you would find convincing in relation to the topic you’ve chosen. What kinds would you find less convincing?

How is this different from assignment 1?

First, the obvious: (i) you have to find your own readings and explore a topic determined by you; (ii) you are expected to reference at least 5-10 texts on your topic. Now, the more complex. (iii) you are expected to apply your critical skills to a body of research (field / topic / set of studies); (iv) you are also expected to use this critique as a basis for arguing what might be done next; (v) you now have to think about what is not there as well as what is known.

What do I need to read for this assignment?

You need to reference at least 5-10 texts for this assignment. Think of your reading and referencing in 2 groups: first, texts relevant to the topic you have chosen. These can comprise a mix of books, journal articles, book chapters, and ‘grey’ (non-academic) literature such as policy documents, industry reports, curriculum materials etc (see the 3^rd criterion also). Secondly, don’t forget the readings we have been doing in the subject. You are expected to cite methodological texts, for example when you refer to different perspectives or methods. A fundamental part of this course is that you come to grips with issues of epistemology and ontology/different perspectives and what they mean. You need to show in this assignment that you understand these terms and can link them to your reading of existing studies and imagining future research.

How do I find the relevant literature? How (much) should I read?

This is where you learn increasing independence and take on more responsibility as a researcher. Try google, google scholar, the online library search tools. Go to the library and use the formal literature search engines. An important step in this process is refining and clarifying the terms you are interested in, so you get (i) relevant literature and (ii) a sense of the breadth of ways this topic has been addressed. For example, studies relevant to online learning might be found using terms such as online learning, distance education, e-learning (etc). It is your job to clarify relevant terms. You are not expected to find and read all relevant literature and write a comprehensive review. Make sure you get some variation in approach in the studies you read. If you are struggling for time, it will be OK to focus on abstracts, introductions, conclusions for some studies, provided you get a sense of their approach and evidence in order to judge their contribution to the field.

Once I’ve read my 5-10 or so resources, I’m not expected to analyse them in detail as we did for assignment 1 but instead take a big picture approach – group them (where possible) according to their research perspective, and discuss strengths and limitations of these on the problem. Is this correct?

Yes! But this is not enough by itself. You need to USE this critique as a basis for arguing for the approach and next step (gap to be addressed, question etc) you have in mind. The ‘evidence’ for your argument comes from your ability to show what certain approaches have contributed to knowledge / understanding in this field, what they have missed out, and therefore what new research could achieve.

How should I structure my essay? Are there any sample assignments I can use as a template?

There are no sample assignments this time. In previous years students had to write a full research proposal, which we’re not asking for this time. Make sure you cover all the required elements, and think about the logical order in terms of the argument you want to make. You could follow the order of the required elements/criteria. The approaches that you will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of may emerge naturally from your literature review, or you may choose to argue for a completely new approach to your topic. It’s likely that your literature review will form the majority of the word count for the assignment (more than 50%).

What am I aiming to achieve with this assignment?

The most important thing to remember is that this assignment addresses the following subject objectives, given in the subject outline:

1. Appreciate the diversity of contemporary research perspectives and approaches in education.
2. Become familiar with key trends and intellectual positions in educational research.
3. Critically examine different perspectives on research to develop a rich understanding of research practices in education and the social sciences.
4. Understand and use key terms and concepts appropriately.
5. Understand how research texts are constructed by assumptions about knowledge, values and the nature of reality, and by research practices and activities.
6. Apply research understanding to relevant contexts of professional practice.
7. Develop the ability to identify researchable problems, locate and critique existing research on the topic, and articulate possible approaches, demonstrating an understanding of the advantages and limitations of different approaches.
8. Develop key research literacy competences, including: critical reading and writing, expressing ideas in the form of academic argument, exploring academic and non-academic literatures and selecting relevant sources for particular purposes, understanding conventions and genres used in research texts, including referencing.

Ask yourself: does my assignment demonstrate that I have achieved these subject objectives? Does it demonstrate familiarity with the research in my field? Have I related the specific material I have looked at to the key concepts covered in the subject readings?