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Methodologies and Justifications

What is (your) research? 

How is it distinguished from other pursuits such as campaigns, publicity, or opinion?

 

 

By the nature of this module your research is a form of "action enquiry". By that we mean that it is practitioner based, evaluative for improving actions. However, the precise form of 'enquiry" needs to be outlined.

Methodology describes the overarching way of creating a form of knowledge which we might trust. The main methodological groups are :
  • "scientific/positivist",
  • naturalistic, illuminative or qualitative
  • action research
  • evaluation as research
(These are not exhaustive  and types may overlap)

A discussion of methodology is not the same as the outline of the procedures (sometimes called methods) that you use to collect data. Rather it deals with issues such as:

  • The kind of knowledge that will be created and its purpose
  • The methodology that best fits the context and scale of your research
  • The control you have over variables in this research
  • The extent  you can generalise knowledge gained from this research to other cases.
  • The tests you will use for truthfulness, reliability and validity.
  • The involvement and relationships between researcher and subject(s)
  • The treatment of socially constructed ideas in your research

 

Your  account should explain both the methodology  (about 1000 words) and procedures (another 1000 words (or methods).

 

In these sections you should show the following MA level descriptors.

  • a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to your own research or advanced scholarship;
  • a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline
  • evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them

 

You need to show you understand the research process and are self-critical  and critical of it.

Materials to support you are in the research folder here - Research  Materials. Indeed, the materials here contain the headings and some of the text to build your own specific account. Supplement this with your own references.

 

Discussion

 What are the characteristics of (your) research that make it high quality?

 

Can we share  and discuss here ?

Document Actions

methodology

Posted by Morag Scally at Feb 17, 2011 08:30 PM
Hi everyone

I'm just doing my reading for Methodology chapter. Hamish, it says above, about 1000 words for methodology and 1000 for procedures. Is that for AE and Dissertation, I can't find the thread that reminds us the approx word count for the different chapters in the dissertation.

Also Sarah, please could you email me, I would like a tutorial, maybe you are not getting your emails, or are just snowed under? Many Thanks

Morag

methodology

Posted by Hamish Scott-Brown at Feb 17, 2011 08:36 PM
Morag, have you checked the module handbook for wordcount guidelines ?

I know that there may be a slight difference between the 2 modules but as long as you have the correct module handbook then the guideline wordcount will help you and although not something to get too stressed about...we use guideline wordcounts to keep you from straying too far from the track

Also....if the guide is eg 1000 words....and you find that after cutting out any quotes and tables you are around the 350 - 400 word area.....then it's good practice to review what you have said.....and do more :-) 350 wont be really doing you any favours as it's going to be lean ;-)

methodology

Posted by Morag Scally at Feb 17, 2011 08:44 PM
Thanks Hamish, I'll look now, and have just emailed Sarah. M

methodology

Posted by Hamish Scott-Brown at Feb 17, 2011 08:49 PM
hopefully not from Hotmail Morag ? :-)

tutor support

Posted by Morag Scally at Mar 06, 2011 04:26 PM
Hi hamish

After you sent this, I contacted Sarah again on my work email account, she still has not replied.

I eailed Ian last week about it but haven't heard yet.

I'm right in the middle of data collection and still haven't had any contact from Sarah, a tutorial or any feedback on the chapters I have submitted so far. I'm getting a little worried, as I really need to move on with this but I'm struggling without support. Hope you can help. Maybe you could contact her direct, let me know what the problem is, or allocate me a different tutor. Thanks Morag

Methodology

Posted by Deborah Woolley at Mar 09, 2011 08:12 AM
Hi

What are the characteristics of (your) research that make it high quality?

My Action Research as a methodology follows the Naturalistic or Interpretative view using qualitative methods to ask questions such as, what are the benefits of personalising learning strategies for the adult dyslexic student?I therefore see my Action Research as a way to plan, evaluate, reflect and improve my current practice. I believe by doing this I will increase my confidence and awareness and contribute to furthering professional development. My Action Research project will be carried out using qualitative methods such as small case studies, semi-structured interviews and observations.By describing the context it also gives other researchers and readers a clear picture of what the background of the organisation is, thus enabling them to better adapt the research to suit their own context. It may also be useful to other teacher researchers within the same educational context (SpLD) therefore the research is reliable to the extent of SpLD teaching. Some of the characteristics of my research that make it high quality include: producing coherent connection between theory and method; being able to focus on meaning; collection of and in-depth engagement with, ‘rich’ data and hopefully it will include well reasoned and evidence-based conclusions.

thanks

Deborah

Methodology

Posted by Ian at Mar 10, 2011 12:37 PM
Procedures are one thing.(You call them methods), But what about the methodology called research. You say Naturalistic and Interpretative: But what does this mean in terms of * The kind of knowledge that will be created and its purpose
    * The methodology that best fits the context and scale of your research
    * The control you have over variables in this research
    * The extent you can generalise knowledge gained from this research to other cases.
    * The tests you will use for truthfulness, reliability and validity.
    * The involvement and relationships between researcher and subject(s)
    * The treatment of socially constructed ideas in your research

methodology

Posted by Jacqueline Schembri at Mar 09, 2011 04:13 PM
characteristics of my research

My research is an investigation into the writing skills of students with specific learning difficulties who have major difficulties in writing. It is a qualitative research and the approaches that will be used are mainly action research and case study. Through the research I will use research-based best practices methods (obtained from the review of literature)to try and help children improve their writing. The knowledge generated from this research will be useful to other teachers and support staff at school in deciding whether to use these methods or not according to the results achieved in the research.

thanks

Jacqueline

methodology

Posted by Ian at Mar 10, 2011 12:40 PM
Is the knowledge of any use to other teachers in other schools or is it only relvant to your school? (In which case is it really "knowledge" or "research that you are doing?

Is is directly applicable as it stand to other schools or is it roughly interesting but not directly applicable?

methodology

Posted by Hamish Scott-Brown at Mar 10, 2011 12:46 PM
Just picking up here in Ian's point and it's a really valid point that I want to stress quite heavily....
the research should be something that I would 'phrase' as "transferable" - can you see what you are going to be doing as a transferable 'asset' ? If the answer is 'yes' and that's an 'objective yes' then fine.....if you are struggling here then it could be time to think carefully and more considerably

Why this conversation?

Posted by Ian at Mar 10, 2011 12:45 PM
You need to show these criteria
    * a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to your own research or advanced scholarship;
    * a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline
    * evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them

What you are doing - which you call "research" needs to be carefully explianed and justified (with references and argument). What you call research could be "myth", "spin", "promotion", "advertsing", "dogma" , "beleifs", "self engrandisement". Please outline what makes it something called "research"

Why this conversation?

Posted by Hamish Scott-Brown at Mar 10, 2011 12:49 PM
absolutely.......the title here of this conversation was 'justification' this will form a greater and more robust section in your final paper....but take the chance in here to wrestle with others around the 'justification' argument

Have you been able to read other texts and consider how they were justified/ Im going to post a link below here to some material tht I recommend everyone surfs through and finds some pdfs to download and read.....thinking widely about 'justify yourself'

Why this conversation?

Posted by Hamish Scott-Brown at Mar 10, 2011 12:57 PM
Try this link and find some papers that interest you........look at them in light of what we were saying above

http://midwhebonline.org.uk/[…]/executive-summaries?searchterm=executive
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