Books/texts to reference in my essay

Study Task 06: Write a brief (practical)

Study Task 05: Essay Structure

Introduction:
-Introduce the topic
-Provide background information
-Limit the scope of discussion
-Define/state the topic/question
-Present the line of coverage including your line of argument/viewpoints/conclusions

Body:
-Each paragraph should have one main point
-Topic sentence ---> link ---> topic sentence ---> link, etc.
-Topic sentences carry the theme/outline/argument

Conclusion:
-Sum up your argument/ information with reference to the essay question
-Perhaps mention wider implications/ future decisions

Research Methods

Ethics

Any research using 'human participants' needs to be approved by a tutor in advance

Any research using vulnerable people (children or people with certain disabilities) must be approved by the ethics sub-committee

Research involving human participants must be anonymous and you must obtain informed consent in advance

Empiricism vs. Rationalism

These are the two main approaches to 'knowledge'

Empiricism: something is only 'true' if it is experienced using senses (primary research, gathering information from the source)

Rationalism: truth can be grasped intellectually using logic and reason (how you deal with secondary, literature reading, how to make sense of it and apply it to the topic you are researching)

Empirical research:

Start with questions
Questions that have not already been answered
These questions will contain the clues to the potential methods by which you will find answers
I.E. are they about people's feelings, opinions, activities, circumstances, relationships, etc.

Qualitative/quantitate data

Empirical research is all about data collection and analysis... however, 'data' can take different forms

Quantitative: numerical forms

Data collection:

Focus group: A focus from is gathering of deliberately selected people who participate in a planned discussion about a particular topic

Survey: Interviews (qualitative)/ Questionnaires (quantitive)

Questionnaire: should be multiple choice, easy to complete, easy to read and understand without leading questions

Interviews: structured/ unstructured/ semi-structured

Data collection:

Ethnography: study of people and cultures, participant observation/direct observation

Content analysis (extracting quantitative data from qualitative sources): Measures the frequency of pre-specified items within a particular context

Creative explorations (Gauntlet, 2007): using creative techniques as a means of gathering subjective data: lego building, film making, collage, etc.

Data analysis/ organisation:

Quantitative (numerical data)
In order to analyse numerical data you must start with a hypothesis- what you expect to be able to prove using the data. The data should then prove or disprove your hypothesis

Cross referencing 
You may have basic personal information that you can cross reference with other trends (55% women prefer red, 45% prefer black)

Lecture- What is research?

Terminology Research Questions, Epistemology and Proposals.

Theory--> Action--> Reflection

Research isn't linear, constantly coming up with ideas for products.

Initial Research and Source Material

Content= Theoretical and content development & Ideas and responses
Written response
Practical response
Synthesis= Interrogation of theoretical and practical knowledge

Systematic and intuitive approach

Questioning, HOW, WHY and WHAT IF

Involves collecting information from a variety of sources inc books, journals and the internet

Carry out practical developments

Research is the process of finding facts, these facts will lead to knowledge

PRIMARY RESEARCH
- collected for a specific use

SECONDARY RESEARCH
-published or recorded data that has already been collected

Quantitive and Qualitative all work together

Research is about finding facts and these facts lead to knowledge. Research is done by using what is already known.

Knowing that (theoretical knowledge)
Knowing how (practical knowledge)
Knowing where (contextual knowledge)

Relevance and usefulness is down to you and what you will find out

What do I WANT to know?
What do I NEED to know?

Research is creating new knowledge

Your initial research question should be what you want to know

In order to research you need to be in a position where you don't know anything

Paradigm Position
- your unique view of the world

What is there to study?
Ontology = the philosophical analysis of what is or can be known

How can we know about it?
Epistemology= the philosophical analysis of the scope and nature of knowledge and how we can 'know' something

METHODOLOGY:
-approaches
-techniques
-analysis
-interpretation