research (purpose, place and practice)

Question 1

what is research (Theodorson & Theodorson 1969, cited in Reber 1995, p.663)

Answer 1

any honest attempt to study a problem systematically or add to knowledge of a problem may be regarded as research

Question 2

what is research (Gratton & Jones, 2004, p.4)

Answer 2

a systematic process of discovery and an advancement of human knowledge

Question 3

what is research?

Answer 3

an organised inquiry carried out to provide information for solving problems

Question 4

what is research?

Answer 4

a process of systematic inquiry that entails;
- collection of data
- documentation of critical information and
- analysis and interpretation of that data/info, in accordance with sustainable methodologies set by specific professional fields and academic disciplines

Question 5

what are the key ideas about research?

Answer 5

organised inquiry
generating information
solving (specific) problems
expanding knowledge and understanding

Question 6

how does research build on our focus on critical thinking?

Answer 6

find out about how the world works, learn about what works, what doesn’t work and why

Question 7

why do we do research?

Answer 7

different purpose to research in different fields, but some areas of commonality
- information: acquire new knowledge, find answers, solutions to problems…
- facilitating change: enhance practice, new ways of doing things, improve experiences…
- ethical issues: prevent harm, reduce waste, improve life conditions, social change…
- academic mission: profile, contributions, enterprise…

Question 8

what are the research outcomes?

Answer 8

• research should lead to impact (in a broad sense)
• to get funding/publish research, there needs to be relevance, authenticity & contribution to the field

Question 9

what does research have a role in? (BERA, 2013 - Why educational research matters’)

Answer 9

supporting the development of a knowledge economy and in providing a knowledge base for future economic, social and global challenges

Question 10

what does research have a role in? (eppi.ioe.ac.uk)

Answer 10

informing policy and professional practice with sound evidence…the use/non-use of research evidence in personal , practice and political decision-making, supporting those who wish to find and use research to help solve problems

Question 11

why do students do research?

Answer 11

• learn how to question
• make sense of something
• knowledge improvement
• inform practice
• make critical judgements
• employability

Question 12

what is data?

Answer 12

the information collected by researchers which they analyse to draw their findings and conclusions (Jones, Holloway and Brown, 2013. p.199)

Question 13

what is a hypothesis?

Answer 13

an assumption or tentative statement based on limited evidence or a relationship between variables which can be tested, verified or falsified

Question 14

what is methodology?

Answer 14

the strategy or plan of action which lies behind the choice and use of particular methods (Crotty, 1998. p.3)

Question 15

what is positionality

Answer 15

the stance or position of the researcher in relation to the context of the study, or the population being studied

Question 16

what is research (Burton and Bartlett, 2009, p.3)

Answer 16

the systematic gathering, presenting and analysing of data

Question 17

what is research?

Answer 17

a process that is careful, logical and systematic, it is finding things out for a purpose. However, it is important to recognise that all research takes place within broad and differing social and political contexts so definitions of what research is/for do shift, albeit subtly.

Question 18

what is quality research? (Wann, 1997, p.17)

Answer 18

the lifeblood of any scientific discipline. Without it, disciplines would stagnate, failing to advance past their current limits and understanding’

Question 19

what are the characteristics of research?

Answer 19

1. generated by either a specific research question, a hypothesis or a problem
2. research is thought-out and designed process that follows a specific plan or procedure
3. aims to increase understanding through interpreting findings and reaching conclusions based on those findings
4. requires a reasoned argument to support both decisions regarding the research processes (methodology) and conclusions drawn from the findings
5. research is iterative, based on previous knowledge to further address gaps in knowledge or to even develop further research questions

Question 20

what is the planning phase of the research process?

Answer 20

planning: reviewing literature, figuring out the problem, deciding on the aims and objectives of the research, developing a research question, selecting a theoretical framework that underpins the research

Question 21

what is the designing phase of the research process?

Answer 21

how to collect data or different components of the research

Question 22

what is the data collection phase of the research process?

Answer 22

this can be done using one or multiple methods

Question 23

what is data analysis phase of the research process?

Answer 23

where you make sense of the data, methods for doing this are dependant on your research question

Question 24

what is the dissemination phase of the research process?

Answer 24

effectively communicating the findings of the research

Question 25

why do we research? (Hussey and Hussey, 1997)

Answer 25

• investigate a problem
• find a solution to a problem
• explore and analyse an issue
• to construct or create something new
• explain a new phenomenon
• generate new knowledge
• combination of above

Question 26

when do we do research?

Answer 26

• undergrad studies
• phD
• researchers and academics will do commissioned research which they will design the research based on the funders’ needs or apply for funding for their own projects

Question 27

what is basic/pure research?

Answer 27

unis may refer to basic or pure research which is essentially research for its own sake, driven by person interest in a topic or area

Question 28

what is applied/field research?

Answer 28

a systematic and rigorous pursuit to generate new knowledge regarding everyday problems

if you are interested in researching with athletes, teachers, coaches and students, parents or policies to understand a type of practice or problem, this is likely applied research

Question 29

what is primary research?

Answer 29

research that has collected original data that is specific to that research project regardless of the method of how it has been collected

Question 30

what is secondary research?

Answer 30

refers to research does not collect original data and instead utilises pre-existing data

Question 31

what is theoretical research?

Answer 31

creates new ideas by using existing findings (secondary data) to test existing theories and explanations

new ideas are not tested via the collection of new (primary data)

Question 32

what is empirical data?

Answer 32

develops new ideas by collecting primary data via empirical means (observation, measurements, interviews, surveys etc)

Question 33

what are myths & misconceptions of research?

Answer 33

• research is not just the gathering of existing data and info
• research cannot be simplified to the collection of new data
• research is not done to prove opinions based on personal experiences
• research is not always entirely new and original
• research may not always involve a problem or presenting an issue to be solved it can be about advancing human knowledge

Question 34

what is ontology