Numbers: B2+. Dawn WilloughbyЧитать онлайн книгу.
Early planning and good organization are key to a successful research project. What you decide to research can vary greatly depending on the field you are in, but there are two main starting points: formulating research questions, or formulating a hypothesis to test. Whether you choose one, the other or both, there are some important points to consider:
This chapter will help you to consider some of these key issues. It gives you practical steps to formulate research questions, and helps you understand the basic principles of sampling and to understand the cause and effect nature of hypotheses.
Formulating research questions
Doing a research project is both exciting and challenging at the same time. Research projects at the end of a Bachelor’s or Master’s (BA, BSc, MA, MSc) degree are commonly called a dissertation or a thesis. You usually have a lot of freedom to choose the area you want to research, although sometimes you may be given a choice of questions about a broad area of research to look into. You can start to think about the area you want to research very early on, but try not to narrow it down too soon before you are ready to begin.
It is a good idea to choose a topic or area that interests you, perhaps from a module you enjoyed or a topic that has stimulated your interest in a new area. Sometimes it can be a challenge to think of an area, so talk about it with tutors, friends or other students and perhaps look at some previous projects in your area of study.
Exercise 1
Follow these steps to help find an area that interests you.
1 Brainstorm the different subjects from your degree.
2 Think about particularly interesting modules.
3 Think of an interesting area from that module.
4 Which of these topics particularly interests you?
Once you have a range of topics that interest you, the next step is to narrow it down. This is something that should be done quite quickly as you often have limited time. Thinking about your motivation is important because you will be spending a lot of time on the project. It is also important to try to think about how practical the project is.
Being specific
One of the biggest challenges is choosing a research question that is specific enough. The idea of writing 15,000 or 20,000 words in your own language can make people feel quite worried, and doing it in another language for your Bachelor’s or Master’s degree can seem even more challenging. Many of the English exams to gain entry to a university only require students to write 250 words in English. So when, in perhaps just nine months of completing that test, you have to write 20,000 words, very few people worry about being specific. Many think – can I write that much? When people choose a topic that is too broad it can be difficult to answer in 15,000 to 20,000 words as there are too many things to cover. It can create problems conducting the literature review as you will have too many things to read. It could also mean that you do not have the time or resources to conduct your own research and write it up. Try to build on topics. Think about the following: has this area already been well researched? Is there a clear research methodology I could use? Can I bring a slightly new perspective to the topic? How specific you need to be will vary between courses, but it is essential you think about these questions in order to make your project realistic.
Glossary
specific If someone is specific, they give a description that is precise and exact.
Exercise 2
Which of these research questions sounds specific enough?
1 Does regular exercise reduce stress levels in men aged 18–25?
2 Will a high-fibre and low-fat diet be sufficient to reduce cholesterol levels in middle-aged women?
3 Does exercise improve mental health?
4 Does motivation affect levels of effort?
Tip
Exercise 3
Think about your possible research question and ask yourself these questions.
1 Can you answer your question in just a few months?
2 Is your question specific enough? Brainstorm all the different things you might include and then imagine how many words it might take to cover each.
3 Have you read previous students’ projects? How long was each section?
4 Once you have collected your data how will you analyse it? How long do you think this might take? If you are doing something that requires you to write down what was said, for example an interview, practise this by recording a friend and writing down what they say. Time yourself and then imagine how long this might take once you have interviewed the number of people you want to interview.
5 Can you get access easily to people you want to interview, use in a focus group or give your questionnaire to?
Exercise 4
Decide if the following statements are true or false.
| 1 Being broad in your research aims is positive. | True / False |
| 2 You shouldn’t read previous students’ work in case it’s not very good. |
True / False
|