The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project

need to change direction/methodPART SIX: WORKING WITH LITERATUREThe importance of literatureThe role of literatureSourcing relevant literature Types of literature Calling on 'experts' Honing your search skillsManaging the literature Assessing relevance Being systematic Annotating referencesWriting a the formal 'literature review' Purpose Coverage The writing processPART SEVEN: DESIGNING A RESEARCH PLANMethodology, methods and tools The relationship between methodology and methodsMoving from questions to answers Finding a path Hitting the targetGetting down to the nitty gritty Fundamental questions Emergent methodological designPART EIGHT: UNDERSTANDING METHODOLOGIES: QUANTITATIVE, QUALITATIVE AND 'MIXED' APPROACHESUnderstanding the quantitative/ qualitative divideThe quantitative tradition Scientific/ hypothetico-deductive methods Experimental design Exploring a populationThe qualitative tradition Credibility in qualitative studies Ethnography Phenomenology Ethnomethodology Understanding feminist approachesMixed methodology Arguments for mixed methodology Perspectives and strategies Challenges and obstaclesPART NINE: UNDERSTANDING METHODOLOGIES: EVALUATIVE, ACTION-ORIENTED AND EMANCIPATORY STRATEGIESResearch that attempts to drive changeEvaluation research Summative/outcome evaluation Formative/process evaluation The politics of evaluative research Negotiating real-world challenges of evaluative researchAction research The scope of action research Key elements of action research Challenges associated with action researchEmancipatory research Participatory action research Critical ethnography Issues in emancipatory researchPART TEN: SEEKING 'RESPONDENTS'Who holds the answer?Samples: Selecting elements of a population Opportunities in working with a 'sample' Sample selection Random samples Non-random samplesKey informants: Working with experts and insiders Opportunities in working with key informants Informant selectionCases: Delving into detail Opportunities in working with cases Case selectionPART ELEVEN: DIRECT DATA COLLECTION - SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWSThe challenge of getting data directly from the sourceSurveying Options and possibilities Issues and complexities The survey process The survey instrumentInterviewing Options and possibilities Issues and complexities The interview process Conducting your interviewPART TWELVE: INDIRECT DATA COLLECTION: WORKING WITH OBSERVATIONS AND EXISTING TEXTThe challenge of gathering indirect dataObservation Options and possibilities Issues and complexities The observation process Receiving, reflecting, recording, authenticatingWorking with existing 'text' Options and possibilities Issues and complexities The process of textual analysis Delving into documents, history, artefacts, and secondary dataPART THIRTEEN: ANALYSING QUANTITATIVE DATAMoving from raw data to significant findings Keeping a sense of the overall project Doing statistical analysisManaging data and defining variables Data management Understanding variables - cause and effect Understanding variables - measurements scalesDescriptive statistics Measuring central tendency Measuring dispersion Measuring the shape of the dataInferential statistics Questions suitable to inferential statistics Statistical significance Understanding and selecting the right statistical testPresenting quantitative dataPART FOURTEEN: ANALYZING QUALITATIVE DATAThe promise of qualitative analysis Keeping the bigger picture in focus From raw data to significant findings QDA softwareThe logic of QDA Balancing creativity and focus Moving between inductive and deductive reasoningThe methods of QDA Identifying biases/ noting impressions Reducing and coding into themes Looking for patterns and interconnections Mapping and building themes Developing theory Drawing conclusionsSpecific QDA strategiesPresenting quantitative dataPART FIFTEEN: THE CHALLENGE OF WRITING UPThe writing challengeResearch as communication Knowing and engaging your audience Finding an appropriate structure and styleThe writing process Writing as analysis Constructing your 'story' Developing each section/ chapter From first to final draftThe need for exposure Attending conferences Giving presentations Writing and submitting articlesThe final word