Assignment : Research process and research evaluation

1.Consider the two research questions you selected in Assignment 2.

(a)For each research question, select an appropriate research method. Justify your choice of methods.

(b)Describe in detail how you would carry out these two pieces of research. If you choose a survey method, give examples of the type of questions you would ask. If you choose focus groups or qualitative interviews, make a list of starter questions. You may need to briefly repeat some details that you discussed in Assignment 2, such as sampling method and ethical considerations.

(c)Compare the type and characteristics of the information that the two methods will provide.

(Guide to length for Question 1: 1000–1500 words)

2.Consider the two research reports attached to this assignment. (One is by Lim, Dannels and Watkins, 2008, and the other is by Robinson and Hullinger, 2008.) For each report:

(a)Identify and clearly state the research question.

(b)Briefly summarise the method used, including sample selection and sample size.

(c)Assess the suitability of the methodology for the research question and the rationale for choosing it.

(d)From Module 6 and the associated readings, assemble a checklist of characteristics you should look for in good quality research.

(e)Assess the quality of the two reports against this checklist, highlighting strengths and weaknesses. Give an overall comment on the quality of the research and its reporting. Justify your comment.

(f)Suggest an alternative method that could have been used to address the research question. Do you think this alternative method would have had any effects on the findings?

Note: The paper by Robinson and Hullinger uses a number of statistics that may be beyond your knowledge. For the purpose of your critique, you can assume that these are correctly used and give valid results. The discussion section gives an explanation of these findings.

3.The activities in the Learning Guide frequently prompt you to participate in discussions with other students on the Online Campus. You are expected to participate throughout the trimester by posting messages or replying to other students in a constructive way.

You do not need to make a posting on all forums, but by the end of the trimester you should have contributed to at least 10 forums, with each posting being between 150 and 250 words.

Make a copy of your forum postings, including date of posting, and attach them to your assignment.