Getting started with research Research Activity Self diagnosis

Getting started with research Research Activity Self diagnosis I have a spot on my forehead with a number on it. The number is more than 100 but less than 1000 but I don’t know what the number is - and no-one is allowed to tell me so I have to find my number by asking questions that only have yes/no answers or numbers in them

Research design principles The first design steps: What is the question? Framing the Research Question Is it a question for anyone else – who else needs to know? Who else wants to know? What is the answer worth? Decide on the Significance of the research Why hasn’t anyone looked at it already –I don’t know if they have looked already. Is there likely to be an answer? Is it personal? Is it local? Is it new? I need to do a Literature review How can I find an answer? – ask a friend, a colleague, an expert, other approaches. I can start looking at Online Databases What words do I need to be looking for? Key words

Deciding on a sample Activity Make notes to answer the following questions üWho can I ask to answer my question? Research Population üWho do I need to ask? Sample composition üHow many will I need to get the answers I need? Sample size üWhat will I need to get from them? Data üHow am I going to get what I need? Research method üHow much does it matter - for me? for PNG? Internationally?

Some survival questions that matter üWhose permission to get what I need? Ethics approval üHow will I get them to agree to help me? Informed consent üHow will I make time to do this work?

Data collection and analysis üHow do I record what I have been told? - Data collection tools üHow do I work out what I have been told? Analytical methods ü Are there ways to reduce the analysis work required? Software üWhat can I do with what I have discovered? Applications üHow can I build on what I have discovered? Implications

Reflective research questions [1] 1. Why are my students taking my unit? Where are they coming from – place, SES, parent expectations, school expectations? What are their entry expectations, mid-unit experiences, exit reflections? How do I find out? How can I use this information? 2. Does society value the units and programs I am teaching? How can I change either the units or the social expectations and valuing of my work? [eg belief or value systems and acceptance of a medical procedure] 3. Do my students understand what I am teaching them? How do I know? Are there any different assessment methods that help me to find out what my students are having problems with –or why they are having problems? [eg entry belief systems, literacy levels, social expectations]

Reflective research questions [2] 4. Do my students have the language and numeracy skills they need to understand what I am teaching them? How do I know? How can I find out? How quickly do I need to know? 5. What percentage of students leave before they complete? From which Faculties? What courses are they most likely to leave from? What tasks, lack of skills, teachers, internal events, external factors cause them to leave from different Faculties?

Reflective research questions [3] 6. How successful are my students at getting jobs after they graduate? How long do my students last in the job they have qualified for? How well prepared are my students for the jobs they get after they graduate 7. Why do students leave before they graduate? What do students do if they leave before graduation? What strategies might be used to improve retention?

Reflective research questions [4] 8. What are the most common international destinations for nationals from PNG? What are the main reasons for international travel? Who are the major fund providers for the travel? Who could benefit from this knowledge? 9. Who are the major adventure travel providers to Madang province? Where do the adventure tourists come from? What is average length of stay? What alternative local sites could be included in a Madang Adventure package to increase the length of stay? What facilities need to be added or upgraded to improve the tourist experience? Who could benefit from this information?

Reflective research questions [5] 10. What factors affect the identification of investment opportunity in Madang province? How do political stability, safety and employee availability affect investment in Madang province? What facilities need to be added or upgraded to increase confidence in investment opportunity in Madang province?

Getting started with research Next session Conducting a Literature Review using Online Databases tomorrow Some software to record your Literature Searches then Formatting your reference lists and, on Wednesday Ethics in research In every session, you will be another step closer to completing your research proposal