So what have I learnt as a budding researcher?
I guess the most important lesson which I've learnt is, research is a continuous process. Even though this is my last entry for Kerry's course, I don't think this blog will be dropped off the radar just because it will no longer be assessed for the purpose of BUSN8018. The journey to learn more about research, good research, qualitative research, and qualitative research methods has been extremely revealing. Even though my thesis will be a quantitative one, the exploration of the qualitative aspect of self-efficacy has brought colours to the quantitative research which I'm working on currently. Additionally, it has given me greater insights into the process of how self-efficacy beliefs are formed and their impact on several outcomes.
In a nutshell, these are my key take-aways from Kerry's course:
Rules of the game for good research
- Good research = good argument, bad research = lousy argument
- Research is all about creating good arguments, and not conceptualising absolute "truth"
- Ontology - Epistemology - Methodology
- Kerry's Good Proposal Template ©
- What is my key academic paper?
- What is the problem (mistake/gap) in that paper? (research based on "gap")
- What is the "model" of the process you are looking at?
- What is my "best guess"/theory for how I would expect the gap to work?
- Why is the gap important for cause-and-effect issues?
- What evidence do I need to "fill the gap"?
- What is a reasonable way to gather the evidence I need?
- How will my case site/location/area provide the evidence I need?
- Case study (what you're looking at) ≠ Research question (what reader wants to know)
- Position yourself as the reader: What do you want to know?/What doesn't make sense?
- Identify audience, and motivate them
- Gap: Extend knowledge/What is new, novel, and surprising?/Paradox/Contradictions
- Summarise existing pool of knowledge: find a break or make a break
- Essentially, no gap > no motivation > no research paper. Hence, research problem (based on research gap) is extremely important for good research!
- Knowledge > Generalisable knowledge > Theory (Contribution back to literature)
- Research Purpose: To generalise to theory, as research without theory is journalism!
- In research, we are always trying to extend theoretical understanding by making arguments and using theoretical tools
- Two competing theories: Choose the one that you recognise/resonate with
- Nature of qualitative research particularly apt for theorisation, which involves exploring relationships and dynamics
- Jacobs' Six Step Approach © on how to use theory
- Start with an important problem (why and to whom is it important?)
- Demonstrate shortcoming in existing approach
- Re-construct with theoretical bridge (argument), introduce and explain theory
- Carry out study with acceptable method, which depends on the theory chosen
- Show the contribution to knowledge/existing theories
- Reflect on what you have found (new theory/model)
- A case is a strategy (method) rather than a genre, it can be applied to any setting
- Essential questions that shapre research design
- (1) What? (Research gap/problem)
- (2) Why? (Significance of research)
- (3) Theorise the problem (Theory)
- (4) How? (Proposed approach to gather evidence/collect data, research design!)
- Positivist approach/Interpretive approach (preferred)/Critical approach
- Positivist: testing/refining a hypothesis
- Interpretive: understand meaning and process
- Critical: critical reflection on practice
- Advantages of interviews: flexibility, observe non-verbal cues, controlled environment, ensure interviewee answers, complex and sensitive questions
- Disadvantages of interviews: time-consuming, interviewer bias, verbal claims differ from actual behaviour (social desirability bias)
- Interview process: (1) Start-up, (2) Conduct interviews, (3) Recording, (4) Problems, (5) Group interviews or focus groups
- Start-up: Background, Motivation, Confidentiality, Permission, Break the ice
- Conducting interviews: Don't speak too much, Don't agree/disagree, Reflective listening
- Recording: Ask for permission, do pre-recording to see if device is functioning
- Interview problems: Don't lead interviewee, Don't offend interviewee, Don't go off-topic
- Group interviews/focus groups: Facilitate discussion, dynamic setting
- Getting in, getting on, getting out, and getting back (Buchanan, Boddy, & McCalman, 1988)
- Negotiate research access to organisations (Getting in)
- Establish effective relationships with respondents (Getting on)
- Withdraw from the relationships (Getting out)
- Return to organisation for follow-up (Getting back)
- (1) What do you expect to find? (based on prior/existing literature and theory)
- (2) Who are the players and what are the relationships? (based on these, formulate design)
- (3) Analyse data (in my case, interviews) in relation to expecations and design
- (4) Challenge/Extend/Reject/Develop theory
- When data is different from what you're expecting, adjust theory
- When doing qualitative research, never separate the analysis and discussion
- Group exercise on ANU-CBE international students' experience: A good interview analysis strikes a balance between having too much data/too little theory and having too much theory/too little data
- Can you support the proposition?
- Mobilise evidence to support proposition and theory
- Write every day from the beginning, even when you're not in the mood
- Have a structure before writing, but be flexible with the structure
- Write the conclusions first - to provide focus for the write-up
- Be parsimonious: write clearly and succinctly
- Claim(s), evidence to support claim(s), warrant (explain why evidence is relevant to the claim), and qualification
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