RESEARCH FUNDAMENTALS

The Purpose Of Research

• The purpose of research is to advance knowledge, increase understanding, educate others, and inform practice.
• Opportunity to find out new information and increase our knowledge and understanding about a topic.
• Advance knowledge: To find out new information and enhance awareness on a particular topic.
• Increase understanding: To find out information and increase appreciation on topics.
• Educate others: To pass on all findings of research to others.
• Inform practice: To make future recommendations based on the conclusions of research.
• EG/ A research project may involve collecting data and reporting on the crime rates of different cities. It gives the
opportunity to use the results in education programs and to inform practice by developing preventative policing strategies
that may, in the long term, reduce crime.
The Focus Of Research
• To determine the focus of research is to define it and the format in which it will be written; a research focus can take the
form of a research question or statement, or a hypothesis.
Research Question
• A research question asks whether a relationship exists between variable in a particular population.
• EG/ Will using entertainment technologies everyday have an impact on the social wellbeing of school-age children?
Research Statement
• Research problem statement, present the idea, issue, or situation that the researcher intends to examine their study.
• EG/ Using entertainment technologies every day has an impact on the social wellbeing of school aged children.
Hypothesis
• A hypothesis is a problem, question, or statement that one proposes or predicts to test throughout research.
• EG/ Using entertainment technologies everyday can have a negative impact on the social wellbeing of school-age children.
Sampling
• The process of choosing the people, place, and time to collect primary data.
• While its ethical to choose a large group it is not as efficient due to limited time, money or even access to people.
• When an appropriate sample group and size are selected, the reliability and validity of research increase.
Sampling Methods
• Random sample: Involves selecting people so that everyone has an equal chance of being selected.
• EG/ The weekly Oz Lotto draw -> every number has an equal chance of being selected.
• Systematic random sample: Is where samplers select members of the population at a regular interval.
• EG/ By selecting every 15th person on a list of the population.
• Stratified random sample: Involves the population to be divided into strata groups based on their characteristics and then
randomly selected.
• EG/ Race, gender, educational attainment, etc.
• Cluster sample: Dividing the population into clusters and random selection is made within the clusters.
• EG/ School -> 4 roll call classes are selected at random and 5 students from each class are chosen.
• Convenience sampling: Researcher selects people because they are easily located.
• EG/ Friends in a year 12 peer group, or a family member.
Sampling Groups
• You can decide where the sample group is to be chosen from.
• EG/ People from your neighbourhood or specific community organisation such as a childcare centre.
Sample Size
• Refers to the number of participants that are selected for the research study.
• EG/ A suitable sample size for an IRP would be about 20-10 people; this may be done by 2 interviews, a case study or 2-3
observations.
Types of Data
Primary & Secondary Data
• Primary data: Is collected firsthand from individuals or groups who have been questioned, surveyed, interviewed, or
observed. It tends to be expensive to conduct and time consuming.
• Secondary data: Is based on the finding of other people’s research and found in reports, records, textbooks, etc.
Usually less expensive to obtain and less time consuming.
Qualitative & Quantitative Data
 Qualitative data: Is subjective data that comes from research collecting information regarding people’s beliefs, feelings,
attitudes, and opinions to gain insight into the area. Can provide words and images to help us understand more about a
situation.
 EG/ Observations, interviews, focus groups, case studies etc.
 Quantitative data: Objective data that comes from research that collects facts in numerical data, which can then be
analysed using counting, measuring, and graphing. Is more reliable and is less bias than qualitative research.
 EG/ Questionnaires, surveys, experiments etc.
QUALITATIVE DATA IS USED TO SUPPORT QUANTITATIVE DATA FINDINGS
Sources Of Data
Individuals & Groups
• Individuals and groups can provide data that is current and in real time.
• Individuals include your teacher, family members, friends, neighbours, experts, or specialists in particular areas. EG/
Managers, doctors, dieticians.
• Groups can include professional organisations such as non-profit groups, government agencies, specialist groups and
medical health authorities. EG/ The salvation army, Centrelink, police, sporting associations, etc.
Individuals
• Advantages: Individuals can give information and are able to provide perspectives and insights based on their position in
society. EG/ A doctors can give insight into data of a medical nature and provide extra insight as to the meaning of it.
• Disadvantages: May be invalid or false. Not all data can be conveyed accurately.
Groups
• Advantages: There is a larger bank of information that be used as a source of data -> will be a mixed number of people.
• Disadvantages: The groups can often conflict with each other, and their finding and opinions can easily contradict one
another.
Print & Digital
• Print sources include books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and pamphlets.
• Digital sources include internet, computer programs, television, radio, stats, podcasts & webcasts.
Digital
• Advantages: Can provide the most recent of information & is easily accessible.
• Disadvantages: It is not always accurate effecting the reliability and validity of the sources.
Print
• Advantages: Is more reliable and there is a wider range of sources.
• Disadvantage: There is limitation as to its availability as some books are not published or stocked.
Reliability & Validity
Reliability
• Refers to the consistency of measurement.
• By achieving reliability an accurate and true representation of the population being studied is achieved.
• Research method should produce stable and consistent results.
Validity
• Refers to the measurement that accurately reflects what it is intended to measure.
• A combination of both primary and secondary data can increase validity.
Ethical Behaviour
Respect (sensitive topics)
• Plan questions carefully so that they are not too personal & do not cause distress or offend.
• Their opinions, thoughts, feelings, culture, religion, age, gender, health, and wellbeing must be respected.
• Offer the opportunity for the participant to see the final report and its findings.
Integrity (Crediting sources of data)
• Refers to honesty & professional conduct shown by the researcher.
• Must make sure that the entire research process is thorough, reliable, and valid.
Privacy (Confidentiality)
• Asking permission prior to carrying out primary research or recording any data.
• Ensuring that data and opinions are not revealed to others.
• Carefully storing data during the research process then destroying is after use.
• Requesting anonymity could also be a strategy of confidentiality.
Bias (Research Bias)
• Refers to unfair preference or distortion.
• Using their personal influence or opinion can affect the data’s validity. EG/ When the researcher includes a group that they
personally know.
RESEARCH METHODS

Questionnaires
 A set of formally prepared questions that seek information on a person’s knowledge, beliefs, opinions, likes or dislikes.
 Usually a source of primary and quantitative data.
 Can be on paper or online. EG/ Survey monkey, polls.
 Advantages: Collect both qualitative and quantitative data, quick distributions, avoid interviewer bias & easily interpreted.
 Disadvantages: Requires satisfactory literacy skills & time consuming as researchers have to wait for responses.
Interviews
 A conversation between two or more people in which the interview has been planned to collect information or opinions.
 A discussion between two or more people in which the interview is more informal, without developing the actual questions.
 Advantages: Both qualitative and quantitative data can be collected, an interviewer can judge if questions become too
sensitive, etc.
 Disadvantages: Time consuming to plan, may find interview threatening, less anonymity, etc.
Case studies
 A qualitative research method is to get a deep understanding of complex issues.
 Provides contextual/detailed analysis of a particular situation.
 Advantages: A lot of detail is collected, sample population can be surveyed when large populations are not available,
general predictions are possible, etc.
 Disadvantages: Data collected may not necessarily be valid, danger of data bias when only one person is collecting, hard to
draw definite cause/effect from one case study, etc.
Observations
 A process of watching and recording the behaviours of participants; the researcher may be a participant or non-participant
in the research activity.
 Advantages: Allows for richly detailed description, provides direct access to the social phenomena under consideration,
provides a permanent record, etc.
 Disadvantages: Bias in the recording of the events viewed, gender may restrict access to certain information, can be very
time consuming, etc.
Literature reviews
 An examination of existing research that has been conducted on a particular topic or issue.
 Allows you to gain an in-depth understanding of the topic prior to conducting your own primary research.
 Purpose is to gather existing quantitative and qualitative data from a variety of sources.
 Advantages: Can be conducted for almost any topic and previous sources can be qualitative and quantitative.
 Disadvantages: Requires high level of literacy skills to identify resources and write a summary, is time consuming having to
make sense of other people’s data.
RESEARCH PROCESS

Planning For Research

Step 1: Formulating A Research Proposal
 The focus of the topic must be related to course content.
 Brainstorming and discussing with others is a great tool.
 Once ideas have been narrowed down, start writing them as research goals by using key terms.
Step 2: Managing Resources
 Establish a system that suits you.
 Time management is essential.
 Keep data and materials organised.
Step 3: Considering Ethical Behaviour In Research
 Allows understanding and valuing ethical practices when locating and using information.
Step 4: Proposing Suitable Research Methods & Sampling Method & Size
 Examine the research methods, sampling method and sample size that best suits your research.
 Valuable to combine both qualitative and quantitative methods.
 Quantitative: objective data.
 Qualitative data: subjective data.
Step 5: Developing The Plan & Submitting For Marking As Required
 Should have a research question, problem or hypothesis, ideas for direction of your research, possible research methods,
suggested primary and secondary data sources and sampling method and size.
 Planning allows to consolidate the future directions for project and allows feedback from teacher about suitability for the
ongoing progress of the research process.
Conducting Research
Step 6: Accessing Sources Of Data
 Should search secondary data for what has already been written about chosen topic.
 Use both digital and print sources of data.
 Using data enables you to create your literature review.
 Literature review must have points that are organised into issues or themes that relate to the research proposal.
 It will contain background information.
 Then compare previous research to own findings.
Step 7: Collecting And Recording Data
 The most important form of data for your IRP is the data that you collect.
 Your primary data may include the following:
Interviews
Surveys/ questionnaires
Observations
Case studies
Step 8: Documenting Actions And Issues
 Your project diary is a record of the steps taken during the development of IRP.
 Diary should include:
1-2 entries per week on your progress
Description of sources of data
Methods used to collect primary and secondary data.
Positive and negative experience
Problems you may have faced.
Personal opinions and decisions that you make.
Interpreting Research
Step 9: Presenting Research Findings
 Data can be presented both qualitatively and quantitatively.
 Quantitative data is numerical so it can be presented through graphs, tables, statistics, or percentages.
 Qualitative data is often presented in a written report form that describes the main ideas and trends that emerge from the
research.
Step 10: Analysing research results
 When analysing your research results must consolidate all information.
 Need to describe what you can see in the evidence provided in literature review, graphs, and tables.
 This can be achieved through identifying trends in the data presented.
Step 11: Drawing conclusions from research
 Must draw conclusions in relation to initial research question, problem statement or hypothesis.
 Conclusion must include a summary of the following:
What your data shows
How this relates to the research in general
Validity of your findings
Possible implications or recommendations from your findings
Step 12: Presenting Research
 Research IRP should be presented neatly using a title page & table of contents.
 It will include relevant texts, information, graphs, tables, photographs, diagrams.
 Assemble your bibliography.
 Finalising your appendix.