Preparing for Research

Have you been thinking about research? Do you feel overwhelmed on where to begin? Below, I outline my step-by-step guide to getting ready for research. You just need to take one little bite at a time.

Before you begin conducting research, you need to complete the TCPS2 Core Certificate (https://tcps2core.ca/). Click on the purple button to create an account. Then, work your way through the modules. This does take a little while to complete (up to 8 hours or so if you are brand new to research), but you can save your progress and return later.

Then, you need a research idea. Your idea doesn’t need to be ground-breaking or brilliant (though if you have one of those, don’t discard it!). Your research idea will likely be something that begins with “I wonder if…” That is, you’ll come up with a question or problem and then a possible solution. For example, I wonder if using polling in class will improve test performance (or attendance, or something else). Likely, your question will be related to teaching effectiveness or student learning.

Once you have your question, you need to plan the design of the experiment (or other type of research you’re conducting). How will you collect data (or evidence) to help you make a conclusion? This could be using data you have collected previously (Note: you still need REB approval for this- see the secondary use of data form) or data that you plan to collect in the future (again, REB approval is required). A good way to plan these details is to fill out the REB form. It will get you to think about the big picture and also all of the small details, including the resources you require.

Do you require resources? Time on your SWF (there is a form for that!), a research assistant, materials of some kind? If you need funding, that is another thing to consider.

There are various funding opportunities available. ORISE sends out a monthly newsletter with many of these, or you can connect with ORSIE directly. Some funding types to consider include internal research grant, community agencies, and formal external funding. The type of funding needs to match the type of research you are conducting, though most teaching-related research ventures will likely not require any funding.

I hope these steps have helped you to start thinking about your future research project!

As always, if you have any suggestions for things you’d like to see from me, please reach out to me via email or on MS Teams, or pop in during my weekly “office hours” on whereby(dot)com(slash)drlynne. I am on every Friday from 12:30-1:30.

Comments

What is Secondary Use Research? (Part 1 of 2)

In previous issues, I have addressed the forms required for secondary use of data as well as how, in some cases, participants’ consent may not be required for secondary use projects. This week, I will define what a secondary use research project really is (to be continued in the next issue). In future articles, I will detail how to complete the secondary use REB form, section by section. So, what differentiates a secondary use research project from a traditional research project? The short answer is: when the data were collected. If you are proposing to collect data from participants during your study, then you’re not engaged in a research project that would fall under secondary use. If the data have already been collected, and you simply plan to use those previously-collected data in order to answer your research question, then you’d fall in the secondary use category. Essentially, a project that falls under secondary use involves harnessing past data for new research. Where do ...

Tips for Completing the REB Form for Secondary Use (Part 2 of 2)

Last time, I began to go through the Secondary Use of Data Research Ethics Board form (which is on ICE: Teams – Academic – Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Research Ethics Board, then click on “Related Forms” on the left hand side; or click here ). Remember that the secondary use of data form is only to be used when the data are already available either publicly (Statistics Canada) or privately (your previous semester students’ performance). This week, I’ll be reviewing the rest of the sections of the form, beginning with Section 4.0. In the first sub-section (4.1), you’ll explain your research question, why it’s important and what you think the outcome will be (if you have a hypothesis). Then, you’ll explain where the data came from (who the participants were) and the purpose for the original (primary) data collection. For example, if you’d like to examine a previous semester’s student outcomes, the data were originally collected to provide feedback/grades to...

Developing a Research Question - Part 1: Generate Your Own Research Question from Scratch

Today, I’d like to provide some guidance about research questions. This will be a two-part feature. Part 1 will include a description of research questions and guidance to help you develop your own. For Pat 2 (in 2 weeks), I will focus on how to use other sources as inspirations for your research questions. A research question is used to clarify the scope of your research project. It is a narrower version of the topic that you’re interested in studying. A good research question should be specific, include the variables you are interested in studying, and be testable in a finite amount of time. Your variables should also be operationally defined. It’s not enough to say “children” for example; you should specify “5-8-year-olds”. Similarly “do better” is not a good way to operationalize student success because it’s not easy to measure; instead, phrase it as “earn higher scores on Test 3” because that is how you will measure whether they have done better. Although specific, “When w...

Research Coordinator Blog

Search This Blog