Brief Overview of Research

Research generally refers to a systematic inquiry on a given topic, with an aim to expand our knowledge on that topic. The outcome can describe a phenomena or state of affairs, or try to either predict or change behaviours/outcomes, among other things. Typically, a researcher has a research question to guide their inquiry (e.g., “How are students studying for my test?” or “Do my students’ grades improve when I spend some time in class reviewing for the test?”). They then collect data to try to answer their research question(s). Sometimes, the researchers have a hypothesis they are examining, which they form based on previously published inquiry (e.g., “I think my students are using mostly surface-level study behaviours and not engaging deeply with the material.”) In research, data can be collected in a number of ways including surveys and interviews, archival data, and following experimental manipulations.

A great way to begin thinking about research is to complete the TCPS2 core certificate which is an online research ethics training that is required in order to complete research in Canada. Create an account and begin working through the content. At the end, you will receive a certificate of completion which you must submit with any Research Ethics Board application.

Although the research process may feel overwhelming at first, there are many resources on campus to support you:

·      Peers/colleagues with research experience

·      Research Coordinator

·      Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE)

·      Research Ethics Board (REB)

·      For scholarship of teaching and learning research (SoTL): Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL; formerly CAFÉ)

Last year, I received a few questions asking why colleges are even bothering with research at all. I will be addressing this question in the next newsletter.

If there is anything I can do to support your research or if you have suggestions for me in my role as Research Coordinator, please reach out via email or pop into my "office hours" on Fridays from 12:30-1:30 on Whereby.

Comments

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...

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 ...

Developing a Research Question; Part 2: Finding Inspiration Elsewhere

Before we begin, a reminder that a research question is a specific, testable question that clearly identifies the variables of interest. It identifies the scope and goal of your research project. Last time, we looked at how to develop a research question from scratch. This time, I will outline some other places you can find inspiration for a research question. Your favourite journal article. Do you have a favourite journal article? Oh. It’s just me then? Okay, well…if you have ever read a journal article that you really liked, that’s a good place to start! Specifically, focus your reading on their discussion section for ideas. Most papers identify shortcomings of their research (e.g., “We couldn’t address this possible confounding variable, so we can’t provide a strong conclusion.”), gaps in the literature which still exist (e.g., “Although we showed that …it is still not clear whether….”), and/or directions for future research (“Building on this research, future studies should e...

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