Lesson Structure:    Research Project II BGN201

Learn to monitor, analyse and evaluate a common process (or processes) relevant to their stream studies.(For the purpose of this unit, a “process” is defined as any distinct series of events or changes over a period of time, and which is directly related to the area of study).

There are 6 lessons in this course:

1. Identifying research issues
   • The nature of research
   • Finding research ideas
   • Experience
   • Literature
   • Requests for research
   • Curiosity and imagination
   • Considering all options
   • Formulating a research project
   • Is the research topic feasible
   • Terminology
   • Types of questions: descriptive, rational, causal
   • Units of analysis
   • Validity
   • Conclusion validity
   • Internal validityConstruct validity
   • External validity
   • Fallacies
   • Variables
   • Structure of a research project
   • Components of a research project
   • Nature of a relationship
   • Patterns in relationships
   • Timing of research
   • Ethics in research 
2. Acquisition of technical information
   • Literature review
   • Research methods
   • Methods of collecting information
   • Experimental methods
   • Correlation methods
   • Questionnaires, surveys, tests
   • Interviews
   • Document reviews
   • Focus groups
   • Case Studies
3. Specialised research techniques
   • Specialised research
4. Research planning and designing
   • Introduction
   • The scientific method
   • Testing hypotheses
   • Common mistakes when applying the scientific method
   • Hypotheses, models, tyheories and laws
5. Statistics
   • Types of data: quantitative vs qualitative
   • Overview of statistics for research
   • Sources of statistics
   • Statistical data (Plural sense)
   • Statistical Method (Singular sense)
6. Conducting research
   • Analyzing and interpreting information
   • Start with research goals
   • Analysis of quantitative information
   • Analysis of qualitative information
   • Interpreting information
   • Example of a report
   • Pitfalls to avoid
   • Evaluation
   • Evaluation strategies
   • Types of evaluation
   • Evaluation questions and methods

Please Note:  Each lesson concludes in an assignment, submitted to your Tutor for marking and returned with relevant suggestions, comments, and, extra reading where appropriate.

Learning Goals: Research Project II BGN201

• Develop evidence of your ability to collect, collate and interpret data and prepare reports in ways relevant to the work environment;
• Monitor and evaluate one’s own work in order to develop a responsible attitude to workplace performance and quality assurance;
• Discuss areas where there is a valid need for research which are relevant to area of study;
• Explain research methods, including experimental techniques, commonly used in your area of study;
• Undertake basic statistical methods used for research;
• Locate, collect and evaluate information for a specific research purpose;
• Prepare a research report in a format which conforms to normal industry procedures.

TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In terms of research questions, there are 3 basic types:

Descriptive.  This is when a study is designed primarily to describe what is going on or what exists. For example, public opinion polls are primarily descriptive in nature.

If we want to know what percent of the population would vote Liberal, Labor, or Democrat in the next Federal election, we are simply interested in describing something.

Relational.  This is where a study is designed to look at the relationship between two or more variables.   A public opinion poll that compares what proportion of males and females say they would vote for a Liberal, Labor, or Democrat candidate in the next federal elections is basically studying the relationship between gender and voting preference.

Causal.  This is where a study is designed to determine whether one or more variables (e.g. a program or treatment variable) causes or affects one or more outcome variables.

If we did a public opinion poll to try and determine whether a recent political advertisement changed voter preferences, we would be studying whether the campaign (cause) changed the proportion of voter who would vote Liberal, Labor or Democrat (effect).

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