From a research interest to a research proposal Mgr. Lenka Kissová Mgr. Ivana Rapošová § Writing a research proposal -> 60% of the mark (20% first draft, 40% final draft) -> topic related to issues covered in course -> formal requirements: 8-10 pages; 1,5 spaced, ASA style referencing -> group work/individual work -> deadline for 1st draft 20th November, for final final draft 1st January -> peer review deadline 31th November § Writing a blog contribution -> 15% of the mark -> topic related to issues covered in course/personal experience/field trip -> formal requirements: 2 standard pages long -> audience: readers of RESPEKT (liberal public interested in social issues and politics) What is a research proposal? What is a purpose of a research proposal? Who do you write it for? What isYOUR experience with writing a research proposal? § … roadmap to the research § … proof of scientific competence § ... means of structuring an argument § ... personal „mind trainer“ and a mirror § ... lifebuoy when you get lost § ... basis for scientific co-operation § ... necessity to get funding § .... FLYING CARPET § Who am I and where do I stand? § What theoretical tradition I plan to follow on? § How much do I know about the problem? § Do I want to test a theory or do I want to develop a new one? § How much capacity do I have for a research? (time, money, knowledge, access) § I am alone, or are we a few? § What I want to achieve with my research? § To whom am I writing a research proposal? Seminar task – individual work 1. think about a research topic 2. specify a research problem (max 5 sentences) 3. formulate a research question 4. formulate a hypothesis (quanti) / research assumption (quali) 5. decide on methodology 6. justify a research to your supervisor (3 arguments) § What defines how the proposal will look like? § Study on writing a research proposal § “Do you have any idea?”The role of interaction in the research proposal preparation § Approaches to research proposal drafting: Cases of German and Anglo-Saxon educational systems. § The sky is falling! Psychological perspective on the failure in research proposal writing § Writing a research proposal: Study on the reasons of the failure in students’ preparation of a good research proposal from the perspective of ANT § Craft a hook § Choose two or three key words § Keep it brief but clear § Try to avoid jargon or abbreviations l Summary l Important strategic element l Usually around 200-300 words l Brief, but clear and convincing Øpurpose of the study Øjustification of the project Øhypothesis/research puzzle Øresearch questions Ødefinition of key terms and concepts § Are you willing to fill a research gap? § Are you testing a new theory? § Do you a aim to provide an in-depth understanding of a certain phenomenon? § Are you giving voice to a marginalized group of people? What other research purposes come to your mind? How to formulate a good research question? § Avoid too simple or too obvious questions “Is social exclusion a negative social phenomenon?” § Avoid yes/no questions “Does low income lead to social exclusion?” § Be as clear as possible “Has the number of marginalized communities increased?” § Make the question narrow and pointed “In what way does legislation affect the groups in risk of social exclusion?” § Avoid multi-headed questions “How can one’s education and family status impact one’s chances on a labor market?” ØWhat is the nature of…? ØWhat are the functions of...? ØWhat are the mechanisms by which...? ØWhat factors affect....? ØWhat strategies are used...? ØWhat is the relationship between...? Ø How do ... perceive...? Ø How do ... affect ...? Ø How are ... defined? Ø How do ... differ? Research questions usually producing robust findings are: WHAT? & HOW? Think about your research question. In what ways could it be improved? Talk to your partner. “How does the status of a child influence their educational chances?” Conceptualization -> what do we understand under status? How do we define educational chances? -> are there more dimensions of this concept? What are their indicators? Operationalization -> how do we measure status? How do we measure educational chances? §Think about your concepts. §How would you define them? §Do they have more dimensions? If yes, what dimensions do you plan to focus on? §What would be their indicators? §Take 3 minutes for reflection. § an overview of the existing literature relevant to my research problem § an intellectual starting point and a justification of the study TIPS and TRICKS Ødon’t read for understanding, skim for concepts Ømake your authors communicate Øengage in a dialogue, criticize Øidentify a blind spot of the theory l Overview l Proof of competence l Justification l Method vs. Methodology § Components: § 1. intended research design § 2. sample to be examined § Who?Why? How many? How can I get to them? § 3. tools and techniques for collecting evidence § !consistent with the nature of the research question! § …. Interviews? Ethnography? Focus groups? Discourse analysis § Content analysis? Policy analysis? Experimental methods? Factor § Analysis? Focus groups? Comparative analysis? ….. § 4. data analysis techniques § How will I code my data? How will I analyse my data? In what ways may your research cause a thread to the individuals/community involved? Social exclusion, stigma, minority status -> sensitivity and vulnerability! Think about the… Ø Personal data Ø Identification data Ø Respect provided to respondents Ø Protection of data Ø Time for a consent form? = amount of time I need for the study and for single steps Want to make God laugh? Tell Him you’ve got plans. § 8. Sustainability § 9. Dissemination § 10. Budget § → mainly in applied research How are you going to assure that your results will last? → the ability of a project to maintain its outcomes (operations, services, benefits, ecc.) during its life time Institutional stability Continued community participation Continued environmental stability How are other people going to find out about your results? What are you going to need money for?Why? How much it will cost? What sources are you going to use? ACTIVITY: REVISING YOUR RP §Come back to your research proposal. How do you feel about it? §What is its strongest point? What is its weakest point? §Is something not clear? §Read your research question once again. §How your thinking about your RP changed during the class? Do you have any experience with writing blogs? Some TIPS and TRICKS § Catchy title § One main line of an argument § Artistic catchy style § Audience specific.Who might be the reader of RESPEKT? § Personal story rocks, emotions are strong carriers of a meaning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USGHnNT4mb4