Doing the research

• Theoretical paradigms underpinning researchFolder

  Before deciding to apply any research method, it is important to understand the
  theories underlining your practice, and the basic assumptions underpinning these
  theories. This will assure you have an in-depth understanding of the research process
  and can defend your position if necessary.

• Qualitative Education Research Community (CQERC) inaugural lecture with Patti Lather on multiple qualitative research paradigmsURL
• Research design frameworks : an overviewFile

  These pages explore common design approaches in research ( action research, case study, ethnography, grounded theory, narrative research, phenomenology as well as co-relational research, cross sectional research, experimental research, longitudinal research).

  Design approaches are overarching research strategies, action plans. Using a design approach is not strictly necessary, many studies are not based on, or do not report a research framework. Some research is essentially pragmatic, and reports the aim of a study, the methods
  used, without discussing an underpinning approach.

• The role of theory in research

  (page in construction) If you are interested note a workshop facilitated by Prof David Marsh on the topic is planned for 13 August.

• Grounded theoryURL

  In this two part video, Graham R Gibbs introduces the idea of developing grounded theory and discusses some of the core elements of the approach to qualitative data analysis. See: Gibbs, Graham Robert. (2012) ‘Grounded theory, coding and computer-assisted analysis’. In S. Becker, A. Bryman & H. Ferguson (eds.), Understanding Research for Social Policy and Social Work: Themes, Methods and Approaches. 2nd edn. Bristol: Policy Press. pp. 337-343.

• Grounded theory part 2URL
• Resources for collecting data

• Travel insurance for students informationFile
• Collecting data: samplingPage

  This section provides an overview of sampling methods used in qualitative and sometimes quantitative research.

  Samples, including sizes, which, in qualitative research, may or may not be fixed prior to data collection, depend on the resources and time available, as well as the study’s objectives. Sampling decisions made need to be carefully made and justified, and explained in the methodology.

  Sampling is the key to good qualitative inquiry….Just as the fisherman cats their lines into likely fishing holes, rather than randomly select places to fish, so qualitative researchers deliberately select participants for their studies(Richards and Morse, 2007).

  In qualitative research, a good participant is someone who ‘has the knowledge and experience the researcher requires, has the ability to reflect, is articulate, has the time to be interviewed, and is willing to participate(Morse, 1994, p 228).

• Collecting qualitative dataPage

  This page looks at the types of data you may use when doing qualitative research. It distinguishes elicited data, naturally occurring data, data on the context, reflective notes.

• Collecting quantitative data: samplingPage

  Sampling is a crucial step in your research. Ultimately any conclusions you make depend on the sample you used. Sampling decisions therefore need to be made carefully, justified and explained in the methodology. This page provides a short overview of basics on sampling.

• Australian Data ArchiveURL
• Academic Surveys AustraliaURL
• Collecting data: the interviewPage

  This top page is based on notes from workshops provided by Chris Chevalier and Larry Saha, in the context of the Inter-University Research Workshop Program.

  The following two pages are the presentation notes of workshops facilitated by Peter Lisacek on semi-structured interviews and on focus group.

• Focus group interviews (workshop notes)File
• Semi structured interviewsFile
• Effective interviews – a researcher’s experienceFile

  Notes from a presentation facilitated by Hamdah Abdulah Alghamdi on 23 February 2015

• Tools for transcribing interviewsPage

  A collection of notes derived from your experiences. It includes recommended transcription services and relates experiences with speech recognition tools.

• Managing data

• This  free online webinar presented by the Center for Research Libraries Global Resources Network.

  The accompanying presentation is available fromhttps://www.crl.edu/sites/default/files/event_materials/TDM2015.pdf

• Mantra – research data management training courseURL

  MANTRA is an online course designed for researchers or others planning to manage digital data as part of the research process. – See more at: http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra/#sthash.SBkA7qY0.dpuf

  MANTRA is an online course designed for researchers or others planning to manage digital data as part of the research process. – See more at: http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra/#sthash.SBkA7qY0.dpuf

  MANTRA is an online course designed for researchers or others planning to manage digital data as part of the research process. – See more at: http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra/#sthash.SBkA7qY0.dpuf

  MANTRA is a free online course designed for researchers or others who manage digital data as part of a research project.

• Qualitative approaches to data analysis

  The following pages aim to introduce you to qualitative data analysis. For simplicity’s sake, a difference is made between qualitative and quantitative research, but note that the separation between the two is artificial and that both methodologies have a lot in common.

  If you are are interested in understanding how to work with qualitative data, a good introduction is the recording of an online session facilitated by Chris Chevalier.

• Making sense of qualitative dataPage

  Analysing qualitative data is about taking apart, sorting out and reassembling data to find out something. This page provides an overview of the qualitative data analysis process by first exploring the role of research paradigm and designs on understanding of how meaning is developed. Then it sets out the coding process.

  Notes are linked to a workshop during which practical exercises were carried out.

  If you are interested exploring the use of Qualitative Data Analysis software, scroll down to find information about that.

• Making sense of qualitative dataFile

  Presentation notes from a workshop facilitated by Chris Chevalier at UC on 2 July 2015.  For those of you who cannot attend, a record of an earlier presentation is available from http://echo360access.canberra.edu.au/ess/echo/presentation/85d8131c-d74b-44ff-8596-d7eeae2d9274

• Validity in qualitative researchPage

  Validity is a complex issue in qualitative research. Traditional standards cannot easily be applied. If there is no truth or only one that cannot be reached, and knowledge is seen as subjective,. This questioning of the possibility of a truth, and of a reality that can be measured has implications for how validity is conceived. These pages explore validity in qualitative research.

• Quantitative approaches to research

  If you need to re-engage with the basics, many resources are available. The Research Education Program offer regular workshops. A statistics adviser is also available.To make an appointment, send an e-mail to Statistical.Consultant@canberra.edu.au stating your preferred time and including your contact phone number if possible.  You can also audit regular units on offer or if you prefer access free online courses such as those offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Open Courseware which includes for example Multivariate calculus , Time series analysis . Another useful resource is the Research Methods Knowledge Base.

  Coursera also offers very useful courses

  Or go straight to resources, available from workshop notes or the ‘A painless guide to statistics‘

  Course materials from the Excel session facilitated by Intersect at UC can be accessed here.

• Introduction to statistics for research (workshop notes on stats and SPSS)Folder

  This folder provides notes used for the workshops facilitated by Larissa Schneider

  Note that at UC, researchers can borrow the SPSS software disks from the Library to upload on their computers. (Service desk will upload the software on UC computers).

  The library catalogue record  –  available for Mac or PC. You will need to present your staff card to be given the disks, who are available on (3hrs) short loan,

  A good reference book for learning to use SPSS is Allen, P., Bennett, K, Heritage, B (2014). SPSS Statistics Version 22. A practical guide, Cengage Learning. Available at UC Library Short Loan HA32.A55 2014

• Campus-wide Access to MATLAB and SimulinkPage
• Data mining with RURL
• 

•  Doing experimental design? You may like the following resources

  Experimental design worksheet

  Guidelines for Keeping a Laboratory Record

  If you are doing research in health, you may like resources for systematic reviews offered by the Australasian Cochrane Centre or by the Joanna Briggs Institute approach to evidence-based health care

   

• Using mixed methods

  

   “Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham

  Mixed methods (mixing quantitative and qualitative research methods) and triangulation (using more than one method, or data set) are increasingly fashionable in research. As a more pragmatic approach, mixed methods can be seen as a third research paradigm (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, 2004), a middle position which is essentially outcome driven. Mixed methods are therefore favoured by organisational researchers and those applying emancipator paradigms.

• Using ‘mixed methods’ (click)Page
• Using Computer Software to help manage and analyse data

  Because you are likely to have to manage large amounts of data for your research , it may be useful to consider using software to help manage data. Available products and their capabilities are constantly changing. A useful overview of what is available is offered by http://onlineqda.hud.ac.uk/Introduction/index.php .While UC has a site licence for NVivo, it may be useful to consider alternatives recently developed such as Dedoose or Connected Text,

  The University has a licence for NVivo. IT services will install NVivo on UC computers. If you want to download it on your own computer, you can borrow the software CD from the Library. You can also download the software from the QSR website after obtaining the UC licence key from the UC IT service desk or from the Graduate Research and Research Development.

  Nvivo self-training opportunities are available online from

  QSR:(video)

  http://www.researchsupport.com.au/NV_10_notes.pdf (provided by P. Bazeley)

   (a comprehensive 1.05’ video published by Stanford University)

  The Support section of the QSR website provides access to tutorials and how to videos (, , ,  , Using NVivo for your Literature Review)

  Why use NVivo for your literature review?

  Graduate Research and Researcher Development, ACSPRI and QSR also organise regular face to face training

  Vía http://learnonline.canberra.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1378&section=5