Aug 5 - research_guide.pdf e-book

Aug 5 - Read the research_guide.pdf e-book. This is the one of the 2 e-books emailed by Supervisor.

Researchers get their research questions from many different places.
- Observation of the world.
- Theory.
- Previous research.
- Practical concerns.
- Personal interest.

Define the Research Question clearly.
- Explicit definitions for all concepts used in the research question.
- Specify the limits of the study in a way that makes it clear what is, and is not, to be studied

Exploration means finding out as much as possible about the research question.
Literature Search and Reading
Critical Thinking
Debate
Computers and the Internet
Record Keeping

Find suitable references by:
Speaking to your advisor/supervisor (if you have one).
Speaking to other researchers working in the same or related fields.
Speaking to researchers from other disciplines who can give you interesting perspectives which might not be available within your own discipline.
Searching the journals that relate to your topic.
Using subject indexes and abstracts.
Looking closely at the reference sections of key books and articles relating to your topic.
Spending time searching library shelves and talking to
librarians.
Searching the Internet for relevant information.

Searchable in Internet are:
Online library catalogues
Working papers
Journals
Bibliographies
Contact details for other researchers
Newspapers and newspaper archives
Databases and research-related information

Research Proposal
A description of the research problem.
An argument as to why that problem is important.
A review of literature relevant to the research problem.
A description of the proposed research methodology.
A description of how the research findings will be used and/or disseminated.

Tips for Describing a Research Problem
Where does this research question come from?
Clarify or quantify any concepts which may not be clear.

Tips for Why the Research is Important
Convince other people that the project is worth supporting.
Show that you plan to make some useful contribution to your discipline or society.
Describe how the results will be used.

Think about how your research …
… may resolve theoretical questions in your area,
… may develop better theoretical models in your area,
… may influence public policy,
… may change the way people do their jobs in a particular field, or,
… may change the way people live.

Literature Review
Conceptual framework for research question and methodology.
Breadth and diversity of literature that relates to the research question.
Integrated overview of your field of study.

Question pertaining to Literature Review
What are the broad bodies of literature that have relevance for your research topic (local and international)?
What methods and results have previous researchers in your field produced? What is the history of your area of study?
What theoretical model, or models, relate to your research topic? Describe these in detail.
What different methodologies have been used by other researchers in your area? Try to identify the key methodological issues that must be addressed, since these will etermine your own choice of methodology.
What are the most recent research findings in your area of study?
What gaps and contradictions exist among these findings? What new research questions do these findings suggest?
What structure suits my literature review best?
What should I leave out?
What quotations should I include?

Tips for Methodology
Empirical Research Methodology
Hypotheses
Research Design
Sampling
Measurement instruments
Data collection procedures
Data analysis

Emergent Research Methodology
Exploratory Phase
Development of Research Methodology

Literature-Based Research
Sources
Analysis procedures

Aug 4 - Intro to Research & Research Methods

Supervisor emailed 2 e-books to me.
Late night of Aug 4 - Read this e-book.

Introduction to Research & Research Methods. Bradford University, School of Management.

I learned several key points.

1) Common purpose of research.
􀂾 Review or synthesize existing knowledge
􀂾 Investigate existing situations or problems
􀂾 Provide solutions to problems
􀂾 Explore and analyse more general issues
􀂾 Construct or create new procedures or systems
􀂾 Explain new phenomenon
􀂾 Generate new knowledge
􀂾 …or a combination of any of the above!

2) Types of Research.
Exploratory, Descriptive, Analytical, Predictive.

3) Research Approaches.
􀂾 Quantitative/Qualitative
􀂾 Applied/Basic
􀂾 Deductive/Inductive.

4) Research Philosophies.
Positivistic - ‘Quantitative’, ‘Objectivist’, ‘Scientific’, ‘Experimentalist’ or ‘Traditionalist’
Phenomenological - ‘Qualitative’, ‘Subjectivist’, ‘Humanistic’ or ‘Interpretative’

5) Methodology.
􀂾 Why you collected certain data
􀂾 What data you collected
􀂾 Where you collected it
􀂾 How you collected it
􀂾 How you analysed it

6) Research Method.
A research method refers only to the various specific tools or ways data can be collected
and analysed, e.g. a questionnaire; interview checklist; data analysis software etc.).

7) Methodologies for Positivinistic.
• Surveys
• Experimental Studies
• Longitudinal Studies
• Cross-sectional Studies

8) Methodologies for Phenomenological.
• Case Studies
• Action Research
• Ethnography (participant observation)
• Participative Enquiry
• Feminist Perspectives
• Grounded Theory

July 31 - First Meeting with Supervisor

July 31, 2009 was my first F2F meeting with PhD Supervisor, Dr KAC.

Research Title: Usability Evaluation Tool for Mobile Learning Applications.
Area of Research: Mobile Learning, e-Learning.

I had earlier emailed her some pieces of info forming part of the PhD Proposal.
- Schematic diagram.
- Research Questions, Contribution to Knowledge, Objectives & Deliverables.
- Research Planning (process flowchart showing timeline and activities).
- Gantt Chart showing the research planning.

By email earlier, she had suggested about...Developing an "instrument" for usability.
- Initially, my Research Title was "Usability Inspection Criteria for Mobile Learning Applications."
- In my heart, I agreed to her suggestion, as I love to design and develop. It would be develop to develop an instructment / a tool / a method which could be used.
- Hence, my new Research Title was changed to "Usability Inspection Tool for Mobile Learning Applications."

She had given me some input.
- Structured Equation Modeling - a popular statistical method. She personally used this for her PhD research.
- For PhD proposal.....Literature Review...write down in Outline first => Supervisor check => Write in detail.
- Problem statement......important that there is a research Gap to be fulfilled.
- Descriptive Statistics alone is often deemed to be insufficient. Also need to use Inferential Statistics.
- Important to use the correct & suitable Statistical Method to answer the Research Question, rather than follow the popular method (e.g. ANOVA).

Supervisor said she would like to have Dr HSH to be the Co-Supervisor as they could easily work along. (Of course, that's great. He taught me before.)