Course CodeBGN301Fee CodeS3Duration (approx)100 hoursQualificationStatement of Attainment Home Study Course Learn to prepare for and plan a thesis Start any time, work at your own pace Be guided by highly qualified and experienced academic tutors Lesson Structure There are 10 lessons in this course: The Problem Statement Introduction What is a problem Selecting a topic Structure of a problem statement How does a problem statement relate to quantitative and qualitative research Referencing and reference types The Literature Review Part One What is a literature review Relating your literature review to the problem statement Types of literature Collecting information Finding literature: text books, journal articles, indexes, abstracts, internet The Literature Review Part Two Critical reading Literature review structure Writing Verbs Quotations Presentation of work The Hypothesis What is a hypothesis Definitions Scientific method Structuring a hypothesis What is not a hypothesis Null hypothesis Correlation vs cause and effect Occam's razor The Method Introduction Structuring your research method Research strategy Data collection Quantitative data Qualitative data Data sampling Sampling methods Research integrity Data Collection Introduction Primary and secondary sources of data Quantitative data Qualitative data Data collection Literature review Key informants Experimental Correlation What is correlation Questionnaires, Surveys and Tests Interviews Documentation Observation Focus groups Case studies Combination and triangulation Research Proposal Introduction Outline Cover Page, abstract, introduction, problem statement, hypothesis, context background, literature survey, research methodology Time schedule, budget, terminology, resource list, appendix Academic writing Thesis Writing Nature of thesis structure Thesis structure guidelines: different types Ethics Ethics of collecting data Human research Non human research Ethics committee Categories of research Where To From Here Pitfalls Finalising a thesis submission Aims Construct a problem statement Identify related literature resources which correspond to ‘the problem statement’ What You Will Do ACS Distance Education is unique. We allow you to choose how you study, where you study, what you study, how much you study, and when you study. Take Your Research Skills to the Next Level Until you start undertaking higher levels of research, the whole research project can seem relatively straight forward. As you learn more though, you will begin to understand all of the variables that require decisions when you undertake any type of research task. If your task is not defined in very well considered and precise terms, it can be very easy to make errors or to place emphasis in one area rather than another, creating a bias. There are well established ways of undertaking research, all designed to ensure the final result is not biased, and is as far as possible true and in line with the initial purpose. In order to keep research focused, and make optimum use of resources available; it is critical that you formulate well defined goals for the research (prior to starting work). Research questions or problem statements need to lend themselves to data collection and the analysis of that data. Quantitative Research Quantitative research is research that involves collecting data in the form of numbers and statistics such as experimental research. Quantitative problems usually include those that are: Descriptive research questions Relational research questions Difference research questions Quantitative research usually relies on deductive reasoning. Deductive logic is reasoning that starts with a theory, develops a hypotheses, tests this based on observation and then provides confirmation (or not) of the hypothesis and therefore the theory. It is known as a top-down approach and can be easily modeled by “If…, then…, but…, therefore...” For example: If flavour of food is determined by its colour, then all green food should taste the same, but avocados and apples taste different, therefore the hypothesis is incorrect. Qualitative Research Qualitative research: is research that involves collecting data that reveals the why not how of its topic. Information collected is unstructured and may be collected from a wide range of resources. The information collected is not numerical and is often used to gain insight into behaviours. Qualitative problems usually include those that are: Historical research questions Legal research questions Ethnographic research questions The reasoning used in qualitative research is primarily inductive. Inductive logic is a type of reasoning that allows for the possibility that conclusion is false even when the premise is true. Thus is often known as bottoms up reasoning. It starts with an observation, develops patterns and hypothesis and eventuates with a generalised theory. For example: I drew 3 green apples out of a bag; Therefore, all apples in the bag are green. Frequently research may involve both types of reasoning, but it pays to be aware of these and keep them in mind when developing a problem statement. What you are trying to find out specifically will lead you into either direction. Work fast or slow –you choose the intensity of study Start, pause or restart according to changing demands of work, family or lifestyle.