The Management of a Student Research Project

John A Sharp, John Peters, Keith Howard

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351886062
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Administration

The third edition of this popular book has been extensively revised to reflect the changes that have affected student research in higher education in recent years. The ability to carry out research successfully has come to be seen as a 'key transferable skill' required of all higher education students - and The Management of a Student Research Project addresses directly the skill element of this. Furthermore the research process, at all levels, is far more systematized than in the past. The single largest change since the second edition came out in 1996 has been the impact of the World Wide Web on student research. The third edition has been thoroughly rewritten and developed in response to this. In particular, Chapter 4, 'Literature Searching', has been structured around a sample online search. Throughout, the comments and thoughts of readers of previous editions have been taken into account in framing this third edition. Its aims remain the same - to provide a clear, comprehensive and useful guide to students undertaking research projects in order to improve their chances of a successful outcome.

Part A
Preparation

1
Research and the Research Student

The Aim of this Book

Students in higher or further education, whether full- or part-time, may be required to complete projects of one kind or another. In some instances the project forms a relatively minor part of a course; in others, the project is virtually the whole basis on which an award is made. At either extreme, the primary purpose in making a research project part of a qualification is to foster the personal development of the student. With a research project, at whatever level, the agenda is set by the student to a greater extent than is possible in the ordinary taught course. Similarly, the student bears responsibility for the quality of learning that takes place in the project and for the eventual written outcome.

Whether the student is seeking to write a report at undergraduate level, a dissertation as part of a taught master’s course, or a thesis at master’s by research or doctoral level, two key factors which must be borne in mind are timing and quality. In some instances the time constraint is inflexible. If the report is not presented by a particular date the qualification sought is not obtained. When deadlines of this nature apply, compliance with them can lead to content which is sub-standard if an ineffective approach is adopted.

THE TWO KEY FACTORS IN SUCCESSFUL STUDENT RESEARCH ARE TIMING AND QUALITY

Recognition that PhD and masters’ theses must be of high quality sometimes results in inordinate lengths of time being taken for completion. Indeed, the task of finishing theses proves to be too much for many students and has been the subject of some discussion in the UK for many years. An unpublished survey carried out several years ago by two of the authors of this book found that only about 30 per cent of students who had been researching full-time in the social sciences were awarded higher degrees (in some cases up to a decade after commencing their studies).

Unsurprisingly, the problem is international in nature. In the US the National Research Council saw fit, in 1991, to establish the Ad Hoc Panel on Graduate Attrition Advisory Committee. Its findings were reported in 1996 by the National Academy Press, from which the following is taken:

There is growing concern among educators and policy makers over recent levels of attrition from PhD programs as reported by some US universities. Of the studies currently available, some institutions place graduate attrition at 50 percent for selected fields in the sciences and humanities; others have documented attrition at levels well over 65 percent for some programs … the rates reported by these institutions are considered ‘high’ compared to estimates provided by faculty and deans in 1960 when they placed attrition at 20 to 40 percent.

Identical views were expressed at a forum held in Perth, Australia in 2000, the opening sentence of one presentation being:

A major concern of university administration in regard to postgraduate research is the completion rates of doctoral students.

(Styles and Radloff, 2000)

As pressures for quality audit in higher education grow, similar problems of unwarranted delays in the completion of research projects are also occurring in many coursework-based degree and diploma programmes. This problem of delay in completion is, then, a general one, and is one of the major issues with which we are concerned. It is assumed that admission procedures imply that student entrants have the potential to complete their studies satisfactorily. What, therefore, are the reasons why sub-standard work is submitted or students fail to complete? Much of the explanation must lie in the inability of students to plan and control – that is, to manage – their work. By ‘manage’ we mean the manipulation of all resources available to students, both material and human. The most important of the human resources are the students themselves and the person who, in many instances, is designated to supervise their work.

Our aim is to provide degree and diploma students (and their supervisors) with guidance in the identification of feasible research projects and on how to complete them.

THE DEMANDS MADE OF STUDENTS IN TERMS OF TIMING AND QUALITY WILL VARY ENORMOUSLY ACCORDING TO THE LEVEL AT WHICH THE RESEARCH IS UNDERTAKEN

The demands made of students in terms of timing and quality will vary enormously according to the level at which the research is undertaken, but all research projects have certain features in common. Where possible, the book is addressed to all types of student researcher and will often refer to the ‘research report’ rather than to a ‘thesis, dissertation, or report’. If the remarks are directed specifically to the research degree student ‘thesis’ will be employed, while ‘dissertation’ will be used to refer to the type of research report produced in connection with postgraduate taught courses.

Though part-time study for masters’ and doctoral degrees has been possible for many years, we could not have envisaged when writing the earlier editions of this book how part-time study would grow during the ensuing two decades. Increasing acceptance of the ability of students to combine other work with that leading to a qualification has had a profound effect on teachers and learners alike. But that is not the whole of the matter. Off-campus work has changed quite dramatically as a result of the advent of the Internet, which has influenced both the approach to learning and the location in which it may be undertaken. The implications which these changes have for the successful completion of projects will be considered throughout the book.

The Structure of the Book

Research is not a straightforward process made up of a series of distinct steps, each of which is part of a clearly defined sequence. Quite apart from opportunities to undertake several activities at the same time, blind alleys will from time to time necessitate a return to an earlier stage.

This does not mean, however, that students should use the inevitability of uncertainty as an excuse for not adopting a systematic and logical approach to their work. The latter is the essence of planning, a process demanded by all project work.

THE PREPARATION, PRODUCTION AND PUBLICATION PHASES OF STUDENT RESEARCH HAVE MUCH THAT IS COMMON ACROSS ALL RESEARCH FIELDS

This book has been divided into three parts, each of which is concerned with a broad aspect of student research. It can be argued that certain activities are more or less common to research regardless of the field in which it is pursued. Thus, all students have to select (or at the very least understand the implications of) a topic. They will then need to use the particular skills and techniques which the specific nature of their research demands. Finally, they will have to undertake their work within a certain environment before reporting upon the outcome of their studies. Figure 1.1 shows the extent to which it is realistic to cover, in a book aimed at student researchers in general, the range of problems encountered by the student at each of these stages of their research.

Figure 1.1 The extent to which problems common to a range of student research are addressed in this book

The inference to be drawn from Figure 1.1 is that the preparation, production and publication phases of student research have (for a given level) much that is common across all research fields. That which primarily distinguishes one type of research from another is the activities needed to track down, collect, and analyse data. These activities, as depicted in Figure 1.1, are the subject of Part B which comprises the chapters on analysing and gathering the data. In addition to the present chapter the other chapters to be found in Part A are selecting and justifying a research topic, planning the research project and literature searching. Part C, which is concerned with research output, covers executing the research, common problems encountered in research, specific issues of dealing with supervisors and presenting the results of the research.

Part B presented the greatest difficulty in our attempt to be relevant to the broad field of student research. We have, however, concentrated on the management of data gathering and analysis. In our coverage of analytical methods we recognise our bias towards the social sciences but would claim that many of the techniques referred to have a broader application, not least because of the growing importance of subjects such as management in fields of study like engineering or environmental studies.

We do not propose that this book should be read from cover to cover at one go. Much will depend on the experience which has been accumulated by the student. Sections of the book have been designed to impart skills (such as those needed in literature searching and formal planning), others to add to the student’s knowledge (for example, the chapter on analytical techniques), and still others to describe the environment in which the research will be conducted (for example, the problems encountered in executing research). Thus, the book may be seen as a reference work, to be picked up at intervals during the course of the study.

What is Research?

RESEARCH IS SEEKING THROUGH METHODICAL PROCESSES TO ADD TO ONE’S OWN BODY OF KNOWLEDGE AND TO THAT OF OTHERS, BY THE DISCOVERY OF NONTRIVIAL FACTS AND INSIGHTS

Most people associate the word ‘research’ with activities substantially removed from day-to-day life and which are pursued by outstandingly gifted persons with an unusual level of commitment. There is, of course, some truth in this viewpoint, but we would argue that the pursuit of research is not restricted to this type of person and indeed can prove to be a stimulating and satisfying experience for many people with an enquiring mind.

While it is the case that the major contributions to knowledge do tend to come from highly intelligent and committed investigators, significant advances are the ‘tip of the iceberg’ insofar as the total volume of effort is concerned. Indeed, top-class investigators often fail to achieve firm conclusions, while by far the greatest amount of activity is much less ambitious in nature. Fundamental additions to knowledge frequently draw upon prior studies of restricted scope carried out perhaps by workers of limited research experience.

We define research as

seeking through methodical processes to add to one’s own body of knowledge and, hopefully, to that of others, by the discovery of nontrivial facts and insights.

At the higher levels of student research a necessary conditio...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Preface to the First Edition
• Preface to the Second Edition
• Preface to the Third Edition
• Part A: Preparation
• Part B: Data Analysis and Gathering
• Part C: Producing the Research Results
• Appendices
• Index