Course Overview 

MST 5143 Research Methods is a basic, introductory social research methods course that situates standard research methodologies in the context of the practice of museum professionals. It covers the foundations of social research methods, such as the ethics of research with human subjects, writing research questions, designing a study, including the standard elements of a research proposal, and includes the most common social research methodologies such as surveys, focus groups, experimental design, and content analysis, and offers a brief introduction to analyzing data quantitatively and qualitatively. This course is recommended for students who did not take social research methods in a previous degree program, such as their undergraduate degree or another graduate degree. This course focuses on how museum professionals might use the collection and analysis of data in order to study and/or improve museum professional practice.1

Methods of investigating museum studies problems; use of evaluation in planning for continuous quality assessment and improvement of museum policies, processes, and procedures; developing original research designs; evaluating research studies in museum topics.2 

Course Learning Objectives3

• Introduce students to social science (human based) research methodologies commonly used by museum professionals including data collection techniques, sampling, and basic data analysis

• Explain and outline the nature and elements of social science research proposals

• Provide experience in identifying museum problems for examination and designing appropriate human-centered data collection plans to apply to the identified problems

• Guide students in effective design of social science (human based) research proposals in museum settings

Course Learning Outcomes4

• Define and appropriately use the concepts and language of social science based research

• Identify and provide examples of major social science based research methodologies

• Identify various data sources and techniques of data collection and analysis used in social science based research

• Articulate the commonalities and differences between basic and applied research

• Plan and design social science based research activities relevant to issues in museum studies

• Articulate the use of applied social science based research outcomes in administrative planning and management in museums

• Understand and evaluate reported social science based research in museum studies

• Identify and discuss ethical issues in data collection and use, particularly in regard to human subjects

Analysis 

Research Methods helped deepen my understanding of conducting and applying research. The course content also changed the way I evaluate scholarly articles, enhancing my critical thinking about museum-related topics, including data analysis and the ability to effectively synthesize documentation, all of which will be applicable in my future career as a curator to research, plan, and develop authentic and accurate exhibitions. Furthermore, the course content that impacted my learning the most was learning more about research studies and the difference between qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods. This overall gave me a better understanding of how much goes into conducting a study and a greater appreciation for research in general. On the other hand, course topics that challenged my thinking included learning methodological approaches to data collection, such as qualitative and quantitative research methods; therefore, while learning this greatly impacted me, it was also challenging. Ultimately, the course content will aid me in real-world and professional applications for several reasons. Firstly, if I decide to further my education by pursuing a PhD, this course content will be a great resource to refer back to. Secondly, if I wanted to publish my work on challenges in art and history museums over provenance and restitution, this course has provided me with the tools to further that research. The course structure was overall well done, with assignments and readings that supported the course learning outcomes and objectives. The only issue with the course structure was the discussion boards. While the discussions supported learning outcomes and objectives, the structure of the discussion boards was confusing at first, with multiple documents to sign up for groups and for group discussion roles. 

This artifact, Provenance and Restitution: Challenges in Art and History Museum Collections Regarding Ethics, Legality, and Ownership, demonstrates my ability to put into practice a more comprehensive understanding of research practices and of how I approach reviewing academic papers, and furthered my understanding by teaching me how to structure academic writing and make it my own, utilizing my strengths. The paper also aligns with ICOM Code of Ethics and AAMD Standards and Practices.8,9 The artifact enabled me to acquire the knowledge to analyze literature relevant to a research assignment. To be honest, the assignment was difficult for me, but after I submitted it, I realized that the skills I learned from completing the assignment will aid me in the future. Ultimately, the paper taught me to move beyond critical analysis, as well as how to structure a literature review, and how to overall conduct research in more constructive ways, such as how to formulate research questions, topic statements, and determine what methodologies should be utilized to ensure that the study can gain information in the best way possible. The artifact meets the course objectives and learning outcomes by incorporating research proposal elements to write a literature review paper.10 I have a background in archaeology and art history, so the assignment best reflects my passion for history, art, and museum artifacts. Moreover, provenance is such an important factor in a museum’s collections, as it shows an object’s history and ownership. Museums and staff need to examine provenance and its role in the museum, including new ways to conduct research, such as the implementation of digital tools, to aid in conducting more efficient provenance research and help prevent challenges related to ethics, legality, and ownership. These challenges have come to light more recently, as museums globally repatriate objects from their collections to their place of origin. All of which was a big reason I chose this topic, as I feel that more research on provenance can help ensure museums maintain accurate and authentic record-keeping of their collections.

Reflection  

Before the course started, I was honestly a bit apprehensive about the class. In my undergraduate studies, research was a labor-intensive task for me. However, after completing the course, I feel really proud of myself for completing everything, and I know I will take the material I learned with me into my professional career in the museum field. The course helped develop concrete research and methodology skills, which will be valuable knowledge for the future as a curator, helping me navigate ethical challenges and restitution processes. However, challenges faced in the course and artifact included learning to go beyond critical analysis to structure a literature review that is practical for future research. Other challenges in the course concerned the structure of the discussion boards, where I needed to re-learn a new way of writing discussion board posts and responses, especially given that the role and its responsibilities changed each week. Regarding challenges encountered with the artifact, conducting provenance research was a little difficult due to the limited available resources (within the last 10 years) on the main points I discussed in my paper. 

Completing this course and artifact helped shape my Personal Learning Goals (PLG) 1 and 4, developing research skills related to provenance and expanding my knowledge of interpretive writing regarding key theories and methodologies in provenance and digital access. This further developed effective and efficient interdisciplinary research skills that promote accountability, transparency, authenticity, and accurate museum interpretation. In addition, the course and artifact met Program Learning Outcomes (PLO) 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7. The assignment aligned with these goals and objectives, as I am sure I will encounter, at least once in my future profession, challenges related to an object’s questionable history and ownership, as well as ethical and legal issues within the museum, especially if there are claims for restitution. If I were to redo the assignment, I would reference in the Purpose of the Study section Data Protection laws in the USA, and the museum’s standard of confidentiality for best practice in acquisition details. I would also revise the section on the method of data collection in the Purpose of the Study section, stating that this general research study aims to collect, analyze, and draw conclusions that will be useful to many museums grappling with this issue. There would also be some verbiage that I would rephrase near the end of the Purpose of Study section of the paper, and in the Modern-Day Perspectives and Resolution section, I would split one sentence into two when discussing Linked Open Data (LOD).