Research Proposal - Week 2

The aim of this week is to: select a topic, create a research question, submit a research proposal and receive feedback from a panel of your peers.

Selecting a topic

Choose something broad, of global importance.

Choose something that is interesting to you, something you want to spend many weeks researching, something you want to know more about.

Don’t pick something because you think it will be easy.

Don’t pick something because you think it sounds appropriately serious or academic.

Use the UN’s Global Sustainable Development Goals to inspire you.

Task 1: Choose a research topic that interests you

Question the Topic

Ask as many questions as you can about your chosen topic.

Use brainstorms, mind maps, concept maps, discussions with friends/teachers, basic internet research

The aim is to identify as many issues, areas of interest, questions, connections to other topics etc. as possible.

This will give you a broad base from which to select your focus.

Use the 7 Lenses to help you identify issues and/or questions (S, T, P, Eth, Ec, En, C)

Use these questions to focus your brainstorm

What are the consequences of this issue, or what will/might happen because of this issue?
How urgent is it that this issue is dealt with? Can it be left alone for a long time without anything serious happening, or not?
How severe is this issue? Will it affect lots of people? Does it have a big impact on things already, or will changing it make a big difference?
What is your perspective on this issue? Does it matter to you? Who does it matter to and who is affected by it?

Task 2: Create a mindmap/brainstorm/ concept map in your workbook.

Task 3: Create a Flipgrid video answering the following questions:

What is your research topic?
Why is this interesting to you?
Why does it need to be investigated?

Aims and Objectives

Every research paper needs to have a goal or something it should achieve, we call these AIMS. These Aims are things that we need to do in order to answer our research question, for large projects there are often three or four aims for the research. In this assignment you are required to have two aims.

To help us achieve our aims we break them up into steps, we call these steps Objectives. We need to complete each of the objectives in order to achieve the aim.

For example, if your aim is to get a scholarship to Nazarbayev Univesity you will have to:

Below are definitions Aims and Objectives as well as examples from research papers to help you create your own.

AIMS (general outcomes)

•An intention or aspiration; what you hope to achieve.

•Aims are statements of intent, written in broad terms.

•Aims set out what you hope to achieve at the end of the project.

OBJECTIVES (Specific steps to achieve outcomes)

•A goal or a step on the way to meeting the aim; how you will achieve it.

•Objectives use specific statements which define measurable outcomes. For example: what steps will you take to achieve the desired outcome?

EXAMPLES:

Research Topic A - Looking at the role of technology in Schools in North Kazakhstan Region

AIM: To investigate student use of e-books at Nazarbayev Intellectual School, Petropavlovsk.

OBJECTIVES:

Review the literature (using online journals) concerning the student use of e-books in academic libraries.
Do primary research investigating perceptions and attitudes towards e-books and the usage of e-books of students at Nazarbayev Intellectual School Petropavlovsk..
Identify if any improvements or alterations are required to facilitate a high service quality provision in relation to the e-books service in the library of Nazarbayev Intellectual School Petropavlovsk.

Research Topic B - What is the impact of globalisation on the economy of Kazakhstan, and can it be harnessed?

AIM: To analyze the link between globalisation and the economy of Kazakhstan.

OBJECTIVES

Find the offical position of Kazakhstan on the topic of globalisation through searching official government documents and speeches.
Use online journals to understand the position of academics on the relationship between globalisation and Kazakhstani economy.
Determine NIS students' opinions about effects of globalisation on the economy of Kazakhstan.
Critically compare the positions of government, academics and students on the relationship between globalisation and the economy of Kazakhstan.

Task

1. In your workbooks come up with at least two Aims of your research. Each aim should have a minimum of three Objectives to check progress.

Forming your Research Questions

Using all the information and ideas you have generated so far, create question which you can, and would like to answer for your individual research project. In order to form your research question you need to focus on the specifics:

Who?
- Identify the group you are looking at:
  - Age, Gender, Race/Ethnicity, groups within groups
What?
- What specific part of your topic are you looking at?
When?
- What timeframe are you interested in?
  - Current or historical view? A period in people’s lives?
Where?
- Focus your research to a location:
  - Cities, regions, countries
Why?
- Evaluate the issue:
  - Causes, solutions, outcomes, consequences

Task

1. Draw and complete the following table in your workbook

2. Using the information from your mindmap and table come up with three possible Research Questions. Try to include information from at least three rows in your Research Question.

Research Methods

In Week 3 you will be doing secondary research and in Week 5 you will be doing Primary Research. We will go into more detail about methods in each section during those weeks. However it is already good to start thinking about which methods you would like to use and why. Here is a flowchart of methods you can use in your Research Paper.

SAU 1

Your first SAU will be done in week 3, you have an opportunity to prepare for it by making sure you have:

One or Two clear research questions
1st Aim for your research with 3 objectives
2nd Aim for research with 3 objectives
An understanding of what secondary research you will need to do and what sources you will use
One possible Primary Research Method and a detailed reason as to how it will help answer your research questions

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