planning an applied research project chapter 2 – developing an interest or topic © 2014 by john...

Planning an Applied Research Project

Chapter 2 – Developing an Interest or Topic

© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Learning Objectives» Describe several ways of identifying topics of

interest

» Create a purpose statement for your topic of interest

» Prepare several research questions for your research project or design

» Identify the criteria for a good purpose statement

» Assess your purpose statement in terms of the criteria for a good purpose statement


Key Terms» Action research

» Applied research

» Basic research

» Brainstorming

» Coding

» Cognitive mapping

» Focus

» Feasibility

» Problem statement

» Purpose statement

» Research objectives

» Research questions

» Significance

» Usefulness

» Validity


Ways of Finding Topics» Your manager or your professor

» Review of past reading

» New reading

» Interviewing

» Brainstorming

» Conversing

» Faculty suggestions

» Cognitive mapping


Purpose Statements» Drive the research process and help you to focus on

which research methods to pursue.» They are not:

˃ Restatements of the obvious˃ Simple calculations˃ Simple comparison of two sets of data˃ Something some one gave you without any rationale˃ Yes/ no situations˃ Topics that interest only you˃ Questions already investigated˃ Something simple to determine


Purpose Statements (cont’d)» Try the following sentence structure:

˃ “My purpose is to … (what you want to learn – the questions)

˃ “The reasons it is important include ... (why it is significant? what is the context for it? why should people care? what gap does it fill?)

˃ Therefore, I will … (what you will do to answer your questions and accomplish your goal? what will be your research design?)


Types of Research» Basic research

» Applied research

» Action research


Developing Research Questions» Research questions are not:

˃ Yes/no questions

˃ Easy to answer

˃ Of restricted interest

˃ Limited in their time frame


Developing Research Questions (cont’d)» Consider the following:

˃ What do I know about this topic?

˃ Why is it important to me, to the industry?

˃ What made the policy or practice develop the way it did?

˃ What factors influence customers, consumers, and fans who make these decisions?

˃ What leads managers to make these decisions?

˃ What factors explain this behavior?


Purpose Statements and Problem StatementsPurpose Statements Problem Statements

» Refers to a specific business or industry problem that a manager or team of managers wants to solve.

» Refers to a concern or area of interest appropriate to the industry and not something that an individual company is necessarily trying to address immediately.


Criteria for Effective Purpose Statements» Usefulness

» Validity

» Focus

» Feasibility

» Significance


Classroom Activity» Form into groups of three.» Working independently, think of a significant

problem or development in your field. Place it in the center of a piece of paper

» Now draw lines and diagrams that are aspects of the issue or problem.˃ Play with the ideas.˃ Let your mind roam.˃ Flow with the process.

» Share with your team members and help each other add other aspects and select important ones.


Classroom Activity (cont’d)» Find the part or parts that really interest you.

» Write a few sentences about that area of interest.

» Develop that interest in your own mind.

» Now use each other to help develop those ideas.

» Take five minutes a person to ask questions about their interest and help them develop it more fully.


Classroom Activity (cont’d)» Convert your interest to a purpose statement.

» What do you want to solve, discover, explain, understand, predict, contribute, investigate, examine, analyze, …

» Use each other to help develop those ideas more fully.

» Now use each other to help develop those ideas.

» Take five minutes a person to ask questions about their interest and help them develop it more fully.


Classroom Activity (cont’d)» Work on refining your interest.

» Write a draft purpose statement and bring four copies to class next week.

» Find some scholarly articles on the topic and on related topics.


Review of the Class Session» Anything unclear?

» One thing that I learned from this class is …


planning an applied research project chapter 2 – developing an interest or topic © 2014 by john...

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