©Annelise Kachelhoffer,

Annelise Kachelhoffer

©Annelise Kachelhoffer,

Researchers starting research fall in one of three categories.

•They have one very specific question in mind

•The have no concrete ideas

•They have many different questions in mind – none giving an obvious starting point

(Altrichter 1993)

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• This is hard work

• Is not to be rushed

Finding a theme and then a research problem

•Invest sufficient time in investigating these with thorough reading and studying of the literature

NB

• Formulate more than one possible starting point

©Annelise Kachelhoffer,

How to start . .

Think of your own practical experiences

•Interesting world developments?

.(Altrichter:1993)

• anything you have wanted to investigate for a long time?• anything you are very interested in (like very much) and want to know more about?

©Annelise Kachelhoffer,

Dadds mentions 3 types of starting points

• An interest- trying out promising idea.

• A difficulty - eg. wanting to improve a difficult situation, solve a problem.

• An ‘unclear’ situation – maybe a bigger or smaller ‘puzzles’.

(Dadds in:Altrichter 1998)

©Annelise Kachelhoffer,

Is this a focus on issues that

you feel passionate about?

Once you have decided on a possible topic or theme, ask the following question

(Mills:2000)

Brainstorm different ideas or aspects of the idea.

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Phrasing your research question What would be your aim in investigating this topic? Write it down.

Now phrase the topic so that it it becomes a research question.

You will use words like how, what, where or when as starters.

Read it carefully. Too much words? Too much ideas? Is it manageable? Rewrite until it is “lean and crystal clear”. Ask a friend to look at it critically.

Can the “big” question be divided into smaller, sub questions? Write them down.

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Once you have decided on the research area and problem, you need to. . .

• understand the theories that impact your research

• understand the historical context of where your research problem fits into the broader education field

What evidence do you have that this is a problem? Your “feeling” should be backed by literature.

Any previous research done on this topic? Maybe on international level?Can existing research throw any light on the situation and help you see it more clearly?

Crucial

Crucial

(Kemmis & McTaggert 1988)

©Annelise Kachelhoffer,

Review the literature

• Take time to immerse yourself in the literature . . . To become knowledgeable and informed about the area you will investigate

• Make use of on-line resources (Eric, journals etc.)

• Study Ministry documents

• Visit university and college libraries

• Organize your information from the beginning in such a way that you can write an informed chapter on it.

©Annelise Kachelhoffer,

References

Altrichter, H., Posch, P., & Somekh, B. (1998). Teachers Investigate their Work. London: Routledge

Dick, B. (1993). Action Research. Retrieved on 23 Septembe 2002 from: Http://ousd.k12.ca.us/netday/links/action_Research

Hodgkinson, C. (1998). Assessment of prior learning of pre-service teachers’ computer literacy. Unpublished PhD thesis. Pretoria: University of Pretoria

Mills, G. (2000). Action Research: A guide for the teacher researcher. New Jersey: Prentice Hall

Kemmis, S. & McTaggart, D. (1988) The Action Research Reader. Victoria: Deakin University