Educational Research in Social Settings: Why Perfect Research Is Impossible By Kim Writers

Introduction

In one of her writings, Griffiths observes that educational research can never be perfectly done. Why she says so can be well understood and even agreed with if one has some knowledge of the field of research, including educational research specifically conducted for furthering social justice. Indeed, Griffiths has been involved for many years in the research for social justice and she feels strongly about social justice as being the ultimate desirable outcome of sociological research. It is difficult not to agree with her views. As a student who has put in several years of schooling and having been involved in a couple of educational research projects while at school, I must agree and support all that she has to say on the subject. This paper relates my own experiences during two research projects and how that experience corroborates the post-modernistic outlook of expert academics like Griffith.

Problems of Research in Social Settings

In order to understand the import of Griffith?s observation, it is necessary to first know about research in social settings, which are ever changing. It is also necessary to mention certain characteristics that generally govern all research studies. Social research is usually concerned with qualitative research although some statistical applications may often be needed for analysis. Any social research involves humans and necessarily depends for success on various factors like social attitudes of researchers and the researched. For example, the commitment of a participant or researcher may present problems during the course of the research. Again, the researcher may feel torn between gaining the trust of the participating subjects and revealing to them only as much as conducive for the research. There is also the question of power and empowerment and how this can influence relationships between researchers and the researched and in turn influence research outcomes. Relationships include those between research sponsors and researcher, writer and readers, etc.

The scope and outcome of a research study also depends on finance and sponsorship. An institutionally sponsored one can be promoted by the large amount of finance available, yet be inhibited in direction and content by the power of the sponsors to exercise control over the entire process. An individual or a group of individuals conducting research on their own are severely limited by low finance and institutional support, although they can be more independent in their research outlook. However, such individual researchers often face problems in accessing critical information resources whereas a sponsored effort could have helped access large institutional databases.

The researcher?s social, cultural, political, racial or ethical bias is another crucial factor that can hamper a research study or even alter its direction. A researcher may be driven by personal gains, monetary or academically, thus circumscribing his broader research vision. Any social research depends upon trust, commitment to the research objective, the interrelationships between the individual and society at large, the need of the individual to maintain privacy, the time that a participant can give for the research, etc. Since all these are unpredictable and beyond the control of any single researcher, any research design is challenging and the entire process complex and often problem-ridden. Griffith rightly observes that research is unpredictable and not at all perfect; rely as it does on humans and social environment, both being imperfect and changeable.

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How to Write a Successful Dissertation By Kim Writers

In order to write a successful dissertation it is important that the writer first chooses a researchable topic. This means more than merely identifying an area of research. The topic must be stated in terms that narrows the research issues. If the research topic is too broad, the writer can become unnecessarily inundated with far too much information. A narrow topic will give the dissertation greater direction and structure. It will also help the writer to formulate research questions that can provide greater guidance and structure.

Once a research topic is chosen, the writer will be required to identify an applicable and appropriate hypothesis. This will generally be accomplished by a review of literature on the chosen topic. Always choose a hypothesis that can be tested and can produce observable results that can fill gaps in the literature. Therefore, as the writer reviews literature, the writer will look for gaps in the literature that can be filled by hypotheses testing. Once the writer identifies an appropriate hypothesis, the writer will be required to identify the best research methodology for testing the hypothesis. This can be accomplished by either a quantitative or qualitative research methodology or by a mixed methodology. Choosing the appropriate methodology will also go a long way to writing a successful dissertation. For example, if the chosen topic requires collecting data from remote locations, it may be difficult to conduct a quantitative research methodology as this requires the collection of data from large populations usually in the form of questionnaires or surveys. The writer may be in a better position to collect in-depth and detailed data from a smaller sample by virtue of interviews using the qualitative research method.

Regardless of whether or not the writer chooses a quantitative or qualitative approach, the writer will need to design data collection methods. For example if the writer is going to use questionnaires or interviews, a list of questions will be drafted. These questions should be informed by the aims and objectives of the dissertation and the research questions. It is therefore important that the writer prepares research questions that are consistent with the aims and objectives of the research and the topic.

Aside from planning, researching and gathering and analyzing data, the writer will be required to manage time and resources skillfully. It is therefore important for the writer to establish a timeframe for completing each task and for coordinating dates and times. For example, once the writer has some ideas of the topic he or she would like to research, the writer should immediately set aside a timeframe for conducting preliminary research of the literature. Notes should be taken. Once the writer settles on a research topic a more involved and directed review of literature should be undertaken. At this point, a draft review of literature will be prepared.

Once the draft review of literature is completed the researcher should prepare a timetable for completing each step of the dissertation. For example, it will be necessary to know just how many respondents will be participating in the study and how long participation will be. All of the necessary preparations will also need to be accounted for. For instance, for ethical reasons, each of the participant?s consent will need to be obtained before the interviews and/or questionnaires can be completed by the participants. In other words, a writing a successful dissertation takes time, preparation, hard work and attention to detail. In this regard, it is necessary to ensure that the topic chosen is narrow enough to contemplate all of the time and resources required for investigating and answering the research topic and the research questions that naturally follow from the question.