Research design in dissertations: (over)simplified
From my recent assessment of students' final year projects as a second marker, I found that many students just examined their research design in their chapters on "Research Methods" as either a quantitative research or a a qualitative research. In this case, quantitative research, from their perspective, means gathering quantitative data.
Some students told me that doing a mixed research (i.e. using both quantitative and qualitative research) is too complicated, based on what their supervisors told them. As one of them said, doing survey questionnaires with a section with open questions, while the rest are mainly questions with rating scales, amount to a mixed research method.
I can understand that why they develop such a simplified view on research method and research design; and I can also understand why their supervisors teach them such a simplified view on research methods.. it boils down to a learning attitude that is result-oriented and a learning process that is time-hungry. I am aware that students have previously been taught the subject of research methods that is more proper and more sophisticated.. because the research methods workshops were run by me some months' ago to these students.
What we have now got is: students did not spend enough time to learn research methods and they are prepared to adopt an oversimplified research methods skill in their dissertation works.
Amen.
Some students told me that doing a mixed research (i.e. using both quantitative and qualitative research) is too complicated, based on what their supervisors told them. As one of them said, doing survey questionnaires with a section with open questions, while the rest are mainly questions with rating scales, amount to a mixed research method.
I can understand that why they develop such a simplified view on research method and research design; and I can also understand why their supervisors teach them such a simplified view on research methods.. it boils down to a learning attitude that is result-oriented and a learning process that is time-hungry. I am aware that students have previously been taught the subject of research methods that is more proper and more sophisticated.. because the research methods workshops were run by me some months' ago to these students.
What we have now got is: students did not spend enough time to learn research methods and they are prepared to adopt an oversimplified research methods skill in their dissertation works.
Amen.
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