In this blog post, I want to focus on an occurrence in my own thesis research experience so far--shifting topics.
My topic is quite different from where it was when I originally signed up
for thesis. My first research topic dealt with emotion and how it affects
document interpretation. Now, my study is a far cry from that, instead becoming
an industrial ethnography on how documents are used at the school I work at.
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| Don't stress out! If your topic shifts, it will probably be to your benefit. Gif Source: panels.net |
But are these
changes a bad thing? Not at all! I'm somewhat mourning the loss of my
original study, but I'm still excited about the possibilities of my current
project. And there will still be more changes along the way, I'm sure!
One of the
inevitabilities of research is that your ideas will change frequently.
Different parts of the research process might affect this.
IRB
Requirements
The IRB -
Institutional Review Board - plays a role in every researcher’s study, so it’s
very important to pay attention to the requirements set out by your university.
Kennesaw State University’s IRB webpage explicitly outlines their purpose on their webpage:
“The IRB's
purpose is to regulate all research activities involving human subjects on the
campus of Kennesaw State University, ensuring that people who participate in
research are treated ethically and in compliance with all federal and state
laws and regulations. Our overriding principle is to protect all human
subjects, including; the institution, researchers, and participants.”
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| Kennesaw State's Office of Research page is a wealth of information for researchers planning to propose a study. |
In my case, my
study changed due to IRB requirements. My previous study would have required
IRB approval due to the surveying of participants on emotion and document use.
However, for timing's sake, we decided to go through with an industrial
ethnography so I don't have to go through with the IRB approval process. This
ethnography mostly deals with document analysis and not surveys, so approval
wouldn't be required.
That said, I am
still considering doing observations in the classroom for my study, which would
require approval, even though I would likely be exempt. These decisions
related to IRB approval have a big impact on my research problem and how I go
about studying it. As we determine my exact plan, we can know if I need to
apply for IRB approval or not.
It can be a confusing process, but if you're debating completing a project that requires IRB approval, make sure you understand the requirements and the timelines to get approval. Don't let yourself get far behind on your research because you have to wait for approval!
While your research problem may stay the same throughout your study, your research questions themselves may change as you develop your plan for research. Research questions are a critical part of the design process, so ensuring that you have usable and informative research questions will help drive your study in a positive way.
When developing qualitative research questions, you will likely have one or two central research questions, followed by a few subquestions that narrow your focus. There’s a good chance that your central question will remain the same throughout, or at least very similar—Creswell (2014) suggests using the central question to ask, “What is the broadest question that I can ask in the study?” (p. 139). This broad question probably won’t change much, as it directly relates to your research problem.
Your subquestions, however, may be a different story. Subquestions should be designed to leave the questioning open, and encourage exploratory research. You may develop initial subquestions, but as you complete more literature reviews and preliminary testing, you may find that these questions aren’t generating an expected response. Yes, it’s important to record all data that you receive, albeit supportive or unsupportive of your research problem. But perhaps your question was worded in a way that didn’t create enough open-ended response. When you change that subquestion to one that generates a better response, it may change slightly in meaning.
We can look at my study as an example. My central question has remained the same throughout: “What is the culture-sharing pattern of document use for classrooms at the school site?” However, as I change the types of documents that I’ll be studying, the subquestions change as well. As of two weeks ago, I had a couple preliminary subquestions that I shared with my classmates: “What types of media are individuals in the school most responsive to in the classroom? Does the use of branding in non-classroom materials seem to affect responsiveness?” Now, though, I am shifting towards look at more teacher materials, such as lesson planning and supplemental worksheets. This change in documents will probably change my subquestions as a result, focusing more on teacher materials than other non-classroom documents.
These are just some examples of how your overall study can change, and why it’s not a bad thing! It may be stressful at times—trust me, it has been for me as well—but it’s all for the benefit of your research.
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| Despite changes, hopefully you'll see this important word as you submit your study - Approved! Image Source: http://mlwindaction.org/ |
References:
Kennesaw State University. (n.d.). The Institutional Review Board (IRB). Retrieved from https://www.kennesaw.edu/irb/
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