Week 3. Research Design

Last week we talked about some of the most popular paradigms, and how they shape our research. This week we discussed how to select a research project, the importance of questions, and some interesting strategies for research planning.
When choosing a research project we need to take into consideration what its implications are, what is the purpose of the research, who the beneficiaries are and how realistic is the project in terms of resources and time.
There are a lot of different sources for research projects: Problems we find in our everyday work, interesting questions and even guesses or hunches that can be tested. Looking at my own experience, what motivated me to start this program was the first one I mentioned before. Working in a specific topic for several years bring curiosity into the equation, that's why I want to know more about research policy implementation in my own country because I wish to improve those practices when I come back.
Research Questions are fundamental for this type of projects because they guide the research. Until I came here I didn't fully notice the importance of conversations, congress attendance or networking for shaping our own research interests. These activities can provide us with new insights, ideas or concerns we can use for future research.
It is fundamental to define research questions accurately, considering clarity, focus, and purpose. The research question also defines the scope of our study, and the orientation of the literature review. The literature review provides a justification of the issue we want to research, it must inform the research, and establish key facts.

Week 2. Naturalistic, Interpretive and Critical Paradigms / Publishing in Journals

This week we studied some of the paradigms that I consider are fundamental for educational settings. I particularly feel more inclined to use them in research, mostly due to their fit for our evolving and always changing environment.

Naturalist, interpretive and critical research includes concepts, visions, and techniques that are not usually considered quantitative. Naturalistic research focuses on objects and persons in their natural settings and their natural day to day scenarios.

They are interpretive because the researcher tries to make sense or interpret phenomena in terms of the meaning people bring to them. This means that what is real, depends on the perspective of the study.

The following are characteristics of this types of research:

• Variables should not be manipulated in an experimental way.
• The researcher can extract meaning from the data without the need to reduce it to pure numbers (although counting can be used, especially when using software like NVivo). 
• Using this paradigm can usually involve large descriptions of the phenomena.
• These paradigms reflect the perception of the participants, without alterations from the researcher.

This week we also talked about the importance of publications. For me, this was an escencial topic. I am already working in Academia, so I need to start building publishing skills as soon as possible.
We discussed what publications can provide a stronger impact in our careers and I will need to remind this order:

1. Papers in journals
2. Books
3. Congress Presentations
4. Book reviews

I feel that the resources available at Western University are an amazing help for us as Scholars. I also should highlight here the incredible support from my supervisor.

Week 1. First steps with Nvivo, paradigms proliferation, RICE

This week, thanks to mi advisor, I had mi first experience using Nvivo 12. It is unbelievable how technology can save us a lot of time with data analysis and processing. Up to this date, I always believed that this kind of tasks must be done manually. I am very excited for this opportunity, learning this will allow me to transmit this knowledge to my colleagues and students once I come back to my country. 

In my past graduate studies (MTI) I learned that as a researcher I only had two choices: qualitative and quantitative approaches, but thanks to the readings of this week I discovered that “the purpose guides the method” and that there is a huge toolbox of techniques and perspectives that I can make use of. Patti Lather describes the interesting concept of “coloring epistemologies” and how the educational researchers have to deal with several types of difficulties while they perform research activities. Educational research is a science but in some form an art.

I also was introduced to a Research Group: RICE (Researching International and Contemporary Education). I heard other students and faculty talk about their experiences and areas of research and I was impressed with the confidence and proficiency everyone have about their topics. They talked about resources, collaboration and opportunities too. I strongly believe that the networking on this group could help me achieve my own personal and academic goals.