Research Project rationale
• Explore the options available for undertaking a Capstone Research Project at Level 6.
• Explore the range of research approaches available for each of the Capstone Research Projects.
• Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a range of research and communication tools, as appropriate for each Capstone Research Project option.
• Enable students to design effective research tools for their preferred option that are fit for purpose and meet ethical requirements.
Layout:
Introduction: (incl. basic facts, why this topic is important and 3 / 4 broad research questions)
• Rationale: Why is the desk-based research appropriate for this topic? Critique 1 piece of related primary research
• Literature search strategy: How do you propose to identify the main debates relating to your topic? How will you carry out a systematic literature review?
• Findings: Outline a potential resource you could create for a specific target group and why this would be suitable
Conclusion: (short summary of the proposed rationale)
• References
It is also helpful to consider:
– Validity – will your methods get at truthful, valid info?
– Reliability – would the same results be found by another
researcher on another day? (unlikely in QUAL)
– Generalisability – will your findings be generalisable to a wider population? (unlikely in QUAL research)
