Planning my Research Project.

As in project management, it is suggested that a GANTT chart be used to help organise and monitor the progress of a research project. In my case, for example, this could be as follows:

The project is divided into several sections of development, execution and evaluation but as a first time researcher I am quite aware that I will need to be flexible with these timings.

Although the student participants won't be at the university until the beginning of April, development work will begin in February. During February and March I plan to continue research on mobile assisted language learning and develop the tools for the students to use. At the beginning of April when the students return I will ask all of my second semester engineering students to complete a background survey on mobile learning. In the following week they will then be invited to participate in the study and briefed on their role. The students will then begin using the mlearning tools and after approximately 7 weeks I will interview the students to gather data on their experiences so far. These interviews will also be an opportunity to improve anything or fix any problems within the materials. The second stage of the study will then see the students continue to learn with the tools until the end of the semester. They will then be interviewed again to gather final attitudes and experiences to mobile assisted language learning.

The analysis of this data will be done using EvaSys for the quantitative data and Weft QDA for the qualitative data. As I have never done qualitative analysis before this will be my first time using such a tool but I hope it will not cause any problems. As far as possible, the chapters for my thesis will be written as the project progresses to ensure that I can finish as quickly as possible.


Sources.

Bell, J. (2010) Doing your research project. (5e) Maidenhead: Open University Press

Cohen, L. et al. (2011) Research methods in education. (7e). Abingdon: Routledge.

Action Research Defined

Having explored various approaches to research I have decided that for my purposes the action research (AR) approach will best help me to address my research questions.

According to Bell (2010), action research is an approach to applied research carried out to address a need for change or improvement in a particular situation. Furthermore, it is a continuous process which does not end when the first data have been collected and analysed, it rather continues in a spiral of continuous action. Although I have never used action research, the intention to facilitate continuous improvement is similar to the well-established Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle I am familiar with from project management. According to the ASQ (American Society for Quality Control) this cycle can be described thus:

1. Plan. Recognize an opportunity and plan a change. 
2. Do. Test the change. Carry out a small-scale study. 
3. Check. Review the test, analyze the results and identify what you’ve learned. 
4. Act. Take action based on what you learned in the study step: If the change did not work, go through the cycle again with a different plan. If you were successful, incorporate what you learned from the test into wider changes. Use what you learned to plan new improvements, beginning the cycle again. 

The main reason for selecting action research as an approach is the lack of any existing mobile language learning materials at my institution. Producing the materials will form a part of my research project and action research will make it possible to continuously assess these tools and adapt or improve them based on the participant feedback. As Munn-Giddings (2012) also notes:

"...the purpose of AR is to work towards practice change during the research process, not merely to explore and describe a situation "as is"..."  

This reflects exactly the background to my research and makes action research therefore seem like a perfect fit.

McNiff (2002) describes an eight-stage model of action research:

1. Review current practice.
2. Identify an aspect to improve.
3. Imagine a way to do this.
4. Try it.
5. Monitor and reflect on results.
6. Modify based on results.
7. Evaluate the modified action.
8. Continue until satisfied.

With regard to my project, step 1 and step 2 have taken place and the next step is to decide on and  implement my mobile language learning tools. Stages 4 to 8 will be possible once the new semester begins in April and I look forward to trying them out. 


Sources.

Bell, J. (2010). Doing your research project. (5e). Maidenhead: Open University Press.

McNiff, J. (2002). Quoted in: Cohen et al. (2011). Research methods in education (7e). Abingdon: Routledge.

Munn-Giddings,C. in Arthur et al. (2012). Research methods & methodologies in education. London: Sage.

Tague, N. (2004). Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle.
http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/project-planning-tools/overview/pdca-cycle.html [Accessed 04.01.2013]