6b My research Tools

My research for my line of inquiry will require different tools but ones will i be using, which ones will benefit me the most. And how am i going to get the most out of my research. 

Methods i could use in my research and what ones will work best for line of inquiry and myself personally. This process will require much time and input of other individuals or who i wish to help me as much as possible with their input/ideas and feedback. 

I wish to gather and analyze as much data/information as possible so i can get an understanding of other peoples opinion and ideas. I wish to observe contrast and compare within my research and see how these may affect my overall inquiry. There is only one way to find out, to start researching. 

I will be using real life experience, such as pilot observations so i can see for myself and gain as much real life self discovery and knowledge. I wish to put this practice based knowledge

then into real life practice as after observing a few classes I will be allowed to for the first time ever have an input into a class and teach something,

The whole idea of this enquiry is so I gain a much broader knowledge and understanding of my professional practice for all I know my outlook may change and my thoughts may develop to a whole new level and show me even more how inspiration is a huge key factor within teaching. But by trying different research methods and skills I will not know until the different evidence is in front of me.

I wish to gather my evidence analyze this then present my findings.

During my research I will of course only ask appropriate and relevant information related to my line of enquiry of course I do not wish to mislead anyone as this may affect my overall outcome of research.

This line of enquiry is very personal to myself and this is why I chose to enquire and find out as much as possible its own investigation that may take me on a journey I didn’t even realize a man mount to a lot of data being processed.

I truly and strongly agree with Mason 2002 by saying we the researcher becomes one of the tools of enquiry and must reflectively be aware of their own position in and biases as I wish to gain as much knowledge with this line of enquiry I will be open as possible to feedback ideas and opinions and I respect that. it’s true we are at all extracting information to build upon (here I am the quality of research)

Furthermore I also agree with black 2002 page 3 by saying;

“quantitive research is quite good at telling us what is happening, and often qualitative studies are better at determining why events occur”

We as researchers wish to extract information and see what it is telling us however during our research we wish to have a better understanding as to why events occur.

I will use a range of tools and methods to explore my research I will value this and observe all data I wish to make the most out of my line of enquiry I need to work out what methods will be most efficient at collecting the information I need.

My research tools

Observations

Observations will involve myself watching researching and analyzing events that relate to my line of enquiry I also will be a participant in the classes as I’ll be teaching a few and observing events as the class as it unfolds

This is a time consuming event as it involves myself attending the sessions but I believe it is well worth it. With this I’ll be able to analyze and inspect what I’ve recorded. My observations will be in a written note form. I of course will take into consideration issues of ethics permission of teachers and confidentiality of students.

I have been fortunate enough to over the last week been able to observe 4 classes in my old secondary school. And i must say i have found these most beneficial to myself for experience but also for my line of inquiry and the research method i have used in watching over these 4 classes. I have also decided that i will continue to observe them , to see if any progress is made and to get more of an understanding about how teachers and students work together. I will be attending a showcase at the school in a few weeks time. It will be most interesting to see how all the pieces have come along and what improvements and alterations they have made to have a finished product. I have found it most interesting as i have already put in a previous blog to see how the classes have learnt, what skills they have and what manners and interests they have within the subject of dance. 

Interviews

An interview is a qualitative of method I would use. Its a way of extracting information to use as evidence in my line of enquiry I will directly asked people who have experienced perceptions and knowledge about the professional theatrical and teaching industry. I will arrange a face to face with an individual person who i already have in mind. This person has already achieved what i wish to. She has already followed her dream as a professional performer and is now teaching to inspire, this is exactly what i wish to do.

My interview will consist of a set of varied questions all about my inquiry. But also so i can hear of experiences and  what interested her to do this career. I wish to gain as much feedback as possible and discuss in depth with this lady, this will be an open interview and not be so formal with a quilloquial approach. However this interview must also be structured if not things may gets lost or misunderstood. 

Survey's/questionnaires

This method I am sure to use to ask people who they are and what they think. The survey can allow me together a large amount of data from a wide range of representatives and people. i aim to ask all ages, genders and ethnicities for feedback. This survey will be filled with both straight forward “yes or no answers” and areas to fill in on peoples personal feedback. I will think closely about my questions to ensure i get the most out of my people, as every little helps. 

I wish to find out all information of all responses so I can look for comparisons or similarities between people the more responses I get the bigger my enquiry. I have to ensure that i ask the correct information otherwise this could be useless to me and be meaningless information. Another disadvantage may be that some people i ask may be biased to this line of inquiry which can damage the outcome of my research. 

Reviewing Literature

Find, Read, Analyze

Reviewing literature i feel is key its a way of looking at academic research that has already been carried out. This of course will relate to my professional practice and line of inquiry. I will highlight in other literature about critical thinking and peoples theories and thoughts. I will review excising literature to gain an understanding of my chosen topic through other peoples opinions and ideas. This will lead to more in-depth knowledge and most probably uncover more questions for me. 

Whilst reading the literature i will ensure the source is legitimate and if its accurate. I will also ensure i tittle authors and co- authors, and detail about their research quality and reasoning for this. I have decided to annotate my chosen literature, highlighting particular aspects that i find intriguing, this will help with also building my knowledge.

Documents

With what ever documents I come across that are of interest to me and my line of enquiry I will read over makes sense of and critically analyze them. Documents I may come across for example newspapers books journals government white papers or even company documents these are all secondary data these I I may find in a library or even from the Internet.