Class
Poll:
Which best describes you in terms of choosing a research topic for this
class?
-
a. I don't have a clue.
-
b. I'm interested in several
things, but haven't
settled on one.
-
c. The topic I'd like to
research is huge
and would take years (or, longer than we have!)
-
d. I'm all set.
Identify your personal
intellectual
style:
-
a. naturally curious about lots
of things,
could get interested in almost anything;
-
b. I have a few topics that are
interesting
to me.
-
c. picky and focused - waiting
for The Right
Whale to come along; I will know him when I see him!
Stories about how some people
identified topics: mine and yours
I
Places to look for topics
-
Remember the I-Search?
Apply what you
learned about identifying something of personal interest.
-
Your own natural curiosity
-
Professional problems -- this is
the most
appropriate source of research topics in this class and in your life as
a MS
-
Evaluating program goals,
effectiveness, or
initial needs
-
List everything you can think of.
In your "real life" after class,
keep a file
of "Things to Find Out About."
Focus: which of these
problems might
be doable NOW? Consider data collection and datasets. Keep
circling back to your brainstorm list, thinking about the practicality
of each possible topic.
Cautions:
-
The topic must be doable within
our timeframe.
Most large topics can be narrowed to a practical size.
-
One key is data: what data
sources do you
have access to? Brainstorm freely but come back to this important
parameter before you go off the deep end.
-
Don't forget about IRB - we will
discuss this
later. All projects must follow ethical guidelines.
- We SLM faculty are a bit tired
of certain topics. I'll talk about these verbally. While you
could do one if your heart is set on it, I don't recommend it.
This discussion should lead
naturally
to completion of your Statement
of Interest Area.
Back to the
Agenda
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