MSc Research Methods with Planning and Environmental Management

This unit provides an opportunity to develop independent learning skills, project design, management skills and communication skills. Students focus on an aspect of research methods practice examining it thoroughly. This is achieved as students design a small research project, conduct it and critique how the project worked. This involves reflecting on the relationship between research context, method, and knowledge production in relation to their own disciplinary interest. Any area relating to research methods in the context of the student’s main discipline area is appropriate, however, projects must not require that ethical approval is required. The ethics tool is used to ensure this is the case in conjunction with agreement of the unit director. Often students will choose to conduct a small scale systematic or scoping study literature review or another desk-based type study using ‘open access’ secondary data to trial a particular method of analysis. Autoethnography is also a potential basis for the project. All projects will be negotiated and agreed with the unit director.

The course unit is built on a dissertation type of mentor-mentee pedagogy, and the students also act as a ‘critical friends’ group’ to help support the mutual advancement of the project. For examples, students will present a progress report mirroring a professional working arrangement, where challenges are raided and mitigations sought from their colleague peers, as well as from the unit tutor.
 

The unit aims to: give participants the opportunity to explore one relevant area of research methods in close detail. A key aim of this unit is that participants produce something of use to them in developing their research interests, whilst contributing to their fulfilment of the ESRC’s research training requirements ESRC Postgraduate Training and Development Guidelines 2022 (ukri.org) also presents an opportunity for students to develop independent learning skills, project design and management skills and communication skills.

Students will select an aspect of research methods to examine in depth, providing a critical reflection on their experience of its application. The substantive context will depend on the student’s choice, but typically methods selected explore using systematic or scoping review methodologies, piloting different data analysis techniques, autoethnography or critiques of epistemological positions.

Critical reflection and narration as a meaning-making process, and relevance of reflexivity in the research process will be explored.

The development of project management skills, such as timekeeping, use of Gannt charts, overcoming procrastination, when and how to ask for help and giving and receiving appropriate feedback, and report writing.

Exploration of axiology in the research and how the study relates to socioeconomic and social justice.

A series of supervision sessions will be arranged between the participant and tutor. Students will engage in independent study and active learning, as negotiated with their supervisory tutor.

• Critically apply key principles relating to research methods in the context of their discipline and the particular focus negotiated with the supervisor/tutor.
• Make critical use of literature to support their  exploration of a research methods topic, as negotiated with the supervisor/tutor.

• Reflect on their own learning and sociocultural dimensions and processes involved in their exploration of a research methods topic, as negotiated with the supervisor/tutor.
• Share and articulate their learning about project management and themselves as a researcher. 

• Reflect on their own practice and responsibilities as a researcher within their discipline, to develop key research skills that contribute to meeting the ESRC 2022 research training guidelines and so to their own researcher development.

Students will receive feedback as per faculty guidelines.

Etherington, K (2004). Becoming a Reflective Researcher: Using Our Selves in Research. Jessica Kingsley.

Flamez, B. et al. (2017). A counselor’s guide to the dissertation process: where to start and how to finish. 1st ed. Newark: American Counseling Association.

Fleming, R.S. and Kowalsky, M. (2021). Survival skills for thesis and dissertation candidates. Cham: Springer.

Mäkinen, E.I. & Esko, T. (2023) Nascent academic entrepreneurs and identity work at the boundaries of professional domains. International journal of entrepreneurship and innovation. 24 (3), 167–177. doi:10.1177/14657503211063896.

Maxwell, J. A. (2012) Qualitative Research Design. 3rd Revised edition. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications Inc.

Morwenna-Whitaker, E & Atkinson, P (2021) Reflexivity in Social Research. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.

Palacios, N., Rafique, R., Kwihangana, F. & Zhao, X. (2022) Online peer-led group reflective practice in higher education: a seminar-based project evaluation. Reflective practice. 23 (6), 676–689. doi:10.1080/14623943.2022.2116567.

Stovin, D. (2022) It “Made Me Who I Am”: Using Interpretive and Narrative Research to Develop a Model for Understanding Associate Deans’ Application and Development of Academic Identity. Canadian journal of higher education (1975). 52 (3), 59–72. doi:10.47678/cjhe.vi0.189691.

Vincent, C. (ed.) (2020) Nancy Frazer, Social Justice and Education (Education and Social Theory). Sage Publications.