Students' Conceptions of Research. I: A qualitative and quantitative analysis

Meyer, Jan; Shanahan, Martin; Laugksch, Rüdiger C.

doi:10.1080/00313830500109535

Cited by 103 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Studies that have been conducted in this research area have focused on postgraduate students in higher education ( Meyer et al , 2005) or experienced researchers ( Brew, 2001). We see our project as a potential contributor to this under-researched area by exploring how pupils currently conceive research and science.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The representation of research in the national curriculum and secondary school pupils’ perceptions of research, its function, usefulness and value to their lives

Yeoman¹,

Bowater²,

Nardi³

2015

F1000Res

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Young people’s views on research, how it’s conducted and whether it’s important, influences the decisions they make about their further studies and career choices. We investigate how research is represented within the English national curriculum and the examination boards because we recognise that what is being taught influences secondary pupil views on research. We use questionnaire data to focus particularly on pupil perceptions of research in the sciences and the scientific method. The questionnaire was a 25-item Likert Scale (1-5) distributed to seven collaborating schools. We received 2634 returns from pupils across key stages 3, 4 and 5. We also asked teachers to complete the questionnaire to reflect how they thought their pupils would respond. We received 54 teacher responses. Statistically significant differences in the responses were identified through a chi-square test on SPSS and the interpretive part of our analysis considers how the term ‘research’ appears in the national curriculum for England and Wales and the three main English exam boards. The main theoretical construct that informs our analysis is Angela Brew’s 4-tier descriptor of perceptions of research (domino, trading, layer, journey). We use this framework to map the national curriculum for Science in England to establish the when, what and how research is presented to school pupils in England and Wales. We highlight and discuss certain pupil views on: research as involving the identification of a research question; research as a means to confirm one’s own opinion; research as involving the generation of new knowledge and the collection of new data, such as interviews and questionnaires as well as laboratory work, field trips and library searches. We also discuss pupils’ statements of confidence in their ability to do research, school experiences of research, perceptions of difficulty and importance of research to future career choice.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The representation of research in the national curriculum and secondary school pupils’ perceptions of research, its function, usefulness and value to their lives

Yeoman¹,

Bowater²,

Nardi³

2015

F1000Res

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“…A study by Meyer, Shanahan, and Laugksch (2005) found that many PhD students conceptualise what "research" is and how it should or should not be done, very differently to each other and their supervisors. For instance, they showed PhD students focused more on concrete activities such as information-gathering, discovering facts and uncovering gaps in the research rather than following the procedural framework of preparation, fieldwork, analysis and writing.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a general acceptance that doctoral research is a crucial process in the exercise of scholarship (Åkerlind, 2008;Brew, 2001;Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), 2005;Kiley & Mullins, 2005;Meyer, Shanahan, & Laugksch, 2005), that is so important in the development of an academic career (Hoskins & Goldberg, 2005;Leonard, Becker, & Coate, 2005). It is a process not only focused on developing the practice of research, but also the development of an identity within a particular field (Golde, 1998).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visualising the Doctoral Research Process: An Exploration into Empirical Research Processes of Emerging Researchers

Sim

Butson²

2017

IJLTER

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Abstract. The completion of a doctoral programme requires a fundamental knowledge of the research process. It is assumed and expected by academic staff that PhD students are aware of the research process prior to undertaking doctoral research. This study addresses the degree to which these assumptions are valid, by investigating doctoral students" understanding and practices of doctoral research. Nine doctoral students, at various phases of their dissertation and from different discipline backgrounds, were asked to illustrate, through diagrams, the processes involved in their doctoral research. They were invited to discuss their illustrated ideas and explain in more detail the processes and practices they employed, including the role of technology. The findings revealed a variety of processes characterised as: a) Linear vs. Non-linear; b) Traditional vs. Non-traditional; c) Simple vs. Complicated. In addition, the students exhibited diverse styles of presenting the research process through: 1) the way they started their research; 2) the language they used to describe the process; and 3) the linearity and complexity of their doctoral research. The paper concludes with a number of important insights with regard to the student"s perceptions and practices of undertaking doctoral research. Confusion in these areas is a matter that directly affects the outcome of the dissertation as well as the PhD student"s future research practices.

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“…Akerlind (2008) identificaba sólo diez estudios posteriores al trabajo pionero de Brew (2001); además, la mayoría de los estudios se centra en las concepciones de los investigadores senior (Meyer, Shanahan y Laugksch, 2005, 2007. Sólo en los últimos años se han desarrollado algunos estudios sobre los investigadores noveles (Pitcher, 2010;2011;Stubb et al, 2014) cuyos resultados coinciden en señalar algunas dimensiones y categorías útiles para explicar las concepciones sobre la investigación.…”

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“…Algunos estudios han utilizado metáforas como herramienta para acceder a las concepciones (Visser-Wijnveen, Van Driel, Van der Rijst, Verloop y Visser, 2009;Pitcher, 2011). Meyer et al (2005Meyer et al ( , 2007 utilizaron un enfoque metodológico diferente al desarrollar el Students' Conceptions of Research Inventory (SCoRI), para validar empírica y psicométri-camente las dimensiones relativas a las concepciones sobre la investigación de los estudiantes. Los ítems del SCoRI proceden de un estudio cualitativo previo en el que se establecieron varias categorías preliminares.…”

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¿Por qué y para qué se investiga en Ciencias Sociales? Concepciones del personal investigador en formación

Álvarez

Elexpuru

Castelló

et al. 2017

EJREP

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¿Por qué y para qué se investiga en Ciencias Sociales? Concepciones del personal investi-gador en formación Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 15(3, 598-623. ISSN: 1696-2095 -599 -http://dx.doi.org/10.14204/ejrep.43.16098 ResumenIntroducción. El conocimiento sobre lo que significa investigar para los investigadores en formación en el contexto español es prácticamente inexistente. La finalidad de este estudio es analizar las concepciones sobre la investigación de los estudiantes de doctorado en ciencias sociales y la relación de estas concepciones con algunas variables relevantes en el proceso de formación investigadora.Método. Participaron 1082 estudiantes de 56 universidades españolas que respondieron a un cuestionario de 33 ítems tipo Likert con siete opciones de respuesta según grado de acuerdo, sobre concepciones, compromiso e intereses por la investigación; relación con la comunidad científica y estrés. Se adoptó un diseño observacional de tipo transversal. Se realizaron análi-sis descriptivos de tendencia central y dispersión, ANOVA y r de Pearson (SPSS, v.23).Resultados. Los doctorandos entienden la investigación prioritariamente como un proceso orientado tanto a ofrecer una contribución a la comunidad como al desarrollo personal, y con menor frecuencia, como un producto que se plasma en la publicación de artículos. Discusión y conclusiones.Este estudio permite situar las concepciones en las categorías orientación de la investigación hacia el desarrollo individual o de la comunidad y hacia el proceso o producto, dimensiones coherentes con la investigación previa en el ámbito internacional. Los resultados tienen implicaciones para el diseño de propuestas formativas en el doctorado que consideren tanto la comprensión de lo que significa investigar como las expectativas laborales de los estudiantes.Palabras Clave: concepciones sobre investigación, identidad del investigador, investigadores en formación, doctorado, investigación en ciencias sociales.

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Students' Conceptions of Research. I: A qualitative and quantitative analysis

Cited by 103 publications

References 9 publications

The representation of research in the national curriculum and secondary school pupils’ perceptions of research, its function, usefulness and value to their lives

The representation of research in the national curriculum and secondary school pupils’ perceptions of research, its function, usefulness and value to their lives

Visualising the Doctoral Research Process: An Exploration into Empirical Research Processes of Emerging Researchers

¿Por qué y para qué se investiga en Ciencias Sociales? Concepciones del personal investigador en formación

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