Philosophy and Research Design in the Social Sciences

For the summative assessment of the unit, you are asked to develop these ideas further to write a 4,000 words essay which sets out an argument for your proposed study. 

You need to make a convincing case for why this study is needed and show the links between the philosophical background and position you are adopting, the policy and practice context and your chosen methodology and individual methods of data collection and analysis.   You must include a section on ethics and present a case for how you will address ethical issues in the study.

Anticipated structure and indicative contents

1. A coherent and convincing argument throughout that sets out why the study is important and what it hopes to contribute;

• Clearly stated aims and research questions;

• Clear evidence of an understanding of the chosen philosophical position and its influence on the design of the study;

• A briefly outlined theoretical framework that is commensurate with chosen position;

• A clearly articulated methodology which aligns with aims, stated philosophical and theoretical approaches;

•  A methods section which provides practical, realistic and detailed descriptions of context and participants (where relevant), sampling, access and individual data collection methods and why chosen. All methods must be justified in reference to methodological literature;

• A section that sets out planned data analysis methods and why chosen. Methods must be justified in reference to methodological literature;

• An ethics section which demonstrates an understanding of ethical issues and requirements and the practical steps you intend to implement;

• A short discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the chosen approach including issues of validity and reliability;

1. Evidence of good quality academic writing, including written English, structure, keeping to word length, referencing and proof reading.

This specific guidance does not replace general criteria for written assignments. You are also advised to check the M level Handbook (on Blackboard) for general criteria for the programme.

What you need to pass this unit

4000-word essay that sets out the argument and plan for your proposed study (see PRD handbook)

Why the study is needed/important, what it hopes to contribute

Clearly stated aims and research questions

Positioning of the study in relation to social research traditions, e.g. philosophical positions, paradigms, and theoretical frameworks

• Practical, realistic and detailed descriptions of data collection and analysis methods, justified with reference to methodological literature

• Ethical considerations

• COHERENCE between all of the above

• (Note: be careful about self-plagiarism)

Supervisor’s feedback

1. Choose 2 Azerbaijan secondary schools ( survey and interviews in 2  schools) 

                                                                       Mixed-Method ( Qualitative and Quantitative)

• One School doing SSE and thinking about SSE or Another School not doing SSE and what a way to think about SSE.
• What does the SSE evaluation look like in Azerbaijan schools?
• One school has been chosen purposefully because they already engage in the SSE projects implemented locally.
• Other schools do not even know what SSE is.
• You ask for opinion self-evaluation internally rather than externally.
• Investigate stakeholders’ perspectives in 2 schools and compare between 2 schools. One already implemented an SSE framework and another school has no local SSE framework.
• You can see differences and perspectives on SSE given a different context.
• What is the research problem that you are addressing?
• Show that you are addressing a gap in literature where there is a lack of evidence of the Azerbaijan concept in relation to the purpose and nature of SSE.
• How does this address a gap in the international academic literature on school self-evaluation? can you clarify?

There is a lack of evidence of the Azerbaijan concept in relation to the purpose process and nature of SSE.

1. What is your justification for selecting your sample?  Your study needs to make a contribution to international academic literature,
2. 13.   Ofsted Inspection program ( Ofsted is an external but schools are also required to be part of the process to do SE and have to write SE reports. Not contributing to overall off inspect.
3. Pragmatism (practical problem)
4. Where does SE happen in different countries in the world? Under what circumstances happened? In which countries how SE and external evaluation happens?
5. Investigate stakeholders’ perspectives in 2 schools and compare them. One already implemented an SSE framework and another school has no local SSE framework. You can see differences and perspectives in SSE given a different context

Topic : Evaluating the efficacy of school self-evaluation in secondary schools with a focus on Azerbaijan Republic.

Background / Introduction

* Reasons cited for the existence of SSE (references) (* Origins)

* Compare literature – What are the trends (references) * Factors that contribute to the trend (gegraphic, economic, political, socio-economic)

* General information / introduction to SSE in Azerbaijan (references)

Research questions and Rationale (Aims)

To contribute to the dearth of literature that exists on SSE in Azerbaijan

Is the research problem ….the need to improve education quality in Azerbaijan, and a potential lever for this, given previous research in different international contexts, is to enhance SSE?  Thus need to look at the potential for SSE to improve educational quality in Azerbaijan by exploring stakeholders’ views about the nature, purpose, strengths/weaknesses of SSE?

1-  From the perspectives of key stakeholders (headteachers, teachers, and policymakers), what are the purposes and features of internal school self-evaluation in three Azerbaijan secondary schools (which vary by socioeconomic context)?

2-  From the perspectives of key stakeholders (headteachers, teachers, and policymakers), what are the strengths, weaknesses, and unintended consequences of school self-evaluation to improve educational quality in three Azerbaijan secondary schools (vary by geographical/regional context)?

3-  From the perspectives of key stakeholders (headteachers, teachers, and policymakers), what are the potential improvements to school self-evaluation processes and outcomes in three Azerbaijan secondary schools?

4-  From the perspectives of a range of stakeholders – headteachers, teachers and policymakers- what is the purpose of the nature of SSE?

Literature review

* What do the majority of experts think about it? (references)

* What are the aims – What do schools, stakeholders percieve as advantages

* What is the evidence (positive / negative) (references)

* What are the obvious trends, if any (references)

## Theoretical perspectives / Framework

*Pragmatism –  Why?

Mixed methodologists countered this position with the compatibility thesis, exemplified in the following quote: However, the pragmatism of employing multiple research methods to study the same general problem by posing different specific questions has some pragmatic implications for social theory. Rather than being wedded to a particular theoretical style . . . and its most compatible method, one might instead combine methods that would encourage or even require integration of different theoretical perspectives to interpret the data. (Brewer & Hunter, 2006, p. 55)

(General notion of SSE as a necessary step to enhance / sustain quality in education)

Methodology

* Mixed / Why? (references)

1.    Features of SSE may be different across the board – every institution has its notion of what is true, but (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2003a, p. 713) define pragmatism as “what works”. In that spirit, the purpose of the mixed research is to circumvent preconcieved notions developed as a result of group-think, including the researchers own biases, and instead focus on the end-result of the processes carried out under the SSE. (The qualitative / quantitative approaches)

*Qualitative features (references)

*Quantitative feature (references)

An important preliminary consideration is recognizing the types of research problems best suited for mixed methods research. When preparing a research study employing mixed methods, the researcher needs to provide a rationale or justification for why mixed methods best addresses the topic and the research problem. Not all situations justify the use of mixed methods.

There are times when qualitative research may be best because the researcher aims to explore a problem, honor the voices of participants, map the complexity of the situation, and convey multiple perspectives of participants. At other times, quantitative research may be best because the researcher seeks to understand the relationship among variables or determine if one group performs better on an outcome than another group.

Participants (Cross-section)

** Choice of school

** Number of respondents (why is this a good representation?)

Students? Why / why not? (references) Head Teachers? Why? (references) Teachers Why / why not? (references) Parents? Why / why not? (references) Principals? Why / why not? (references) Policy makers? Why / why not? (references)

Methods of Data Collection

survey and interviews in 2  schools

Methods of Data Analysis

*Qualitative – why?

*Quantitative – why?

Ethical Considerations (written but it is not necessary to stay, you may add your own thoughts)

The research process of this study will involve  intensive consultation and collaboration with the key stakeholders of two secondary schools (School A and B) to track their experiences of school self-evaluation over time. I will conduct all stages of the study in a highly ethical manner and ensure that all of the key stakeholders understand the aims of the research and are aware they have the right to withdraw from the process at any time (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000 pp. 138-139).

To be able to do research and establish cooperation with the public schools in Baku, obtaining a permission letter from Baku City Education Department is mandatory. The Department is the unique authority empowered to issue an approval for carrying out research in public schools. To obtain such permission, I will write a permission letter with the University of Bristol letterhead and send it to the Department by post. By following the required protocol on the ground, I will be able to build trust and cooperation with the schools’ key stakeholders (Borg and Gall, 1983, p.111).

Initially, I will meet with all stakeholders in both schools about my research and how much their commitment would be involved and look for volunteers to be participants well in advance of conducting the focus groups. All participants will be provided with enough information and time without any pressure to fill out an informed consent form (Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2011, 80).

The privacy of participants will be protected and kept secure. Anonymity donates without revealing information on a participant in any way that could be used to identify his/her personality and does not mention a specific person with anyone else (Cohen et al. 2011 p91). If someone is intentionally willing to waive such information, the researcher will recognise the participant’s rights to be identified (BERA 2018, p21). The data will be presented with certain codes to recognize each school or stakeholder participating in the research.

Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K. (2011). Research Methods in Education. 7th ed. Abingdon: Routledge.

Borg, W.R. and ve Gall, D. 1983: Educational Research. New York: Longman.

British Educational Research Association [BERA] (2018) Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research, fourth edition, London.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2000). Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). Handbook of Qualitative Research. (2nd Ed.). London: Sage Publications.

Discussion /

A short discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the chosen approach including issues of validity and reliability;

Conclusion References