Methods
How the information you have found is
- sourced
- collected
- collated
- presented
- write out a short explanation of the methodologies you have used for the research
- will be unique to your project
- putting in thought to the methodological approach will gain you a higher grade
- clearly evidence why you selected the methods of gathering information and selecting evidence and why they are the most appropriate for your study - stops the project from being biased or naive
- shows you are in control of your project and are aware of what you're doing
- a systematic way of sifting through information to get to the point
- should occur in the introduction
- inquiry procedure
- organising approach
- think of the limitations - looking at the research from one methodology will give you different outcomes than looking at it from a different methodology
Theories
- theory can help you decide upon the methods you use
- alternatively, the material you find may suggest the appropriate theories
- theory is one element of a methodology
Methods, Theories, Application
1 - make decisions about how to collect and order information
2 - choose a relevant theory
3 - apply these to the study
4 - explicitly outline this in the introduction, address suggested failings in the conclusion
Critical Analysis
- not only how you approach a subject but how you interpret it
- 'skepticism'
- 'reasoned thinking'
- stepping away and using evidence and logic to come to conclusions rather than using emotions and personal opinions to guide the analysis
- can declare your stance on the topic, but back it up with research
' context is everything '
- consider the influence of one or more of the following: the time, place, society, politics, economics, technology, philosophy, scientific thought, etc...
'critical analysis is not just about reporting' - looking for a report, plus analysis of theories, then those theories mapped onto a research project
Evidence
- critical distance
- theories
- all of the critical analysis fused coherently into a methodological approach
- not just quotes, could be data, empirical evidence
- could you find more evidence to support your conclusions?
Evidence - Reason - Logic - Argument
COP Lecture - Methodologies & Critical Analysis
