Research does not necessarily demand laboratory space and expensive equipment. Fundamentally, a researcher is simply a ‘nosey’ person, who is curious and persistent enough to want to know what is happening, how a system works, or how many, how much, where, when and by whom.
Many university and other courses include a research project but anyone can research into a topic of their interest. This booklet will take you through the logical steps to achieve this.
Excerpt:
There are basically two kinds of research:
1. Descriptive Research. This involves keeping records of what is happening. It needs pen and paper although a calculator or computer may help in tabulating and adding up results.
E.g. How many disabled people live in my village? How many males/females/adults/children? What were their conditions? How were they treated? When (times and dates) did they attend a clinic or a hospital?
E.g. What is the incidence of nail-biting in my child’s school? Is there a difference between boys and girls of different ages? How many children are helped to stop the habit? By what means?
E.g. How many different species of birds do I see in my locality? At what time of day? Is there an educational programme about bird conservation in schools?
Date, time, conditions, location, and map coordinates can all be recorded.
2. Experimental Research. This often arises from questions developed from descriptive research, taking other information into account.
E.g. What would happen if we changed the location, the time, the altitude, the temperature etc? It can involve making several measurements of the same thing at different times or making comparisons between other locations or different techniques. Mainly it involves changing something and measuring the outcome.
E.g. Would the impact of accidents happening to colleagues be reduced if every office or school had a qualified first-aider?
E.g. Would poverty be reduced in a village if we taught loom construction as well as its use?
What happens if we change something? That is the basis of experimental research.
Many have embarked on research, published one or more articles and registered for a higher degree. A few have achieved this without an undergraduate qualification.
In the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and some other countries, the Master of Science or the Master of Arts, Law, Business Administration, and Music degrees generally contain a balance of taught and research components.
It is strongly recommended that you install an App on your laptop called Grammarly. There is a free version. It will offer changes to spelling, grammar and word sequences. Not all the suggestions are good, but you should think about the options presented and make your choice. Your writing will improve dramatically.
A Research Project is a good way to extend your career, keep yourself from losing your sanity, and enhance your job prospects. After research training, your attitude to everything you do in life will change. To be of maximum benefit to your career it is best if your research is directly related to an essential part of your work. Others have done it – so can you! I am going to explain how to set about it in easy steps.
