I have heard the rumours that your initial thinking around your research topic will most definitely change as you refine your thinking in your research area. I have always been open to this...and have on many occasions stated my topic is "Listening as a leadership skill" BUT I'm not married to it. As I spend some time in my study cave this weekend I am currently looking at my research design. The following quote captured my attention:
Ignoring design is one way of saying openly to the world – ‘I don't care about the quality of my research, the wasted opportunities it represents, the waste of peoples’ time participating in or reading it, or the dangers to the very people that the research is meant to help’. (Gorard, 2017, p. 4)
Talk about, no pressure! So, here I am on a beautiful Saturday morning (in Level 3 lockdown imposed on Auckland, NZ last night for what will be 2 weeks) pondering my research topic...again!
I have found many of the articles selected by my lecturer to be spot on in terms of getting to the point about what is required and offering alternative thoughts on long-held myths - such as...
There are 3 types of research designs - quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. No, this is not the case. Nice to know that now, given I have actually done 2 other 'research' papers in the past in my previous study.
So, in a bid to add some structure into my thinking process I am going to use the questions asked by (Cohen et al., 2018) to help surface my thinking...
It is vital that the researcher knows what she or he wants the research to ‘deliver’, i.e. to answer the question ‘what are the “deliverables” in the research?’ (Cohen et al., 2018, p. 157)
What do we want to know as a result of the research that we did not know before the research commence?
- To have some clarity around a definition of listening - but after reading a few readings maybe I mean conversations or dialogue?
- To understand leaders perceptions of listening and their role in listening?
- To create a model of listening for leaders?
- To understand the impact of listening on teachers when leaders listen? (maybe this is not an immediate question but something to keep in the back of my mind)
What do we want the research to do?
- Define listening in an educational context
- To support participants in understanding their own listening behaviours
- Offer a multi-cultural perspective to listening
What do we want the research to find out?
- Listening to understand what does this look like, feel like, sound like for leaders?
- How might listening impact on collegiality and collaboration?
- What are the insights/reflections that can be revealed from hearing participants stories?
Further points to consider:
Access - "A formidable issue to be faced here is one of access. Many new researchers fondly imagine that they will be granted access to schools, teachers, students, parents, difficult children, students receiving therapy, truants, dropouts, high performers, star teachers and so on. This is usually NOT the case: gaining access to people and institutions is one of the most difficult tasks for any researcher, particularly if the research is in any way sensitive" (Cohen et al., 2018, p. 158)
Positionality - As the researcher, I need to consider my own limitations, values and belief and ensure that my biases are in check. For example - I believe wholeheartedly in coaching as a way of increasing self-directed humans. This may impact my motivations in uncovering the importance of listening as a leadership skill e.g. I want to hear what I want to hear.
The benefits - What are the benefits of the researcher to me? Gaining a better understanding of 'listening' as a skill will eventually support me in my own coaching skills. I am really excited about carving out time and space to read up on (literature review) a topic that I find incredibly fascinating. The side benefit to this is that I also will accomplish the requirements for a Master of Education Leadership degree.
Availability - How available am I to conduct this research. Given the parameters of what I want to achieve what is realistic? I work full-time and also have Kia Mahira (where I coach several clients) and run workshops. I will happily read and read and read on a topic of interest. I need to consider what I want to achieve and whether this is feasible in terms of time/and participants time.
Boundaries - "As the saying goes, ‘the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time’! Researchers must put clear, perceptible, realistic, fair and manageable boundaries round their research". (Cohen et al., 2018, p. 160)
Research questions: Questions such as ‘what is happening?’, ‘what has happened?’, ‘what might/will/ should happen?’ open up the field of research questions. ‘what are the effects of such- and-such a cause?’ and ‘what are the causes of such- and-such an effect?’ are two such questions, to which can be added the frequently used questions ‘how?’ and ‘why?’. These questions ask for explanations as well as reasons. Many of the most useful pieces of research stem from complex issues, complex research questions and
‘difficult- to-answer’ research questions. (Cohen et al., 2018, p. 161)
References:
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Choosing a research project. In L. Cohen, L. Manion, & K. Morrison (Eds.), Research methods in education (Eighth edi, pp. 153–164). Routledge.
Gorard, S. (2017). What is Research Design? Research Design: Creating Robust Approaches for the Social Sciences, 2–12. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526431486.n1
