Methods of Discourse and Representation Analysis

Discourse and representation analysis methods generally require three major steps: data collection (Subsection 1), coding (Subsection 2), and analysis (Subsection 3). 1. Collecting Discourse or Representations There are two main types of methods for collecting representations or dis­course: structured (or a priori) and non-structured methods. 1.1. Structured or a priori methods The objective of

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Content Analysis

Content analyses were developed to study newspaper articles and political speeches in the USA in the 1920s. They are based on the theory that repeating certain elements of discourse (words, expression or similar meanings) revealed the interests or concerns of the persons involved. Their purpose is to analyze the manifest contents of a communication.

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Cognitive Mapping for Analyzing Representations and Discourse

As stated earlier, cognitive mapping is aimed at establishing and analyzing cognitive maps, that is, representations of a person or organization’s beliefs concerning a particular domain (Axelrod, 1976). A cognitive map is made up of two types of elements: Concepts, also known as constructs or variables. The links between these concepts. These links can

Communication Media for the Research

Communication of research work can be directed towards various readers. Research on organizations may be of interest to three particular kinds of readers: researchers, managers and other members of the organization, and, to a lesser extent, the general public. The same research project may then need to be adapted to different target audiences –

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Writing the Research Articles

1. Structure The principal medium by which studies reach other researchers is the research article, published in an academic journal. The structure of these articles is very often identical, even where guidelines are not precisely defined. The structure that I outline below, which is almost universal for quantitative research, is equally well adapted to

The Research Writing Process

I examine here the questions of when to write, how to improve a text (by soli­citing feedback on the manuscript) and the revision process used by refereed journals. 1. When to Write On the issue of when to write, the principal advice we find repeatedly given is, begin as soon as possible (Richardson, 1990;

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The Thesis Advisor

This story, which is probably as old as the academic world it comes from, partly illustrates the three main roles of a thesis advisor. The thesis advisor is first of all a guide. The researcher will profit from his or her greater experience, especially in defining the subject of the dissertation. The thesis advisor

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Research Consortiums

At conferences held by research associations, researchers of different origins come together to discuss subjects connected to the writing of a dissertation and how to embark upon and construct an academic career. Because of the diversity of research questions, methodologies and experiences, participants often find these meetings very rewarding. The Academy of Management The

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Academic Conferences

By taking part in academic conferences, a researcher has the opportunity to: present the results of research work and receive feedback from the academic community constructively integrate suggestions and critiques made by academic peers into the final work keep up with current developments in a specific research domain by becoming familiar with projects before

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The Researcher’s Relationship with the Non-Academic World

In 1991, Fortune published a three-page article on the ‘third generation idiot’. By this provocative term, the review described a 28-year-old MBA student reporting to a 30-year-old assistant professor, himself supervised by a 35-year- old associate professor. None of the three had ever worked outside the academic world, or only for a very short

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Research: an integral part of your practice

Research is undertaken within most professions. More than a set of skills, research is a way of thinking: examining critically the various aspects of your day-to-day professional work; understanding and formulating guiding principles that govern a particular procedure; and developing and testing new theories that contribute to the advancement of your practice and profession.

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Research: a way to gather evidence for your practice

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the delivery of services based upon research evidence about their effectiveness; the service provider’s clinical judgement as to the suitability and appropriateness of the service for a client; and the client’s own preference as to the acceptance of the service. EBP is fast becoming a service delivery norm among many

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Applications of research

Very little research in the field is pure in nature. That is, very few people do research in research methodology per se. Most research is applied research, which has wide application in many disciplines. Every profession uses research methods in varying amounts in many areas. They use the methods and procedures developed by research

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Research: what does it mean?

There are several ways of obtaining answers to your professional questions. These methods range from the fairly informal, based upon clinical impressions, to the strictly scientific, adhering to the conventional expectations of scientific procedures. Research is one of the ways to find answers to your questions. When you say that you are undertaking a

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The research process: characteristics and requirements

From these definitions it is clear that research is a process for collecting, analysing and inter­preting information to answer questions. But to qualify as research, the process must have certain characteristics: it must, as far as possible, be controlled, rigorous, systematic, valid and verifiable, empirical and critical. Let us briefly examine these characteristics to

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Types of research

Types of research can be looked at from three different perspectives (Figure 1.2): applications of the findings of the research study; objectives of the study; mode of enquiry used in conducting the study. The classification of the types of a study on the basis of these perspectives is not mutually exclusive: that is, a

Paradigms of research

There are two main paradigms that form the basis of research in the social sciences. It is beyond the scope of this book to go into any detail about these. The crucial question that divides the two is whether the methodology of the physical sciences can be applied to the study of social phenomena.

The research process: an eight-step model

Research methodology is taught as a supporting subject in several ways in many academic disciplines at various levels by people committed to a variety of research paradigms. Though paradigms vary in their contents and substance, their broad approach to enquiry, in the author’s opinion, is similar. Such ideas have also been expressed by Festinger

Research Phase I: deciding what to research

Step I: formulating a research problem Formulating a research problem is the first and most important step in the research process. A research problem identifies your destination: it should tell you, your research supervisor and your readers what you intend to research. The more specific and clearer you are the better, as everything that

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Research Phase II : planning a research study

Step II: conceptualising a research design An extremely important feature of research is the use of appropriate methods. Research involves systematic, controlled, valid and rigorous exploration and description of what is not known and establishment of associations and causation that permit the accurate prediction of outcomes under a given set of conditions. It also

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