Research Proposal Comparing two University †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Research Proposal Comparing two University. Answer: Background The University selected for research is the University of Sussex, United Kingdom. The university provides Undergraduate, Masters and PhD degrees to students pursuing various courses. The selected courses for the research are BA (Hons) Journalism and BA (Hons) History and politics. The research will focus mainly on Student satisfaction, Employment and accreditation, continuation and degree results and entry information ("Unistats", 2017). As per the data provided in the website, the overall student satisfaction related to BA Honors Journalism stands at a mere 30% as compared to the 92% of BA Honors History and Politics. Only 20% students of Journalism feel that the course provides intellectual stimulation.. In terms of IT resources, provided to courses, History and Politics with 77% lags behind Journalism with 100%. According to the statistics, the overall satisfaction of students is largely lower for Journalism than it is for History and Politics. The statistics are authentic and can be relied upon to carry out the research since it has been collected from the students of the university. However, the data given in the website is not updated and hence the percentages might vary. Issue The problem to be addressed in the research is the dissatisfaction of students in the Journalism course and insufficient IT resources available for the students of History and Politics. This course has been given the lowest percentage in the intellectual stimulation category under the teaching parameter. It is important to the students who aspire to make a mark in this field (Swain, 2017). Journalism requires in depth study not just theoretical but practical. In addition, the research also evaluates the availability and utilization of IT resources for the History and Politics course. The research is important to find out reasons as to why an interesting and opportune course like Journalism fails to stimulate the intellect of the students. The research is important for the students at first, who aspire to achieve success in the respective fields and for the university administration at second ("Course Chooser", 2017). Solution Research proposal Purpose of the research design Three types of research design are there that can be used- exploratory, descriptive and explanatory research design. Exploratory research design is used in case of long-term processes and has an association with inductive approach of research. Researchers use explanatory research design as it helps to link numerous ideas for comprehending the cause and effect of the specific research study. On the other hand, descriptive research design involves exploration as well as explanation of the research providing detailed information about the research topic. Justification of the selected research design The researcher will take the descriptive research design to conduct the research with a view to investigate and elucidate the particular research topic in a detailed manner. The selected design will not only provide a complete picture of the research topic but also a clear view by giving added information. Data collection process To carry out a research, a researcher has to obtain various types of data, as it is extremely useful and the most important factor while performing a research. Sources of data Primary and secondary sources of data are the two main types of data sources applied by researchers. The researcher will use only the primary data by arranging interviews of students and staff of the university belonging to the particular course department ("Equality and Diversity : University of Sussex", 2017). Analyzing the real cause behind the dismal performance of these courses from the inputs collected through interviews makes sure that the university looks after these issues and takes steps to improve the current situation("TEF outcomes - Higher Education Funding Council for England", 2017).. Methodology: Data analysis techniques Two types of data analysis techniques are there qualitative and quantitative data analysis technique. To conduct this particular research, the researcher will apply qualitative data analysis to analyze the responses collected from the interviews that will be arranged for the students and staffs of the department of Journalism and History and Politics of BA Honors. Sample Size To conduct the said research, 200 participants, including both teachers and students of the respective courses will be chosen for collecting data. The researcher will require bearing the cost of buying stationery items like papers and printing questionnaires to be given to the participants. Apart from that, no additional costs or expenditures are required for the research. Ethical review While carrying out the research project, certain ethical issues are to be followed in accordance with the guidelines of the University of Sussex (Exchange, 2017). The chief ethical concerns in this project are Whether the participants or interviewees are aware of the questionnaire Whether the interview questions are justified as per research requirements Whether the findings of the research are going to be used for other purposes that does not concern research project The University of Sussex has a set of Research Governance Standard Operating Procedures that helps researchers with their projects (School of Business, 2017). Anyone conducting any research that involves humans or animals is required to obtain ethics approval before going ahead with the research. Therefore, an online ethical review application from the university portal has to be obtained to go ahead with the research. Evaluation The method used for the research project is a semi-structured interview with students and professors of the two courses as participants. A semi-structured interview involves both pre-prepared list of questions and natural conversation. There are both strengths and weaknesses involved in this method. Strengths Helps understand interpretations, implications and objectives. Allows interviewees to create fraction of the agenda Gives flexibility to the interviewer who has options to filter and follow unanticipated ways. Interviewer also has the opportunity to probe further the research In depth and rich data is collected through this method as interviewees answer the pre-structured questions as well as add their own inputs. Weaknesses The conversation flow is not up to the mark as the participant is asked to answer pre-set questions. The method consumes too much time The data collected through this method has difficulties of reliability The findings from the collected data become generalized There are possibilities that many problems may arise while asking students and staff to come for the interview. First is, many students might be reluctant to give their views on the courses and the approach of the university administration. Secondly, since the interview is being taken for a research project, the participants might not give it that much attention. Thirdly, the credibility of the answers might also be questionable since the participants can give random answers (Irvine, Drew Sainsbury, 2013). The interviewees can be influenced to participate in the conversation by making it interesting and appealing. The findings of the report can help the staffs and university administration in developing methods to raise the interest of the students in the particular courses. Campus recruitment can also be encouraged with joint decision of both students and teachers. References: Course Chooser. (2017).Thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2017, from https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/courses/search?i=University%20of%20Sussex Equality and Diversity : University of Sussex. (2017).Sussex.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2017, from https://www.sussex.ac.uk/equalities/ Exchange, R. (2017).Research Governance and Integrity : Research : Staff : University of Sussex.Sussex.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2017, from https://www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/research/governance Irvine, A., Drew, P., Sainsbury, R. (2013). Am I not answering your questions properly?Clarification, adequacy and responsiveness in semi-structured telephone and face-to-face interviews.Qualitative Research,13(1), 87-106. School of Business, M. (2017).Research ethics and governance : Research : School of Business, Management and Economics : University of Sussex.Sussex.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2017, from https://www.sussex.ac.uk/bmec/internal/research/ethics Swain, H. (2017).How can universities ensure their students are satisfied?.the Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2017/sep/11/how-can-universities-ensure-their-students-are-satisfied TEF outcomes - Higher Education Funding Council for England. (2017).Hefce.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2017, from https://www.hefce.ac.uk/tefoutcomes/#/provider/10007806 Unistats. (2017).Unistats.org. Retrieved 24 October 2017, from https://www.unistats.org/Compare-Courses