Research Design and Methods: What is Research, How do I Begin, and How do I Write a Literature Review?

Facilitator/s:

Dr. Beverly Sloan

Workshop Description:

In this workshop, I will discuss how to begin your research study and conclude with how to outline the literature review. If time permits, we will move on to other topics, such as research design or how to create a roadmap to gather the data needed to answer our research question and address the issue, problem, or concern that led to the need for a research study. I will begin the workshop by examining your knowledge of research methods and design, and discussing ways to fill gaps in your knowledge. Then, we will discuss how to begin your research study, including the importance of the style manual, defining research, and the relationship between the elements of research and how these elements give credibility to your study. As a group, I aim for us to develop a sample qualitative and quantitative research problem, purpose of our study, a researchable question, and outline our literature review.

Objectives or Learning Outcomes:

Learning Objective 1: Assess knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply research methods.
Learning Objective 2: Understand how the style manual guides the research process and the presentation of research documents.
Learning Objective 3: Define research.
Learning Objective 4: Comprehend the relationship among the elements of research for qualitative and quantitative research approaches.
Learning Objective 5: Apply understanding of research methods to develop a sample research problem, purpose, question, and literature review outline.

Intended Audience:

Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level research students, Journal Authors, and Practitioners

About the Facilitator/s:

I hold a Master of Science in Strategic Leadership, a Master of Education in Counseling and Development, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Organizational Leadership. I have taught at the college level for many years. I am a seasoned career leader and manager with over 40 years of experience in building social capital and goodwill within organizations. I teach research design and methods twice monthly for the International Social Capital Association.

Using a scaffolding learning approach, I developed a six-part series of lessons to help researchers understand the research process from beginning to end. Those lessons are: What is Formal Research, How do I Begin, Literature Review, Research Design, Analysis and Conclusions, and Putting it all Together.