Doing Research. Revised Edition. Laetus O.K. Lategan Liezel Lues Hesta Friedrich-Nel (Editors)

Transcription

1

2 Doing Research Revised Edition Laetus O.K. Lategan Liezel Lues Hesta Friedrich-Nel (Editors)

3 Doing Research Published by SUN PRESS, an imprint of AFRICAN SUN MeDIA All rights reserved Copyright 2011 Laetus O.K. Lategan, Liezel Lues & Hesta Friedrich-Nel (Editors) No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, photographic or mechanical means, including photocopying and recording on record, tape or laser disk, on microfilm, via the Internet, by , or by any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher. First edition 2005 (Tekskor, Bloemfontein) Revised edition 2011 ISBN: Cover, page layout and design by SUN MeDIA Bloemfontein Designed in Adobe Indesign CS4 Century Gothic 9.5/11 pt Printed and bound by SUN MeDIA Bloemfontein 59 Brill Street, Westdene, Bloemfontein, 9301www.africansunmedia.co.za /

4 CONTENTS Theme 1: Doing Research: Navigating the Process Laetus O. K. Lategan, Zelda Uwah and Hanita Swanepoel Theme 2: What is Postgraduate Supervision about? Somarié Holtzhausen, Laetus O. K. Lategan, Driekie Hay, Jorrie Jordaan, Michele Truscott and Werner Vermeulen Theme 3: The Research Process Werner Vermeulen, Laetus O.K. Lategan and Reginald Litheko Theme 4: Proper Research Proposals Ryk Lues, Laetus O.K. Lategan and Werner Vermeulen Theme 5: Empirical Research Cay van der Merwe Theme 6: Principles of Modelling in Research and Design Gerrit Jordaan Theme 7: The Quest for Academic Integrity Anita du Toit and Gerda Lamprecht Theme 8: Scientific Writing Laetus O.K. Lategan Theme 9: Writing a Research Report Liezel Lues Theme 10: Some Guiding Principles for Legible Academic Reports Rudi W. de Lange Theme 11: Matters of Linguistic Style Michele Truscott, Ryk Lues and Victor Teise Theme 12: Referencing The Harvard Method Alna Beukes Theme 13: The Numerical Referencing Method Gerrit Jordaan Theme 14: Practical Pointers in Presenting Research Hesta Friedrich-Nel and Saretha Brüssow Theme 15: Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Skills in Presenting Research Results Marietjie van Deventer and Mardi Delport

5 Theme 16: Quality Assurance of the Research Process Laetus O.K. Lategan, Driekie Hay, Somarié Holtzhausen, Michele Truscott and Werner Vermeulen Address List

6 Theme 1 DOING RESEARCH: NAVIGATING THE PROCESS Laetus O. K. Lategan, Zelda Uwah and Hanita Swanepoel The focus of this section is to: take a new look at the research process; define research; identify the challenges in research; and outline best practices in doing research. 1. BACKGROUND Research has become a challenging and complex activity due to the changing research environment. The changes in this environment can be grouped into scientific (academic) requirements and value-adding activities. The scientific requirements involve moving from a purely subject-specific understanding of a research problem to a culture of developing knowledge through application and being engaged with business and industry in knowledge development. The value-adding activities focus on the training and development of supervisors and students to be abreast of the latest developments in the research environment. In the South African research context at least seven developments justify a new look at the research process. These developments are: Postgraduate qualifications are treated as research outputs that are translated into subsidy. This simply means that income can be generated through completed postgraduate qualifications. Contrary to popular belief postgraduate qualifications represent much more than the writing-up of the research dissertation only. The Higher Education Qualification Framework (HEQF) requires specific skills to be demonstrated through the completed research project. These skills include among others a comprehensive grasp on a discipline, a critical understanding of advanced research methodologies, independent research, ability to conceptualise, advanced information retrieval, communication of research results, intellectual independence and the capacity to critically evaluate own and others work. The quality of postgraduate qualifications is directed by the guidelines laid down by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC). These guidelines include issues beyond the scope of subject specific knowledge only. The low completion rate and high dropout rate of postgraduate students are both areas of concern. Students simply take too long to complete their studies and too many students leave the system without completing their postgraduate qualifications. This situation creates the impression of a non-competitive intellectual environment. New demands are placed on the research environment. Notable is the urge to strengthen the research links with business and industry, to enhance a culture of intellectual property (IP) protection and to commercialise more research ideas. 1

7 DOING RESEARCH Training and development are required for both supervisors and students to be abreast of the latest developments in the research environment. These events follow on the general belief that a PhD alone does not qualify a supervisor to supervise a student. In the same way the gap between undergraduate and postgraduate education needs to be addressed so as to prepare and equip students better for the transfer to a next level of intellectual scholarship. The government, students and end-users (business and industry) ask questions regarding the quality, relevance and impact of postgraduate qualifications. The above considerations bring one to the fundamental question: What is research? This question is explored in the next section. 2. WHAT IS RESEARCH? In general, research has to do with the creation of new knowledge. The creation of new knowledge is the result of a systematic analysis of a problem, and following from the analysis, the solving of the problem. Research may therefore be defined as a process of critical analysis to solve a problem. RESEARCH IS A PROCESS OF CRITICAL ANALYSIS TO SOLVE A PROBLEM Research has three important components: Critical knowledge enquiry Discovery of new knowledge Implementation and application of new knowledge Basic research investigates a problem against the background of a specific subject. The knowledge gained from this analysis is used to solve the problem. This is known as applied research. The researcher looks into the ways in which concepts, theories and trends are related. This is done through scientific investigation based on critical enquiry, discovery, systematisation of facts and evidence, and the formulation of new theories. The research is done according to a stated paradigm and method and has as objective the solving of an existing problem and/or the identification of a new problem. In research, the question why? is frequently asked. The why -question normally looks into the reasons for a particular activity. The why -question implies that an investigation is being made into the fundamentals ( mechanics ) of an issue and not into the process and/or outcome of the issue. Research works on the basis of identification (similarities) and distinction (differences). To identify and to distinguish are to analyse; and analysis is the exact function of science. If one relates analysis to research, then it is clear that in the research process one analyses or focuses in order to identify a particular issue. This is only possible if distinction (differences) is drawn into the equation. Analysis helps to find the answer to why things are as they are and thus contributes to the creation of new knowledge. Consider this: Why is it necessary to integrate academic learning with authentic community engagement? A research approach will unpack the question by 2