Raising Awareness of Sustainability in Postgraduate Students - Research Paper Example

Reflection on Research Vignette 1 Although it is difficult to identify the hypothesis of this study, the researchers had a hypothesis they were investigating. The hypothesis statement was written at the end of the background section and it was stated as follows: “we hypothesize that courses which deal with education for sustainability ought to involve student awareness of environmental, economic and social elements”. If you are not keen while reading through the research paper, it is difficult to identify this statement as the hypothesis of the study. It may not surprise me if I see a number of readers suggest that the study does not have a hypothesis. The study examined whether a course concentrating on raising awareness of sustainability in postgraduate students, from a systems-thinking viewpoint, would give rise to graduates with dedication to propel the sustainability docket forward with a comprehensive perspective. The researchers also stated their study objectives. There were two objectives of the study which were stated as follows: 1) to determine whether the pedagogy works, and, 2) to determine how the students preconceive sustainability and thereafter establish whether the pedagogical approach and course content, had influenced their perceptions of sustainability. In general, the main goal of the study was to design pedagogy with an aim of challenging the student perception. The researchers did not indicate the research question of the study; however, the research problem is well-stated. The title itself explains everything and the background provided identify the research area very well. There is a succinct purpose statement which is examined whether a course concentrating on raising awareness of sustainability in postgraduate students, from a systems-thinking viewpoint, would give rise to graduates with dedication to propel the sustainability docket forward with a comprehensive perspective. The problem statement indicated that there is limited knowledge concerning what students know about sustainability. Therefore, the study was formulated with an aim of responding to the suggestion made by literature that little was known about students’ perception about sustainability. The study population and variables are well described in the article. The study population was composed of students from a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds, including computer science, engineering, and teaching. The study used a mixed research methodology, where a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used in data collection. There two data collection methods used in the study: a questionnaire (survey) and an analysis of students’ reflective journals. The researchers gathered empirical data on the topic they were studying. This research needed ethics approval as it was involving human participants. The ethical approval required in this research was concerned with the confidentiality of the participants or human subjects’ protection. The study is ethical as it did not violate any ethical principles and has protected the rights of people. For instance, it did not violate the privacy right of the population studied because the questionnaires used to collect the data were anonymous. Informed consent was also obtained and participation was voluntary. The methodology and methods used in this study were appropriate to evaluate the hypothesis. Quantitative research design could not evaluate the hypothesis on its own and that is why the researchers also used a qualitative. This study did not use an experimental design; however, the research employed by the researchers allowed them to draw a cause-and-effect relationship between the variables as they were able to determine whether a course changed the perceptions of the students. An experimental design would not have been appropriate in this study because the researchers were studying the students’ perception of sustainability. The study indicates that a course focusing on sustainability can help change students’ perception about sustainability. Reflection on Research Vignette 2 The researcher had a hypothesis that he was investigating. The researcher postulated that adaptation to retrenchment ought not to be considered as surrender to economic restructuring or globalization and that seeing an agency in the circumstance of suburban life is significant for an understanding how communities, households, and individuals deal with the new “world of work.” In other words, the research is about adjustment to retrenchment. The research questions of the study are is well-stated. The researcher identified two research questions as follows: 1) what are the major opportunities and concerns that occur for employees due to retrenchment, and, 2) how does suburban life experience influence or facilitate the adjustment process. The study used a mixed methodology design in which both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. The study borrowed some secondary data from a larger study conducted by Beer et al. in 2006. The data in the Beer et al. study was obtained through interviews. The other set of data was obtained from a study conducted by the researcher for his PhD in 2012. The data collection methods used in the original study was surveys and semi-structured interviews. Surveys also allowed the participants to provide qualitative information. The study population and variables are well described in the article. This research would have needed ethics approval because it was involving human participants. The ethical approval required in this research would have been concerned with the confidentiality of the participants or human subjects’ protection. There is no proof whether the research was ethical because the researcher did not provide whether any approval was done before the commencement of the study. The methods were effective to examine the hypothesis as the helped in answering the two main questions of the study. The mixed research design enabled the identification of the meanings and feelings of individuals as they adapted to leaving their jobs. The mixed research also helped in collecting both quantitative and qualitative data that was required in the study such as meaning attached to home, changes in tenure, existing changes to house status, relocation, and many more. The multi-disciplinary approach was important in this case study – the psychology of adjustment to a major life event, discourse analysis of retrenchment rhetoric and policy, labour market analysis and meaning of home and work. Again, relate to your research area; is a mixed-method approach likely to provide more insight into the problem? How transferable are the labour market outcomes from one round of retrenchments in one company (even if data is longitudinal) to another set of circumstances in a different region – what predictive value can it have? Relate to an example within your discipline. Reflection on Research Vignette 3 The study used a mixed research design methodology, in which quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Secondary data was used in the study and it was obtained from the analysis of census data. The other data was collected through the use of three methods: questionnaire, telephone interview, and one-on-one semi-structured interviews. This research would have needed ethics approval because it was involving human participants. The ethical approval required in this research would have been concerned with the confidentiality of the participants. There is no proof whether the research was ethical because the researcher did not provide whether any approval was done before the commencement of the study. I can enrich my research project by incorporating the lived experience of a related community through interviews because I am likely to get first-hand information from the interviewee. Although some participants may provide biased information, it is easier to discover biased information when having a one-on-one interview with the participants. I believe having an interview of a lived experience of a community can provide actual facts as the participants have undergone through the same experience and they are likely to share similar information. In this case, it is not difficult to identify biased information. 1 What insights and assumptions could be developed around your research from community engagement? (e.g. How does the community feel about your work?) The study indicates that a global community is a construct of imagination. However, this does not mean the global elite community is not important with the lives of its advocates, instead, it indicates both the recognized local implication of the gentrification and the emergent global implication of the unique gentrifiers as elite global community. Reflection on Research Vignette 4 The research does not contain a hypothesis; however, the purpose statement of the study is well stated. There is a succinct purpose statement which is to update a study conducted by Mohr on global fossil fuel limitation and to particularly include an evaluation of resultant fossil fuel associated greenhouse gas emissions. The update focused on the current URR updates. In other words, the study is concentrating on estimation of possible future fossil fuel production. The researchers did not indicate their research question; however, the research problem is well-stated. The title itself explains everything and the background provided identify the research area very well. The study used modeling methodology. A model was used to create the projections possible future fossil fuel production. The model used in this study is the Geologic Resources Supply-Demand Model (GeRS-DeMo). There are two components in this model where one is concerned with the supply whereas the other one is concerned with the demand. The modeling methodology and the model used in this study were appropriate to evaluate the research problem. The Geologic Resources supply-Demand Model is very effective in understanding the geologic processes that form mineral deposits better. This means that the researchers were right in choosing this model for their research. It assists in obtaining prospects for future supply and demand. Since the researchers were not interested in many factors affecting the supply and demand of fossil fuel, the model was an appropriate tool for predicting the future availability of and requirement for fossil fuel. This study has produced new knowledge because it has indicated that the available fossil fuel may not deliver higher greenhouse emissions as previously thought. Therefore, researchers should be much worried about the rapid decline of fossil fuel instead of their potential pollution. Understanding this will help in finding solution for the rapid decline of fossil fuel. This does not mean that researchers should ignore the consequences of fossil fuel on the environment. The emission of greenhouse gases is a significant topic in this research. The research also indicates that the production of fossil fuel will first peak and then drop rapidly. The peak is expected before 2025 and the decline will take place thereafter very rapidly. This means that alternative sources of energy should be sourced as 2025 is only a decade away. There are a number of limitations of using modeling in my research. The main limitation is that there inadequate data for the development of models leading to unreliable prognoses. Other limitations include weaknesses in variables estimation; not suitable reflection of the actual properties of elements being tested; and, dependent on boundary conditions. The strength of these models is that they provide quantitative value to climate simulation. The models are also capable of predicting some variables that cannot be predicting easily through statistical calculations. There are no major ethical implications in this research; however, there are some ethical issues that should be considered when conducting this type of research. First, the researchers should have respect for intellectual property. They should not any kind of data from different sources without permission from the owners. Second, the publication of this research should be a responsible one. Responsible publication means that this study should be published with an aim of advancing research and scholarship. Read More