Individual Critical Reflection - Research Proposal Example

Critical Reflection Saunders (2007) argues that the value of a research is ultimately predicated on the reliability and validity of its data and findings. Irrespective of the importance of the problem under investigation or the resources which entered into the completion of the research, if the research(s) have not established the validity and reliability of their data and findings, their research is, ultimately, questionable and, hence, looses much of its potential value. As a group, we took this last point into consideration during both the primary data collection and analysis processes. A semi-structure interview approach was adopted for the collection of primary data and to ensure the generalisability of the research findings, a non-probability sampling method was employed. To the best of our abilities, members of the group adhered to Saunder's (2007) advice regarding primary data collection and sampling procedures. In retrospect, however, and having read much more on data collection, I would have approach the procedure differently. In the first place, in order to ensure the reliability and validity of the primary data, I would have requested permission to audio-record the interviews from the respondents. Not only would this have preserved the respondents' answers as given, rather than their subsequent, possibly biased, reinterpretation from interview notes drawn up by the researchers, but would have evidenced the validity of the data. Further to that, I would also followed Miles and Huberman's (2005) advice concerning the establishment of construct validity. Insofar as the aforementioned necessitates the establishment of a chain of evidence throughout the data collection process, audio-taping the interviews would have been important. It would also have necessitated presenting the respondents with a copy of the study for their review and the verification of information through several sources of information. This process is, needless to say, infinitely more time-consuming than that which we adopted for the purposes of this study and, definitely more complex. Nevertheless, given the extent to which it would have contributed to the validation of the study and allowed for the generalisation of its findings, I would have chosen to adhere to this strategy. Individual Contribution Working as part of a team is complicated and, more often than not, a source of extreme tension. It entails trusting a part of one's grade, one's future, to others and, by no means, is this easy to do. Therefore, even though all the team members did their part and none were left holding the slack of others, I personally prefer doing my work myself. For this reason, I had no objections whatsoever to the workload assigned to me by the group leader, despite the fact that it somewhat exceeded the work load assigned to other team members. As a matter of fact, considering that I wanted to achieve the highest grade possible on the team project, I actively welcomed any work assigned to me, knowing that I will do my best to ensure that it meets with the highest standards possible, at least to the best of my ability. It is, thus, that I took responsibility for critical sections in the literature review; more specifically, I researched and wrote the parts ob coffee shops and Fairtrade products. I also was responsible for designing and completing the time-table, writing the interview permission letters required for the purposes of gaining permission to conduct interviews with employees of fair-trade companies, processing the primary data using SPSS, answering all the objective questions and finalising the work of other team members. As I noted at the outset, I often did more than my share but I did it on a voluntary basis as, quite honestly, the more work I did for the project, the more reassured I was regarding quality. Given that, from my perspective at least, the work submitted by other group members displayed substantial effort and high quality, I have to admit that the problem lies with me. I have not yet learnt to work as a group/team member and know that I must, if only because of the value of teams to organisations. Research Outline I. Introduction: This section of the study will define the research problem, provide readers with a background to the issue and clarify its importance. The research questions, hypotheses, research aims and objectives will also be included in this section A. Research Questions: The study will propose three research questions i. What is the value of a degree to the various stakeholders (students, employers, tax-payers, society and government) ii. To what extent does the use of the internet as a research tool detract from, or add to, the value of a degree iii. What measures may be taken to ensure that the Internet is employed as a research tool and not as a source for cheating B. Research Objectives: The objectives of this research study are as follows: i. Assessing the value of the internet as a research tool, from the perspective of stakeholders ii. Determination of how the internet is used by students (for cheating or strictly for research) II. Literature Review: This section of the study will review the literature on the use of the internet as an educational and research tool A. Critical review of the literature on the use of the internet in education i. how has the internet contributed to education ii. how has the internet detracted from education iii. how has the internet changed the education landscape B. Critical review of the literature on the value of a degree to various stakeholders C. Critical review of the literature on cheating and culture, with emphasis on the attractions of the internet as a source for cheating III. Methodology: This section of the study will present the research's selected methodology A. Sampling Method: Purposive sampling B. Data Collection: Survey questionnaires targeting students and semi-structured interviews with university professors C. Data Analysis: Quantitative data analysis using SPSS IV. Results: This section of the study will present the research's results, as derived from the primary data and the literature reviewed. V. Conclusion: This section of the study will present the research's findings, its implications and recommendations. It will further discuss the research's limitations and offer suggestions for future study. Critical Reflection of Capability A querying of several academic databases, such as Academic Search Premier, Jstor, ProQuest, Lexus Nexus and Oxford Journals, evidenced extreme scholarly and popular interest in the topic at hand. The use of the internet, both as a research tool and as a source fir cheating, is the subject of countless articles. Given the fact that, as Gewertz (2007) states, studies indicate that the greater majority of students use the internet as a source for cheating, as opposed to a source for legitimate research, this should hardly be surprising. The proliferation of internet-enabled cheating amongst students is an issue of serious and critical concern because it devalues one of the most valuable of commodities - education (Chiesl, 2007). The knowledge that a significant percentage of students have earned their degrees, at least in part, as a consequence of cheating, definitely has economic consequences. It calls into question the subsequent value of these students as professionals and employees and, indeed, does not bode well for their potential to adhere to work ethics (Thompson, 2006). Indeed, as Thompson (2006) points out, the proliferation of cheating amongst students as a consequence of access to the internet implies their absorption of dishonest work ethics. The problem, as outlined in the preceding paragraph, has serious implications for business and, is therefore, of concern to me as a business student. It implies that there is a breakdown in the ethics system which guided the business process and, to a large extent, framed the relationship between colleagues. More importantly, it points out to the need to design and implement strict ethics guidelines in the workplace. As I, hopefully, am interested in pursuing a management career, this is of tremendous interest to me. Understanding the ethics weaknesses and deficits is integral to overcoming them, as I hope to do. In the final analysis, the research project is highly relevant to the current business environment; an environment which I plan to join following graduation. By understanding the sources of the breakdown in ethics, I am better positioning myself to confront it. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, this research has practical uses for me, and not just educational ones. Bibliography Chiesl, N. (2007) Pragmatic methods to reduce dishonesty in web-based courses. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 8(3), 203-211. Gewertz, C. (2007) Poll raises questions about extent of teen cheating. Education Week, 27(16), 8-8. Miles, M.B. and Huberman, M. (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis: A Source Book of New Methods. London: Sage Publications. Saunders, M. (2007) Research Methods for Business Students. London: Prentice-Hall. Thompson, C.V. (2006) Unintended lessons: Plagiarism and the university. Teachers College Record, 108(12), 2439-2449. Read More