Methods of Social Investigation :: essays research papers fc

Methods of Social InvestigationEmma WoodmanseeDescribe how you would plan and undertake an investigation into why some ofthis Colleges students do not complete their horizontal surface courses. (You have beengiven yet 100 to finance the study and one terms sabbatical.)Define the variables in the given titleAfter a Research Statement has been formulated it is very great that the searcher defines any variables within it. A variable is any word whose meaningmay be ambiguous or which could have several antithetic meanings. This is acrucial stage in the planning process as a vague title renders any results atthe end of the research without align meaning.In this case, the Research Statement is the given title Describe how you wouldplan and undertake an investigation into why some of this Colleges students donot complete their degree courses. Within this Research Statement there areseveral variables colleges, students, complete and degree courses.These variables will be defined as fo llowsColleges We will take this to mean students at Royal Hollowayand Bedford New College, University of London.Students Undergraduates on a first degree (excluding postgraduates and so on).Complete GraduateDegree courses The course for which the student originally registered.By specify the variables above there can be no confusion as to the meaning ofthe Research Statement. This process also helps the researcher to focus on the gathering of people that he wishes to study.Decide on the purpose of the researchHaving defined the variables in the Research Statement, the researcher now needsto focus his attention on the purpose of the research, and consequently lay downthe Research Objectives. This part of the planning process allows the researchertime to consider what he hopes to achieve from the research and ensures that theresearch represents his objectives.The purpose of our research is to account the reasons for students failing tocomplete the degree course for which they were or iginally admitted (variablesalready identified). The results of the research would allow the college to takeaction to encourage students to cut across their studies and could even be used toaid the selection process and perhaps prevent problems from the outset. This isthe final purpose of the research.Who is to be studiedThe researcher needs to identify the group of people upon which to base thestudy. The process is made easier by the fact that we have already defined thevariables in the Research Statement. The research group has been and so so fardefined as those students of Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, Universityof London who did not graduate from the first degree course for which they