HSC CAFS Research Methodology Homework Book

NSW NESA COMMUNITY AND FAMILY STUDIES STAGE 6 SYLLABUS (2016)

9.1 Research Methodology

Outcomes

A student:

H4.1 justifies and applies appropriate research methodologies
H4.2 communicates ideas, debates issues and justifies opinions.

Students learn about:

research methodology
research fundamentals

• the purpose of research, eg advance knowledge, increase understanding, educate others, inform practice, the focus of research, eg question/hypothesis
• sampling
  • methods
  • sample group
  • sample size
• types of data
  • primary and secondary
  • qualitative and quantitative
• sources of data
  • individuals and groups
  • print and digital
• reliability and validity
• ethical behaviour
  • respect
  • integrity
  • privacy
  • bias

research methods

• questionnaires
• interviews
• case studies
• observations
• literature reviews

research process

• planning for research
  • formulating a research proposal
  • managing resources, eg time, materials
• conducting research
  • accessing sources of data
  • collecting and recording data
  • documenting actions and issues
• interpreting research
  • presenting research findings
  • analysing research results
  • drawing conclusions from research

Students learn to:

• explore a variety of existing research projects/reports and consider the following questions:

• • what was the focus of the research?
  • what was the sample group and size?
  • what type of data was collected?
  • what sources of data were used?

• describe the types of data that can be collected from individuals and groups
• examine data from print and electronic sources to determine the key findings
• discuss the advantages and limitations of each of the sources of data
• explain how sampling contributes to reliable and valid research
• assess the importance of ethical behaviour when conducting research by considering the following:
  • sensitive research topics
  • confidentiality
  • research bias
  • crediting sources of data
• describe each research methodology and evaluate the suitability of each for different research topics
• select and utilise appropriate research methods to conduct research
• apply the research process to a chosen topic by:
  • selecting a research focus
  • selecting appropriate sampling methods
  • proposing how the research will be conducted
  • creating a timeline for research goals
  • accessing relevant sources of secondary data
  • using suitable research methods to collect and record primary and secondary data
  • recording actions and proposing solutions to any research issues
  • presenting primary data in graphs, tables or written reports
  • comparing key findings from primary and secondary data
  • forming research-based conclusions and making recommendations
  • crediting sources of data by means of bibliography and appendix