Difference between revisions of "Research Methods MESHGuides: Overview"

Latest revision as of 10:21, 14 July 2025

by: Eira Patterson <eira.patterson@open.ac.uk>

These research guides (called MESHGuides) are designed for practitioners working in a range of fields, such as education, medicine, infrastructure and economic development. The aim of the guides is to help you to get started on your research journeys. The practical examples in the guides are currently focussed on education, however if you are a practitioner in another field and have an example you would like to share, I can explore possibilities of including it in the relevant MESHGuide.

To give feedback, ask questions or make suggestions of ways to develop the research guides further please email me at: Eira.patterson@open.ac.uk

There are three guides focussed on different aspects of the research process and you can access the guides through the links below:

Patterson, E.W. Research Methods 1: Doing a literature review: How to find and make sense of published research, MESHGuide, Available at: http://www.meshguides.org/guides/node/406

Patterson, E.W. Research Methods 2: Developing your research design, MESHGuide. Available at: http://www.meshguides.org/guides/node/483?n=438

Patterson, E.W. Research Methods 3: Considering ethics in your research, MESHGuide, Available at: http://www.meshguides.org/guides/node/592?n=519

What the Research Methods MeshGuides aim to achieve The Research Methods MESHGuides focus on different aspects of social sciences research: creating a literature review, developing your research design and helping you to understand the importance of ethics in research and they aim to:

- help you to engage in evidence-based practice by supporting you in finding and understanding published research and theory

- act as a catalyst for research-informed practice, by empowering beginning researchers so they can become agents of change in their own professional contexts through problem solving, overcoming barriers and finding innovative new approaches in your own practice

- support setting up of communities of practice committed to bringing about positive change through enabling collaborative working in developing research projects where new knowledge can be co- constructed and shared

Research Methods 1: Doing a literature review: How to find and make sense of published research This MESHGuide aims to:

- support development of the skills you will need to search literature for relevant research and theory to inform practice within the area of professional interest where you want to bring about change

- enable critical engagement with literature to help you evaluate its credibility and relevance

- scaffold the synthesis of key themes from theory and research to inform your understanding of the area of focus which you are working on and enable you to tell a coherent ‘story’ from the literature to inform colleagues’ thinking and help you drive change within your professional context

Research Methods 2: Developing your research design This MESHGuide aims to:

- help you to design a research project that meet the highest possible ethical standards

- enable you to understand key themes such as gaining informed consent and ensuring anonymity, confidentiality and data protection

- highlight the significance of engagement with participant voice throughout the research process and enable you to learn how to empower the participants who take part in your research to share their experiences and insights, which can then inform change

Research Methods 3: Considering ethics in your research This MESHGuide aims to:

- support you in the development of clear, specific and useful research questions to underpin your research project and ensure it engages with the issues that you need to address in your professional context

- provide insights into how complex concepts relevant to your research can be operationalised i.e. turned into a form that can be researched (an example of a complex construct is resilience)

- inform your developing understanding of different research approaches and methods

- support you in designing research tools that will enable you to collect meaningful data

- help you to develop the skills necessary for analysing the data you collect and help you to reflect critically on your research