Research methods

Assignment: Online Web-based Assessment Part A

Instructions

Assignment 1 Part A

Course learning objectives: 1, 2, 3

This web-based assessment is designed to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of research design and data analysis. To complete the web-based assessment you need to be familiar with the course content related to quantitative and qualitative research methodology, methods, and analysis. It addresses the following course learning objectives:

1. Establish a range of research approaches suitable to exploring a particular question or topic
2. Evaluate analytic approaches for a variety of data types and select the most appropriate for the research question
3. Develop a feasible research project suitable to a particular question or topic addressing the key stages of research

In Assignment 1 Part A you will be required to develop your own research topic and explore a methodological design – one question (1000 words).

Other requirements for Part A:

You may access the assessment as many times as desired throughout this assessment period, but you can only submit once.

You are required to reference your work using APA 7th Edition.
Your reference list is not included in your word count.
You must not use any AI tool or technology to generate your written text within your assignments.
If you use any AI tool or technology in any other way in Assignment 1 Part A (e.g. for editing, clarifying concepts, brainstorming), you must state:

• which specific tool or technology you used
• the prompts you used in the AI tools or technologies
• how you used it in the process of producing your assignment.

This assessment requires that you examine and explore a methodological approach in depth. This assessment will feed directly into the development of your research proposal required for Assessment 2.
You are required to write a 1000-word comprehensive summary of a methodological approach that could be used to answer your research topic:

Please attend to the following:

1. Identify a research topic of interest to you
2. Explore and describe the key elements of a methodology that you could use to generate knowledge in your topic area
3. Consider how the methodological principles inform the design you might use
4. Provide a final overview of the chosen research approach for your project where you should provide an explanation and justification of your choice

You are required to reference your work using APA 7th Edition.
Your reference list is not included in your word count.
You must not use any AI tool or technology to generate your written text within your assignments.
If you use any AI tool or technology in any other way in Assignment 1 Part A (e.g. for editing, clarifying concepts, brainstorming), you must state:

• which specific tool or technology you used
• the prompts you used in the AI tools or technologies
• how you used it in the process of producing your assignment.

Please include this declaration at the start of your Part A assignment (not included in the word count).

1. I have not used any AI in Assignment 1 Part A.
2. OR
3. in Assignment 1 Part A I used [AI tool or technology name] and [link] to … I entered the following prompt/s… I then used or modified the output to…

Exploration of a methodological approach (same rubric clearly)

cta_questiobn_2

Based on my knowledge and personal experience as an international student, I have selected this topic because it allows for easy data collection and is likely to receive ethical clearance without difficulty. I also plan to use this topic for my next two assignments and eventually develop a full research project around it. Therefore, I want to ensure the topic is relevant, practical, and useful.
If you have a better and easier topic related to international students in the health sector especially one that supports straightforward data collection and ethical approval, please let me know before preparing the assignment.
‘The Impact of Homesickness on the Mental Wellbeing and Social Adjustment of International Students: A Health Perspective from ………….. (my University of New Zealand.)”

In my idea about this assignment (I this information by using chatGPT), But preparing this according to rubric
Introduction and conclusion briefly

1. Identify a research topic of interest to you
   Research Topic of Interest
   ‘The Impact of Homesickness on the Mental Wellbeing and Social Adjustment of International Students: A Health Perspective from ………….. (my University of New Zealand.)”
   • I chose this topic because, as an international student, I have personally experienced homesickness and witnessed many other international students facing similar challenges (some of my friend told me about their experience). This shared experience has motivated me to explore the emotional, academic, and social impacts of homesickness in depth, with the aim of contributing to better support systems for students in similar situations.
   • Explain this relevant recent reference (APA 7)
2. Explore and describe the key elements of a methodology that you could use to generate knowledge in your topic area (change topic according to the my topic)
   • Epistemology: Knowledge is co-created through the interaction between researcher and participants. Understanding is interpretive rather than objective.
   • methodology
   • Ontology: Reality is multiple and relative, shaped by culture, identity, and individual experience (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Use recent references for this
   • Axiology: values…
   • Data collection method: In-depth semi-structured interviews, enabling participants to share personal narratives and emotional experiences freely
   • Sampling: Purposive sampling of international students who have been in New Zealand for at least 12 months. This ensures they have had time to experience adjustment and potential homesickness. Age range 18-60
   • Sample size:10-12 student
   • Data analysis methods: Thematic analysis, as proposed by Braun and Clarke (2006), will help uncover key patterns in participants’ experiences, such as emotional disruption, cultural dissonance, and coping strategies.
   • Ethical consideration

   This is my plan about research preparing this according to my idea

3. Consider how the methodological principles inform the design you might use (change topic according to the my topic)
   Use the rubric and following this thing
   Focus: capturing and describing the essence of lived experience.
   Consistency
   Reliability
   Validity
   Ethical consideration
   Experimental design principles
   • Encourages empathetic engagement with participants;
   • Prioritises their own interpretations of their distress and adaptation;
   • Values depth over breadth, aligning with the small, focused sample

   According to my topic briefly discuss this

4. Provide a final overview of the chosen research approach for your project where you should provide an explanation and justification of your choice (change topic according to my topic)
   The chosen approach is qualitative phenomenology within an interpretivist paradigm, justified by the nature of the research question and the type of knowledge sought. Homesickness is a deeply personal experience influenced by multiple cultural and psychological factors. As such, phenomenology allows the researcher to explore not just what students feel, but how they make sense of those feelings, how they cope, and what impact it has on their lives.
   Why this approach is ideal:
   Acculturative Stress Theory
   Attachment Theory

This thing including my curriculum (additional information regarding in my assignment)

Extra Activities to prepare for assessment

Research design

This important exercise is intended for you to familiarise yourself with your research topic area of interest. It is not a thorough literature review of the research area but instead to get you thinking about how your topic has been researched from different methodological paradigms.

Time to start thinking about and planning your research:

1. Identify a potential research topic area that you want to develop for your research proposal
2. Write a short paragraph of why this area is of interest to you
3. Find out what is known already in this area. You may want to start by doing a preliminary literature search to get you started
4. What types of knowledge have been explored? How do we know what we know about this topic? You may want to create a visual aid to map out where the knowledge has been generated?
5. What types of methodological approaches have been conducted in this topic area already?
6. Generate some researchable questions stemming from the gaps identified so far?

By engaging in this exercise, you will be more prepared when you complete your assessment work (specifically Assessment 1 Part A)
We will have a facilitated discussion in Webinar 2 about your research topic areas and methodological approaches you might take in your research project.

Reading List (get same information by using this)

Liamputtong, Pranee. (Ed.). (2019). Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences (1st ed. 2019.). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5251-4