What challenges does your political ideology pose for you when you encounter someone who disagrees with you politically?
Paper 2 (Self-reflective Paper)
Who Am I? A Cultural Inventory 3-4 Pages
The purpose of this paper is for you to explore your own values and experiences, and to better understand how your social location influences effect who you are and how you see the world. You are expected to put time and effort into this assignment! Papers should be both thorough and thoughtful. Papers that are not reflective of considerable time and effort will not receive full credit. When you complete it, think about it for a few days and consider what your answers reveal about who you are and how this shapes you as a person.
Should you feel uncomfortable answering any specific question in the inventory, consider why you do not feel comfortable answering the question. If you choose not to answer any specific question, write a brief explanation about why you have made that choice. Choosing not to answer the question will not affect your grade, however, failure to show insight as to why you have made that choice will. Every effort will be made to insure the confidentiality of your work. Only the professor assigned to the class will read the paper. Directly below is the guideline for completing your paper.Into what social and economic class were you born? What messages have you received about people in your social & economic class? What messages have you received about people who are not in your social & economic class? What defines which social & economic class someone is in?
Into what region or geographical section of the U.S. or world were you born? What messages have you received about people from this region or geographical area? How do those messages contrast with messages about people from other regions or geographical areas in America and in the world?
Into what kind of community (urban, suburban, or rural) were you born and raised? How did this experience of community influence how you see the world? What blind spots might it have created for you?
What is your gender? What is your gender expression? Does your gender expression match the expected gender expression for someone of your gender? What messages have you received about your gender? What messages have you received about other genders?
What messages have you received about your sexual orientation? About sexual orientations other than your own? How often do you think of yourself in terms of your sexual orientation? In what ways has your sexual orientation shaped how you view ideas of family? Relationships? Friendships?
What term or terms do you use to identify your race/ethnicity? What messages have you received about this naming? What connotations does your race/ethnicity have in the larger society? How often do you think of yourself in terms of your race/ethnicity? How has your race/ethnicity shaped how you are in the world?
What was the linguistic environment into which you were born? Monolingual, bilingual, multilingual? How did this impact you? How does your linguistic ability enhance or limit your life?
What is your age? What messages have you received about people of this age? What messages have you received about people who are younger than yourself? Older than yourself? What thoughts do you have about aging?
What are your physical and intellectual abilities? What messages have you received about people with these abilities? What messages have you received about people who are less physically able than yourself? More physically able than yourself? How about people who are less intellectually able? Less intellectually able?
What are your religious or spiritual beliefs or worldview if you do not identify with religion or spirituality? What are three key messages you carry about these beliefs? What messages have you received about people who are from or practice these beliefs? How do those beliefs shape how you view people who have religious or spiritual beliefs that are different than yours? How do these beliefs shape your ideas about right and wrong, good and bad?
What is your political ideology? What messages have you received about this ideology? What challenges does your political ideology pose for you when you encounter someone who disagrees with you politically? How free do you feel to express yourself politically?
Format and Style -Essays should follow the following formatting guidelines:, Font: Times New Roman 12, Spacing: double-spaced, Margins: 1-inch, Page Numbers: lower right corner, Title Page: centered on page 1, underlined, size 12 font,
Discuss in your own words the definition of the heliotropic effect and why is it important for you as a manager?
Review: You Tube Videos: Creating Positive Change http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys28JpxYz8Q
Answer these questions:
Discuss in your own words the definition of the heliotropic effect and why is it important for you as a manager?
Why is it important for managers to determine what employees are left brain thinkers and those who are right brain thinkers?
What evidence is there that using the permaculture framework as a recovery tool may be beneficial for mental health recovery?
Literature Review Draft
According to Callahan, (2014) the synthesis and the critical evaluation of the research literature improves evidence-based decision-making. It identifies valid evidence, by looking at bias and knowledge discrepancies. A Reliable literature review should: add to the body of knowledge; be clear on the method of the collection; present a substantial argument; present a concise synthesis of data; deliver critical reflection and analysis; acknowledge any bias; expand or create new theory; improve practice and accentuate areas for further research.
For the purpose of identifying main topics and possibly conceiving additional topics, mind mapping was employed (Rowley & Slack, 2004).
Literature Review Questions:
⦁ What evidence is there that using the permaculture framework as a recovery tool may be beneficial for mental health recovery?
⦁ What has been the effect of the existing closely related to permaculture eco-therapeutic interventions used in mental health recovery?
⦁ How does permaculture correlate to mental health recovery; what are the linking themes?
⦁ What innovation can permaculture bring to enhance and accompany existing eco-therapeutic modalities?
⦁ How can the barriers to implementing permaculture-based eco-therapeutic programmes in mental health recovery services be addressed?
According to Hart (1998), it is very beneficial for a research project to review existing subject matter evidence before commencing the research. The literature review will analyse a comprehensive, demonstrative sample of the appropriate qualitative and quantitative literature over the past twenty-five years. The literature’s main themes will help systematically evaluate the quality of the literature, which then may provide a guiding framework for subsequent research (Sipe & Stallings, 1996).
Keywords following the mind map themes included: wellbeing, well-being, psychological wellbeing, biopsychological wellbeing, nature therapy, psychosocial nature therapy, climate therapy, wilderness therapy, outdoor therapy, nature therapy, gardening therapy, mental health recovery, resilience, identity loss, permaculture, recovery.
A variety of search engines was employed to search for relevant literature including MEDLINE; CINHAL; SCOPUS; Wiley InterScience; PubMed; Google Scholar. Additionally, searches extended to relevant materials in books, especially regarding permaculture, which is relatively new, and scarcely used in therapeutic context thus far.
The PICOS tool has been utilized to generate inclusion and exclusion criteria. The original PICO tool, which focuses on Population, Intervention, Comparison has been modified to accommodate for inclusion of qualitative research and specific qualitative designs by forming the PICOS tool, where “S” refers to the study design ( Methley et al., 2014).
Due to very limited already existing literature, which focuses specifically on permaculture as a framework for creating therapeutic space, the literature review extends to closely related therapy modalities within the eco-therapeutic umbrella of interventions. Considering this limitation, the literature review will be guided by the following criteria.
Inclusion criteria acknowledged those studies:
⦁ Investigating the influence of eco-therapies on participants’ wellbeing.
⦁ Revealing the concept of mental health recovery and social inclusion from the perspective of people affected by mental illness.
⦁ Including the views of the various mental health system stakeholders in regard to the effectiveness of the eco-therapies on mental health recovery.
⦁ Offering findings and outcomes reinforced by other valid, evidence-based literature.
⦁ Comprising of qualitative or quantitative data from studies concerning more than five participants.
⦁ Employing mixed methodology and examined through several lenses.
Exclusion criteria acknowledged those studies:
⦁ Converging only on clinical outcomes
⦁ Having been completed over twenty-five years ago.
⦁ Compromising of research duration of fewer than three months.
⦁ Having fewer than five participants.
References:
Callahan, J, (2014). Writing literature reviews: A reprise and update. Drexel University, Philadelphia
Hart, C. (2014). Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science research imagination. Sage Publications, London.
Methley, A. M., Campbell, S., Chew-Graham, C., McNally, R., & Cheraghi-Sohi, S. (2014). PICO, PICOS and SPIDER: a comparison study of specificity and sensitivity in three search tools for qualitative systematic reviews. BMC health services research, 14(1), 1-10.
Rowley, J. and Slack, F., 2004. Conducting a literature review. Management Research News, 27(6), pp.31-39.
Sipe, T. A., & Stallings, W. M. (1996). Cooper’s Taxonomy of Literature Reviews Applied to Meta-Analyses in Educational Achievement.
provide a critical discussion of the issues that were or might have been relevant to the effectiveness of introduction of the innovation
Assessment Coursework: 10,000 words (excluding references) +/- 10%. Any words more than 10% over the word limit will be discounted in the marking process.
Project Dissertation
Students will produce a project report as follows (NB This is a guide to what you need to include):
Abstract (No more than 300 words) This is already completed, just make sure it fits with the rest of the paper
To include:
Clearly identified area for innovation and its relationship to mental health recovery and social inclusion
Brief rationale for what the improvement/innovation will be
Brief justification of why this is an area in need of change
Brief overview methods proposed for the innovation/improvement proposed
Aims, location real or virtual (if not actually carrying out the project), change strategy
(NB the following bullet points re content of chapters are to help you ensure you cover key areas that we will expect to see in the final project report – they are not necessarily meant to be section headings, which could make it rather too formulaic)
Introduction (Chapter 1)
background to area researched
background to the evidence for need for change
identify the focus/rationale for the proposed innovation in relation to recovery and social inclusion
identify the current problem, including significance and relevance to practice
specify purpose, relevant and appropriate aims and strategies for the proposed change
explanation of theoretical/conceptual framework
definitions of concepts/terms
evidence of the use of systematic search strategies
ethical issues and plans
the introduction should also set the scene for the remainder of the project.
Literature review (Chapter 2)
comprehensive and relevant to the subject, including in relation to recovery and social Inclusion
provides rationale and direction for the innovation
full description of literature search strategy/methods, results, inclusion and exclusion criteria and why final selection was decided upon. Might be a table
summarises current research based knowledge of the area of the study
uses original sources
critical appraisal tools used to develop review of evidence
demonstrates a cogent knowledge of the current context
application of evidence-based practice in health and/or social care
consideration of grey literature and evidence
The literature review should be developed in a critical and integrative way to form and support arguments to demonstrate the importance of the topic for recovery based work. The need for change must be clearly established. It should flow as an argument/narrative and build to focus in on the core of your topic.
Methodology / Plan of change /Research design/methodology (Chapter 3)
Set out the actual process for the change- whom will you engage with, how and why? Discuss as if the project took place if it is a virtual one, and what you would plan to do with whom, when and why, and what you might expect to have to deal with, and how you will deal with those anticipated events, drawing on your theoretical discussions.
If an actual project, set out what you did, why, and what you had to deal with, and how.
Includes:
explanation and justification of the change strategy
critical discussion of theoretical or conceptual framework (change theory)
detailed explanation and justification of the methodology selected and a rationale for selecting this approach
formulation of the aims and objectives, if appropriate
rationale for chosen change strategy, description of the setting and discussion of participants’ roles, proximity to participants
discussion and justification of the change strategies used/ that would be planned to be used
pilot study, if appropriate
detailed explanation and justification of the research/evaluation method/s selected
detailed explanation and justification of the study setting and selection of participants, proximity to participants
discussion and justification of the data collection strategies used
ethics considerations
your experience of data gathering e.g. observation and interviewing skills, where relevant, reflection/reflexivity
explanation of how you ensured trustworthiness and rigour of your study (in qualitative approaches)
critical justification of data analysis techniques/evaluation techniques employed, including issues on measuring change and improvement – what works, what needs to be avoided? How to embed successful change and innovation?
timetable for proposed change
Implementation of change (Chapter 4)
This chapter should be a critical discussion of the implementation process with reference to relevant change theories. For example, this may include a practice discussion of how barriers to change could be or were overcome, the roles participants adopted as well as any structural or resource issues that may or did influence the innovation.
Evaluation of the implementation/development in practice (Chapter 5)
This is an important part of the report. You should allow ample time for constructing a comprehensive evaluation of the change with reference to the aims and objectives. The evaluation should:
provide a critical discussion of the issues that were or might have been relevant to the effectiveness of introduction of the innovation
critically discuss the extent to which the aims and objectives have been met
critically discuss the change strategies and process of change
provide a reflection on your potential or actual role as change agent
give a critical discussion of change in relation to the literature cited and the practice setting
consider the implications for policy in relation to the current context of evidence-based health/social care
Conclusions (Chapter 6)
critical reflection on the change/evaluation process
how recovery principles are included
further recommendations for practice/policy/management
suggestions for further research/need for change
Demonstrate skills for effective participation in group tasks and use criteria provided to reflect on the effectiveness of the teams in which they participate
IDENTIFY
HPE CURRIULUM OUTCOMES- STANDARD, STRAND, DESCRIPTOR
Are there other areas of the curriculum this unit may address?
EVALUATE
UNIT EXAMPLE-(EVIDENCE) EVALUATE
REFINEMENT OF UNIT
HPE-Movement and Physical Activity
Moving the body
Practise and refine fundamental movement skills in different movement situations in indoor, outdoor and aquatic settings (VCHPEM097)
Perform movement sequences which link fundamental movement skills (VCHPEM098)
Learning through movement
Adopt inclusive practices when participating in physical activities (VCHPEM102)
Apply basic rules and scoring systems, and demonstrate fair play when participating (VCHPEM104)
Personal and Social Capability: Levels 3 and 4
Collaboration
Demonstrate skills for effective participation in group tasks and use
criteria provided to reflect on the effectiveness of the teams in which they
participate
Relationships and Diversity
Identify the importance of including others in activities, groups and games
IDENTIFY
PEDAGOGICAL ISSUE IN TEACHING PE
EXPLAIN
HOW DOES THE CLU MODEL ADDRESS THIS ISSUE?
EXPLAIN
RESEARCH
IDENTIFY
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IDENTIFY
SPORT EXPLAIN DIFFERENCE
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Define what this means to you!-Excellent description(reference)How does search engine optimisation affect company sales, website visits, duration spent on a website?
Course Business Management Project title: The importance of search Engines in e-commerce Start and end dates of research:
Proposed activity – aims, objectives, research question(s), and state how it is novel This study will aim to explore the importance of search engines and the impact it has on e-commerce. Specific research questions are:
To explore and offer an overview of the elements, growth, and benefits of search engine optimisation and the impact it has on e-commerce firms.
To examine the effect of search engine optimisation on different areas of online advertisement and the overall effects it has on the performance of e-commerce firms.
To explore and recommend strategies that firms can benefit from the use of search engines in online advertisement and e-commerce.
Research Questions
Three research questions will be answered:
How does search engine optimisation affect company sales, website visits, duration spent on a website?
What is the relationship between search engine optimisation practices and the overall performance of e-commerce firms?
What aspects hinder or enable the effectiveness of search engine strategies of firms?
The research questions are novel since the concepts of e-commerce and search engine optimisation are new and are changing rapidly with the advancement in modern technology. In addition, only a few studies have investigated how firms can improve their e-commerce practices through effective practices in search engine optimisation. Methodology – rationale, data selection and collection, recruitment, participant demographics, analytical process This study will be conducted as secondary research. Conducting the secondary research is justified by the fact that data and evidence about the relationship between search engine optimisation and e-commerce performance are available on various platforms, including electronic databases. In addition, companies have data repositories about their financial and non-financial performances and other areas of productivity which will be used in the current study. Secondly, as Largan and Morris (2019) indicate, secondary research can be justified by practical considerations, including that it requires within a limited cost and timeframe. In addition, using secondary data will make it possible for the researcher to consider several real-life examples of how search engines have impacted e-commerce.
A mixed-methods with a case study approach will be followed in conducting the secondary research. The major reasons for selecting the mixed-methods research are that it will offer the researcher the freedom to flexibly use qualitative and quantitative techniques and theoretical inclinations in the various stages of the research, including data collection and data analysis (Cook and Kamalodeen 47). The adoption of mixed methods research will enable the investigator to collect an adequate amount of data needed for answering the research questions.
The research will use the case study of the world’s top e-commerce companies that have been successful in leveraging search engine and e-commerce concepts such as Amazon, JD. Com, Alibaba, and ASOS.Com. The use of a case study will have the benefit of enabling the researcher to investigate a range of perspectives on the topic of research (Onghena et al. 461). In addition, the adoption of the case study approach helps in limiting research bias while allowing the researcher to have a greater understanding of a given topic (Harrison et al. 11). In the present study, the researcher will use real-world experiences in e-commerce among the best e-commerce firms stated above to explain the role of search engine use. References Cook, Loraine D., and K. J. Kamalodeen. “Combining mixed methods and case study research (MM+ CSR) to give mixed-methods case study designs.” Caribbean Journal of Mixed Methods Research 1.1 (2020): 47-76.
Harrison, Helena, et al. “Case study research: Foundations and methodological orientations.” Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research. Vol. 18. No. 1. 2017.
Onghena, Patrick, Bea Maes, and Mieke Heyvaert. “Mixed methods single case research: State of the art and future directions.” Journal of mixed methods research 13.4 (2019): 461-480.
Largan, C. and Morris, T., 2019. Qualitative secondary research: A step-by-step guide. Sage. Project management Table: Project timeline and key outputs
Month
Activity
December 2021
Start data search and collection. Search for key company data related to e-commerce, search engine optimisation, and potential impacts on performance.
January 2022
Start the data analysis process. Data organisation and identification of best software and tools such as MaxQDA, Microsoft Excel and SPSS to determine their applicability in helping analyse the data.
February 2022
Continue and finalise data analysis.
March 2022
Continue with data analysis and start writing the report and dissertation.
April 2022
Complete the dissertation writing based on the research findings and review the process to determine that all the submission and publication requirements are met.
May 2022
Submit the dissertation for review and publication.
Supervision Meetings
Research Data Management Plan (Describe the data you expect to acquire or generate during this research project, how you will manage, describe, analyse, and store the data and what mechanisms you will use to share and preserve your data.) The first strategy for data collection will be consulting the company’s websites and examination of annual reports of the case study companies. In this case, the focus will be on the specific strategies in search engine use and the potential effects it has had on the performance of the firm. Secondly, a literature search will be conducted on electronic databases, including Google Scholar, Business Insights: Essentials, ProQuest, and ABI/Inform Collection. In this case, data will be collected from previously published primary research about the importance of search engine use and specific strategies such as SEO on e-commerce and overall firm performance. Both quantitative and qualitative data to be analysed using statistical analysis and thematic synthesis. The raw and synthesised data will be stored on computers, hard disks, and the cloud but following secondary data use policies.
Planned outputs/publications/research datasets/impact/dissemination The main output will be a research publication dissertation. Publishing of the research findings as project findings on state-wide publications, journals and presenting findings to specific target groups will be the main forms of research findings dissemination.
If successful, I undertake to carry out the research according to the University’s Ethics code of Practice and will be required to complete an Ethics checklist – see relevant forms detailed under Primary Research
Conduct a diagnostic analysis on both datasets. From these diagnostics Identify which time series you think is stationary and which you think exhibits trend and seasonality.
Data Driven Decision Making/Business Decision Modelling. TB2 Assignment 2
Individual Report– Forecasting
Consider the two time series data sets below in Tables 1 and 2 where n=24 in both series. These datasets are also available on the Assignment Two page on Canvas as dataset1.xlsx and dataset2.xlsx. You are required to do the following:
TASK 1 (15 marks)
Conduct a diagnostic analysis on both datasets. From these diagnostics Identify which time series you think is stationary and which you think exhibits trend and seasonality. You should justify you conclusions with both visual and numerical evidence.
TASK 2 (35 marks)
Using the dataset you feel is stationary carry out the following:
Use the moving average (MA) approach to smooth the data using a moving average of period k = 2, 4, 6 and produce a forecast for period n+1 i.e. period 25. Determine which scheme appears to perform best;
Use Solver to produce a weighted moving average for k = 2, 4, 6 with weights optimised on both MAPE and RMSE to produce a forecast for period n+1. Which scheme appears to perform the best?
Compare your results obtained in a. and b. above;
Conduct a similar exercise using exponential smoothing, initially with alpha = 0.2 and 0.8. Then use Solver to optimise the value of alpha based on both MAPE and RMSE to produce a forecast for period n+1;
TASK 3 (35 marks)
Using the dataset you feel exhibits Trend and Seasonality use an additive decomposition model to:
Extract a seasonal index for each quarter;
Deseasonlise the data for each quarter;
Produce an unseasonalised and seasonalised forecast for each period;
Produce an unseasonalised and seasonalised forecast for periods n+1, n+2, n+3 and n+4;
Plot the actual, unseasonalised and seasonalised data on a single graph and comment on the results;
TASK 4 (15 marks)
Consolidate your results in 1 – 3 above into a short report.
Instructions
,
Upload two spreadsheets with the solutions for each dataset;
Upload a Word document containing your report;
The piece of work is individual;
Appendix 1
Dataset 1
t yt
1 67
2 75
3 82
4 98
5 90
6 36
7 55
8 60
9 73
10 85
11 99
12 86
13 40
14 52
15 64
16 76
17 87
18 96
19 88
20 44
21 50
22 70
23 80
24 81
Appendix 2
Dataset 2
t yt
1 10.4
2 9.2
3 16
4 13.6
5 12.2
6 15.6
7 19.4
8 15.9
9 14.7
10 18.3
11 20.5
12 16.6
13 15.7
14 20
15 23.3
16 18.3
17 16.2
18 21.4
19 25.2
20 19.2
21 17.3
22 22.7
23 27.1
24 18.9
Critically discuss the literature found, building on aspects identified in your annotated bibliography entries.
Description
For the topic of the essay, you are free to choose anything related to computer science that has an ethical
question which you’d discuss in the essay such as drones & invasion of privacy, AI & ethical issues behind it
etc..
Examples: Is bitcoin destroying the
environment?
How are criminals using
cryptocurrency?
You will be required to:
1) Introduce your topic/research question and explain why it is important
(in the context of the literature) to research the topic and answer your
research question.
2) Synthesise the literature you found in your bibliography (and add more, if
necessary) to create an argument that answers your research question.
3) Critically discuss the literature found, building on aspects identified in
your annotated bibliography entries.
4) Identify the gaps in the knowledge that you might want to further
investigate.
5) Suggest some ways that you might be able to investigate those gaps
For research topics it is required to be:
• unique! No two students in same groups can be doing the same topic.
• reasonably original – it should try to cover new ground that hasn’t been
already addressed by published research
• related to ethical or social aspects of computing, information systems, or
technologies.
• the standard of a conference paper.
• have some ethical or responsible innovation consideration
For Sources: 3 Academic sources and 3 Non-Academic sources
WHICH TYPE OF FINANCIAL ANALYSIS MODELS IS RIGHT FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED PEOPLE AND FOR THE SMALL COMPANIES?
Topic:
WHICH TYPE OF FINANCIAL ANALYSIS MODELS IS RIGHT FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED PEOPLE AND FOR THE SMALL COMPANIES? – RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Description
Write a research proposal of 1200 words (±10%). In this you will outline the context of your research and
provide motivation for your work; you will identify a driving research question and clarify the aims and
objectives of your proposed research; you will present a short, critical review of key areas of relevant
literature and use this to develop an initial conceptual framework; you will briefly present the theoretical
perspective underpinning your proposed research approach and use this to justify your research design;
finally, you will conclude with a brief discussion of limitations of your proposed approach and state expected
research outcomes
design and critically evaluate an appropriate dissemination strategy for the research project by Sutton (2021).
Design and critically evaluate an appropriate dissemination strategy for the research project discussed in Sutton (2021).
Main sources:
Sutton, C. (2021) ‘What counts as happiness for young people: a qualitative study’, Children and Society, 35(1), pp. 18–33.
And a minimum of two sources from the module material.
Below is a list of module material that you may find useful in completing this TMA; you are not required to use all the material in this list. You must refer to the research article by Sutton (2021).
- Module Reader Chapter 15 by Robb – cite as (Robb, 2014) in your assignment
- Module Reader Chapter 16 by Ruxton – cite as (Ruxton, 2014) in your assignment
- Module Reader Chapter 17 by Pascal and Bertram – cite as (Pascal and Bertram, 2014) in your assignment
- Module Reader Chapter 18 by Mann, Liley and Kellett – cite as (Mann, Liley and Kellett, 2014) in your assignment.
In this assignment you will focus on both designing and critically evaluating a dissemination strategy for a study into what constitutes happiness from young people’s perspectives. The study explored aspects of young people’s feelings about happiness using a mixed methods approach to identify and address a range of issues.
You are provided with a reference to an external source reporting this research: Sutton (2021)
The TMA task asks you to design and critically evaluate an appropriate dissemination strategy for the research project by Sutton (2021). As you read the article, make a note of aspects of the research and research findings you consider should be disseminated to the research community and also to others who might be interested in this research study. You should pay particular attention to dissemination strategies for the young people who took part in the research and how you might present the data to them in an informative, useful and ethical way. As you read, note other factors that you think may be of interest or relevance, for example, you may wish to read the research findings and recommendations in some detail and consider whether these are specific to the location, or the age group, where and with whom the research was undertaken or whether they might have relevance elsewhere. Ask yourself:
- Why does research matter? (Be clear about how and why a particular piece of research is significant.)
- Who are the audiences for the research? (Be clear the research can be important and relevant in all kinds of different ways to a range of different audiences.)
- Who would be interested in the research findings and how they might they be made aware of them? Here it is important to consider the role of the young people who took part in the research and how (or if) the findings should be disseminated to them.
- You should also keep in mind the ethics of dissemination. If you are disseminating widely, how will you ensure anonymity? If you are disseminating to a small part (such as those who took part in the research), how would you ensure confidentiality?
Although it is not necessary to find out about the researcher who carried out the project, you might be interested to know that this article was based on the work done for a recent PhD in Childhood Studies at The Open University. The article does not cover the actual ways the project was disseminated or any impacts it had. However that is not relevant to this assigment: you are being asked to think about how the results of this study could potentially be disseminated clearly, efficiently and ethically to all the the relevant audiences. Your assignment will be marked according to:
- how well you are able to identify suitable audiences for the research – who should hear about the findings of this research?
- how realistic your plans for reaching those audiences are – how might different audiences be engaged?
- how well you think through the practical and ethical problems involved in disseminating the research.
The assignment not only asks you to design an appropriate dissemination strategy but also to critically evaluate it. In order to do this, you will need to refer to at least two sources from the module material in reflecting on your strategy. What are the strengths and limitations of your strategy? How does each part of the dissemination strategy contribute to the whole? Is your strategy appropriate for the different audiences you identify?
The TMA builds on key material discussed in Block 4. These brief notes may be useful as you consider which module sources to use in your TMA. In Chapter 15 of the Module Reader, Robb focuses on the different types of discourse within childhood and youth research that reflect the different approaches researchers employ to share their work with a range of audiences across academic, policy and practice arenas. Robb highlights how research dissemination is an important consideration for researchers during the planning stages of their research. Getting research into policy and practice, however, is not a straightforward task. In Chapter 16 of the Module Reader, Ruxton, and in Chapter 17, Pascal and Bertram, provide detailed examples of the complex process of linking research with policy and practice and the different strategies that can be used for engagement and dissemination.
Suggested structure
There are many ways of structuring this assignment, including choosing whether to write an essay or a planning document, utilising sub-headings, tables, bullet points and other formatting devices. These suggestions do not have to be followed, but may be helpful if you are unsure how to approach writing this assignment.
Remember – An essay begins with careful and efficient planning. An essay plan helps you organise your ideas and design a strategy that communicates appropriate information to the relevant audiences.
- In your introduction you could briefly describe the study described by Sutton (2021) and explain the main aims of your suggested dissemination strategy.
- You could then explain the significance of the research and identify the audiences to whom the research findings are relevant. How and why is the research significant to different groups of research users? Who else may be interested in these research findings? What are the potential barriers to reaching particular audiences? Are there other potential difficulties to overcome?
- You could then set out your suggested dissemination strategy. What will you be communicating to each of the audiences you have identified? How will you reach those audiences? Do not simply list and describe each element within the broader strategy, but provide details of how and why the different elements of the strategy will enable the results of the research to be communicated effectively and usefully to the different audiences. Consider the use of varied channels to engage with an audience and to facilitate communication and impact.
- You also need to critically evaluate each of the elements in your strategy. You might do this either when discussing the different elements of the strategy or in a separate section of your TMA. Think about the practical and ethical problems involved in implementing the strategy, and show that you are aware of the limits of what researchers can achieve.
- Finally, in a short conclusion, summarise the aims of your dissemination strategy and reflect on how effective you think it would be in meeting those aims.
- Note that this TMA asks you to critically evaluate your dissemination strategy. If you are unsure what ‘critically’ means in this context, you may find it useful to refer to the Open University Study Skills booklet ‘Thinking critically’ (available from the OU study skills website).
- Add a list of references, drawing on the Cite Them Right referencing system (as specified in the Section 5.6 of the Assessment Guide). The reference list must contain a correct reference to the specified journal article.
- Give your word count at the end of your essay, before your reference list.
