This document outlines the schedule and content for a campus session on conducting workplace research. It includes: - An introduction to defining topics, data sources, literature reviews, and learning diaries. - A breakout session on how learning diaries can be used for the project. - A discussion of researching as an insider and conducting qualitative/quantitative research. - Activities to help students analyze how their professional roles may influence their research work. The document provides guidance on key aspects of developing a research proposal for the module, including exploring topics, reviewing literature, and considering positionality as a worker-researcher.

1. Campus Session 1 BAPP WBS383516th February 2010Rosemary McGuinnessPaula NottinghamPeter Bryant

2. BAPP WBS3835 1.00pm Introduction Paula 1.20 Defining your topic Rosemary 1.55 Data Sources & Literature Paula 2:30 BREAK 2.45 The Learning Diaries Rosemary 3.20 Insider Researcher Paula 3.40 Plenary Q & A Paula/Peter/Rosemary 4.00 END

3. Introduction Welcome Activity: Chinese Whispers – what do we know and how do we know it? Knowledge and workplace learning. Academic Advisors Using the BAPP network to help your work Blogs are the means of communication - OASISPLUS is be used for repository (Student name and dob) Activity: What do you already know? Recap from WBS3002 Group exercise 5 minutes… things you know (what can you do now) and sticking points (stuff you were not sure about)

4. Introduction Guidance Notes – THIS IS WHAT WE WILL ASSESS FROM – NOT WHAT THE HANDBOOK SAYS WBS3835 Handbook BAPP Module Diary Assessment Submission List Learning Diary and Critical Commentary (Blog) Research and Development Materials: Activity 1: Glossary, Activity 2: Influences of the worker-researcher, Activity 7: Designing an instrument for data collection Project Proposal (this is a project plan) Ethical Issues commentary & Ethics Release form Rationale for Award Title & Learning Agreement Cover Sheer Submission by 6th May 2010 – posted to Avni

5. 5 Campus Sessions 16th Feb: Intro, Sourcing Data & literature, Learning, Diary, Research as Professional 3rd March: Defining Data: Qualitative and Quantitative, Definitions (Glossary) 16th March: Designing Research tools 30th March: Ethical Dimensions and Ethical Permission 20th April: Completing the Project Proposal; Learning Agreement; Rationale for Critical Commentary on Blogs Ongoing: Learning Diaries (Assignment for 3835 AND keep personal ones continuing from 3002) – the new ones are public and should be anonymised (disguised names or no names) and the private one for evidence of of practice and learning continued in private source 9th April Send in drafts of Project Proposal and Ethics Statement to Academic Advisor

6. Activities in Handbook You might find doing some of the Activities helpful to you for planning your research proposal. However, the BAPP interpretation of WBS3835 for Arts Professionals (reflected in the Guidance Notes) has the same learning objectives but slightly different approaches. Activity 1: Glossary p.18 Activity 2: Influences on the worker-researcher p.22 Activity 3 Developing two or three project themes p. 23 Activity 4: Developing a Research Proposal p.29 Activity 5: Choosing a Research Methodology p.40 Activity 6: Choosing/combining/justifying research approach methodology and techniques p.47 Activity 7: Designing an instrument for data collection p.47

7. Balancing the Project and Research Your BAPP WBS3835 proposal will be about a project you can do in your workplace, but the research you undertake might expand that to other issues or employment you are interested in. Think about problem-solving Think about innovations Think about preparation for careers

8. Basic Project Structure Key features - focus on priorities, track performance, overcome difficulties, and adapt to change (flexible and responsive approach) Defined start and end - start up and close down stages. Organised plan - planned methodical approach is used to meet project objectives. Good planning ensures a project is completed on time and within budget - having delivered the expected results. An effective plan provides a template that guides the project and details the work that needs to be done. Separate Resources - allocated time, people, and money - working within agreed resources is vital to successfully completing the project. Teamwork - project team [employer, colleagues, professional networks, community of practice] – this might also mean Gatekeepers and your Academic Advisor. Established Goals - bring results in terms of quality and/or performance. Project may result in a new way of working, or create something that did not previously exist. Bruce and Langdon (2000) Project Management Essential Managers, London: Dorling Kindersley

9. Data sources and literature Thinking about the topic and searching for sources to find out about it: What are data sources? What am I interested in? Where is it ‘located’ and therefore from which potential sources can I generate knowledge of it? What do I expect these sources to be able tell me? (Mason, 2002) Large scale studies, mapping documents from the industry or government sources, policy documents in education, people, organisations, texts, events – think about issues of access

10. Definition: Literature Review “The selection of available documents (both published and unpublished) on the topic, which contain information, ideas, data and evidence written from a particular standpoint to fulfil certain aims or express certain views on the nature of the topic and how it is to be investigated, and the effective evaluation of these documents in relation to the research being proposed (p.13).” Hart, C. (1998) Doing a Literature Review, London” Sage Publications

11. Literature Review What is literature and what does it mean to your topic and project? Searching for work-related or disciplinary content about your topic – what is the project about? Discipline is like ‘dance’ or ‘media’ Thinking about the levels of criticality of these sources (ex. academic research or professional sources – where is the knowledge coming from?) Seeing what concepts or theories (abstract ideas) relate to your practice as a creative professional (your experience in the workplace) These may also relate to Professional Practice (Eraut), Communities of Practice (Wenger), Experiential Learning (Kolb)

12. Reading Literature for content Use critical thinking when reading literature “Critical thinking calls for a persistent effort to examine any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the evidence that supports it and the further conclusions to which it tends” (Glaser 1941, found in Fisher 2001) Looking for academic argument and evidence… Activity: capturing the author’s position (Cottrell, Critical Thinking Skills, 2005) Read Passage 3.4 see if you can ‘get’ the argument…

13. Passage 3.4 It was initially believed that young children could not understand other people’s points of view or undertake tasks such as counting and measuring until they were as least seven years of age. However, it seems the problem does not lie in children’s capacity to do these things so much as in their understanding of what is being asked and why. If there is no obvious purpose, or they do not understand the language used, children find tasks difficult. Even young children can perform tasks formerly considered too advanced for them, as long as these are set up in ways that make sense to them. Problems that involve teddies or drinks, for example, may be meaningful to a very young child, whereas tasks with counters and beakers are not.

14. Good Academic Practice Citation for words and images – any ideas that are quoted or paraphrased – you must reference these in a Bibliography, review university guidelines on copyright – use Harvard referencing – WORDS and PICTURES Keeping annotations of literature throughout the process is helpful (writing notes while reading to refer to later) Making notes through process about key academic arguments that will inform your topic area and project work (these might relate to Activities 1,2,7) Include research books in Bibliography : ex. Bell, Cottrell

15. Google Scholar limits the search to more academic or professional sources. Beware of ordering articles from publishers – use the Middlesex library. Using digital sources from Middlesex University. They have guides on library use. GO TO 24/7 – AND THEN LEARNING RESOURCES TO GET TO THE LIBRARY AND DIGITAL JOURNALS. There are also subject librarians and subject guides for dance and performance and media.

16. Searching for Information Electronic Database Searching full text and citation: full text is just that, the database holds the whole of the article which can be saved, printed or emailed to yourself, citation databases index only enough information for you to firstly assess whether the article is relevant to your research and secondly to go and find it. Available from Middlesex website

17. Boolean Operators Google and Google Scholar do not use these added words for searches – but they are sometimes used within databases and can cut down search time using electronic searches with databases. Basic search techniques (Middlesex Website) * or ? allows you to shorten a word but pick up it’s variant endings in a search e.g. account* will pick up account, accountant and accounting AND, NOT and OR join or exclude keywords “phrase” – putting a phrase in speech marks means that it will be searched in exactly the way that it is entered (bracketed keywords) allow you to perform quite sophisticated levels of searches

18. Sticking to your topic search Watch out not to wander too far away from your topic – try to focus on the articles that you can download or have the most relevance. Try to be more specific in your search terms – then you will find full-text articles you can download You may find you cannot download some articles because the university library does not have these electronic sources, make a note of the citation and see if you can get it somewhere else or find something similar that you can use.

19. Influences on the worker-researcher Self analysis of professional context – may relate back to either work or learning elements while planning and doing the project: employer/business benefits, tacit and explicit knowledge, ethics of working with others Activity: Take a minute and think about your situation, Activity: Regroup and discuss your worker-researcher position where you now work. Do you work in one place? Are you self employed? Do you work for a theatre or company? Is there a community of practice (Wenger, 1998) or are you a member of a practitioner network?