Students' Conceptions of Research. 2: An exploration of contrasting patterns of variation

Abstract

This study explores variation in postgraduate students' and supervisors' conceptions of research. Based on earlier work, a Conceptions of Research Inventory (CoRI) was trialled on a mixed sample of postgraduate students and supervisors (n5251). Exploratory factor analyses of resultant data yields a five-dimensional empirical model, the composition of which is consistent with earlier work by the present authors. Four of these five dimensions distinguish between (variation in) conceptions of research such as ''truth'', ''problem-solving'', ''re-search'', and ''an insightful process''. The fifth dimension captures variation in terms of what are interpreted as ''misconceptions''. The discrete conceptual dimensions suggested within the factor model are further explored via k-means cluster analyses in terms of partitioning of the dataset, as limited by sample sizes, according to postgraduate status and supervisor designation. These analyses provide further insights into variation, across the various clusters in each case, as expressed in the profiles of cluster mean scores. Such differences as are evidenced highlight contrasting patterns of variation between, for example, experienced and novice researchers. There is also evidence of dissonance in some of the cluster solutions and it is further demonstrated via analysis of variance that dissonant cluster membership is associated with a generally lower level of self-estimated performance. The implications of these findings are finally considered in relation to postgraduate training and supervision.

‘Just Google It?’: Pupils’ Perceptions and Experience of Research in the Secondary Classroom

“…In contrast, the latter consists largely of fact-finding (namely the collection and reporting of information) which is not necessarily new or emerging out of systematic investigation. Meyer et al (2005;2007), the fourth framework that has influenced our study, sets out from the observation that research can be conducted in different ways in different disciplines: for example, as experimentation in the sciences, formal proof in mathematics, documentary analysis in history and naturalistic inquiry in the social sciences. The study examined perceptions held by groups of researchers, varying from early, middle to late career, with a range of disciplinary backgrounds (including social sciences, physical sciences, and development studies).…”

¿Por qué y para qué se investiga en Ciencias Sociales? Concepciones del personal investigador en formación

“…La escala de concepciones sobre la investigación se diseñó a partir del SCoRI (Meyer et al 2005(Meyer et al , 2007, y recoge aquellos ítems refrendados por investigaciones posteriores (Stubbs et al 2014) lo que garantiza la validez de constructo. Se eligieron ocho ítems siguiendo criterios de a) fiabilidad (en términos de su peso factorial) y b) representatividad de las diferentes categorías (ver Tabla1).…”

“…Este análisis ha mostrado que los doctorandos entienden la investigación prioritariamente como un proceso orientado tanto a ofrecer una contribución a la comunidad como al desarrollo personal. Se percibe también, aunque en menor medida, como un producto que se aporta a la comunidad organizando la información de forma coherente para que tenga sentido y que se plasma en la publicación de artículos (Akerlind, 2008;Brew, 2001;Meyer et al 2005;2007;Stubbs et al 2014). Sin em-Investigadoras e investigadores no se diferencian en sus concepciones de la investigación, pero sí los grupos de edad.…”

“…Akerlind (2008) identificaba sólo diez estudios posteriores al trabajo pionero de Brew (2001); además, la mayoría de los estudios se centra en las concepciones de los investigadores senior (Meyer, Shanahan y Laugksch, 2005, 2007. Sólo en los últimos años se han desarrollado algunos estudios sobre los investigadores noveles (Pitcher, 2010;2011;Stubb et al, 2014) cuyos resultados coinciden en señalar algunas dimensiones y categorías útiles para explicar las concepciones sobre la investigación.…”

“…Algunos estudios han utilizado metáforas como herramienta para acceder a las concepciones (Visser-Wijnveen, Van Driel, Van der Rijst, Verloop y Visser, 2009;Pitcher, 2011). Meyer et al (2005Meyer et al ( , 2007 utilizaron un enfoque metodológico diferente al desarrollar el Students' Conceptions of Research Inventory (SCoRI), para validar empírica y psicométri-camente las dimensiones relativas a las concepciones sobre la investigación de los estudiantes. Los ítems del SCoRI proceden de un estudio cualitativo previo en el que se establecieron varias categorías preliminares.…”