A (research) hero’s journey
CRISIS As every good hero knows, there had to
June 2019
Formulate my research question.
July 2019
Join Pymble Professional Learning group, discuss and learn from group about possibilities of research.
October 2019
Find a supervisor at UTS.
November 2019
Submit Masters of Research application outlining research purpose, literature review and methodology (survey and interviews).
December 2019
Be accepted by UTS for Masters of Research
June 2020
Submit ethics application for Pymble Ethics Committee to approve the conduct of survey and interviews.
June 2020
Submit ethics application for UTS Ethics Committee to approve the conduct of survey and interviews.
August 2020
Pass ethics approval of both committees and start stage 1 data collection (survey students).
be a crisis in my journey. All was going swimmingly … until it wasn’t. Uh-oh. The crisis was a simple, silly slip. The ethics application details the why, what, how and when of the research. The application is 20 or more pages and involves a really thorough look at every aspect of the research: Why this methodology, why ask these students, why not those, what will you do with the data, how to protect the students, how to do a risk-assessment on myself the researcher. After six months of preparation, crossing every ’t’ and dotting the ‘i’s - I finally submitted it. I had slayed the ethicsapplication-monster and now I could
.
bask in the calm after the frenzied storm. Or so I thought. Instead the application sat in the internet-ether aka the University’s IT system – I had forgotten to press the ‘submit’ button! The calm stretched for a month, then
Every teacher knows how lightning fast Term 4 flies. There was nothing I could do but stare at my inbox every day and chew a few more fingernails.
another. I was getting nervous as my timetable for data collection was set for
CLIMAX
Term 3 2020. Did the Committee hate the
Two weeks before the end of Term 4
research question? Was my methodology
in November 2020 and many more
of a quantitative survey followed by
iterations to the ethics application later –
interviews somehow too radical or
I conducted the survey as planned with
unethical? Had COVID-19 fired staff at UTS Year 5 students. More than 100 students and left no one to review my application? consented to take the survey. With
DENOUEMENT, END Since this is my own heroic adventure, I can choose the ending:
FANTASY ENDING I discover amazing eye-opening information that confirms my hypothesis. In 2021, the rabid-COVID-ogre has been banished and I can still meet students and parents face-to-face for the stage 2 interviews.
A few phone calls to the UTS Higher
immense gratitude to the ever-flexible
When I send out invites to interviews,
Degree Research office revealed why they
Year 5 teachers – my 20-minute survey
I get an overwhelming response from
hadn’t received my application. However,
was slotted in on a Friday. Crisis averted,
students and parents vying to participate.
by then the University Ethics Committee
data collection done, and now for
I transcribe the interviews and write
could not review my application until
the denouement!
revealing analysis and a masterpiece of a
mid-October, at the start of Term 4. 74
Illuminate Research and Innovation
Masters thesis about my research.
