FIT4005 Chap.7 Configuring a Research Study
Configuring a Research Study
Week 7 turns questions into plans. Operationalising research means deciding the type, modality and scale of data, knowing that one question can be answered in several ways at very different costs. The chapter covers the four properties of a good research question, two routes to finding one in gap-spotting and problematising, and kinds of study from empirical and action research to blue-sky work.
It then compares what qualitative and quantitative data can show, introduces triangulation and mixed methods, and works through the practical constraints of time, recruitment, incentives, piloting and expertise. The worked model costs a research plan against a fixed budget, the trade-off the Week 7 studio practises.
Planning is also about time.
The studio sets a fixed reporting date and asks teams to map stages, dependencies and pilots backwards from it, allowing for recruitment slowing over holidays and for participants who do not show up. A pilot of a survey or interview often reveals these problems early. Staffing matters as well: some tasks need a coordinator, a data analyst or outside expertise, and each has a cost that competes with data collection.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Operationalising research
- 02
Four properties of research questions
- 03
Gap-spotting and problematising
- 04
Empirical, action and blue-sky research
- 05
Qualitative and quantitative evidence together
- 06
Triangulation and mixed methods
- 07
Time, recruitment and budget constraints
- 08
Keep, adjust or drop
Worked example · free
Compare recruitment routes on cost per participant
- +1Route A: cost per completed participant is $3 divided by 0.15, which is $20.
- +1Route B: cost per completed participant is $8 divided by 0.50, which is $16.
- +1Approaches needed: route A needs 20 divided by 0.15, about 134 approaches; route B needs 20 divided by 0.50, which is 40.
- +1Totals: route A needs 134 approaches at $3, which is $402; route B needs 40 at $8, which is $320. Route B is cheaper despite the higher price per approach.
Key terms
- Gap-spotting
- Generating a research question by reviewing the state of the art and finding what is missing.
- Problematising
- Generating a research question by challenging whether a problem is being thought about in the right way.
- Action research
- Research done with a partner organisation to identify its problems and act to address them.
- Mixed methods
- A research design that plans how qualitative and quantitative data will be combined.
- Inducement
- An incentive large enough to pressure people into taking part against their judgement.
Configuring a Research Study FAQ
What makes a research question good?
The Week 7 slides list four properties: it guides the research process, it is specific and clear, it is relevant, and it is feasible. Two questions from one brief should also be distinct from each other.
Why combine qualitative and quantitative data?
They answer different halves of a question. Logs and counts show what happened and how often at scale, while interviews explain why and in what circumstances. The studio encourages checking each finding against more than one kind of evidence.
What should a plan do when the budget runs out?
The studio asks teams to decide which parts to keep, adjust or drop, considering how detailed the findings must be to answer the question. Cheaper options such as automated transcription limit the depth of analysis you can claim.
Why does Week 7 matter for Assignment 2?
The unit overview says Assignment 2 covers Weeks 7 to 12, and configuring a study is the decision on which the later statistics, intellectual property and design weeks build.
What is the difference between gap-spotting and problematising?
Gap-spotting finds a research question by reviewing the state of the art and looking for what is missing. Problematising asks whether the field is framing the problem the right way at all, which can lead to a more original question.
Assessment move
For practice, take a broad company goal and write two distinct research questions, then list the data each needs, who you would recruit, how many, and what could go wrong. Cost the plan with a simple price list and decide what to keep, adjust or drop. Explain each decision in a sentence that names what the findings would lose.
This rehearses the reasoning Assignment 2 is likely to draw on, since it covers Weeks 7 to 12, and the Week 7 quiz on constraints and question properties. Sketch a simple timeline for a three-month study and mark where recruitment, piloting, collection, analysis and reporting fall.
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