The Aim Of This Piece Of Research Is To Investigate Ways In Which Partnership With Families Can Be Improved In A Private Nursery: Research Methods In Early Childhood Assignment, UCC, Ireland

Here is an example project aim from Kerry, a past dissertation student: ‘The aim of this piece of research is to investigate ways in which partnership with families can be improved in a private nursery.

Once you have settled on a general aim, you should begin to formulate research questions. Cohen et al (2000: 75) describes what is needed as a process of ‘operationalization’: ‘Translating a very general research aim or purpose into specific, concrete questions to which specific, concrete answers can be given.  The process moves from the general to the particular, from the abstract to the concrete.’

According to MacNaughton and Rolfe (2001: 20), research questions should be:

1. Relatively precise

2. Are the terms you use clear?

3. Do you have a tight focus / small area of interest?

5. Do your questions allow you to explore the relationship between people, problems, programs, or phenomena?

6. Workable

7. Are your questions manageable given the resources available to you (i.e. time, people you will involve, etc)?

The process of developing research questions takes time and a continual process of revision. Kerry’s first attempts at writing her research question were as follows:

1. What can the nursery do to make parents attend parent consultation sessions?

2. Why don’t parents communicate well with the nursery staff?

After reviewing her own questions, Kerry decided that they blamed families for difficulties within the partnership and did not allow families an opportunity to contribute to changing practice. She also realized that she had already decided what the challenges were: the questions did not allow her to find out what other issues participants might identify. Finally, Kerry realized that many of the families at the nursery did not just involve parents in their child’s care, but grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Kerry continued to revise her questions and ended up settling on the following research questions:

1. What do parents/carers and early years practitioners at a private day nursery in London perceive to be the supports and barriers to an effective partnership between parents/carers and practitioners?

2. What suggestions do they have for improving the partnership?’

Notice how these questions are precise – Kerry is clear exactly who she is carrying out the research with and where. The questions are also meaningful as they allow participants and Kerry to contribute to thinking about ways to improve practice and relationships. These questions also seem to be workable in that they are focused and involve investigating the points of view of people Kerry sees on a daily basis.