Building a way back from the brink: Methodological reflections of mixed-methods research paused by a pandemic
Start Date
26-3-2021 4:30 PM
End Date
26-3-2021 4:45 PM
Description
On the 23rd March 2020, the British Prime Minster initiated the first English lockdown as a result of the COVID19 pandemic, impacting the research of a large majority of research students at English Universities. The impact of the pandemic has been felt by postgraduate students internationally and has inadvertently caused a generation of trainee researchers to become arguably more reactive, adaptive, and reflective in their practice than previous generations.
Reflections will be made on reactive adaptations to the research agenda of an embedded quasi-experimental mixed methods design, used to explore the experience of adapted LEGO®-based therapy for young people who use forms of communication other than speech to replace or augment their verbal communication skills, and associated changes in their communication.
Examples of adaptations made to research agenda will be shared along with considerations for the commencement of data collection in a country still significantly affected by the health, social, and educational repercussions of the pandemic.
Navigating the restrictions imposed on research within England during a pandemic poses significant challenges to a student researcher and forces them to become creative in adaptations to their research methods and design. Questions will be posed on the lasting impact of the pandemic on student research internationally, and reflections shared on the principles of compromise, and battle between ‘research training’ and ‘research experience’ for a modern student researcher.
Recommended Citation
Dutton, N., Marshall, J., Gough, S., & Walsh, S. (2021, March). Building a way back from the brink: Methodological reflections of mixed-methods research paused by a pandemic. Presented at the Postgraduate Conference on Interdisciplinary Learning: Re-Imagining Postgraduate Studies in the 21st Century and Beyond. Lingnan University, Hong Kong.
Building a way back from the brink: Methodological reflections of mixed-methods research paused by a pandemic
On the 23rd March 2020, the British Prime Minster initiated the first English lockdown as a result of the COVID19 pandemic, impacting the research of a large majority of research students at English Universities. The impact of the pandemic has been felt by postgraduate students internationally and has inadvertently caused a generation of trainee researchers to become arguably more reactive, adaptive, and reflective in their practice than previous generations.
Reflections will be made on reactive adaptations to the research agenda of an embedded quasi-experimental mixed methods design, used to explore the experience of adapted LEGO®-based therapy for young people who use forms of communication other than speech to replace or augment their verbal communication skills, and associated changes in their communication.
Examples of adaptations made to research agenda will be shared along with considerations for the commencement of data collection in a country still significantly affected by the health, social, and educational repercussions of the pandemic.
Navigating the restrictions imposed on research within England during a pandemic poses significant challenges to a student researcher and forces them to become creative in adaptations to their research methods and design. Questions will be posed on the lasting impact of the pandemic on student research internationally, and reflections shared on the principles of compromise, and battle between ‘research training’ and ‘research experience’ for a modern student researcher.