'How to' Plan Your Research: Meet Your Objectives
12 November 2013
One of a series of Research in Schools ‘How to’ Guides, designed to help practitioners run research projects in education. To support schools in engaging with and running research, we have made our popular ‘How to’ Guides available to download free of charge.
Thinking of embarking on your own research project? The better you plan your research at the outset, the easier the whole process will be and the more likely you are to answer your question at the end. Putting time into your planning will save you time in the long run. Additionally, a thoroughly planned research proposal is more likely to get the necessary approval in the first place!
This simple, succinct, easy-to-read guide takes you through the five steps to planning your research. Acting as a prompt to ensure you have everything covered, it will help to narrow down your focus to make it achieveable. Once you know what you want to research and how you want to investigate it, you then need to pin down the detail by using the simple checklist. It also includes a list of practical considerations, like time and resources, that need to be planned ahead in a busy educational environment.
Written by NFER researchers this guide will ensure you plan your research based on professional guidance.
This guide was published in 2013 and was correct at the time of publication. Users are encouraged to check for the latest advice on data protection with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation. For further information please visit the ICO website.