Crewsell Chapter 2 was very helpful

AKA: Trying to figure out my research question.

This chapter helped me understand the research processs. I could envision it and how it relates to my topic. A topic, according to Creswell, is “the subject or subject matter of a proposed study” (23). He recommends to describe the topic in a few words or a short phrase and it becomes the “central idea to learn about or to explore” (23). Therefore, my topic is iPads in the classroom.

I want to talk about the idea of exploring. I think I get caught up in the assumption that a research study must prove something or be the final word on a topic. However, I do not need to be so black and white about research. There can be many right answers, not just one. When one explores a topic, there might not even be an answer. Rather, the researcher makes meaning from the data.

I am focusing on iPads, even though there are other technological devices out there such as different tablet computers and laptop computers. With this in mind, I might need to broaden my topic to encompass such technological devices and not focus just on iPads. Furthermore, this technology is so new that the literature available would probably not focus on iPads.

I also appreciate the helpful hint of drafting a brief title to the study (23). In my case, my title could be “Use of iPads in the Classroom.”

Another way is to try completing this sentence: “My study is about…” In that case, my title still works. Creswell offers, “Another strategy for topic development is to pose the topic as a brief question” (24). Using this strategy, my topic might be “What are the best uses of iPads in the classroom?”

Researchers can also ask how this project contributes to the literature already out there about our topic. That leads me to the literature review. Where does it go in a qualitative study? Creswell offers three possibilities: in the introduction to the study, in a separate section as a review of the literature, and at the end as a basis for comparing and contrasting findings (27). In my idea for my research, I envision the literature review’s placement as at the end so I could compare and contrast my data and analysis with other research. This makes the most sense to me.

The Steps in Conducting a Literature Review section was helpful. It also explains why I can spend hours searching countless numbers of articles only to narrow them down to a significantly lower number of usable items. The design map on page 35 is brilliant! I’ve used my own method of organization with notes at the top and sticky notes, but having a map like that is something I want to try. It could show my research’s place in the overall literature available regarding my topic. It could answer the question of how my project contributes to already-existing literature.

Finally, the steps for writing an abstract on page 36 were invaluable. Without that list, I couldn’t have written my own abstracts.