Art & Design Research

SAMPLING SIZE --- Part 15

2008-01-26T23:34:00.000-08:00

Sample size for a given population size.
(Read Krejcie and Morgan (1970), ‘Determining sample size for research activities’, Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607-10; and Cohen (1969), ‘Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioural Sciences, New York, Academic Press.

Number---Size------Number-----Size--------Number------Size
---10-------10----------220-------140----------1200-------290
---15-------14----------230-------144----------1300-------297
---20------19-----------240-------148----------1400-------302
---25------24-----------250-------152----------1500-------306
---30------32-----------260-------155----------1600-------310
---35------40-----------270-------159----------1700-------313
---40------36-----------280-------162----------1800-------317
---45------40-----------290-------165----------1900-------320
---50------44-----------300-------169----------2000-------322
---55------48-----------320-------175----------2200-------327
---60------52-----------340-------181----------2400-------331
---65------56-----------360-------186----------2600-------335
---70------59-----------380-------191----------2800-------338
---75------63-----------400-------196----------3000-------341
---80------66-----------420-------201----------3500-------346
---85------70-----------440-------205----------4000-------351
---90------73-----------460-------210----------4500-------354
---95------76-----------480-------214----------5000-------357
--100------80----------500-------217----------6000-------361
--110------86----------550-------226----------7000-------364
--120------92----------600-------234----------8000-------367
--130------97----------650-------242----------9000-------368
--140-----103----------700-------248---------10000------370
--150-----108----------750-------254---------15000------375
--160-----113----------800-------260---------20000------377
--170-----118----------850-------265---------30000------379
--180-----123----------900-------269---------40000------380
--190-----127----------950-------274---------50000------381
--200-----132---------1000------278---------75000------382
--210-----136---------1100------285--------1000000-----370

NEED ANALYSIS ........... Part 14

2007-11-22T23:24:00.000-08:00

DEFINITIONS:

Every research undertaking will foremost begin with the need to clearly understand what exactly is the cause of the pressing problem or pressing issue and exactly who is affected. Need analysis is the process of identifying and evaluating such needs in the community or other defined population of people. The identification of needs is a process of describing “problems” of a target population and possible solutions to these problems. A need has been described as:

------• A gap between “what is” and “what should be.” (Witkin et al., 1995)
------• “A gap between real and ideal that is both acknowledged by community values and potentially amenable to change.” (Reviere, 1996, p. 5)
------• May be different from such related concepts as wants (“something people are willing to pay for”) or demands (“something people are willing to march for”). (McKillip, 1987)

Need analysis usually focuses on the future, or what should be done, rather than on what was done as is the focus of most program evaluations. Some people also use the related term “needs assessment”.

STEPS and EXAMPLES:

The focus here is entirely on “gap” or need analysis. The following steps are suggestions from McKillip, 1998.

1.----First, you identify the audience and purposes for the need analysis (what McKillip, 1998, calls the users and uses).

2.----Second, you fully describe the target population and service environment. Altschuld et al. (2000) point out three levels of target groups and their respective needs:
------------Level 1--- (Primary) targets are the direct recipients of the
--------------------------services;
------------Level 2--- (Secondary) targets include the individuals or groups
--------------------------who deliver the services; and
------------Level 3--- (Tertiary) involves the resources and inputs into the
--------------------------solutions (e.g., buildings, salaries, facilities, etc.).

These researchers emphasize that the focus of the Need analysis should be on Level 1 because that is the reason for the existence of levels 2 and 3, not the other way around.

3. The third step is need identification where descriptions of the problems (beyond the general level noted in step 1) and possible solutions are generated. This is where you illustrate the gaps between expected/ideal and actual outcomes. You want to gather information from more than one level of target, although you should focus on the primary targets.

4. The fourth step is called needs assessment by McKillip (1998). This is the time to evaluate the identified needs. Which are the most important? Do any of the needs conflict with other needs? Is there consistent agreement across levels of target groups about the relevance and importance of the needs?

5. Finally, you communicate your results to the audience identified in the first step.

CHOICE OF METHODS ......... Part 13

2007-11-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

Choice of research methods to be used is very much determined by how much information you know about the subject at hand.

Little information or----------------------------------------------------------------------Extensive information or
knowledge of situation---------------------------------------------------------------------knowledge of situation
(or research topic)----------------------------------------------------------------------------(or research topic)
<-------------------------------------------------------------------------->
EXPLORATION-------DESCRIPTIVE----------HYPOTHESIS TESTING
* Observation--------* Structured interview---* Structured
* Unstructured-------* Structured focus--------- questionaire
--interview------------ group--------------------* Field Experiment
* Unstructured-------* Questionaire------------* Laboratory
--focus group---------------------------------------experiment

STILL KICKING STRONG towards 2008..................... I HOPE!

2007-11-21T00:50:00.000-08:00

It is very rewarding to note that this blog is still being referred to by my postgraduate students since my last posting in 2006. Do not hesitate to post comments, enquiries or request for more info regarding Research Methodology, I'll try my best to answer.

Better still, ....... do come and join me naturetracking into the Tropical Rainforest. More exciting Nature's wisdom to be learned and explored!

RESEARCH METHODS ............Part 12

2006-08-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

Again and again I've haunted by my students seeking for approval on which method to use in their research proposal. There is no one right answer to this, because it depends very much on your research title and your research hypothesis. If you are seeking for an understanding, an explaination about something not yet known, then the Qualitative method will be your consideration. If knowledge about it is already known, but you need to proof, clarify, validate or predict, than Quantitative Method will be more appropriate. Some research titles might require the application of both methods. Discuss this further with your supervisors.

RESEARCH METHODS

A. QUALITATIVE - DESCRIPTIVE

Survey Research
- A common method used in business, sociological and government. Surveys are used to describe the incidence, frequency, and distribution of certain characteristics in a population.
- Purpose is to explore and describe

Developmental research
- An observational-descriptive type of research that either compares people in different age groups (a cross-sectional study) or follows a particular group over a lengthy period of time (a longitudinal study). Such studies are particularly appropriate for looking at developmental trends.
- includes longitudinal studies (goes forward in time) such as trend (from general population), cohort (random from a group of people) and panel studies (from same selected samples)
- Documentary analysis, and follow-up studies (goes back in time)

Case Studies
- A type of qualitative research in which in-depth data are gathered relative to a single individual, program, or event, for the purpose of learning more about an unknown or poorly understood situation.
- involves direct observation or interviews

Ethnography
- A type of qualitative inquiry that involves an in-depth study of an intact cultural group in a natural setting
- The scientific description and classification of the various cultural and racial groups of humankind. The study of observed behaviour in a natural context

Historical Research
- An attempt to solve certain problems arising out of a historical context through the gathering and examining relevant data
- deals with the past, from informations recorded in the past, in order to draw conclusions about the past and past events.
- Deals with Critical and Interpretive Sciences, and draws conclusions about the past

Philosophical Research
- Ask value questions
- Deals with Critical and Interpretive Sciences.

Action Research
- A type of applied research that focuses on finding a solution to a local problem in a local setting. For example, a teacher investigates whether a new spelling program she has adopted leads to improvement in her student’s achievement scores.
- A deliberate, solution-oriented investigation that is group or personally owned and conducted. The process through which practitioners study their own practice to solve their personal practical problems.
- Characterized by spiraling cycles of problem identification, systematic data collection, reflection, analysis, data-driven action taken, and, finally, problem redefinition.

Content analysis
- A detailed and systematic examination of the contents of a particular body of material (e.g., television shows, advertisements, textbooks) for the purpose of identifying patterns, themes, or biases within that material.

Grounded theory research
- A type of qualitative research aimed at deriving theory through the use of multiple stages of data collection and interpretation.

Observational study
- A type of quantitative research in which a particular aspect of behavior is observed systematically and with as much objectivity as possible.

Phenomenological research
- A qualitative method that attempts to understand participant’s perspectives and views of social realities

B. QUANTITATIVE

Correlational research
- A statistical investigation of the relationship between two or more variables. Correlation research looks at surface relationships but does not necessarily probe for causal reasons underlying them. For example, a researcher might investigate the relationships amongst high school seniors’ achievements test scores and their grade point average a year later when they are first-year college students.
- Compares two or more different characteristics from the same group of people
- Shows how two characteristics vary together (explain), and how well one can be predicted (predict) from knowledge of the other
- Two types:
- Current correlational studies
- Predictive correlational studies

Experimental Research
- A study in which participants are randomly assigned to groups that undergo various researcher- imposed treatments or interventions, followed by observations or measurements to access the effects of the treatments.
- Purpose is to probe cause and effects (“if/then”), establish casualty; its purpose is to control
- Research deliberately manipulates a treatment (independent variables) to see if it causes a change in the dependent variables (effects).
- Two types:
- True experiment research
- Quasi-experimental research
- A method similar to experimental research but without random assignment to groups.

Ex post facto (relational / associational)
- An approach in which one looks at conditions that have already occurred and then collects data to investigate a possible relationship between these conditions and subsequent characteristics or behaviors
- a relational study (explain/predict) which substitute for an experimental study
- Look for natural “cause” without researcher manipulation of the independent variables (treatments)

Phew! That is quite a bit to swallow in one gulp!!!!

WHERE'S THE DIFFERENCE??? ... PART 11

2005-03-03T18:35:00.000-08:00

HOW IS A POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH DIFFERENT FROM A DOCTORAL RESEARCH?

A frequently-asked-question (FAQ) that students bug me all the time. In short, it is a continuation of knowledge enquiry, the first to establish and confirm the significance of the research issue, while the later is to finally develop a tested, proven and novel solution/ knowledge.

No matter what, both requires:-

LITERATURE REVIEW

a) Describe the background work of other researcher in the area, to
establish the 'state-of-the-art' prior to the author's research effort, and

b) To appraise critically previous work undertaken and to put that work in
perspective in relation to its importance

POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Clearly state:

a) WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?
(I don't know yet but it is about gaining more knowledge)
b) WHAT DID YOU DO?
(Consolidate and synthesis knowledge in a novel way)
c) WHAT DID YOU FIND OUT?
(A new classification of processes, new typology of terms, a new
morphology and a new set of rules that could be applied when teaching
this subject)
d) WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF YOUR FINDINGS?
(Professional: increase profitability, improve designs
Educational: new course structure, advice to the profession)

PHD. RESEARCH

A PhD. is said to occur as a result of RIGOUR and SCHOLARSHIP and is usually concerned with:

STUDIES: Analysis, Synthesis, Design, Formal Methods of statistical
analysis, Case studies, Model changes in the target population)

EXPERIMENTATION: Validation of results, Interaction with experts

CONCLUSION: Intellectual property, New knowledge, New insight, New
Rules, Original outcome, Contribution to knowledge, and
applying the results of your research to reality.

COLLECTING THE DATA .... Part 10

2005-03-03T18:31:00.000-08:00

DATA COLLECTION:

Just remember this: no research is considered a research if it is NOT DOCUMENTED on paper.

No matter how much books, journals or research papers you have read, or the countless numbers of prominent respondents you have interviewed, if it is still stored in your head, how could convince your supervisor that you have done research. Nobody will ever believe you…….period.

You need to translate all the new knowledge gained during your research into writing, no matter how insignificant, or jumbled-up the grammar is or how topsy-turvy the sequence is, your supervisor still needs to see it on paper, because he is not a mind-reader…… or a clairvoyant. (Today, there is no more excuse, because no matter how busy your supervisor is; you can at any time e-mail him your research data, even at 3 o’clock in the morning.). If you continually make it a practice to submit to him one page of text a day, INSYAALLAH…. you’ld easyly end up with 120 pages of document at the end of the semester withouthout feeling the pinch.

The Data collection methods differs greatly from one type of research methodology to another, and for this it is vital that you familiarize yourself (read from the library), with the specific requirements , (and quote it all into your Methodology Chapter) so that the issue of validity and reliability of the data collected will not be in question later on. It will be a tremendous waste of valuable time if you jump straight to do your field work prior to truly checking that the data collection methodology is not suspected of being BIAS or UNRELIABLE. At the data collection stage, you MUST NOT be seen or be suspected of manipulating or influencing how the final outcome of the research finding will be. Report and analyze the finding as is, do not tamper with the data, because as a researcher it is unethical to do so. As a researcher, leave you personal value judgment aside till the final conclusion chapter; let the data itself reveal to you its true colour. If the final data happens to contradict with your hypothesis, so be it…. that’s the actual truth.

Few research undertakings will fit in exactly as prior planned; but most often the Murphy’s Law will prevail somehow. Report everything that happened during the data collection, including the problem encountered and how you overcome the obstacles…. all that happening is your true research activity that you must share (in writing) with the readers.

Reliability of data through interviews does not rely on hearsay information but comes from the genuine primary source and not from secondhand information. Authentication of manuscript reference in historical research must be verified, and not from photocopied version. When quoting from a person, you must validate the authority and the trustworthiness of the person who says it. All supporting evidence can be incorporated into the appendix section of your thesis for verification if needed.

Make it a habit to record when, what and how the data was collected, and not to procrastinate, because if not done immediately, it is definitely forgotten forever, and I can guarantee you that you will find that to be the most important facts needed to support your thesis writing later. I make it a habit to make sure that all these important data about the source is recorded first before I start copying the quotation from a book. As a researcher, have at all time your tape cassette recorder and your digital camera ever ready in your bag, you’ll definitely need it handy at the most unsuspected moment.

It is a fact that our memory is extremely short-span and you can hardly remember in exact detail the events that happened 4 days ago, let alone one semester from now when you start doing the thesis writing-up. Writing, writing and writing right away, is still the order of the day, and there is no escape from this ever as long as you profess yourself to be a researcher.

The junction..... PART 9

2004-09-30T18:54:00.001-07:00

AT THE CROSSROAD, WHERE TO TURN?

So sorry if it appears to be seen as one-sided, very much in favour towards the quantitative approach so far..... that was not done on purpose. It is also equally important for me to also highlight on the other approach of research method, i.e. the historical, the ethnographic, observational and developmental studies, the action research, and of most recent is the practice-based research specifically geared for us artists and design practitioners.

The Qualitative approach is very much of inductive type where we DO NOT start of with a hypothesis or problem statement, but rather of probing and into the situation and trying to understand the phenomenon. Through induction, we might eventually observe and establish a new pattern or regularities of knowledge that can lead to the development of new theory.

Inductive reasoning works the opposite way to Quantitative by moving from the specific observation to broader generalized theories. Informally, we sometimes call this a "bottom up" approach. In inductive reasoning, we begin with specific observations and measures, begin to detect patterns and regularities, formulate some tentative hypotheses that we can explore, and finally end up developing some general conclusions or theories.

INDUCTIVE REASONING

.................................................................Theory
.........................................Tentative...... /
.......................................Hypothesis -----/
.......................Pattern ----/
Observation ---/

Deductive reasoning works from the more general to the more specific. Sometimes this is informally called "top-down" approach. We might begin with thinking up a theory about our topic of interest. We then narrow that down into more specific hypothesis that we can test. We narrow down even further when we collect observations to address the hypothesis. This ultimately leads us to test the hypothesis with specific data - a confirmation (or not) of our original theories. The disadvantages of deductive approach is that the entry-point begins with an already establish information, which might not opens us up to any possibility of a new insights or a more lateral research to the situation.

DEDUCTIVE REASONING

Theory --\

..............Hypotheses -- \

.....................................Observation ---\

............................................................Confirmation

These two methods of reasoning have a very different "feel" to them when you are conducting research. Inductive reasoning, by its very nature is more open-ended and exploratory, especially at the beginning. Deductive reasoning is more narrow in nature and is concerned with testing or confirming hypotheses. Even though a particular study may look like it is purely deductive (e.g. an experiment designed to test the hypothesized effects of some treatment on some outcome), most social research involves both inductive and deductive reasoning processes at some time in the project.

We could assemble the two flow diagrams above into a single circular one that continually cycles from theories down to observations and back up again to theories. Even in the most constrained experiment, the researchers may observe patterns in the data that lead them to develop new theories.
In short the difference of the Qualitative and Quantitative approaches can be summed up as follows:

QUALITATIVE .................................QUANTITATIVE

‘Complex' rich data.............................. 'Simple' numeric data
Meaning .................................................Measurement

Understanding ......................................Explanation
Interpretation .......................................Prediction
Contextual account ...............................Generalisable account
Purposive/representative, .. ..................Representative,
perspective sample ....................., ...........population sample

Exploratory ............................................Hypothesis-testing
Accepts subjectivity ..............................Claims Objectivity
Open System (ecological validity) .......(experimental control)

A high quality research is characterised by:

1. It is based on the works of others - providing a basis for what and how you might conduct your own.

2. It can be replicated. - produces the same results when replicated, and can serve as a basis for same research in the same area.

3. For Quantitative research, it is generalizable to other setting. - i.e. the result would probably stand up (generalizable) in a different, but related setting. However, a Qualitative is not intended to be generalizable but their finding is only applicable to that specific case study alone. These two distinct differences have to be made very very clear to all researchers.

5. It is based on some logical rational and tied to theory -- No research question ideas stands alone but is more often tied to some guiding theories.

5. It is Doable - it is feasibly done and can be answered in a timely fashion.

6. It generates new questions or is cyclical in nature. - provides the foundation for research question that will be asked again tomorrow.

7. It is incremental. - no research stands alone, instead they stand on the shoulder of others, and contribution takes place in small, easily defined chunks.

8. It is an apolitical activity that should be undertaken for betterment of society. - e.g. Finding a vaccine for AIDS, and is independent of one's personal or political view, but of the truth.

Continuation of the article to come in next episode… please regularly visit this site.

As an indicator to show to me that this site is ever visited and read at all, please do post your comments to my articles. I truely need yourhonest feedback to improve.

It will be seen queer for me to be rambling alone to the brick walls for the past three months and not knowing if it is worth my time doing it. Sometime, I do contemplate on just closing this site for good and thinking of converting it into a book instead.

Chao....

A new chapter....... PART 8

2004-09-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

..... AND THE SWEATS BEGINS.

Now that the daunting and nerve-wrecking proposal defense session is over and through, this does not mean that you can already start resting on your laurel. On the contrary, your serious journey has just begun. The proposal defense session you had was intended to get you anchored on some kind of footing, but it is still far far away from being perfect. The proposal you submit is not truly foolproof yet, honestly you still needs to iron out the rough edges and fine tune it further in more detail with your appointed supervisor/s later. Catch, chase or hunt after your supervisor ASAP. You have to make the initiative, rather than waiting for them to come after you because they have many other important things to do than to worry about you.

Although you did mentioned qualitative or quantitative methods during your proposal defense, have you actually sorted out exactly who will be your sampling, and can you provide the justification for why you chose them as your sample? Do you know exactly how big a sampling you will need for your data to be really valid or representative? How do you ensure that the test instrument developed for your study is unbiased and guarantees randomness? How do you design your interview or survey questions to ensure you can get they right data needed to support your hypothesis? And most critical of all is that, have you sorted out how the data will be analyzed?

Most of the answers to the above questions have been explained clearly in many research methodology books that can be obtained in the University library, or at least, try and get hold of a copy of Dr. Sulaiman Samsuri's book on Research Methodology as a starter. Never leave this vital issue unattended until the last minute because this is the sole pillar to your research. This will be your examiner's first line of attack during your Viva Voce.

Start reading and visiting the University library ASAP and start surfing the Internet immediately. Because our memory span is very sort-lived, it is extremely important for you to record immediately the content of what you read into writing, even a bit at a time. At this early stage, worry not about the grammar or the language yet, but to keep constantly writing. Write in Malay if it helps, but make sure to run spell checking on your document, after all Bill Gates has already provided such functionality in his MSWords word processor. There is also built in grammar-checker and Thesaurus for you to use. It could be just in mere point forms, or a simple mind-mapping diagram, or a sketch, just record it to your hard disk or into your logbook. Although it might seem rubbish now, or not quite relevant... do not make judgment yet, just keep filling it into the rubbish dump. Believe me; you'd see the connection and relevance many many months later.

Open a specific folder in your hard disk for this purpose called Research. As a precaution against virus attack or corrupt of your hard disk data, regularly burn all the files to CD-ROM as a backup, and file the printed hardcopy into organized cataloging. This is something extremely valuable, which once corrupted, cannot be replaced ever again.

Your first immediate task now is to rewrite your earlier Research Proposal paper again into a full fledge pages complete with citations, for your Thesis Chapter 1 and hand it to your supervisor for reading and corrections so that both of you are set on the same path together.

Defending your mission ..... Part 7

2004-09-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

Preparing for a solid line of defense

Your Research Proposal Defense Session at the end of the first semester will be the determinant factor to your Master's Degree Research initiative at the University. Whatever method you use for your specific study will be dictated by the title that you choose. .... which could be either historical, qualitative, quantitative, experiment, or practice-based research and so on. Maybe, your specific research might require the deployment of a multi-research method approach. This will be best approved and advised by the Research Committee during your Research Proposal Presentation or by your supervisors later on. Although the Proposal session itself might sound very intimidating and harsh, the sole intention of the Research Proposal Presentation is to ensure that all candidates has a purposeful plan-of-action to work with for the next three semesters of their study and not to still stay aimlessly and lost. We do not want you to waste your time and money, nor your supervisor's time. Honestly, all you seniors colleague will agree with me when I say that the 18 months is really too short for comfort.

What the Committee will also be looking for will be to ensure that your research proposal also relates to the specialization discipline that you register with University’s Graduate Institute. If you register for the Design Technology Cluster (AD774), your research should end up with a product, not with a document on Design History (an AD771 – Art History & Cultural Management cluster) or a research proposal on Design Education (already the domain of the University’s Education Faculty). A Fashion designer enrolled with AD744 programme should not end up researching on developing an Interactive CD project (and AD773 – Vis. Comm. & New Media domain). This must be very clear to all students.

A solid methodology design is the key to the success of any research. The first line of attack by your examiner during any Viva Voce defense session later on at the final year of your study will be on how foolproof is the methodology adopted in your research. If the methodology design itself is already shaky and full of loopholes with potentials of data being manipulated or evidence of potential biasness, then for all intent and purpose, you can forget and kiss the Finding and Recommendation chapter of your thesis goodbye. The whole of your research effort will just be rejected and gone to waste. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your bad thesis to be a laughing stock, when being referred to on the shelf of the University Library by the future generation. Neither will your supervisor want to put his academic integrity and credibility on line, no way…

You are required to define clearly what method you will be using to gather your data collection and eventually know how it will be analyzed in order to support or disapprove your earlier research hypothesis. Determining who the target audience and how many will be sufficient for your study sampling is extremely critical because that will dictate the reliability of your findings. Knowing your research target audience at the onset of the research also helps establishes beforehand with whom you will validate your finding at the end of your study.

If you chose instead to adopt your own personal research method for your thesis, then you are opening yourself to grave danger of inviting challenges from the readers/ examiner into questioning your authority in coming up with such new method, especially when you are still a first time novice researcher. To be safe, it is highly recommended that you quote or cite from a solid grounded-theory or established methodology that is appropriate to your title, methodology already written by established authors or used in many other successful thesis.

In short, there is no short cut to doing your research proposal paper but to READ, READ and READ. Research is a systematic and controlled activity that conforms to an established set of rule and guidelines as practiced globally for many years by academicians and researchers. Gone were the days of waiting for INSPIRATION or "ILHAM" to appear before you can proceed with your research, or waiting with the hope that DISCOVERY BY CHANCE will occur through scribbling and doodling. Wipe that away from your thoughts for now, because those were the domains and territory of artists/designers, not of the researcher's. In research you can only guess about the answer, but the method of finding the answer in itself cannot be subjected to guesswork as well. It must be determined clearly, right from the onset of the study.

To understand more about research methodology, visit the library and read some of the thesis done by past graduates or surf the web for examples of research journals.

Wishing you success in your Research Proposal Defense. Good Luck

Wroom... shifting into high gear - Part 6

2004-09-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

SHIFTING INTO HIGH GEAR

Every beginner researcher will feel as if a huge burden is placed on their shoulder when forced to make a commitment in allocating some time into their daily schedule to concentrate on their study. It will be a significant lifestyle transformation, from being a creative person into becoming a serious researcher, while at the same time may also have to function as a career person. Also, for the first time in the student's education journey where they are expected to be responsible for their own study direction and to set their own study pace. Students now cannot pass the blame solely on their supervisor because the supervisor’s task is only just to guide and not meant to be chasing after them like that of their undergraduate days. At postgraduate study, the students are actually the one who is doing the research, not their supervisor. Postgraduate students are expected to show their readiness and ability to work independently. The longer they procrastinate, the more anxiety they will have to bear when the dateline comes closer. The supervisor has nothing to loose, but the students will have a lot to regret

Loving to do your research do not come at the flick of an eye, it has to be nurtured, be given a conducive environment and showing caring support (if you also have a family) for it to bloom. You just have to be determined enough to put aside only two hours a day without fail out of 24 hours a day, (a mere 8.3% in a day) to do your reading and writing and that will not be too much to ask for. The hardship will only be felt during the first month, but with perseverance an strong determination, subsequently you will begin to accept it as part of everyday lifestyle which you will gladly look forward to, and something that other members of the family and friends will gladly learn to live with.

Granted that besides attending to our family, we (especially in this country) are also obliged to spend some time to socializing with neighbors and friends. But if we can allocate just a mere two hours a day, say from 11.00pm to 1.00am everyday without fail, that will already be good enough. For me, this is the most serene and ideal time for the study purpose. The first half hour is to get into the mood and recall what has been done yesterday, the next one hour of solid concentration to your reading, writing and project work, and the remaining time to plan what to continue for tomorrow. You won't even feel the pressure or stress anymore after a month. If repeated everyday without fail, God willing by the end of the month you should easily be able to write a full chapter of your thesis. Believe me; you'd loose momentum and thought continuity if you repeatedly continue missing that routine.

When you read a book at the library, before you even start copying down any useful quotation, make it a habit to begin with recording the author, year, article title, publisher and page number of your reference first. I can guarantee you that a week later you will never ever be able to locate it again because someone else may have borrowed it. Immediately at the end of that quotation, written in bold and within parenthesis, write down your immediate impression or comments that strongly appears in your mind about associations and the importance of that quotation to your thesis at that point in time. Or else, you will definitely end up with piles of useless quotations many many months latter because you forgot what it is for in the first place.

There is a standard citation procedure when quoting from any sources into your thesis, be it from a book, journals, and conference papers or even from the Internet. The detail can be downloaded from the DrKamy Shared Folder in the http://ma-fssr-uitm.intranets.com site for those registered members.

When embarking on your writing, even if you could put on paper a small manageable chunk of the key phrase at a time, say half a page a day, in a month you'll end up with 15 pages of content, and that's a mighty big achievement already. During my postgraduate days, before I forget my points, I tend to extensively use mindmapping charts to pen down any useful instant thoughts that arises as I write, and expand on it later as I get deeper and deeper into my writing. Good software today for this purpose is called Mindmanager by Mindjet Inc. and I highly recommend it to all students. I'd expect all the students under my direct supervision to e-mail and share with me at least a half page file every week for me to correct. If you don't write I cannot help you. As your supervisor, I am not a mind reader, and because I cannot read what you have done I wouldn’t be able to offer any advice or guidance. Most new researcher has that wrong notion that the chapter must be perfect before handing it over to their supervisor. WRONG! Experience has proven time and time again that I might have to wait for one semester for that perfect chapter to reach me, which by then my advice will already be too late for you to take action on.

Always write from a third person perspective, replacing the "I believed that the ........” to "The researcher believed that the ......". This is because during the whole research exercise of data compilation and data analysis you are functioning as an independent, unbiased observer and when you document it, you should be reporting again as an unbiased writer about that particular researcher's (technically you!) observations and findings.

Bear in mind that your final completed thesis will someday be referred to by future researchers from the Thesis Reference Section of the University Library. It may be read by a reader who is still a novice in that particular field of study. The advice is, do not write according to your current high level of understanding of the subject, because by now you should be the most well read person on that issue. Bring yourself down back to the level of a novice reader so that when he reads your thesis he would be able to make the connections. Your thesis will have to explain to him clearly right from the beginning about the scene setting, problem issue, problem statement of what you are about to accomplish, until the state-of-the-art information status. You also document about the preliminary hypothesis that you have adopted in this research, what you have designed to resolve the identified problem, the method adopted to determine how you can evaluate it success and finally you original findings and recommendations from this research.

Now that you are already shifting to high gear into writing your thesis, do not loose the momentum. As a further technique to assist in your research, write the key pointers on an index card and stick it in the wall of your study room. Use multi-coloured thread to connect the index cards whose content have linkages to each other so that you can everyday see the connections. Be prepared to swap position of the index cards and the thread links as you as you progress with your research. Only you can make that logical connections, redeployment and see the patterns emerging.

I again wish you the best in your thesis writing. Hope you have a happy and fruitful journey down the lonely and multi-faceted path of knowledge quest. Catch me up again in my next coming article.

The Key - Part 5

2004-08-31T02:06:00.000-07:00

What’s in a title…….?

As promised, and after having witnessed so many crashes and casualties, here is the continuation to my previous article.

Just for the exercise, let us consider the following research proposal:

e.g. A STUDY ON THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN FOR WEB SHOPPING CATALOG DESIGN.

A title such as above is too general and broad. It does not indicate exactly what is to be studied, do not indicate the importance of the subject to be studied, who are the parties that you are studying about, the extent, and the benefactor who will gain from this study.

Instead of the above, consider rewriting it the following format:

Eg. A Study to establish the essential design factors that constitutes to a successful Web-Shopping Catalog Design amongst Malaysian consumers that can be used as reference by design students and local Web Developers.

With the above, the whole sentence explains your intention as clearly and as precise as possible to the reader what you study will be on. It will also ensure that you do not sidetrack from this aims. To explain further what it means, try to understand the following explanation:

A Study = this will end up in a detail reporting of every aspect of Web Shopping Catalog Design

to establish the essential design factors that constitutes to a successful Web-Shopping Catalog Design = Search successful websites, Establish and define factors of a successful Web Shopping Catalog Design on the World Wide Web as a premise of to develop your hypothesis.

amongst Malaysian consumers = This are the people that you will eventually test your hypothesis with to prove the success of your design proposals.

used as reference by design students and local Web Developers. = The final group that will benefit from your findings. State how and in what form this finding of yours will be beneficial to them

Below are listed more directive words that may help you determine your research approach to the problem that you have identified at hand. Try and understand what the following directive words will entail:-

DIRECTIVE WORDS

Analyze, Interpret,
Argue, Justify,
Compare, Outline,
Criticize, Prove,
Define, Relate,
Describe, Review,
Discuss, State,
Enumerate, Summarize,
Evaluate, Trace,
Examine, Explain,
Illustrate.

ANALYSIS: Indicating the essence of something, by way of breaking it into smaller
components and to study each one in detail.

ARGUE: To present a case to support and/or to challenge against an issue

COMPARE: To look for similarity or differences in between issues

CRITICIZE: To give your evaluation regarding the merits of a theory or your opinion regarding the absolute truth of facts and to defend your evaluation by discussing on the supporting evidence.

DEFINE: To explain precisely the meaning of words or sentences. Needs to indicate the differences implicated by the definition.

DESCRIBE: To provide detailed analysis or by every steps.

DISCUSS: To investigate or to research through discussion, shift and debate, giving reasons for supporting or objecting the issue.

ENUMERATE: To list or provide specification and explain.

EVALUATE: Make an appraisal of the worth of something, in the light of its apparent truth or utility; include your personal opinion.

EXAMINE: Present in depth and investigate the implications.

EXPLAIN: Make plain, interpret, and account for in detail.

ILLUSTRATE: Explain and make clear by use of concrete examples, or by the use of a figure or diagram.

INTERPRET: Bring out the meaning of, and make clear and explicit; usually also giving your own judgment.

JUSTIFY: Show adequate grounds for discussion or conclusions.

OUTLINE: Give the main features or general principles of a subject, omitting minor details, and emphasizing structure and relationship.

PROVE: Demonstrate truth or falsity by presenting evidence.

RELATE: Narrate/show how things are connected to each other, and to what extent they are alike or affect each other.

REVIEW: Make a survey of, examine the subject critically

STATE: Specify fully and clearly

SUMMARIZE: Give a concise account of the chief points or substance of a matter, omitting details and examples.

TRACE: Identify and describe the development or history of a topic from some point or origin.

I hope that with the usage of the directive words outlined above, it has become very clear to you that it is possible for the same problem to be studied from many different angles. Whichever that you choose, it would dictate the method of how it is to be presented in your study.

More articles to come. Please comment and respond to these articles so that I can improve it further.

Good Luck!

Gate crashing .... Part 4

2004-08-31T01:21:00.000-07:00

Hitting the wall and ceiling, and everything else along the way....

Many new students are encountering a strong rude-awakening and experiencing high anxiety after enrolling into the first semester of the Faculty's postgraduate programme. They are confronted with a sudden big twist in the teaching and learning make up, different from what they are used to during their undergraduate years. Most of them now realised that it won't be a repeat of those smooth sailing days of designing and creative endeavour but a serious task of researching into an unknown, uncharted territory and into exploring into new realm of knowledge.

Breaking away from the holds of your past experience will not always that easy. All throughout our schooling days, from kindergarten till our undergraduate days, we are always expected to use the education gained to deliver answers that conform to what is "right". The education system insisted that everything that we do must always yield a right answer. Wrong answers are being scorned-off by the system.

Let it be very clear that with research, we do not know what the final outcome will be, and we are about to find out the truth. What is important is that our research methodology must be appropriate, clean from BIAS and MANIPULATIONS. Research on the other hand is systematic enquiry, searching for the truth. Even if at the end, the finding indicates wrong, that's still the truth of your research findings and is still worth reporting in your thesis. All novice researchers are always scared of concluding their research with a negative finding. Reinforced by the mindset already embedded all along in all students’ mind since their early school and college education days, they concluded that if the finding is negative, they have failed in their course. DOOMED!

BAM!! Then you hit next the real brick wall..., the tough decision of how to look for research issue that is worthwhile for a Master's degree research work. Most novice researcher will immediately look back into himself for inspiration. A big mistake! This move will actually choke you because you will be too engrossed and possessed by your personal preferences of the topic, to the point that you cannot break away from the SELF.

GET OUT OF THE BOX! Look around; there are many issues and problems out there that await your contribution in solving the problem. Shift your mind and effort away from the rigid bond of the SELF into looking at the THEM. In THEM there are many issues and problem that needs resolving, and with extensive research potential awaiting.

Turn the focus of study away from the SELF because (especially if you are a first time researcher) your readers/ examiners may always tend to question or doubt about your authority in deciding on the significance of the proposed issue as being a true problem. Support all your proposals with hard facts.

But despite of all this, if you still have strong conviction about the research title, please quote and cite as many other writers as you can that can backup your case. With many articles in support of your case, if the readers/ examiner still have doubt about you, they will also doubt the authority of the other writers that you have quoted. If the topic you have chosen is so new, and you have exhausted all avenues to locate references or books to cite from, then start personally interviewing and quoting from several other recognized authorities you know that can provide support in defense of your research title. At master's level, there is more excuse of shying away from visiting the library or from reading, and reading, and reading. That is the very essence of your mastery of knowledge.

Very often most of the very early submissions of research problems are either too shallow in scope or too monumental in content to be researched within the short study duration. First time novice researcher tends to be extremely idealistic in their research intention, forgetting that they have only a short time to do all these works.

It is important to focus on a small but significant aspect of the issue, which is considered adequately important enough to justify the need for a research study to be undertaken by you. A tough expectation from a first time novice researcher to do, but do not worry, that's why the Faculty research committee is there for, to advice you on what is manageable and researchable.

Secondly, your research proposal must be directly relevant to your field of specialisation and qualification. If you are a designer by training, do not attempt to do a research on performing arts of "MakYong" because you will not have the breadth of knowledge needed to debate critically as an expert about something that you are not trained in. You might be qualified only to talk about it visual aspects, but not from the cultural or on the performance angle. Also remember that the Faculty is awarding a MA in Art & Design degree, not a Masters in Performing Art degree, or a Masters of Science, etc.

If you cannot explain in less than 5 minutes about your research design and research hypothesis to a knowledgeable friend or peer, it is clear that the whole design and hypothesis needs more works! Researching is not about showing off how smart, brilliant or of how high IQ you have. It is purely about a focused enquiry effort and true hard work. As a matter of fact, being secretive and keeping your research proposal to oneself may actually be to your disadvantage. Often we are all too clouded with our sentimentality, idealism and single-track mindedness about the research title that all we see is the forest, not actually the bushes that makes up the forest. Often at the early stages, we are confused and often tricked into barking at the wrong tree. It may take others to tell us otherwise.

Throw or buff around the title and methodology with your peers, friends or even lecturers. The more you discuss it out, the more your friends will be able to help point your potential mistakes and pitfalls, and the more polished will the title be as you continuously hone on the true issue. Wipe away that bad attitude about ashamed of being seen foolish with a weak proposal, because it is better to accept your foolishness earlier now than midway later down your research path. No one gets their proposal right the first time around, not even you. You are not the only one who's going through the LOST period, which is every researcher's experience. The LOST period will wipe away all your preconceived idealism, and eventually enable you to pursue a totally original line of study, and your literature review period will bring you back to the real world.

Deciding on the exact wording for your research title will greatly influence or dictate the method of data collection and analysis that will be most appropriate for your study. There is a guideline to doing this. I will discuss in depth in the next issue of my article. Just continue reading this blog.

Good luck!

Proposal format - Part 3

2004-08-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

PROPOSAL FORMAT

To start off, each candidates are required to submit a list of at least 5 possible research titles for the preliminary deliberation and discussion. Why need so many? Usually a problem can be tackled from many angle, and be presented in many facets. To be safe, the Research Committee may need you to standby with alternative titles to approve just in case your proposed title does not qualify for a Master's level thesis.

To present a plan of study, it is important for your written proposals to be as clear and as concise as possible to explain about you intent. The proposal document is usually is not more than 10 pages and this is just long enough to explain your intention in writing. Anything longer than that may be just rubbish! It must include the following: Title, Problem area for Investigation, Context of Study (Related Fields/Previous Studies), Specific Research Questions and/or Hypotheses, Proposed Methodology and Plan of Action, Relevance to the Field and of course listing of Key Reference(s) List more than 10 in your proposal.

You must have some idea on the focused problem areas to be investigated for your research and to also indicate its significance.

Also to consider in the proposal is your methodology / plan of action for the research for the next 3 semesters.

SELECTING THE TOPIC TITLE:

Ask yourself, is the research you are about to undertake Novel, Feasible, Useful or Symmetrical?

When we say NOVEL, it means does it requires imagination; proving that it requires Literature Searching. FEASIBLE, consider whether, is the data available? Can your research design be pursued - i.e. do you have the opportunity? Can it be done in time? Have you the skills and knowledge needed or the time to acquire them. Money? Methodology? Is the risk of not finishing small enough to accept? USEFUL, a value judgment issue, but you'll be motivated to complete your research effort if you yourself believe in its usefulness yourself, because you might have to defend it some day, during your viva voce. SYMMETRICAL, What are the possible outcomes of your research? Prove/ disprove a theory? Conclusive / inconclusive in nature? And are both equally valuable? If not, is the less valuable outcome likely, and to a comparable extent?

PROBLEM AREA FOR INVESTIGATION. The need for an academic investigation usually arises from a recognized critical problem in society that warrants a satisfactory solution. Show the interrelationship between the problem situations and the would-be investigation activities in your proposal. Make sure to delimit the area in which you are working, and put it in context with the total problem areas, its neighboring research areas and perhaps even for methodology: if you need new skills, or are applying known methods in a new field.

A frequent criticism of most research proposal when first submitted is in some form, as 'this programme of work will keep three people busy for five years.' So don't let your ambitions become too grandiose.

CONTEXT OF STUDY (RELATED FIELDS/PREVIOUS STUDIES) Clarify the academic aim of the investigation. A description of the research to be undertaken, and the method to be used. Are the research methods and proposed work clearly described? Is there available the expertise that you can refer to, and what about the experience and compatibility between you and your supervisors on the topic. Put the context of your study with knowledge from related fields/or previous studies gathered from reading from books, journals, research papers, etc. by quoting it in your proposal.

A literature review is meant primarily to set the foundation for your study's hypothesis. It allows a reader to better understand the research problems in terms of historical background, theoretical framework, and current research development or trends. It is critically important that the literature review includes only the most relevant articles, (preferably of the last 10 years). On the Internet, use Keyword search via Educational Resource Index Center (www.eric.com) in the USA, or Allison Research Index in Art And Design (www.ariad.ac.uk), or the British Library, from UK.

The literature review is meant to describe background work of other researcher in the area, to establish the 'state-of-the-art' prior to the author's research effort and to appraise critically previous work undertaken and put that work in perspective in relation to its importance.

SPECIFIC RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND/OR HYPOTHESES:
Hypothesis : An assumption made by the researcher made at the begining of his proposal, still subject to verification or proof, as a conjecture that accounts for a set of facts and can be used as a basis for further investigations. If given a choice, always design measurable and testable hypothesis; it will greatly strengthen the research and reduce potential problems later.

Importance of the subject. How significant is the research problem to warrant a three semesters of study / investigation? Is it of national interest, or will it provide economic gains, a new syllabus, or will it benefit mankind?

Outline clearly all the assumptions underlying the research. What is your hypothesis statement on the issue to begin with?

PROPOSED METHODOLOGY AND PLAN OF ACTION:
METHODOLOGY needs to be considered at time of selecting the topic, not as an afterthought. It may well shape a topic, or make one impractical. Also, your objectives and your methods each influence, and may determine, the other. And in your choice of methodology, you have an opportunity to be creative, by devising new methods or of applying established ones in a novel context.

Assess, do the plan of work clearly reflects the aims? Can the research be done in time? Prepare a tentative timetable for attaining it, possibly using the Microsoft Project software.

RELEVANCE TO THE FIELD:
How significant will the value of possible outcome of this research be? Who will be the potential benefactor from this study? How relevant will this new finding be to the present practice?

KEY REFERENCE(S), List More Than 10
Show your familiarity with the current literature on the topics.In your Bibliography, provide a list of key references. Less than 10 references will just indicate to the Research Committee that you are still not well-read yet on the subject area, or not yet competent to make a good academic decisions in your research.

REMEMBER.
The Proposal is not to be carved on the tablets of stone which cannot be changed !!! So long as it is good enough to convince the Research Committee that it is practical, it is a start. It can still be slightly modified later on in your study, but not too extensive to warrant a totally new proposal document.

In conclusion, you are to submit a 10 page Research Proposal report and prepare a Powerpoint presentation to the Research Committee that includes:

1. Title

2. Aims and Objectives

3. Background of the problem

5. Statement of problem

6. Hypothesis

4. Literature review

7. Methodology adopted

8. Limitation/Delimitation

9. Bibliography.

A full text of this article can be downloaded by all registered MA students from Documentation section, in the Student's Shared Folder, in the ma-fssr-uitm.intranets.com website.

Be on the look out for more episodes to come soon........ God willing! Good Luck!

Where to begin..... - Part 2

2004-08-23T23:53:00.003-07:00

WHERE TO BEGIN....????

At every corners and turn, I kept on being chased by my research students seeking approval for their research proposals.

Most of the time, many of them will come to me with two or three solution about what they wanted to do for their studies, but not on what they want to research on. Why is it not considered a proposal but instead a solution is because they came to me already prepared with some indication of how to answer it. Often they are usually already very confident that they can complete it during the stipulated study duration. Unfortunately, with an answer already at hand, there is not much research work left to do. What they are about to do next in the following semesters is to begin designing the answer. Where then is the actual research component?

My immediate reaction to this type of student's enquiry will be to probe deeper for more explanations about what the actual problem is. More often than not, they are not really clear as to what the actual problem is in the first place. For some of those who do, very often it is just based their personal hunch or a very subjective opinion, and not at all supported or substantiated by real facts. When questioned further, the whole argument will slowly crumple to pieces. This is a very dangerous thing to do because there is a very high risk of the argument collapsing prematurely. The danger of jumping to such a conclusion so early is that, it may be that the so-called problem is only so as perceived by the individual, but in reality it is really not such a big issue. This could be attributed to the researcher's own limited reading and knowledge about the subject. For all you know somebody has already written/published the answer in some journals somewhere. By then all your research effort spent will be wasted because of your own ignorance and lack or reading.

The reason for insisting that all novice researchers do their literature review is to give them a thorough understanding and revelation about the most current and the state-of-art information in the field. It forces them to be familiar with others out there whom, somewhere has done something similar. Most often, a novice researcher may be surprised by how much has been written about the issue/topic by some other writers, internationally. It may sometime even convince the researcher that his research proposal is no longer truly new or original, and may even be to the extent indicate that it is no longer relevant or valid to pursue that line of study.

However, just because the literature review had revealed that many other writers have written about it, there is no need for you to despair. Quote them in your research proposal because this will show to your reader that you are no the only one who think about it, others too agreed that it is a problem that is worth researching. You get to know who's who in the field.

You next responsibility is not to repeat what has already been done, but to establish a gap that may still exists in that knowledge domain that is still unanswered or unresolved. You may want to repeat exactly the same procedure done by earlier researcher in order to countercheck on the whether the earlier finding is still valid and relevant to the present time. You might also want to compare, challenge, evaluate or dispute earlier researcher’s findings. You may choose to to do an exploratory study seeking for an explanation to a new uncharted domain/ phenomena or just choosed to verify the relevancy of an existing fact in the light of some new changes in the variables.

Warning. Do not aim your research too high, there is definitely not enough time for you to solve the whole world's problem. Focus on a more manageable aspect of the bigger problem that can be researched within the available funding, logistic opportunities, and time that is available to you. There is no point in being too ambitious if at the end of the day you cannot complete it on time. Be realistic with yourself.

The Literature review findings will help you decide on an appropriate path of enquiry, that will put you on a more solid footing in you research venture. It is ok to change or amend your research topic because by now it is really established on some firm grounded theory.

To give your research proposal an impact, establish how significant the problem to be researched will be? Is it done merely just to satisfy the researcher’s ignorance or will it really helps improve society or mankind? Identify who will benefit from the findings? On the other hand, if not done, how detrimental will the consequences be to the society at large? Of course a research done to establish the effectiveness of the kindergarten next door to your home will be less significant compared to a comprehensive study of all kindergartens in rural areas of Mukim Sekinchan.

This is the early preparations needed before you embark on your long and lonely research journey. Many more preparations is needed along the way. I will be discuss it further in next episode........

The Devil Lurking - Part 1

2004-08-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

THE DEVIL CALLED RESEARCH!

What is this devil called research all about? Isn't research just for the scientists? What's so fun about doing research?

We creative people feels more at ease with the self-expressive way of doing things. We often feel intimidated and sometime even repulsive when thinking about having to adopt to the regimented procedures of conducting a proper research activity. Truely, it is not about having to abide to the strict conformity of research methodology rules, but about pursuing a systematic process that ensures an unbiased enquiry into a new knowledge seeking activity. The ultimate objective of research in solving a problem is to seek for a truthful solution.

Ask any of those who has gone through the research journey, many will agree that it is an experience and new revelation that enhances your confidence in your viva presentation because all your decisions are substantiated by factual and proven findings. Research gets us to adopt a more critical and analytical way of looking at the world problem around us.

Research is not an activity centered around 'ME' the egoistic creator, but 'me' the unbiased observer and reporter of a phenomena. When we do designing, we planned what the final product will be like, right from the begining stage. We kind of knew already which direction it will go, and we keep refining the solution as we go along. In designing or art making, it is always at the end of the day about 'MY' personnal value judgements.

The entry premis to research on the other hand is simple..."Exactly what new information are you searching for? .... I don't know, but that's what I am about to find out... I only have an educated guess about what the answer is, but the research result will show me the truth." Embarking on a research is like a newborn child, hungery for knowledge and truth. With no special rucksack to carry on his back, he refrains from making any early judgements (usually are heavily clouded by his personal preconceived opinions), nor do he dictate the direction of flow. Every single stone is never left unturned, and he seeks for a satisfactory explaination to every phenomenom. Every observations, no matter how small, is noted and analysed because it become part of the building blocks to constructing a bigger knowledge structure. Although at the begining the jigsaw puzzle pieces looks baffling and seemed unrelated, but with the adoption of a keen and open-mind, eventually a pattern will emerge that will fit the pieces beautifully and coherently together into a new body of knowledge. If after subjecting the findings to many repeated tests, and the observed pattern still remains intact, than it confirms the existance of the relationship to a new theory.

Unfortunately, no matter how extensive a research activity was done, a researcher is not a researcher if he did not document it, because not everyone else is a mind-reader. His discovery or finding cannot be shared if not written down. Anyway, there's nothing so magical or so elitist in reporting about your research. The documentation is merely a direct reporting about what you do, what actually happened and the result is reported as it is, with no indication of data manipulation or tampering of the data to suit the researcher's personnal ego. Even with a perfect research methodology in place, the end result may still end up negative and contradicting your earlier hypothesis. That's the truth that you must accept, for that's your research findings. This does not however mean that you have failed in your research quest. Your research finding has successfully proven that the earlier hypothesis is null. Still, it is an important contribution to knowledge, and you will be reporting to the would-be future researcher who reads your thesis not to go down that same trail again. Despite the possible failure, we can still learned from the mistakes, and it own small way will still contributed to the wider body of knowledge in that field.

Now that the earlier imaginary growl, roars and howling from the forest has been lifted and demystified, there is no excuse why we artists and designers should not do research. One do not have to be a scientist nor engineer to be a researcher. What we do as an artist and designer is already a form of research, but what is missing in the equation is the documentation bit that will allow us to share with others our thought process, decision-making and justification when we created our artworks. How can we command the respect from others about our profession if we ourself are not ready to share the knowledge with others. Documentation helps to shows to others that we are not that free-wheelers and egoist people that they think we are. We do have solid base structure and we too have established methods when carrrying out our creative endeavours.

It is that simple. Clearly by now, you would have realised that the so called devil is just a ficticious shadow of some knowledgable ignorance.