Making sense of research in higher education
Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AFRICAN SUN MeDIA
Abstract
I was meeting with E about the problems that postgraduate researchers experience
when carrying out their research. E was a well-respected and eminent professor
from Stellenbosch University. I had known him for about four years. We both had
an interest in supervising and supporting postgraduate researchers undertaking
masters and doctoral study.
‘You’ve asked a very interesting and,’ I added pointedly, ‘a very important, question.
Like all good questions, it raises a whole raft of other questions and issues.’
E nodded thoughtfully. ‘And the answer?’ he asked.
‘Well, the question was about whether or not we can collect qualitative data in an
experiment? Of course, as you know, the methodology textbooks will answer that
we should collect quantitative data and not qualitative data in an experiment.’
‘Yes,’ he nodded, ‘but I suspect you’ve got a view about that?’
Description
The original publication is available from AFRICAN SUN MeDIA, Stellenbosch: South Africa.
CITATION: Plowright, D. 2016. Making sense of research in higher education, in L. Frick, V. Trafford & M. Fourie-Malherbe (eds). Being Scholarly: Festschrift in honour of the work of Eli M Bitzer. Stellenbosch: SUN MeDIA. 15-24. doi:10.18820/9781928314219/01.
CITATION: Plowright, D. 2016. Making sense of research in higher education, in L. Frick, V. Trafford & M. Fourie-Malherbe (eds). Being Scholarly: Festschrift in honour of the work of Eli M Bitzer. Stellenbosch: SUN MeDIA. 15-24. doi:10.18820/9781928314219/01.
Keywords
Research -- Methodology, Education, Higher -- Research -- South Africa, Universities and colleges -- Graduate work
Citation
Plowright, D. 2016. Making sense of research in higher education, in L. Frick, V. Trafford & M. Fourie-Malherbe (eds). Being Scholarly: Festschrift in honour of the work of Eli M Bitzer. Stellenbosch: SUN MeDIA. 15-24. doi:10.18820/9781928314219/01.