Tag: #egg

Week three: Critique of the #egg research project

Originally published here.

What is validity? Firstly, there are two types of validity we must consider when investigating how valid the results of a study are. There is internal and external validity. Also, what is reliability? Are our results reliable and valid?

According to Graham R. Gibbs (University of Huddersfield), he defines that internal validity is when the evidence found reflects the reality under investigation. As for external validity, he defines it as when the results have relevance beyond the situation being investigated. This can also be know as generalisability. Furthermore he describes reliability, it’s defined as when an investigation is repeated by different researchers using the same methods and the same results are obtained.

We were told to investigate the best way to cook an egg, however seen as ‘best’ could be interpreted in various ways, as a group, we decided to investigate what would be the tastiest method. Therefore seen as we only investigated one line of inquiry around the word ‘best’ I think that the internal validity of our results is quite low, because we didn’t investigate the question as a whole so it doesn’t represent the reality under investigation. 

As for external validity, I believe the generalisability is very limited for our results. The survey we conducted via twitter had 18 responses, therefore only a small sample, so we can’t generalise the results to the rest of the population. 

Lastly I need to consider how reliable the actual findings of the investigation are. We did use triangulation, therefore our findings are based on more than one source. However they didn’t all correlate. Smith, Delia (2013) How to fry an egg and Kerrison, Melissa (2013) What’s the best way to cook an egg? [survey] did correlate, but Berry, Mary p84-86, had different results. Therefore our reliability is limited as not all of our sources agreed. In addition, our results have not be tested by any other groups, also reducing their reliability. 

It is always very important to therefore plan an investigation first, and try to consider techniques to improve reliability and validity before you begin the research process. 

Week three: Critique of the #egg research project

Originally published here.

What is validity? Firstly, there are two types of validity we must consider when investigating how valid the results of a study are. There is internal and external validity. Also, what is reliability? Are our results reliable and valid?

According to Graham R. Gibbs (University of Huddersfield), he defines that internal validity is when the evidence found reflects the reality under investigation. As for external validity, he defines it as when the results have relevance beyond the situation being investigated. This can also be know as generalisability. Furthermore he describes reliability, it’s defined as when an investigation is repeated by different researchers using the same methods and the same results are obtained.

We were told to investigate the best way to cook an egg, however seen as ‘best’ could be interpreted in various ways, as a group, we decided to investigate what would be the tastiest method. Therefore seen as we only investigated one line of inquiry around the word 'best’ I think that the internal validity of our results is quite low, because we didn’t investigate the question as a whole so it doesn’t represent the reality under investigation. 

As for external validity, I believe the generalisability is very limited for our results. The survey we conducted via twitter had 18 responses, therefore only a small sample, so we can’t generalise the results to the rest of the population. 

Lastly I need to consider how reliable the actual findings of the investigation are. We did use triangulation, therefore our findings are based on more than one source. However they didn’t all correlate. Smith, Delia (2013) How to fry an egg and Kerrison, Melissa (2013) What’s the best way to cook an egg? [survey] did correlate, but Berry, Mary p84-86, had different results. Therefore our reliability is limited as not all of our sources agreed. In addition, our results have not be tested by any other groups, also reducing their reliability. 

It is always very important to therefore plan an investigation first, and try to consider techniques to improve reliability and validity before you begin the research process. 

#crit101 – Week Four – Critical Review

What Came First

As one or two people have asked me questions about the this week’s task I thought I should post a little clarification. The task is to complete a critical review of your given article. There is no specific question. It requires you to read and analyse the article, formulating a critical opinion of the text. Before you begin this process please review the slides from Monday’s lecture and the reading material I have posted on week four page.

Your critical review should…

  • be between 750 – 1000 words
  • be written and submitted as a Google document
  • show evidence of critical analysis
  • offer an opinion on the article
  • adhere to the Harvard referencing system

This is *technically* an independent task. However, given the interdependent nature of the course, I have openly shared who has which article (slide 30) so that you can share and discuss your ideas with one another. Moreover, you can support each other in the writing process.

The three articles continue a theme that began with eggs and now turns its attention to chickens (see what I did there?). They represent three different types of writing; draw upon different types of sources and data; and pose varying challenges in terms of critical analysis.

If you have additional questions ask a fellow participant or send me a tweet.

Image cc. Kyle Bean

#crit101 Week Two: What is the best way to cook an egg?

This week I asked participants to collaborate on a short piece of research, addressing the question:

“What is the best way to cook an egg?”

The task was challenging, not least because of the ambiguity inherent in the task but also because of the short amount of time they had to complete it in. Moreover, for many of the participants additional challenges presented themselves because of the need to collaborate using a technology (Google Docs) that some of them had never encountered before. I am pleased to say that many of the participants not only demonstrated their ability to work collaboratively but also displayed the resilience many of them referred to as being integral to in(ter)dependent learning in week one.

As I write this, with one hour to go until the 6PM deadline, one or two groups are still editing and refining their articles. Others have finished and blog posts, reflecting on week two, have started to be posted. I will be reading and responding to both the articles and blog posts over the course of week three. Additionally, the first badges will be issued this week to those participants who took an active role in their group’s research project.

Published Articles: What is the best way to cook an egg?

#crit101 #egg Research – Advice and Guidance

With the tomorrow’s 6PM deadline being just around the corner, I thought it would be pertinent to offer some advice and guidance to help you complete your research and get it written up.

Today, you should continue collecting data and write up your introduction and methodology.

  • In the introduction you should discuss the ambiguity of the question and what you settled on in terms of your chosen line of enquiry.
  • In the methodology section you should explain your research approach and chosen methods. Do not discuss any findings.

Tomorrow, you should analyse and evaluate the data collected, then write up your findings and conclusion.

  • In the findings section you should present your analysis of your findings, triangulating your data sources.
  • In your conclusion you should reflect on and evaluate what you have learned.

Remember, I am just an email or tweet away. Your finished article needs to be published and a link to it included in your individual blog posts.