Assessment 1 Blog

Assessment 1 Blog– Applying the research model

1. Consider to what extent does the research model helps to identify the key parts of the research undertaken.

Although the research model is very basic, it can be applied to almost every situation due to this simplicity and minimalism.

Where are we now?

This step is the first step in the research model as it provides the basis of the research. This step should be done before at immediately after the research begins. This is because it is used to identify what information we already know and at what level we should start the research. This can then be used to analyse whether the research materials are appropriate to my current level of understand on the topic.

Where are we going?

When identifying where we are going, we are essentially highlighting the aim and objectives of the research. What information is desired and how much information do we require are just a few of the questions associated with this step.

How do we get there?

Once we have identified our current knowledge and objectives of the research we must then find the most effective research strategies and methods of gathering the information. Many people have different preferences to their research methodologies, such as reading websites, watching documentaries, listening to audiobooks or presentations, etc. It is important that the information is reliable and appropriate for the research objectives.

How do we know when we arrived?

Essentially this step is to identify when you have completed the research. In most cases the research is completed when you have completed the objectives of the research. I knew when I have completed the research of this topic when I had analysed the article by Jason Sokoloff and wrote down all the notes that I had highlighted.

2. Identify gaps and/or ambiguities in the application of the research model to the article, and reflect on your ability to apply the model to examples of research studies.

When commencing my research on the article “Information Literacy in the Workplace: Employer Expectations” written by Jason Sokoloff, I immediately considered the research model to help understand and break down the research. When considering where we are now, I reviewed what level of knowledge I had about information literacy and how it is in the workplace. The first gap that was identified was the lack of information I had about the article before reading it. This caused difficulties across the whole research model as the research model was designed for more broad research methodologies. Working in a workplace that requires a lot of literal communication I could easily recognise the importance of literacy in the workplace. Relating this article to my own workplace, I was able to more easily understand the points that were being accentuated in this article. However, without this prior knowledge to the workplace I would not be able to comprehend the information as easily.

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d research methodologies. Working in a workplace that requires a lot of literal communication I could easily recognise the importance of literacy in the workplace. Relating this article to my own workplace, I was able to more easily understand the points that were being accentuated in this article. However, without this prior knowledge to the workplace I would not be able to comprehend the information as easily.

The objectives that I identified when commencing the research were simple questions that would be answered based on the knowledge that I had about the topic of the article and the information that I required to learn. This was difficult as I only knew the topic of the article and did not know the specific information and answers that the article could provide, making it difficult to predict what information I could learn from this research. The objectives were therefore very general and unmeasurable.

How we get there was a step that was unnecessary for this activity. The research process was already obvious as the only method was reading the article to gain information. The last step was also obsolete as the completion of reading the article and understanding the article was the only goal for this research.

3. What challenges did you experience in undertaking this activity?

The basic research model was difficult to grasp at first as the research was very specific to a certain article. Knowing very little about the article I was unable to apply the basic research model effectively to the article. Additionally, the research activity was very specific and did not require a lot of steps, making this basic research model redundant.

The basic research model is designed to help break down a more complex research activity such as researching a market or a broader topic, rather than researching a single article, .

The article itself was also hard to understand as it was written to an audience of higher understanding. This made it difficult for me to analyse the article and apply the research model. Although the article was written well, there were many areas which I was unable to understand due to my lack of prior knowledge to the topic.

Works Cited

Sokoloff, J. 2012. Information Literacy in the Workplace: Employer Expectations, Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship. Jan-Mar, Vol. 17 Issue 1, p1-17

Kothari, C.R., 2004. Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New Delhi: New Age International.

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