could help you to tackle the sense of
inertia you might feel at the beginning of
the process. When thinking about many
aspects of our development, Covey (2004:
95) encourages us to, ‘Begin with the end in
mind’ (Habit 2). He argues that everything
is created twice – first at the psychological
level in our minds and then at the practical
level in our actual experience. Having a
personal vision for the future focusing on the
end result or outcome is one way of helping
us begin to see things more clearly in the
early stages.
At this point it is worth spending some time
thinking about what you hope to achieve in
the coming months as you embark upon your
research study. Here are some questions to
help you begin to think things through:
• What are your long-term goals for your
research? Imagine you are logging into
the portal (or using whatever method you
use) to get your results; what do you
hope it will say?
• What are you researching? Try and sum
this up in a short sentence or two.
• Why are you researching this particular
area? Again, try and write a short summary.
• What are you looking forward to most in
doing your research?
• What are the key areas where you feel you
need to develop in the area of research?
• What could hinder your progress? Can you
identify any particular barriers?
• How could you overcome these barriers to
your development?
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Having a clear vision for your research will
play a vital part in helping you to maintain
a high level of motivation for your study. This
vision will be particularly important at those
times when you want to give up or wish it
was all over. These feelings are common and
are experienced by many students in your
situation. Going back to your vision at these
times will be particularly important as it will
remind you why you are doing what you are
doing, and that ultimately all the hard work
will be worth it.
Building on your responses to the
questions, think about your vision for your
research and write a statement for it. This
should include:
• what you are hoping to learn from
carrying out your research;
• why you feel it is important;
• how it might help you in the future.
Remember to keep your language
concise; effective vision statements are
memorable because they are usually
relatively short.
If you find it easier, why not draw a
diagram or picture to illustrate your vision,
or even find a photograph that could
inspire you? You could always print it and
put it here.
Try this
Notes
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Theme 2.2
Starting the
research process
Many students look forward to their
independent study or dissertation because it
gives them an opportunity to delve deeper into
an area of interest that they have identified.
Many courses require students to start with
an introduction to research methods, which
can sometimes feel like a ‘necessary evil’, as
something you have to do before you can
start making progress with your own study.
Universities have protocols to ensure that
research is done in a robust way, can stand up
to scrutiny and is carried out ethically. These
protocols often include the following:
• Sessions – either taught or made available
on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) –
on the whole research process. These help
you to understand key theory. You will also
cover other key aspects such as research
