Personal Experience Regarding The Process of Writing a Research

Introduction

As a professional practitioner of many years standing in education, I welcomed the opportunity I have been given in this module to consider the issues affecting Higher Education (HE) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to explore the many ways in which I many engage in research by identifying a problem or issue, review the relevant literature, state a purpose for the research and then proceed to gather data and conduct a process of analysis, finally reporting on my findings. Creswell, (2009) and Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011) provide commentary on the need for educators to produce meaningful research by examining issues within their own contexts which has allowed me to reconsider my previously held philosophy that learning can be viewed as a series of events that occur in isolation and are unrelated to context, culture and society.

Research methods proposed - how prepared am I?

Throughout this module, I struggled to find a research question that would satisfy my interests as a practitioner researcher and meet the criteria as set by the course requirements. On the basis of my first hand-in assignment, my tutor had given me feedback that my first two suggestions were not suitable as they were not actual questions, so I strived to unpack my idea to find a workable question (Bryman, 2009). As ‘the future of education’ remains my area of interest, my original proposed questions evolved, through a process of further reading, more investigation of the issues affecting HE in this region and engaging in learning activities with my cohort peers, into this question:

“Reframing the higher education organisation – how is the Higher Colleges of Technology responding to the drivers of change?”

So, I began this module havin...

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...xperiences and posit reflection as being the process for achieving such higher order mental processes. Which is where I find myself at the beginning of this research process, being put in this position of having to reflect on my learning allows me to develop a greater understanding of the connection between ethics, methodology and theory.

Based on my readings and my learning activities and the feedback I have received from both tutors and peers, I have identified a process whereby I can provide a sound basis for deciding finally on a mixed method study of my chosen area of inquiry. Moses and Knutsen (2007) and Pallas (2001) point to the importance of the researcher having a clear identity as a researcher with regards to the nature of knowledge and learning and in line with the work of a social science researcher, I know that my journey has just begun

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