How to plan for Critical research

1. How to plan for Critical research A beginner’s guide

2. Step one • Choose your topic and formulate a question. • You need to identify a question in your topic area which is the centre of an existing debate. E.g.: Does playing computer games lead to addiction and personality disorders in young males?

3. Step two • Identify key media texts • Find at least three media texts (films, games, adverts, TV programmes, radio programmes etc) which you think are linked to the debate. If you can, look for range of products to show different points of views. Egg: Mortal Combat, Sims, ? • Produce detailed analysis of the texts in terms of quantative date and qualitative data. • This is the heart of your Primary research task

4. Step 3 Primary research • Using your analysis and possibly extracts/images from these texts, design ways of gaining opinions from the public about these texts and the issue you are researching. • Consider Interviews, focus groups and questionnaires. Discuss the relative merits of each approach and try to find both quantative and qualitative information. • Consider approaching different stakeholders in the debate to define their positions. E.g.: Parents, young males, teachers, police etc.

5. Step 4 Secondary Research • This involves reading what everyone else has to say about the subject. • You need to complete a reading record of every article/web page read with a summary of the findings so that you can reference them later for the exam. • The examiner will count and give marks to each source you use, so it is important to use all available methods of research

6. Secondary research reading • 1 Web sites. Not all web sites are official and truthful. You need to evaluate who is placing this information and why in order to be able to understand their point of view. No-one is totally impartial. • .com = a commercial site • .org = a government site or charity or religious body etc. • .ac = academic site

7. Sources to be visited • Newspapers (on-line archives are good) • Magazines • Books (visit the Library) • TV stations (Online archives) • Professional Bodies (ASA, BBFC etc.) • Professional journals • Text books • Moodle (lots of excellent theory available) • University web sites • Company web sites

8. Popular or Academic • When researching for secondary sources you need to be aware that lots of people hold strong opinions based on their perceptions of the world. These might not be based on facts or evidence. • You can still use these opinions to describe the terms of the debate but be careful in accepting evidence which is not supported by references to facts.

9. Personal objectivity • You yourself may well have a particular point of view which you hold in relation to the debate. You need to show that you can be objective and are aware of the influences which might have shaped your own opinions. (age, gender, education etc) • Has your research allowed you to examine your own beliefs?

10. Exam: Part One • You need to keep a record of your methods and process during your research. Your task is to describe the journey taken and to evaluate the methods used. • A good student will ask lots of questions of themselves and show they have understood the complexity of the issues studied. They will show real engagement with the argument. • A poor student will accept all the opinions which support their own prejudices and be satisfied with ticking boxes.

11. Exam: Part Two • This is your chance to outline your findings and to map the debate as you understand it. • Do not fall into the trap of thinking that you can provide an answer to the issue. Even if it seems obvious to you! You are entitled to your opinion but the examiner is looking for you to be objective and critical of each perspective. • Remember that your study is very small scale and likely to be limited by many factors which make reaching a definitive conclusion impossible.