Seeking the single thread: The conceptual quest

Designing and implementing a robust research project can be complex and stressful, even for experienced researchers. In this presentation, I have drawn on a small-scale project that was undertaken in 2010 in conjunction with Prof Jon Nixon and Dr Su Feng at Liverpool Hope University. We reflected upon our experiences as doctoral candidate (Su Feng) and as supervisors (Jon Nixon and myself) in weaving a coherent conceptual thread into the design of the research. We argued that the process requires patience, an open mind and an acceptance of the indeterminacy of enquiry. To share these struggles (as a form of Knowledge Transfer) to construct a conceptual apparatus, we collaborated on a chapter (Su, Nixon & Adamson, 2010) in a handbook for doctoral students. To promote further Knowledge Transfer, I then embarked (with the help of a Faculty Teaching Development Grant) upon the development of a website comprising videos for download. The videos include interviews with novice and experienced researchers about their quest for a conceptual thread to their projects, as well as discussions between doctoral students and their supervisors that highlight the indeterminacy (or messiness) of the project. Copyright © 2010 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.