MEd - Proof of research required?

coco474

Hi,

My query relates to research I'm supposed to be undertaking as part of my Masters in Education. This research entails sending questionnaires out to schools, conducting focus groups with children in primary schools and interviewing teachers. I have sent the questionnaires but have not conducted any of the work relating to the focus groups and individual interviews. As far as the college is concerned I have. My intention is to bluff my way through the data analysis chapter making up plausible themes and findings as I go along. I am a teacher myself and have an indept knowledge of the research area (thanks to the lit review!).I don't have any supervisor overseeing my work and any check-up from the college in relation to the work involves just write-ups of the study so far. Descriptions of the schools in the study are too general to identify any of them. I accept that I may have to insert phony interviews etc in the appendix. The point I'm trying to make is can I get away with this? Will I have to prove the existence of this research down the line? I'm fairly confident of generating credible findings myself so who will know the difference? Obviously I'm discrediting the course in doing this and giving a lazy, cheating impression of myself but who's to know?? I would appreciate some answers because I need to start some of this work fairly promptly if I think I'm going to be found out!!

pow wow

coco474 wrote: »

Hi,

My query relates to research I'm supposed to be undertaking as part of my Masters in Education. This research entails sending questionnaires out to schools, conducting focus groups with children in primary schools and interviewing three teachers. I have sent the questionnaires but have not conducted any of the work relating to the focus groups and individual interviews. As far as the college is concerned I have. My intention is to bluff my way through the data analysis chapter making up plausible themes and findings as I go along. I am a teacher myself and have an indept knowledge of the research area (thanks to the lit review!).I don't have any supervisor overseeing my work and any check-up from the college in relation to the work involves just write-ups of the study so far. Descriptions of the schools in the study are too general to identify any of them. I accept that I may have to insert phony interviews etc in the appendix. The point I'm trying to make is can I get away with this? Will I have to prove the existence of this research down the line? I'm fairly confident of generating credible findings myself so who will know the difference? Obviously I'm discrediting the course in doing this and giving a lazy, cheating impression of myself but who's to know?? I would appreciate some answers because I need to start some of this work fairly promptly if I think I'm going to be found out!!

Wow. :rolleyes: Did you have to go to an ethics committee to get sign-off for the question set? It's feasible you may be asked for the actual questionnaires (completed, like most Masters' thesis students would have done) - I'm sure you could fiddle those too.

I hope you're trolling.

coco474

No committee. There is no personal supervision of anyone. It's a taught two year masters course and I have completed all the previous course work in a genuine manner. Honestly! It's the current dissertation that I'm taking shortcuts with. The questionnaires aren't a problem in the sense that I've actually received many of them back and the teacher interviews could potentially be easily created (as half my family are in the trade) but it's the querying (if it happens) of the focus groups that's troubling me. I've stated that I've audiotaped them, as is the procedure in conducting group interviews, and I wonder will I be asked to produce these tapes or a transcript of them? Even if I wanted to conduct the focus groups now schools would not be receptive to the idea of a researcher entering classrooms so late in the year. The course supervisor requested the names of these school during a meeting (but didn't actually take note of them). Is it likely she would seek to verify the existence of the work by contacting them herself? There are upwards of 50 students in the class.

pow wow

coco474 wrote: »

No committee. There is no personal supervision of anyone. It's a taught two year masters course and I have completed all the previous course work in a genuine manner. Honestly! It's the current dissertation that I'm taking shortcuts with. The questionnaires aren't a problem in the sense that I've actually received many of them back and the teacher interviews could potentially be easily created (as half my family are in the trade) but it's the querying (if it happens) of the focus groups that's troubling me. I've stated that I've audiotaped them, as is the procedure in conducting group interviews, and I wonder will I be asked to produce these tapes or a transcript of them? Even if I wanted to conduct the focus groups now schools would not be receptive to the idea of a researcher entering classrooms so late in the year.

Fabricating research is more than just a shortcut to be fair! It's possible they'd ask for it, particularly if they suspected something. I don't think anyone could tell you for sure one way or the other.

Cannibal Ox

coco474 wrote:

I've stated that I've audiotaped them, as is the procedure in conducting group interviews, and I wonder will I be asked to produce these tapes or a transcript of them?

I'd imagine you'd be expected to keep the transcripts at the least. I would've thought you'd need to record/transcribe the one on one interviews as well, but maybe that's just your course. As for the rest, contact some schools. You might find someone willing to give you some time, somewhere. Even ask here or here, and someone might be able to help you out.

Corinne

You are obliged ethically to keep the transcripts and tapes for 5 years post-submission of your thesis.

I would avoid fabricating the research, you might think you are being smart about it, but a more experienced person could easily spot evasive answers or problems with your stats, an extern might want to verify the sources of your work, etc.

coco474

Thanks for your replies. I will broach the topic with a school I'm visiting on Tuesday. My own school would probably have no problem but I would have to go through the whole rigmarole of being granted parental consent for each child and possibly board of managemant consent, which could defer the interviews considerably. I appreciate the belief held that fabricated data may lead to unconvincing findings but I'm not trying to unearth and defend the secret of Fatima or something. It's a social survey on a very general theme, the questionnaires and informal teacher/principal conversations are leading me straight to the themes I'd guessed would arise and that have arisen in most Irish research on the subject. I'm probably defending the indefensible here but I'm surely not the only person guilty of embellishing/fabricating research. In fact, anecdotal evidence with/about other Masters students inspired me to do it. The only trouble is I don't think my nerves/paranoia are letting me go through with it!