Choosing appropriate research methods for your educational research project

Selecting the right research method(s) is central to the success of any educational research project. Your research method(s) should enable you to answer your research question through the data you collect. To help you think about this in practical terms, watch the video below, which takes you through key steps and considerations for choosing appropriate methods in educational research.  

Please see below for links to the additional resources mentioned in the video: 

• What makes a good educational research question?

• How to effectively design, and use, research methods?

• Which ethical issues are important to think about? 

As highlighted in the above video, there are a range of educational research methods to choose from. Below you will find resources on three of the most commonly used approaches: interviews, focus groups, and surveys/questionnaires, along with practical guidance and examples. These will help you explore what they are, key considerations when designing questions and how these methods can be applied in practice. 

Note: If you are preparing an EERP ethics application, it may be useful to note that, in some circumstances, interviews, focus groups or surveys may need to be used in flexible and adaptable ways in an educational research project. For example, in some exploratory research designs, data collection is conducted in phases using different research methods. You might begin with a survey to identify potential key themes or issues, which you then explore in more depth through interviews or focus groups. Alternatively, you may start with interviews or focus groups and later use a survey to investigate identified themes more broadly, depending on your research question and aim. In such cases, when submitting your ethics application, you may not yet be able to outline the exact questions you intend to ask in your follow-up method. While it is appropriate to provide some indicative questions, it is important to ensure that the focus of your questions remains within the scope of the research outlined in your ethics application. If you later decide to adjust this scope, you should seek additional ethical approval.