The Creative Challenge – Report Research Findings & Reflect on Research Methods

This final creative challenge consists of three major deliverables that build upon your earlier research proposal. The research findings report and the methodological reflection are equally weighted in terms of grading, with the peer presentation contributing to your overall assessment.

Research Findings Report (approximately 1000 words)

Present your research findings in a genre appropriate to your audience/methodological community, research question, and topic. Regarding genre, this could include, but is not limited to:

• Journal article for a peer-reviewed journal
• Magazine feature
• White paper
• Case study
• Technical report
• Industry blog post series
• Short story or novel chapter

Your report should:

• Adhere to the discourse conventions and research methods of your chosen methodological community
• Incorporate the literature review and annotated bibliography from your earlier research proposal
• Engage in additional strategic searching as necessary to:
  • Shore up the significance of the study
  • Explore the intricacies of the problem or research gap
  • Refine the methods used
  • Better interpret the data you gathered
• Present your findings using appropriate data visualization and supporting evidence
• Adopt the appropriate style
  • Academic Writing Style
  • Professional Writing Style
• Be approximately 1000 words, excluding references and appendices

2. Peer Presentation

Prepare a 5-minute presentation for your peers, summarizing:

• Your research question and objectives
• Methodology
• Key findings
• Implications and conclusions

Be prepared to answer questions and engage in discussion for 5 minutes after your presentation.

3. Methodological and Rhetorical Reflection (750 words)

Reflect on your writing processes and rhetorical choices. Use the following items as headings in your reflection. Throughout your reflection, be sure to:

• Use the key terms you learned in the first creative challenge (e.g., informal research, applied research, formal research, epistemology, etc.)
• Demonstrate awareness of the epistemological assumptions, research methods, and discourse conventions of the major methodologies explored in the class:
  • Scholarly and Theoretical Research,
  • Design and Creative Methods,
  • Empiricism,
    • Qualitative Methods,
    • Quantitative Methods,
    • Mixed Methods.

Evolution of Understanding

• Discuss how your understanding of research methods in Professional and Technical Communication evolved, using key terms from the course.
• Reflect on how your awareness of different epistemological perspectives (e.g., dialogism, rationalism, hermeneutics, pragmatism, constructivism, etc.) influenced your research approach.

Rhetorical Reasoning

• Describe how you targeted the epistemological assumptions of your chosen methodological community.
• Explain how you aligned your research methods with the practices expected by your target audience.
• Discuss the rhetorical appeals (logos, ethos, pathos) you employed and why.
• Describe the article or research study you modeled your work after. How did it influence your approach, and how did you adapt its strategies to fit your own research?

Discourse Conventions

• How did you adapt your writing to match the discourse conventions of your chosen methodological community?
• What challenges did you face in adhering to these conventions?
• How did your understanding of different research methodologies (e.g., scholarly and theoretical research, design and creative methods, empiricism) inform your writing style?

Ethical Considerations

• Describe the ethical considerations relevant to your research and how you addressed them.
• How did your understanding of information literacy influence your research process?
• Discuss how your chosen epistemological perspective influenced your ethical approach to research.

Contribution to Methodological Community

• How does your study contribute to ongoing conversations in your chosen methodological community?
• What new insights or approaches does your work offer?
• How does your research align with or challenge the epistemological assumptions of your chosen field?

AI Integration in Research

• How did you use AI tools to manage the research process and prepare results?
• What were the benefits and limitations of using AI in your research?
• How did you ensure ethical use of AI in your research process?
• Discuss how AI integration relates to the epistemological foundations of your research approach.

Methodological Insights

• What did you learn about your chosen research method(s)?
• How might you refine or adapt these methods in future research?
• Reflect on how your chosen methodology aligns with specific epistemological perspectives discussed in the course.

Challenges and Solutions

• What obstacles did you encounter, and how did you address them?
• How did your earlier learning about different methodological communities help you overcome these challenges?
• Discuss how understanding various epistemological perspectives helped you navigate research difficulties.

Personal Growth

• How has this project developed your skills as a researcher in professional and technical communication?
• How has your understanding of the relationship between theory and practice in PTC evolved?
• Reflect on how your epistemological understanding has grown throughout this process.

Future Directions

• Based on this experience, how do you see yourself applying these research skills in your future academic or professional work?
• How might your newfound understanding of various research methodologies and epistemological perspectives influence your future research approaches?

Journal Authority Assessment

• Recall the journal scoring exercise you completed after critiquing published research. Apply a similar assessment to your own study. How would you rate your work in terms of authority, credibility, and adherence to methodological standards?
• Discuss how your understanding of different epistemological perspectives and research methodologies informs your self-assessment.

Assignment Steps

1. Study the Prompt: Carefully review this assignment description, paying close attention to the requirements for each deliverable.
2. Review Earlier Work: Revisit your research proposal, literature review, and annotated bibliography from the previous challenge. Reflect on the second and third creative challenges when you learned about how the different methodological communities presented research questions, literature, and citations.
3. Additional Research: Engage in additional strategic searching to strengthen your study’s significance, explore the research problem in greater depth, refine your methods, or better interpret your data.
4. Conduct Research: Carry out the research you proposed in your earlier proposal.
5. Draft Findings Report: Write your research findings in the appropriate genre, keeping in mind your target audience and methodological community.
6. Peer Review: Participate in peer review sessions to refine your work. Provide constructive feedback to your peers and consider their suggestions for your own work.
7. Prepare Presentation: Develop a concise 5-minute presentation summarizing your research for your peers.
8. Reflect on Process: Write your methodological and rhetorical reflection, using the provided headings.
9. Self-Assessment: Apply the journal scoring criteria to your own work, as you did earlier with published research.
10. Strategic Revision: Based on peer feedback and your own critical assessment, strategically revise your research findings report and reflection. Focus on strengthening your arguments, clarifying your methods, and enhancing the overall coherence and impact of your work.
11. Finalize and Submit: Make final revisions and submit all three deliverables.

Remember to refer to the model study you identified earlier in the process as you develop your research findings report. This will help you align your work with the conventions and expectations of your chosen methodological community.