Research Skills

RESEARCH SKILLS 1

RESEARCH SKILLS

Author:

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RESEARCH SKILLS 2

INTRODUCTION

Although research is a term that is mostly used by students who are in higher learning

institutions, it is, however, an activity that one has been undertaking long before he/she enters the

institution. None the less, research is more pronounced and emphasized in higher learning

institutions because of the skills that have to be embedded in the student at that stage of their

learning (DfES, 2003). This is important since, in spite of instilling certain skills in a student,

research also makes the student more independent in exploration and search for knowledge and

truths, which is the basic foundation of discoveries.

Research can be described as the use of a particular method to search information

carefully in order to understand a scenario better and answer questions about it. However, in

contrast to the definition of research, research skills are not acquired from a particular scenario

but over a range of scenarios over time (Halstead & Martin, 2001). This means that it is a gradual

process that is acquired by a person even if he/she is not doing an actual research. Because of the

specific skills that need to be acquired by students, lecturers are of importance as they give

guidance to the students on how to tackle certain issues while doing a research.

Some of the research skills that one acquires over time include the skills to clarify the

necessary data required to bring out the objectives of the study, how and where to find and

generate the required data, analyzing and synthesizing data and finally communicating and

applying the data. This data can be derived from both primary sources and secondary sources,

however, for clarity, one has to undertake a literature review to find out what other authors have

written about the topic at hand, this may be from; eBooks, journals, websites, and books.

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SKILLS PROFILE

Over the years, the author has acquired a range of skills that appertain to learning; these

skills were instilled in the author at different settings both at school and by undertaking personal

activities. Below are the skills the author has attained from the learning process divided into

skills which the author has mastered and skills which the author is still working on to improve.

The explanation was written with a bias to maritime and logistics sector to bring about how the

skills were actualized.

ACQUIRED SKILLS

Clarification

It is important for any student to have a clear objective for the research to bring about the

aim of the research; therefore, it was important for the author to acquire the skill of clarifying

data to keep within the topic of the project (Fanghanel, 2007). Over time, the author has realized

that one can easily be derailed from the topic at hand due to the vast sources of information

available on the internet, journals, eBooks etc. not to mention the availability of articles which

have not been reviewed for their validity.

In this case, the author has gained the skill to generate questions, hypotheses, and aims

within the topic and evaluate them based on experience, literature, and expertise. The skill of

clarifying data made it easier for the author to come up with valid proxies in objectives that

reflect the quality of maritime education ship officers receive during their training. By mastering

this skill, the author is confident to arrive at valid conclusions in the topic of study.

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Finding and generating appropriate data

In order for the author to arrive at correct conclusions during a learning process, in spite

of clarifying the collected data, there was the need to make sure that the data was acquired from

valid sources especially when a primary source is being used. This is because getting wrong

answers for the correct questions would lead to wrong conclusions. Because of this, over time,

the author has obtained the skill of devising an appropriate methodology to address certain

aspects of the study (Schroeder, 1996).

The author had to inevitably develop this skill as there are different professions in the

marine industry. Also, seafarers have different qualifications and different levels of experience

within the industry. Keeping this in mind, not everyone is eligible to correctly address an issue

when it arises but directions have to be given from the most qualified person. This plays a part in

how information is disseminated in normal ship operations as there is a hierarchy of command.

With this realization, the author gathered the skills of structuring an appropriate methodology to

address the issue at hand, confidently self-selecting the sources of information and collecting

self- determined data (Hyland, 2007).

Evaluation and reflection

The author concurs with the thought that evaluation and reflection is an important skill to

develop as it leads to the realization of areas of improvement and also gives the insight to renew

others’ processes (Smith, 2007). The author gained this skill by criticizing his work and

therefore, realizes areas which need to be improved on.

The author has reason to believe that in order to perfect on this skill, one has to have

adequate experience in the field of study, has to become an expert in the field and also take note

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on the different literature available discussed on the field of study. In the maritime industry, the

importance of this skill cannot be over emphasized as safety is a top priority to seafarers. During

accidents and near miss incidents, ship officers are supposed to learn from previous mistakes and

perfect the actions that are to be undertaken. This is because the ramifications of a capsized ship

are enormous both economically and politically.

SKILLS TO BE DEVELOPED

Analyzing and synthesizing data

For data to be useful to a learner, the collected data has to be processed by a statistical

method to become useful information which the learner can use to derive conclusions (McClure,

2009). None the less, the author believes that in order for derived information to make sense to

the topic of study, the information has to be analyzed in a way that addresses the objectives of

the study at hand. By conducting adequate analysis, the researcher fills in the gaps of a research

and may also realize hidden relationships.

The author is of the view that as long as there are continuous emerging technologies in

the maritime industry, one cannot simply say that he/she has completely mastered the skill of

analyzing and synthesizing data. Also, since safety is a top priority to all seafarers, all staff

members should be able to identify and forecast possible flaws in systems and machinery that

may cause harm to the ship, thus making analysis an important skill. This is also the reason why

professionals of maritime institutions undergo training and retraining.

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Organization of work

Although the author is of the idea that over the years he has acquired good organization

skills, he is of the view that there is a need for improvement as safety and organization in the

maritime industry go hand in hand. This is because while in a ship, there are laid down

procedures that one is to undertake when an incident arises to ensure the safety of every staff

member. In a learning process, organization is important since it ensures a logical flow of

information that makes a reader understand the reasoning of the author (Reynolds, Caley and

Mason, 2002).

In a ship, there is a chain of command that is followed by all personnel, this reflects the

linear nature of how the author wants to perfect the use of organizational skills.

Application of information

Due to the continuous breakthrough inventions that take place in the maritime industry

that improves on the safety and operations that take place within a ship, the author is of the idea

that one cannot exhaust the application of information he/she gathers from a learning experience

(Yorke, 2006). This is because, even though a piece of information may seem irrelevant now, it

may be of high importance in future with the necessary technology.

The author has realized over the years that, while processing data from collected sources,

especially from primary sources, some of the information that is produced from the process does

not assist in analyzing the data. For example, when processing data using regression analysis,

although the information may have meaning in statistical terms, apart from showing correlation

and the type of relationship between two variables, some other figures are not useful in the ship's

operation.

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REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The author is of the view that literature review is of utmost importance when writing a

research project in that it gives a benchmark of what the research is about and also gives more

information about the research at hand. Through a literature review, the author reflects on what

has been written about the topic of discussion by other authors and keeps in mind their

recommendations about the topic of study. The following is a literature review that has been

written by other authors which the author of this paper has found to be relevant in the topic of

discussion.

Skills, according to Webb finance inc. refers to the ability to smoothly and effortlessly

carry out complex activities which would be considered hard for an unskilled person to do. Such

skills involve cognitive skills, technical skills, and interpersonal skills. These skills are, however,

learned over time by the person undertaking the activity as a person tends to improve on his/her

skills over time. Such skills are acquired subtly in that one can be gaining such skills without

actively knowing so for example, interpersonal skills tend to improve when a person engages in

communication but may only discover that he/she has gained that skill after reflecting on his/her

interpersonal skills over time.

Learning, according to Kolb and Kolb (2008), takes place from synergetic transactions

between individuals and their environment at large. This explains that learning happens both

actively and inactively in that a person may notice a scenario from the environment and learn

from it even though he/she is not aware that it is a learning process. Because of the involuntary

nature of learning, most learning processes take place subconsciously but may be realized after

reflecting on the scenario.

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According to Rodgers (2002), reflection is a process moves the learner from one

experience to a subsequent one by making meaning to what the learner has experienced by

making a relationship or rather making a connection to other experiences and ideas. This means

that reflection is an active process that involves remembering, understanding and making a

connection to what the learner has experienced. By linking different scenarios to each other, a

learner gains more understanding to what he/she is undertaking.

According to Chavan (2011), learning enables a learner to become a member of the

community of practice by enabling an individual to gather information independently and make

valid conclusions. The ability to correctly discover the relationship between two or more

scenarios is an indication that the learner is gaining the necessary skills to be considered a

qualified person in the field of study.

Critical self-reflection is an important transition skill that students from higher learning

institutions would benefit from during their studies (Cheng, et al, 2005). By this statement, it is a

requirement for self-reflection to be an active process that draws correct conclusions to different

scenarios. To this end, critical self-reflection is of utmost importance to ensure that learning has

taken place. This is because; drawing wrong conclusions during a self-reflection process would

defeat the whole process of learning.

According to Kolb and Kolb (2008), learning involves thinking, experiences and

reflection and acting in an effective manner that is impeccable to the learning institution.

Therefore, learning is not an activity that takes place from a single activity alone; instead, it

occurs gradually over time from different contributing factors over time. For instance, one can

make sense of a scenario that he/she experienced in the past five years due to a communication

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he/she gets recently. This explains the boundless nature of learning provided a person is able to

remember an experience and reflect on it.

Reflection and critical thinking work hand in hand to make sense of ideas and even

makes a learner come up with alternative possibilities (Chavan, 2011). This makes the learning

process a foundation to discoveries in that, through experiences, a learner is able to link up two

or more scenarios that he/she discovers to have a pattern. Therefore, making it necessary for the

learner to explore the connection between the scenarios and maybe come up with a new

discovery.

It has been discovered that real time experience helps people to learn, advance and

abstract a concept, (Chavan, 2011). Real time experiences are more effective than reading since

real experiences involve the active participation of all senses making the experience more

memorable than one that is read. It is therefore important for learners to undergo real time

experiences to improve their learning process and improve put their reflective capability in

action. By processing firsthand information, learners gain more understanding than that which

he/she understands in class.

For learning to take place, there must be experience, reflection, conceptualization and

active experimentation (Chavan, 2011). It is however not necessary for all the factors to be

available for learning to take place depending on the situation. None the less, reflection is an

important requirement for learning to be actualized since without reflection, there would be no

linking of ideas to form conclusions. Reflection, none the less, goes hand in hand with critical

thinking to ensure that the conclusions arrived at are true and valid.

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Conclusion

In general, the author is of the view that learning is a continuous process that cannot

completely be exhausted. Due to the vast amounts of information we receive in our day to day

activities, if we create time to reflect upon our experiences, we can learn a lot of things. None the

less, for learning to take place, an important skill to acquire is reflection and critical thinking.

Without reflection, it almost impossible to come up with a relationship between two or more

experiences and without critical thinking, one may device wrong relationships that lead to wrong

conclusions.

Over the years, the author has gained the skill of clarifying information, finding and

generating data, evaluating data and reflection. However, the author is still working to acquire

other skills such as; analyzing and synthesizing data, organization, and application of

information, especially in the maritime industry. This is because the marine and logistics sectors

are continuously growing sectors which in spite of the author having adequate skills, the

continuous growth of this industry makes it impossible for one to completely acquire such skills

to completion.

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REFERENCES

Kolb, A.D. and Kolb, Y.A (2008) Experiential Learning Theory: A Dynamic, Holistic Approach

to Management Learning, Education and Development,

Available at: http://learningfromexperience.com/media/2010/08/ELT-Hbk-MLED-LFE-website-

2-10-08.pdf

[Accessed: 28 July 2017]

Kolb, A.D. and Kolb, A.Y. (2005) the Kolb Learning Style Inventory,

Available at: http://learningfromexperience.com/media/2010/08/tech_spec_lsi.pdf

[Accessed: 26 July 2017]

Chavan, M. (2011) Higher education students’ Attitudes towards experiential learning in

international business,

Available at:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233336779_Higher_Education_Students'_Attitudes_To

wards_Experiential_Learning_in_International_Business

[Accessed: 25 July 2017]

Rodgers, C. (2002) Defining reflection: another look at john Dewey and reflective thinking,

Available at: http://www.bsp.msu.edu/uploads/files/Reading_Resources/Defining_Reflection.pdf

[Accessed: 28 July 2017]

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Cheng, M. Bernes,P. Edward, C. Valyrakis,M. (2015) Transition skills and strategies; Critical

self reflection,

Available at: http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/docs/publications/transition-skills-and-

strategies---critical-self-reflection.pdf?sfvrsn=8

[Accessed: 27 July 2017]

DfES (2003) Widening Participation in Higher Education

Available at: http://www.dius.gov.uk/higher_education/~/media/publications/E/EWParticipation

(Accessed 27 July 2017)

Halstead A., &.Martin, L.M. (2001) Learning and thinking styles: A Tool for engaging

engineering students with their studies

Available at: http://www.hull.ac.uk/engprogress/Prog1Papers/CoventryHalstead.pdf

(Accessed 26 July 2017)

Schroeder, C.C. (1996) New students: new learning styles

Available at: http://www.virtualschool.edu/mon/Academia/KierseyLearningStyles.html

(Accessed 25 July 2017)

Smith, M. K. (2007) 'Action research', the encyclopedia of informal education,

Available at:

http://www.infed.org/research/b-actres.htm

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(Accesses 29 July 2017)

Yorke, M. (2006) Employability in Higher Education: what it is – what it is not Learning &

Employability (Series One) The Higher Education Academy

Available at:

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/ourwork/tla/employability/id116_employa

bility_in_higher _education_336.pdf

(Accessed 24 July 2017)

Reynolds, R., Caley, L. and Mason R. (2002). How Do People Learn? London: CIPD.

Available at: https://cipd.co.uk/learning/factsheet.pdf

(Accessed 28 July 2017)

DfES (2003) The Future of Higher Education

Available at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/hegateway/strategy/hestrategy/pdfs/DfES-

HigherEducation.pdf

(Accessed 25 July 2017)

Fanghanel, J (2007) York Higher Education Academy: Investigating University Lecturers

Pedagogical Constructs

Available at: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/projects/detail/projectfinder/projects/pf26

(Accessed 28 July 2017)

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Hyland, F, (2007) A changing world: the internationalisation experiences of staff and students

(home and international) in UK Higher Education

Available at

http://escalate.ac.uk/downloads/5248.pdf

(Accessed 23 July 2017)

McClure, P, (2009) Reflection on practice,

Available at:

http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415537902/data/learning/8_Reflection%20in%20Practic

e.pdf

[Accessed: 28 July2017]

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