The word “research” has its
origins in old French in the 16th century. The word rechercher meant
(and still means) “to search for”. Nowadays we would say that research, and
specifically “scientific” or “scholarly” research, is the search for truth, or
the pursuit of or quest for credible knowledge. It is precisely because
research has become such a complex and multidimensional endeavour that we need
to “make sense of” it. Making sense of research thus unpacks
research as a technical and methodical process which starts with framing
interesting questions and culminates in credible findings. (Johann Mouton)
Making sense of research is designed to take
students beyond the messy experiential realm into what actually happens when
getting registered, writing proposals, being examined and eventually crossing
the stage to be capped.
Contents
include the following:
·
Academic architecture and why history matters
·
How to do it (research)
·
Thematic techniques
·
Ethnographic, reception, visual and textual methods
·
Getting published
·
Some words on deconstructing deconstruction
·
Getting technically oriented
·
Getting conceptually orientated
Making sense of research is aimed at all research
students.
I can say with some degree of confidence that no such book has yet been
written in South Africa (or anywhere else for that matter) on how to do, think
and suspect research. Witty, informative, and in parts irreverent, the wide
range and critical treatment of research topics earns this volume a secure
place on the bookshelf of a postgraduate student or a young faculty member
trying to make sense of the world of scholarly inquiry in a digital age.
~Jonathan Jansen
Part 1: Academic architecture and why history matters
Part 2: Research in a digital age: Wot’s Wot app?
Section 1: Whereto the digerati with short attention spans?
Section 2: Paradigm wars, science, literature and numbers: wot’s app?
Section 3: How to do it (research)
Section 4: Thematic techniques
Section 5: Ethnographic, reception, visual and textual methods
Section 6: Getting published
Section 7: Some words on deconstructing deconstruction
Part 3: Getting supervised
Section 1: Getting technically oriented
Section 2: Getting conceptually orientated
The Conversation - 19 April, 2018
https://theconversation.com/red-tape-is-alienating-academics-from-their-own-research-and-work-95080
This article has also appeared on the
following sites:
Inside Education - 23 April 2018
world.edu - 20 April 2018
Mail & Guardian - 24 April 2018
“Abnormal times. I suspect that the so-called "new
normal"/"great reset" is going to wipe out - by sheer brute
force - the old publishing models. So far, the response has been flat footed -
and a bit like deer in headlights. So, it could help if Making sense of
research itself, which was novel in proposing breaking with normative
(and often untenable) research habits, could be marketed as having presaged the
new normal. It is a prescient book whose main thesis is that we must recognise
that we are stuck in 20th century paradigms; its main contribution is to set
the scene for a ‘new normal’ in research, something that it achieves without
the assistance of a pandemic. It is a primer on the new research agenda of the
21st century, and a toolbox for the agile researcher working in changing times,
whether working from home or not, working alone or in teams, and in uncharted
territory.”
- - Professor Nyasha Mboti,
Associate Professor, Communication Science, University of the Free State
"Making sense of research is far less an instrumentalist 'cookbook' on research-as-process,
than it is a substantive reflection upon research-as-practice.
The first type appeals to the undergraduate textbook market and can be
'learned' for abstract assessment (i.e., 'tested'), whereas the second type
appeals to those already having some experience of research and supervision.
That is the market for Making sense of research.
The first type (e.g. Bezuidenhout, et al 2013, Research Matters),
an introduction, follows the form of lecture notes -- measured by a didactic
and technical standard. It can be read from a podium and consumed. It belongs
to the monological lecture theatre. It is aimed at average students,
particularly those who see education as a means to an end, rather than as a
benefit for character. With these books, you learn with them. That is their
market.
The second type (e.g., Making sense of research) is mostly
read with some hindsight. You READ these books, rather than study them as
lecture notes. They invite dialogue. One does not ask whether its content is
correct or not, but whether it is true or false. With these books, you THINK
with them. They are appreciated with experience. They are more valuable than
useful. Hence, Making sense is for researchers more than for
students doing a module on research. And that makes it a valuable book for any
researcher to have; to be read from time to time, particularly early on in
one's academic career. That said, the book is not so esoteric, not to be
practical. There's nothing more practical than a good theory."
- - Professor Marc Caldwell,
Department of Communication, University of Fort Hare
“Given the present zeitgeist of the #DecolonisationMovement, I see Making
Sense of Research as being (1) a handy manual for 21st century
post-positivist students/learners and (2) traversing the same route as Umberto
Eco's How to Write a Thesis. And hopefully, it will also enjoy the multiple
edition lifespan of Eco's book!”
- - Jeff Sehume PhD (UJ);
previously a policy analyst at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic
Reflection.
"Not merely a handbook, but really a hands-on book, it’s the only
text that answers all those questions an emerging researcher has but either is
afraid to ask or does not realize need to be asked."
- - Thad Metz, Distinguished
Professor, University of Johannesburg.
“The book is ideally suitable for undergraduates, graduate students,
independent
consultants, policy experts and scholars or anyone interested in
pursuing a challenging
and exciting career in research.”
- - Blessed Ngwenya, University of
South Africa
“Being a researcher in methodology itself, I always stress the central
importance to students of how you do research. Since 2018, Making sense
of research has been my go-to-guide in recommending them certain
chapters. Two reasons for this is that I teach across a variety of fields and
methods, including textual analysis, reception theory and ethnography,
and Making sense of research contains a wide collection of
different strategies that relate to these and other methods of data collection
and analysis. Secondly, out of all the wider readings and chapters I suggest to
the students I supervise, I most frequently receive notes of gratitude for
the Making sense of research chapter/s.”
- - Prof. Lauren
Dyll, Associate Professor, Centre for Communication, Media and
Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal - Durban
“Once Making sense of research gets into the hands of our postgraduate
students, they sell the book to each other. It really is a compass to help
students navigate their research journal, it’s even better when our students
refer the books to their peers.”
- - Eliza Govender, Associate
Professor & Academic Leader, Centre for Communication, Media and Culture,
University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal, Durban
“The Keyan Tomaselli edited Making sense of
Research (Van Schaik 2018) which made the politics of doing a Masters
or Ph.D (from both the supervisor and student point of view) a fun and even
hilarious read - pure 'shooting from the hip' , while maintaining the requisite
academic standards of a monograph. Most research books I have looked at
over years of buying and selling them, are too 'clinical /
didactic.' Making Sense of Research is the first locally, and
perhaps among the few internationally that bring in the human element in the
deep waters of Masters and Ph.D research.”
- - Cedric
Sissing, ex-Adams Booksellers, now with Ike's Books, Durban. From The Thornveld
Making Sense of Research - 8 March 2021
https://www.fromthethornveld.co.za/making-sense-of-research/
“I
used the book with my BEd Honours students in the module 'Introduction to
Educational Research' last semester (2020). The students found
that the book enhanced their study tremendously, especially during the lockdown
and the move towards self-directed learning. They appreciated the
student-friendly approach to research matters, the use of everyday examples
that they can relate to and the interesting ways in which research has been
demystified. More importantly, they indicated that the practical
hints and ideas had ensured success of their research initiatives.”
- - Rajendra Chetty, Professor: Language
Education, University of the Western Cape
“Being a researcher in methodology
itself, I always stress the central importance to students of how you do research.
Since 2018, Making Sense of Research has been my go-to-guide
in recommending them certain chapters. Two reasons for this is that I teach across a variety
of fields and methods, including textual analysis, reception theory and
ethnography, and MSR contains a wide collection of different
strategies that relate to these and other methods of data collection and
analysis. Secondly, out of all the wider
readings and chapters I suggest to the
students I supervise, I most frequently receive notes of gratitude for
the MSR chapter/s.”
- - Prof. Lauren Dyll, Associate Professor. Centre for Communication, Media and Society Academic
Leader | Community Engagement
Applied
Human Sciences | College of Humanities
Howard
College Campus | University of KwaZulu-Natal | Durban
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