1. Paper 4: The Big Picture
Christina Bretoi

2. Find something that interests YOU
Selecting Your Topic
Find something that interests YOU
Questions you should ask yourself when coming up with a topic.
Does it effect a lot of people?
Can a discussion be created from your topic?
Does it have contrasting perspectives?
Ex:
Global topic
Themes
Global Issues
Perspectives
Tourism
Culture
Economics
Environment
Ethics
The extent to which tourist
companies embrace ethical
tourism
Tourist companies should be obliged to pay a local tax to help fund
environmentally sound local projects. OR
Tourist companies attract and generate wide economic benefits for a
locality and should not be expected to pay local taxes on top of this
Taken from AICE learners guide

3. Developing Your Research Question
Questions to ask yourself while coming up with questions:
Is the questions exploratory of different aspects of your topic?
Are there different opinions and arguments that can be discussed from your question?
Does the question pose an obvious problem?
Avoid these phrases:
‘what’ ‘why’ or ‘explain’
Use these phrases:
‘To what extent’ ‘How far’ or ‘should’
stage2_critique-sheet.docx

4. The Considerations Of The Research Design ‘If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?’ – Albert Einstein
Make sure you evaluate your available resources
Books
Library
Websites
Computer with internet
Magazines
Magazines from home, bookstore
News articles
Newspaper, book store, online.
Managing your time correctly
Do you need a budget? Books cost money!
Be organized

5. Reviewing The Literature
You DO NOT have to do a literature review.
Only do one if it will help your paper and help the readers and yourself be more organized
Find the books you want before hand and keep a list.
It will be hard to find and get a copy of every single book on your list. Do NOT get discouraged. Say good bye to that book and find another one.
USE GOOGLE SCHOLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
USE WORLDCAT
If you are using primary data you might want a literature review. However if you are using primarily desk research, then you are already writing a literature review
When writing a literature review refer to AICE’s learners guide. PLEASE

6. Selecting Your Methods Is it valid and reliable?
You have the power to choose a method that works best for you while doing your research.
Quantitative Questions
’How much?’ or ‘How often?’
Your research needs to be based more on something that gives you these numbers so you would need quantitative data
You can find most of your numbers doing desk research
Qualitative Questions
Understanding someone's motivations or interpretations of issues and events
You would need secondary sources and maybe create research of your own i.e. interviews.
../../../Volumes/NO NAME/ stage5_primary_research.docx

7. The Fieldwork (Primary Data)
Uses surveys, Questionnaires, Interviews and Focus Groups.
Using Surveys/Questionnaires:
Make sure to identify sample. Who are you targeting?
Closed questions
Open-ended Questions
Interviews:
Structured interview
Semi structured
Unstructured
Focus Groups:
Same as interviews just more people
(Sounds a lot like AICE-psychology, doesn’t it?)

8. Analyzing Your Data Building theory through interpretation:
AICE wants your theory to be a set of interrelated concepts and ideas that have a strong claim to being relevant as an explanation of what may be happening in terms of your research topic.
Bringing it all together:
Infer
Identify
Conclude
Explain
Hypothesis/Theory
Evaluate
Build

9. Writing The Actual Report
Make sure to plan out your essay. SCAFFOLD!
Give yourself enough time to write your essay
Write as many drafts as you can… there is always something in your writing you can improve.
Do NOT procrastinate
Good Luck!

10. Logs overview Please keep up with your logs
You will regret it
Talk about anything and everything that has to do with your paper
When writing your logs, ask some of these questions:
How does the research make you feel?
What quote helps you further your research?
How does this quote make you feel?

11. Tips and tricks Keep up with logs DON’T PROCRASTINATE
Actually plan out your essay
Find an essay buddy (someone that you trust to be honest with you) to throw ideas back and forth for each others essay
LOOK AT THE LEARNERS GUIDE
Use the instructor for help when you can!!!!!!!!
Don’t be afraid to write more than one draft. There is always something to fix.

12. All information came from the AICE Learners Guide which can be found on the AICE website or Dr. Crihfield’s website