Understanding Research Practice Project Pitch

How students decided on their career path/ course of study?

The topic I have chosen for my research project is delving into how students studying at university have decided on their desired degree as their course of study, gaining an insight to what have been the contributing factors in the decision-making process.

I have taken into consideration that the topic I am interested in researching can be quite broad, although if the research is structured and managed effectively it can result in a successful research project.

This topic of research aligns with curiosity, which is the individual experience and thought process behind the topic and reflexivity, being a great starting point in the development of research, being able to reflect upon my own independent experiences as well as others around me.

Experience through Research

The term ‘Experience through research’, circulates around the way we think of an experience as what people see, hear and physically endure. This also shapes how their understanding of a concept and their outlook toward the topic in the future. This is particularly important because research has found that one cannot understand human experience just through observation itself, but experience as it is a different state in comparison to observation of behaviour. ‘Design shapes behaviour and by shaping behaviour, design shapes experience”. So, integrating my topic of research with my own experiences is an important part of the research process.

After finishing my higher education, I had no intention of university studies, although it was the solidified path for others around me, I confidently planned to pursue other forms of work as a guide before deciding a solid foundation for my career would be to obtain a Bachelor, this consistent process for me took 4 years. My career trajectory differs significantly to others, and it is a constant topic of conversation with other students since my initial studies at university began. It is a question I quite often think about and how it has shaped the individual I am today. I feel as though this research project regardless of the scale of participants, would be a of great value and something the university would benefit from gaining an insight into.

The research topic will be strongly developed through a quantitative research strategy. It is important to note that the role of ethnographic research and how quantitative and qualitative data are used is dependent on the topic of research and the results that the researcher is trying to find this is something I will implement accordingly. I will be implementing research strategies such as observation, listening, structured conversational questions and reliable sources for research purposes.

Research Positionality
To define research positionality is as the position a researcher takes toward the world around them and a specific topic of research (Holmes, 2010). “Both are shaped by a researcher’s identities, including social factors such as race, class, gender, sexual identity, ability, citizenship status as well as linguistic and cultural backgrounds, familial histories, personal experiences, and professional trajectories” (Holmes, 2016).

Positioning Statement

I am currently a BCM student studying at the university of Wollongong, majoring in Visual Communication Design. I work a part time/ casual job within the Illawarra. I am a white Australian, with Indigenous heritage and traits of Scottish and Irish. I am the oldest of 4 siblings and the first individual in my immediate family to attend university.