Research Methods
The research section of the KS3 Design and Technology and KS4 Design and Resistant Materials Technology software packages describes what research is and the various research methods that that may be employed when designing, making and evaluating.
Students will learn about:
- The Nature of Research
- Product Analysis
- Value Analysis
- Library Search
- Internet Search
- Experiments
- Observation
- Case Study
- Interviews
- Surveys
- Role play
The aim of this section is to enable students to choose an appropriate research method for the information they require, for example:
- if a researcher required information about ancient Egyptian building techniques, then the researcher would probably look for the information in libraries
- if a researcher required information about a new smart material, then the researcher would probably need to look in science and technology journals, or the Internet, because relevant information may not have been published elsewhere yet
- if a researcher needed information about how many pupils in a particular school prefer to wear school uniform and how many pupils prefer not to wear school uniform, then the researcher would conduct a survey
- if a researcher wanted to know precisely how a person would want his/her house decorated, then the researcher would probably conduct an interview.
It can be seen that there are numerous ways that information can be found and that the success of the research depends partly on the choice of the research method employed.
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Research methods are explained in our KS3 D&T software.
KS3 D&T: Single User Licence £40; Site Licence £80
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Download links will be emailed to you/your school within 24 hours of receipt of your order.