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Note to students: Please familiarise yourself with the contents of this handout. All contents will also be made available on WiseUp.
How to access WiseUp:
1.
Go to www.wsu.ac.za
2.
Scroll down until you find these buttons:
3.
Click on Wiseup.
4.
Log in using your student number as your username and your ID number as your password.
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Research Project 2020
1.
Topic
Your project for 2020 is a Storytelling/Narrative Analysis assignment. This implies that you will familiarise yourself with the theories
surrounding Content Analysis, as well as Storytelling/Narrative Analysis.
Your prescribed text book is:
Brynard, DJ; Hanekom, SX and Brynard, PA. 20143. Introduction to Research. Van Schaik Publishers: Hatfield.
The text book is also available as an e-publication at https://www.vanschaiknet.com/book/view/157.
You have to do the following for your 2020 research project:
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
Select THREE people whom you can easily access (members of your household, yourself) in order to interview them about
themselves and their experiences of the Covid 19 lockdown.
Obtain permission to be interviewed from these people. State clearly that the information gathered in the interviews may be
used in a research project, and that the information may also be published on the WSU web site. Permission must be given in
writing (see Addendum A). You will need to make copies of the consent form to give to your interviewees. You will also have to
explain the research project to them, and give them an opportunity to answer questions about the project. ALTERNATIVELY: You
need to record your interview. Before the interview starts, ask the interviewees the questions on the consent form and let them
indicate verbally that they consent to be interviewed, and that they consent to you using the information in a research paper.
The interview needs to be about the LIFE STORY of the person you are interviewing, as well as their experience of Covid 19 and
the lockdown. You may not subject them to preconceived ideas of what you wish to achieve. As the interviewer, you need to be
completely unbiased.
After the interview, you have to take a publishable photograph of the interviewee. Make sure that this portrait is a reflection of
what you have learned about the person in the interview. Make sure that the pixels, etc. are correct for large format publication,
as these pictures will be published in poster (A3) format.
1.5
Write up your findings, i.e. similarities and differences that you might have discovered.
1.6
Draw conclusions based on your study of the literature available and your discoveries.
2.
Format of Project
2.1
2.2
Your research paper must consist of the following:
Cover Page
Your cover page is not numbered. There is an example of a cover page attached to this handout as Addendum B.
Table of Contents
ou simply list your contents (main and sub headings), as well as the page on which they first appear. Use this facility on MSWord in order
2.3
to make your life easier. This means that you need to use the Design function and clearly label each heading on the document,
so that MSWord will be able to automatically generate a table of contents. Note that your table of contents page is not
numbered.
Abstract
our abstract is a short summary of about 15-300 words of your research. It normally starts with a few words on the background, then
your research problem and then your resolution/discussion. You end by writing Keywords: followed by three to five keywords.
This page is not numbered.
2.4
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Introduction/Background
n this section you will introduce the reader to your topic. You may address difficult terminology, or simply explain what the topic is
2.5
about. You will write in the PAST TENSE at all times. It is normal to write this section once you have completed your research.
Literature Review
he literature review is an extremely important part of your research, because here you will showcase how much you know about your
2.6
topic and the theoretical background. In this case you will have to look at Storytelling and Narrative Analysis, as well as some
background on Covid 19, the lockdown, and the effects of the lockdown on people – in other countries, as well as in South Africa.
Methodology
nder this section you will describe precisely how you did your research and why you chose this specific method or methods, i.e why this
2.7
method works better for this research than any other method. Content Analysis as a method will be described here. You will also
describe each of the participants of your research in terms of their age, their gender, their socio-economic backgrounds, and
their place of residence. This does not only include the area in which they live, but also the type of residence. All of these
become variables that will have an influence on the quality of the information that we collect. You will therefore have different
sub-sections under your methodology, just as you will have different sub-sections under any of the other main headings.
Findings
n this section you will explain what your interviewees have said. You may give each interviewee a number, or refer to them as
2.8
Interviewee A (male, 16), and simply explain what they had said.
Conclusions
his is the most important part of your research. Here you will comment on everything that you have discovered via the above. You will
2.9
link your theory/literature review to what you have found, and discuss similarities or differences that you have determined via
your research. You need to interpret these discoveries and try to make it your own. Remember, however, that your ideas are
based on those of others. Also remember that you need to write in such a way, that your reader will understand everything you
are saying.
Recommendations
ome researchers will make recommendations at the end of their research. This is where they way what they think still needs to be done,
2.10
or where the gaps in their own research was. Obviously one of the gaps in your research is, that you only were able to select a
very small sample, and that this sample cannot be representative of the whole community.
Bibliography
ou have to do your according to the Harvard method, as prescribed by Walter Sisulu University research. Information about this method
can be found on the WSU web page. Simply go to the library page and find the full guides:
ttps://www.citethisforme.com/harvard-referencing,
ttps://www.uj.ac.za/library/research-support/Documents/Harvard%20ref%20techniques%20March%202017.pdf or
ttp://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard/htm.
lternatively, you may google the item, e.g. how do I reference a chapter in a book according to Harvard? and you will also get the
2.11
answer.
Addenda
his is the place where you will submit all the evidence that you have collected, for example, transcriptions of the interviews with your
3.
interviewees, as well as the consent forms. Of course, if your interviewee had given verbal consent, it will form part of the
transcription.
Numbering
ll numbering must be done like this:
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INTRODUCTION
1
Narrative Analysis
1.1
Definition
1.1.1 The Fredericks Principle
4.
Plagiarism
agiarism is the biggest academic sin that an academic/student may commit. Should you be found guilty of copying other people’s work,
you will be given a 0 and you may have to appear in front of a disciplinary committee. This may mean that you will be excluded
from further academic activities. You will also be blacklisted at all other universities.
o avoid plagiarism, all students will receive an invitation via their WSU e-mail to join Turnitin. You will be expected to submit your
research on a continuous basis via Turnitin to check for plagiarism. Your final submission must be submitted to Turnitin before
you hand it in to your lecturer, and you have to submit a plagiarism report together with a final bound copy of your paper.
5.
Submission
he final submission date will be negotiated, depending on the situation in the country. We are currently looking at possibly 15
November 2020. You have to submit one ring-bound copy of your paper together with your final plagiarism report to your
lecturer. No late submission will be allowed.
matters do not change, you will have to submit your research via e-mail. Your mail has to be clearly marked RESEARCH plus your
student number.
6.
Photographs
hotographs will have to be submitted as soon as you have taken them, so that I can check that the photographs are up to standard.
Photographs that are not correct, will have to be redone.
you are back before the end of the academic year, you will be expected to submit these photographs on a usb. You will need to put the
WSU logo, your name, as well as the name of the interviewee on the photograph.
hotographs will be printed for an exhibition, either at the end of 2020, or in June 2021. They must therefore be in printable format.
7.
Schedule of work
ease note that this is a tentative schedule, due to the instability of our current situation:
dentify interviewees: this should be easy, as you can basically only work with those in your immediate environment. If you feel
courageous, you may rope in people from outside when you go to, possibly, a shop. Make sure that you get the agreement
verbally if it is not possible to get it in writing. 18 August 2020.
omplete Literature Review: You need to read and summarise at least fifteen articles on the topic. The topic is not Covid 19 alone, but
mostly Narrative Analysis/Storytelling in the academic context. 30 August 2020
omplete Methodology: you need to read 3 to 5 articles on Content Analysis as Methodology. 15 September 2020.
omplete first draft: 30 September 2020
ubmit final draft: 30 October 2020
8.
Assessment
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You will be assessed according to the schedule attached to this handout as Addendum C.
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ADDENDUM A
Consent Form
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH CONSENT FORM:
Consent to be interviewed by Walter Sisulu Unviersity Student: _______________________
Please initial boxes to the right.
I confirm that I have read the leaflet about this research project and I understand the content.
I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw at any time,
without giving a reason.
I understand that the interview will be recorded and written out word-for-word later. The
recording will be securely stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
I understand that anything that I say will be treated confidentially and only used for research
purposes.
I understand that a photograph of myself may be used in an exhibition by students in the future
and that I will be invited to this exhibition.
I agree to take part in the WSU Storytelling Research Study.
_______________________
__________________
_____________________
Name of Participant
Date
Signature
_______________________
__________________
_____________________
Name of Researcher
Date
Signature
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DENDUM B
ver Page
Walter Sisulu University
Department of Corporate Communication and Marketing
Title of your paper
Name and Surname of Author in Italics
A paper submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Advanced Diploma in
Public Relations
October 2020
ADDENDUM C
Assessment
Student Number:
______________________________
Title of Research:
___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
The paper will be assessed on the following guidelines:
Introduction
5
Complete
Satisfaction
. Shows
understand
ing of the
topic. Topic
logically
presented.
Literature
Review
Complete
satisfaction
. Shows
understand
ing of the
topic. Topic
logically
presented.
Methodology
Excellent.
Gives
4
Good.
Introduction
comprehens
ive. Shows
understandi
ng of the
topic, but
some errors
of logic
and/or
understandi
ng
Good.
Literature
review
comprehens
ive. Shows
understandi
ng of the
topic, but
some errors
of logic
and/or
understandi
ng.
Good.
Understands
3
Satisfacto
ry. Shows
understan
ding of
the topic.
2
Unsatisfact
ory.
1
Some
attempt at an
introduction,
yet
incomprehen
sive and
unacceptable
.
0
Unaccepta
ble.
Satisfacto
ry. Shows
understan
ding of
the topic.
Unsatisfact
ory.
Some
attempt at an
introduction,
yet
incomprehen
sive and
unacceptable
.
Unaccepta
ble
Satisfacto
ry. Shows
Unsatisfact
ory.
Some
attempt at an
Unaccepta
ble
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complete
satisfaction
.
Conclusions
Excellent.
Gives
complete
satisfaction
.
In-Text
Referencing
Excellent.
No
problems
with
referencing
. Complete
satisfaction
.
Excellent.
No
problems
with
reference
list.
Complete
satisfaction
.
Publishable
Reference
List
Photograph
Findings
13-15
Excellent.
Gives
complete
satisfaction.
research
methods
and applies
appropriate
methods to
research.
Good.
Shows
insight and
understandi
ng.
Good. Some
errors, but
errors are
consistent
and show
application
of rules.
understan
ding of
research
methods.
Satisfacto
ry. Shows
insight
and
understan
ding for
the most
part.
Satisfacto
ry. Errors
are
inconsiste
nt.
Good. Some
errors, but
errors are
consistent
and show
application
of rules.
Satisfacto
ry. Errors
are
inconsiste
nt.
-
-
10-12
Good.
Findings
are in line
with
current
research
and show
insight.
7-9
Satisfactory.
Findings are
in line with
current
research.
Attempt at
understandi
ng research
methods,
but not
conclusive.
Unsatisfact
ory.
Attempt at
conclusions
, but not
conclusive.
Unsatisfact
ory. Many
errors, but
does show
some
understandi
ng of the
principles.
Unsatisfact
ory. Many
errors, but
does show
some
understandi
ng of the
principles.
introduction,
yet
incomprehen
sive and
unacceptable
.
Some
attempt at an
introduction,
yet
incomprehen
sive and
unacceptable
.
Some
attempt at an
introduction,
yet
incomprehen
sive and
unacceptable
.
Some
attempt at an
introduction,
yet
incomprehen
sive and
unacceptable
.
-
-
4-6
Unsatisfactory.
Findings
attempted,
but
generalised
and not
conclusive.
1-3
Findings are
generalised
and not
supported.
Unaccepta
ble
Unaccepta
ble
Unaccepta
ble
Not
publishable
0
Unacceptable.
TOTAL: ___/50 Percentage: ___
Comments:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
Examiner’s Signature
________________________________
Date