WS9 - 04: ITâS ALL ABOUT ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION: AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL RESEARCH METHODS WORKSHOP CONDUCTED BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEES ON EDUCATION RESEARCH AND FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
Michael Kim, MD, MA, FRCSC1, John Falcone, MD, MS, FACS2, James Rucinski, MD, FACS3, Sarah Sullivan, PhD4; 1University of Toronto, 2Owensboro Health, 3New York Methodist, 4University of Wisconsin
Committee on Educational Research & The Committee on Faculty Development
Background: Ideas for education research studies often originate from issues that surgical educators experience in practice. Problems such as trainee acquisition of knowledge or skills, lack of appropriate teaching tools, or a need to test novel methods of instruction to improve education programs. To approach any of these issues scientifically, educators need to develop appropriate research questions that can be systematically refined for rigorous studies.
Purpose: The purpose of this workshop is to guide participants in developing research studies from everyday education problems. The focus will be on asking focused research questions and aligning appropriate study methods to those questions.
Audience: This workshop is targeted towards ASE members with previous experience or training in education research, who are looking for assistance or guidance in their current studies. An e-mail notice will be sent one month prior to the Spring meeting to invite a maximum of 10 ASE members to submit current research proposals that have not yet been accepted for funding and register for the workshop. SERF graduates are encouraged to attend.
Activity: Workshop participants will engage in small and large group activities designed to help them consider dilemmas in surgical education and how they can turn these into rigorous studies and fundable systematic research programs. Facilitators will ask participants to reflect on examples of the facilitators’ proposals that have not been funded. Participants will also get feedback from facilitators and workshop attendees on their own research problems and approaches (pre-meeting submitted proposals). Workshop facilitators will discuss differences between elements of a research proposal, such as distinguishing between a research topic, research problem, purpose statement, and research questions. We will also cover common errors in writing research proposals, including a lack of reflection on whether proposed problems and questions are worth researching and can actually be investigated effectively. Finally, we will discuss different kinds of methodological issues, e.g., qualitative versus quantitative, and how to approach writing an experimental versus an exploratory study.
Outcomes: Participants will leave with a refined education research question, an outline of methodologies to answer this question, and concrete ideas for strengthening their research proposals.