Using a Learning Contract to Introduce Undergraduates to Research Projects

Many undergraduate Business programs aim to orient students to the research through a single-subject focussed on research design and conceptualisation. The focus of this paper is to case study a learning contract as it guides undergraduate students through a research project in a non-research method...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Electronic journal of business research methods 2014-11, Vol.12 (2), p.115
Main Author: Bone, Zelma
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business education
Case studies
College students
Contract proposals
Contracts
Discipline
Higher education
Independent study
Learning
Qualitative research
Reflective practice
Research design
Research methodology
Skills
Studies
Teaching
Teaching methods
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Summary:Many undergraduate Business programs aim to orient students to the research through a single-subject focussed on research design and conceptualisation. The focus of this paper is to case study a learning contract as it guides undergraduate students through a research project in a non-research methods subject and to determine the value of this process. The learning contract is a negotiated process between the learner and the academic supervisor. It is often the student's first foray into research so the staged guidelines provide supportive "training wheels" and a detailed "recipe" to follow. The learning contract approach to completing a research project also develops the student's abilities in aspects of (mainly) qualitative research design and reflective practice. This paper draws on the author's 20 year experience of introducing students to research by using an assessment method that has gained positive feedback, strong student performance and high student progression.
ISSN:1477-7029