Service: Writing
Type: Academic
Terminology: Common
Number of Pages: 7 pages (1925 words)
Topic Of Your Paper: Design and critically evaluate an appropriate dissemination strategy for the research project discussed in Haxell (2014).
Design and critically evaluate an appropriate dissemination strategy for the research project discussed in Haxell (2014).
Main sources
You will need to refer to:
Haxell, A. J. (2014) ‘On becoming textually active at Youthline, New Zealand’, British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 144-155.
And at least two sources from the module material.
Below is a list of module material that you may find useful in completing this TMA; you are not You must refer to the research article by Haxell (2014).
These could be fine in understanding research with children and young people
• Block 4 Units 18–22
• Module Reader Chapter 15 by Robb (cite as ‘Robb (2014)’ in your assignment)
• Module Reader Chapter 16 by Ruxton (cite as ‘Ruxton (2014)’ in your assignment)
• Module Reader Chapter 17 by Pascal and Bertram (cite as ‘Pascal and Bertram (2014)’ in your assignment)
• Module Reader Chapter 18 by Mann, Liley and Kellett (refer to as ‘Mann, Liley and Kellett (2014)’ in your assignment).
All sources must be referenced using Harvard style
The TMA task asks you to design and critically evaluate an appropriate dissemination strategy for the research project by Haxell (2014). As you read the article, make
a note of aspects of the research and research findings you consider should be disseminated to the research community and also to others who might be interested in
this research study. Also note other factors that you think may be of interest or relevance, for example, you will notice that the study took place in an established
organisation offering a crisis helpline for young people and explores the use of a new technology, SMS. You may think these points are of interest or you may focus on
other aspects of the study. The study is situated in the social and policy context of New Zealand; you may wish to consider how this relates to other contexts, perhaps
recognising the increasing availability of mobile phones in the majority world. Similarly, you may consider what can be learned from the findings of this study in
relation to the different ways in which young people use mobile technologies.
It is not necessary to find out about the researchers who carried out the project nor the ways in which the results of the actual project were disseminated. You are
being asked to think about how the results of this study could potentially be disseminated clearly, efficiently and ethically to the relevant audiences. Your
assignment will be marked according to:
• how well you are able to identify suitable audiences for the research – who should hear about the findings of this research?
• how realistic your plans for reaching those audiences are – how might different audiences be engaged?
• how well you think through the practical and ethical problems involved in disseminating the research.
The assignment not only asks you to design an appropriate dissemination strategy but also to citically evaluate it. In order to do this, you will need to refer to at
least two sources from the module material in reflecting on your strategy. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your strategy? How does each part of the
dissemination strategy contribute to the whole? Is your strategy appropriate for the different audiences you identify?
The TMA builds on key material discussed in Block 4. These brief notes may be useful as you consider which module sources to use in your TMA. In Chapter 15 of the
Module Reader, Robb focuses on the different types of discourse within childhood and youth research that reflect the different approaches researchers employ to share
their work with a range of audiences across academic, policy and practice arenas. In this chapter, Robb highlights how research dissemination is an important
consideration for researchers during the planning stages of their research. Getting research into policy and practice, however, is not a straightforward task. In
Chapter 16 of the Module Reader, Ruxton, and in Chapter 17, Pascal and Bertram, provide detailed examples of the complex process of linking research with policy and
practice and the different strategies that can be used for engagement and dissemination.
Although this study may appear a long way removed from the small-scale study you will design in your EMA project, similar principles apply.
Suggested structure
There are many ways of structuring this assignment. These suggestions do not have to be followed, but may be helpful if you are unsure how to approach writing this
assignment.
• In your introduction you could briefly describe the study described by Haxell (2014) and explain the main aims of your suggested dissemination strategy.
• You could then explain the significance of the research and identify the audiences to whom the research findings are relevant. How and why is the research
significant to different groups of research users? Who else may be interested in these research findings? What are the potential barriers to reaching particular
audiences? Are there other potential difficulties to overcome?
• You could then set out your suggested dissemination strategy. What will you be communicating to each of the audiences you have identified? How will you reach
those audiences? Do not simply list and describe each element within the broader strategy, but provide details of how and why the different elements of the strategy
will enable the results of the research to be communicated effectively and usefully to the different audiences.
• You also need to critically evaluate each of the elements in your strategy. You might do this either when discussing the different elements of the strategy or
in a separate section of your TMA. Think about the practical and ethical problems engendered by the strategy, and show that you are aware of the limits of what
researchers can achieve.
• Finally, in a short conclusion, you summarise the aims of your dissemination strategy and reflect on how effective you think it would be in meeting those aims.
