Planning Research – Level 3 Health and Social Care BTEC Revision

Planning research begins with defining a clear, specific and feasible research question. The question should be related to health and social care and relevant to current needs or issues.
The next step is to conduct a literature review. This involves searching for existing research and literature related to the chosen topic. The aim of this is to gain a comprehensive understanding of what is already known about the topic and to identify any gaps in the current knowledge that the research could fill.
After conducting the literature review, the researcher must decide the appropriate research methodology. This involves choosing the best research methods to use (e.g., survey, experiment, observation, interviews) and providing justification for the choice.
It’s also important to consider the ethical implications of the research. This means ensuring that the research respects the rights, integrity and privacy of the research participants, and that the researchers gain informed consent from the participants.
The researcher then develops a research design. This includes defining how the research will be conducted, what data will be collected, when and where the research will be carried out, and how the data will be analysed.
The planning stage also includes planning for data collection and data analysis. Clear procedures need to be in place for collecting, recording and storing data. The methods chosen for data analysis should be appropriate for the type of data collected and should be capable of answering the research question.
The researcher must also consider potential limitations and challenges that might arise during the research process and plan how to overcome them.
Finally, the researcher should produce a research proposal. This is a detailed plan of the research that includes the research question, literature review, research methodology, ethical considerations, research design and data collection methods. It is used to gain approval for the research and to inform others about the research plan.