Design and critically evaluate an appropriate dissemination strategy for the research project discussed in Sutton (2021).  

Assignment Guide

 

The word length of TMA 04 is 1900 words (excluding your title and list of references). Before starting work for this TMA, you should:

This assignment is based on EK313 Block 4.

During your study of Block 4 you have considered various approaches to disseminating research findings and the approaches taken by different researchers. In Unit 22 you worked through a number of activities relating to designing a dissemination strategy. In this assignment you will build on the work you did in Block 4 in order to design and critically evaluate an appropriate dissemination strategy for a specific research project.

 

Design and critically evaluate an appropriate dissemination strategy for the research project discussed in Sutton (2021).

 

 

Main sources

You will need to refer to:

Sutton, C. (2021) ‘What counts as happiness for young people: a qualitative study’, Children and Society, 35(1), pp. 18–33.

And a minimum of 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 required to use all the material in this list. You must refer to the research article by Sutton (2021).

  • 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 – cite as (Mann, Liley and Kellett, 2014) in your assignment.

You may also refer to material studied earlier in the module, either other chapters in the Module Reader or online sources. All sources must be referenced using the Cite Them Right referencing system (as specified in Section 5.6 of the Assessment Guide).

Suggested approach

In this assignment you will focus on both designing and critically evaluating a dissemination strategy for a study into what constitutes happiness from young people’s perspectives. The study explored aspects of young people’s feelings about happiness using a mixed methods approach to identify and address a range of issues.

You are provided with a reference to an external source reporting this research: Sutton (2021) and you need to use this article which you can locate and access using the search skills you developed in TMA 03. Use the OU Library search facility to first find the journal title, then use the information in the reference to navigate to the correct volume and issue in order to locate the article. Once you have located the article, download a copy to your own computer and read it.

The TMA task asks you to design and critically evaluate an appropriate dissemination strategy for the research project by Sutton (2021). 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. You should pay particular attention to dissemination strategies for the young people who took part in the research and how you might present the data to them in an informative, useful and ethical way. As you read, note other factors that you think may be of interest or relevance, for example, you may wish to read the research findings and recommendations in some detail and consider whether these are specific to the location, or the age group, where and with whom the research was undertaken or whether they might have relevance elsewhere. Ask yourself:

  • Why does research matter? (Be clear about how and why a particular piece of research is significant.)
  • Who are the audiences for the research? (Be clear the research can be important and relevant in all kinds of different ways to a range of different audiences.)
  • Who would be interested in the research findings and how they might they be made aware of them? Here it is important to consider the role of the young people who took part in the research and how (or if) the findings should be disseminated to them.
  • You should also keep in mind the ethics of dissemination. If you are disseminating widely, how will you ensure anonymity? If you are disseminating to a small part (such as those who took part in the research), how would you ensure confidentiality?

Before starting your TMA, you are advised to review your notes from Section 2 of Unit 22. Take time to consider who the potential audiences are for this study, which findings are relevant to which audience(s) and how might each audience be reached.

Although it is not necessary to find out about the researcher who carried out the project, you might be interested to know that this article was based on the work done for a recent PhD in Childhood Studies at The Open University. The article does not cover the actual ways the project was disseminated or any impacts it had. However that is not relevant to this assigment: you are being asked to think about how the results of this study could potentially be disseminated clearly, efficiently and ethically to all the the relevant audiences. Your assignment will be marked according to:

  • how well you are able to identify suitableaudiences for the research – who should hear about the findings of this research?
  • how realisticyour plans for reaching those audiences are – how might different audiences be engaged?
  • how well you think through the practicaland ethical problems involved in disseminating the research.

The assignment not only asks you to design an appropriate dissemination strategy but also to critically 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 limitations 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. 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 somewhat removed from the small-scale study you will design in your EMA project, similar principles apply and you will be able to use understanding developed here in Part 3 of your EMA.

Suggested structure

There are many ways of structuring this assignment, including choosing whether to write an essay or a planning document, utilising sub-headings, tables, bullet points and other formatting devices. These suggestions do not have to be followed, but may be helpful if you are unsure how to approach writing this assignment.

Remember – An essay begins with careful and efficient planning. An essay plan helps you organise your ideas and design a strategy that communicates appropriate information to the relevant audiences.

  • In your introduction you could briefly describe the study described by Sutton (2021) 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 howand why the different elements of the strategy will enable the results of the research to be communicated effectively and usefully to the different audiences. Consider the use of varied channels to engage with an audience and to facilitate communication and impact.
  • You also need to critically evaluateeach 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 involved in implementing the strategy, and show that you are aware of the limits of what researchers can achieve.
  • Finally, in a short conclusion, summarise the aims of your dissemination strategy and reflect on how effective you think it would be in meeting those aims.
  • Note that this TMA asks you to critically evaluate your dissemination strategy. If you are unsure what ‘critically’ means in this context, you may find it useful to refer to the Open University Study Skills booklet ‘Thinking critically’ (available from the OU study skills website).
  • Add a list of references, drawing on the Cite Them Right referencing system (as specified in the Section 5.6 of the Assessment Guide). The reference list must contain a correct reference to the specified journal article.
  • The assignment title and list of references are not counted in the 1900 wordlength of this assignment.
  • Give your word count at the end of your essay, before your reference list.