Skip to Main Content

Education Studies Research

This guide provides resources for educational research aimed at students enrolled in research programs at OISE.

How do I select my research topic?

  • Reflect on personal, academic, and professional interests 
  • Review course material and readings
  • Consult course instructors 
  • Conduct literature reviews 
  • Explore current trends 
  • Consider timeframe for project

How do I refine my research topic?

Broadening and narrowing the research inquiry
Theoretical concept

  • Does your research use specific theories? 
  • Does your research consider specific theorists? 

Methodology

  • Is your research quantitative or qualitative? 
  • Are you conducting empirical research? 
  • Is this a case study? A comparative case study? 

Disciplinary perspectives (learn more about disciplinary perspective with a podcast episode on disciplines in research) 

  • Are you using frameworks and methods from a single discipline? Multiple disciplines? 
  • Is your work interdisciplinary? Transdisciplinary? Multidisciplinary? 

Impact or outcome

  • What are you trying to measure? Evaluate? Assess? 
  • How you can measure the impacts or outcomes? 

Time 

  • Is there a set period that you've used to limit your search results? 
  • Are there any particular moments or events or timeframes that are significant to your inquiry? 

Geography 

  • Is this inquiry set in a particular place? 
  • What is the geographic scope of your research? 

Population 

  • What communities are you interested in? 
  • Why are these communities of interest? 

Industry or sector

  • Are there specific industries or sectors you are examining? 
  • Why are you examining these particular areas? Can you broaden or narrow these areas further?