Some similarities and differences between Desk Based Studies and empirical research.
What to focus on in a DBS dissertation.
I recently gave an online seminar to some worried postgraduate students. They asked for additional advice about how to resubmit their DBS dissertations (in January)- there was tendency to over description and a limited analysis of texts. I described my DBS writing frame and referred to Barbara Bassot’s handbook for conducting DBS studies (2022) :
https://issuu.com/kathryn.king/docs/bassot_doing_qualitative_desk-based_research_secur
The School of Education and Social work at Sussex University, like many other universities, does not encourage Desk Based Study for MA Dissertations but there are valid exceptions and in that context I offer advice here.
A DBS dissertation requires a different approach to an empirical study, with major differences in the methodology and how the researcher engages with literature and secondary data. Some suggestions on what to focus on are offered here. Most importantly, the researcher must identify a research problem that requires the use of secondary data. In this way the researcher plans to offer a counter argument, identify an emerging discourse, raise important questions or strengthen an existing argument (Bassot, 2022). The researcher should only progress when they have a clear plan for engaging with literature for: a broad thematic analysis of literature and a more in-depth analysis of literature that forms the focus of their study. The researcher may seek to build on existing research, compare research, analyse selected research, or analyse a selection of different types of text, for example: government or non-governmental reports, news articles and policy documents.
I always ask students to share more of their thinking and at regular intervals in their study, by using 'I' and ‘my’. They should:
• Introduce the main title and research question and define key terms in the first paragraph.
• Explain the research question.
• State the objectives of the study.
• State the primary methods of engaging with literature.
• Offer a clear introduction (and outline) of the substantive content in each chapter with key citations and main themes.
• Describe their positionality as part of the context.
• Remember to give citations for the context, methodology and methods.
• Refer back to their positionality at intervals throughout the paper.
• In the methods section, describe their engagement with academic literature in depth eg types of searches and criteria for inclusion and exclusion of literature.
• Reflect on the limits of their research methods.
• Reflect on ethical issues such as copyright and conditions of use of secondary data.
• Align their main headings and themes carefully, and ensure there is sufficient information in headings to describe their main themes.
• Write a summary at the end of ‘the literature review’ which contains all of their opinions and main citations.
• In the findings and discussion chapter discuss their ideas and opinions. Describe and discuss two or three 'cross cutting themes'- ideas they have identified in the literature as important and helpful in answering the RQ.
• Acknowledge and justify any use of AI tools for co-authorship.
In addition to this advice I would add that a DBS and empirical study are very similar in two important ways: firstly in sharing the researchers’ intentions in the introduction and secondly in aligning the researchers positionality and research position. Examples are shared below.
Ning’s Chapter 1, the Introduction to the dissertation.
The author should take time to describe their title, main research question, key terms and the objectives of their study. In the example below- one of my Chinese student’s- Ning Rong introduces her empirical study: ‘Negotiating Professional Identities of Part-time Chinese as a Second Language Teachers in Private Language Institutions in Mainland China’. Ning offers some context with key citations, to set the scene in her introduction. She also defines the key terms, concepts and theories that she will use throughout her paper. Her intentions are made clear:
“Drawing on critical theory, I explore the broader political and economic structures that shape the growth of CSL education before examining how part-time CSL teachers negotiate their professional identities. Language teaching has long been questioned as a profession (Varghese et al., 2005, p.23) and CSL teaching is particularly marginalized”.
Furthermore, her main research question is clear and well aligned:
“How do part-time CSL teachers perceive their professional identities?
This question aims to uncover teachers' views and self-perceptions regarding their professional identities.”
More of Ning’s writing:
Every year, thousands of part-time Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) teachers start work in private language institutions across Mainland China, thousands also leave the profession. The decision to stay or leave is often influenced by how well their professional identity aligns with their personal identity (Alsup, 2006, cited in Loh and Liew,2016, p.277). Kanno and Stuart (2011) claim that positive teacher identity enhances teaching and learning, while De Costa and Norton (2017) argue that "good language teaching promotes social equality"(P.4). While Language Teacher Identity (LTI) refers to how language teachers view themselves, a clear definition remains difficult (Barkhuizen, 2017). Barkhuizen offers a "composite conceptualization of LTI" (p.3). He explains that LTI is shaped by experiences, beliefs, emotions, and social interactions within broader contexts. In this study, 'part-time CSL teachers' are defined as those employed by private language institutions in Mainland China. These businesses offer flexible learning options. Teachers are employed often on irregular contracts to meet the demands of a rapidly expanding market.
Drawing on critical theory, I explore the broader political and economic structures that shape the growth of CSL education before examining how part-time CSL teachers negotiate their professional identities. Language teaching has long been questioned as a profession (Varghese et al., 2005, p.23) and CSL teaching is particularly marginalized. Structural factors such as regulatory inaction and the profit-driven nature of private institutions exacerbate the challenges teachers face. In this context education is commodified, students are treated as customers, and teachers as servers. Part-time teachers struggle with limited job security, and low social status.
They are marginalized within a marginalized industry and forced to shape their professional identities with minimal support. As Priestley et al. (2015) argue, "agency is rooted in past experience, oriented to the future, and located in the contingencies of the present" (p.20, cited in Kayi-Aydar, 2019a, p.4-5). Norton (2001) describes the idea of ‘imagined identity’ as envisioned relationships with people and things in the same time and space (cited in Teng, 2017b). In other words, teacher identity depends "not only on who they are in reality but also on who they imagine themselves to be" (Xu, 2012, p.569). A second idea is 'practiced identity'- it emerges from "real-world interactions in communities of practice" (Xu, 2012,p.569). In this way ‘practiced identity’ is not only shaped by resources and social processes it is the product of desires, emotions, and beliefs (Xu, 2012, cited in Teng, 2017b). A third idea is 'designated identity'- introduced by Liu and Xu (2011), refers to what a teacher is expected to become, or the "institutional construction of identities" (Kayi-Aydar,2019b,p.291). This study will use these three concepts of identity: imagined identity, practiced identity and designated identity to explore how part-time CSL teachers negotiate their professional identities. Advocating for change for marginalized and vulnerable CSL teachers.
There are three research questions in this study: How do part-time CSL teachers perceive their professional identities? This question aims to uncover teachers' views and self-perceptions regarding their professional identities. What tensions do teachers face in their teaching practice? This question explores the specific challenges and conflicts these teachers encounter in professional identity construction. How do teachers negotiate their professional identities? This question focuses on the strategies part-time CSL teachers employ to reconcile their imagined, practiced, and designated identities.
Ning’s Chapter 4, positionality and research position in the Methodology.
It is essential to state very early on in a dissertation what type of study it is. The Methodology chapter in a dissertation is an opportunity to revisit the author’s positionality and align it with their research position. In other words, the researcher should revisit their personal context and describe their research position with reference to texts about research methods. This is for two metacognitive reasons: to demonstrate they know the difference between method and methodology and to demonstrate reflective and reflexive writing early on in the Methodology chapter. In this way the researcher justifies their methods and research choices before describing their methods in more depth. Ning states she has adopted Critical Realism in the excerpt below. She aligns her positionality and research position by referring to her knowledge of organisational structures both as, a Chinese as a Second Language teacher, and as a former business finance expert in China: “I believe, critical theory is most suitable for this study because I have expert knowledge of this industry in China. I also have additional expert knowledge of business structures and practices from my previous career in banking and finance.”
More of Nings writing:
While interpretivism is commonly chosen for studies exploring teacher identity, I adopt critical theory as my research paradigm. Revealing how part-time CSL teachers construct their professional identities through their imagined, practiced, and designated identities. This research examines CSL education, pointing out challenges and shortcomings in institutions. Cohen et al. (2017), observe "Supposedly value-free, neutral research perpetuates power differentials" (p.59). I see the world as generalisable and multifaceted, but with different real and valid individual experiences. I am biased but also believe, it would be superficial to interpret social phenomena without considering political and economic contexts. This is where the significance of critical theory lies. Unlike, positivism and interpretivism which offer "incomplete accounts of social behaviour when they neglect the political and ideological contexts of educational research" (Cohen et al.,2017, p.51). Through the application of critical theory, I aim to explain how part-time CSL teachers' feelings differ between public and private language institutions. As I stated in my 'Positionality' section, I am an insider in the CSL industry and have useful experiences to draw on. I believe, critical theory is most suitable for this study because I have expert knowledge of this industry in China. I also have additional expert knowledge of business structures and practices from my previous career in banking and finance. I hope to evaluate structural contexts by better understanding how other CSL teachers form personal perspectives and different realities in the CSL education industry.