This session will present an overview of the Global OER Graduate Network research methods handbook. The handbook is being developed by members of the network who are researchers in open education, and will serve as a useful starting point for anyone wishing to do research in education with a focus on OER, MOOCs or OEP. To contextualise this approach, an accessible and brief description of the types of methods typically used in research into education and educational technology will be provided. Some of the contrasting philosophical, epistemological and ontological commitments of different research paradigms will be used to differentiate alternative methodologies. Theoretical perspectives will be outlined but not fully explored. State-of-the-art approaches will be explored and their relevance for open education explained. The presentation will use examples of current doctoral research to highlight the use of different methods, and will convey insights into using different methods as shared by the researchers. This includes reflections on using different methods, and advice for conducting similar work. Finally, the presentation will offer up for discussion a provisional model of open scholarship including open practices (agile project management; directly influencing practice; radical transparency; sharing research instruments; social media presence; networks); open science (open access; open data; open licensing); digital innovation (HCI; data science; open source technologies); and normative elements (challenging dominant narratives; promoting social justice; and reducing barriers to educational access).

1. Research methods in
open education: Insights from the
Global OER Graduate Network
Computer and Learning Research Group, 15th April 2021
Dr. Robert Farrow
Open Education Research Hub
Institute of Educational Technology
The Open University, UK
rob.farrow@open.ac.uk
@philosopher1978

2. 2
0
1 Why a Research Methods Handbook?
Rationale and concept
0
2 Production Process
Crowdsourcing research insights
0
3 Presentation & Style
Aiming for accessibility
0
4 Open Research: Insights
Reflections shared by GO-GN members
0
5 Impact, Future Editions and Companion Works
Next steps
STRUCTURE
Introduction to GO-GN
Background on the Global OER Graduate
Network and its members
0
6
0
7
Group Discussion
Brainstorming conceptual frameworks
0
8
Acknowledgements
Thanks to all contributors!

3. How would you explain your work in
terms of the Methods/Conceptual
Frameworks you use (or challenge)?
What kind of resources are useful?
What kind of approaches are
supportive?

4. 4
SUPPORTING DOCTORAL RESEARCH IN OPEN EDUCATION
GLOBAL OER GRADUATE NETWORK
http://go-gn.net/

5. 5
GLOBAL OER GRADUATE NEWORK
GO-GN started in 2013 as an initiative from Fred Mulder, UNESCO Chair in OER at the Dutch Open
Universiteit, in collaboration with Rory McGreal, UNESCO / COL Chair in OER at Athabasca University
(Canada).
GO-GN is currently funded through the OER programme of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and
administered by the Open Education Research Hub from the Institute of Educational Technology at The Open
University, UK.
The aims of the GO-GN are:
• to raise the profile of research into open education,
• to offer support for those conducting PhD research in
this area, and
• to develop openness as a process of research.
More than 100 doctoral and post-doctoral researchers
form the core of the network with more than 200 experts,
supervisors, mentors and interested parties forming a
community of practice

6. Why a Research
Methods Handbook?
Rationale and concept

7. 7
(DECEPTIVELY) SIMPLE ANSWER
WHAT IS RESEARCH METHOD?
Method:
• Approach or technique for conducting research
• How a study is completed
• How data was collected and analyzed
• Testing a hypothesis
• Supports a claim to knowledge or validity

8. 8

9. 9
RATIONALE & CONCEPT
WHY A RESEARCH METHODS HANDBOOK?
Feedback from GO-GN members consistently raises methodology as an area of concern and the
Handbook is a response to this need:
• Methodology is hard, and often leads you outside your comfort zone
• Learners are rarely encouraged to critically engage with method before doctoral study
• People writing PhDs/EdDs can suffer from imposter syndrome, or feel like they are expected to
know all this stuff by now
• People often don’t feel like discussing these issues in a group
But openness also plays a part:
• Emergent field of study
• Applying methods outside original context
• Openness as object of study vs. openness as method
• Open practices challenge some of our assumptions about how to do research
• Different (academic) cultures can be more receptive to different kinds of research

10. 10
RATIONALE & CONCEPT
WHY A RESEARCH METHODS HANDBOOK?
Rationale:
• Addressing confusion and insecurity about research methods by acknowledging complexity
• Contextualizing these within open education research
• Building a record of the experiences of researchers in open education
• Working openly: sharing critical reflections widely
• Look for insights into “openness”
Concept:
• Offering an accessible entry point into methodology
• Convey complexity while being supportive
• Explaining the philosophical differences that underlie debate about method
• Exploring the concept of open research
• Collecting and sharing authentic experiences of researchers who have
used different methods

11. Production Process
Crowdsourcing research insights

12. 12
TIMELINE (2020)
PRODUCTION PROCESS
January – Announcement (webinars, survey)
February – Webinar; member input into scope, content
March – Survey of members closes
April – OER20 Workshop (moved online and redesigned)
May – Drafting and compiling responses
June – Open Editorial Review
July – Publication
Sep-Nov – Conference presentations
Nov – Open Education Award for Excellence (Research)

13. Presentation & Style
Aiming for accessibility

14. 14
TIMELINE
PRODUCTION PROCESS
July 2020 – Publication

15. 15

16. 16

17. 17

18. 18

19. 19
Research Design Process (based on E891) (Open University, n.d.)

20. 20
Progression through the Research Process (based on Brown & Dueñas, 2020)

21. 21
Farrow, R. and Mathers, B. (2020),
Conceptualising Research Methodology for
Doctoral Researchers in Open Education (with
penguins. International Journal of Management
and Applied Research, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 349-
pp. 349-359.
https://doi.org/10.18646/2056.73.20-025

22. 22
HANDBOOK STRUCTURE
PRESENTATION AND STYLE
Philosophical Foundations
• Ontology
• Epistemology
• Axiology
Research Paradigms
Paradigmatic Methods
• Positivism / Post-Positivism
• Interpretivism
• Critical / Transformational
• Pragmatic
• Multidisciplinarity / Interdisciplinarity
• Mixed Methods & Triangulation

23. 23
HANDBOOK STRUCTURE
PRESENTATION AND STYLE
Open Research
• Open Research Cycles
• Open Practices
Designing a Research Project
• Planning
• Ethical Issues
• Managing Risk
• Using Technologies
• Self Management
• Research Design

24. 24
OPEN PRACTICES IN RESEARCH
OPEN RESEARCH: INSIGHTS
One characteristic feature of open researchers is that they often integrate open elements
into what they do. This can include things like:
• Agile working & project management
• Directly influencing practice
• Radical transparency
• Social media presence, blogging
• Using networks as a research resource
• Sharing research instruments and other tools
• Use of open data
• Open access publication
• Technological innovation
• Working towards social justice

25. Open Research: Insights
Reflections shared by GO-GN members

26. 26
HANDBOOK STRUCTURE
PRESENTATION AND STYLE
Action Research & Participatory Action Research
Case Study
Content / Thematic Analysis
Design-Based Research / Interventions
Discourse Analysis
Ethnography
Evaluation Research
Experimental & Quasi-experimental research
Grounded Theory
Interviews and Focus Groups

27. 27
HANDBOOK STRUCTURE
PRESENTATION AND STYLE
Literature Review, Systematic Review & Meta-analysis
Mixed Methods
Narrative Research
Observation (Naturalistic & Analogue)
Phenomenography
Phenomenology
Social Network Analysis
Surveys & Questionnaires

28. 28
REFLECTION PROMPTS
RESEARCH METHODS REPORT
How do you frame your research? What motivates it?
• Describing what is happening (e.g. learner diversity in MOOCs)
• Identifying patterns (e.g. how are networks changing learner interactions?)
• Challenging existing narratives (e.g. ‘digital native’)
• Focus on something overlooked (e.g. importance of sociocultural factors)
• Supporting professional practice (e.g. educator development)
• Developing new theories
• Describing new trends (e.g. open education)
• Refine/redefine roles (e.g. MOOCs)
What will be the value of answering your research question? Can open approaches enhance or add value?
• Directly influencing practice
• Producing tools
• Data for re-use
• Open access publication
• Developing networks

29. Impact & Future Editions
Next steps

30. 30
Farrow, R., Iniesto, F., Weller, M. &
Pitt., R. (2020). The GO-GN Research
Methods Handbook. Open Education
Education Research Hub. The Open
University, UK. CC-BY 4.0.
http://go-
gn.net/gogn_outputs/research-
methods-handbook/
Images by Visual Thinkery

31. 31
https://awards.oeglobal.org/awards/2020/open-research/go-gn-research-methods-handbook/

32. 32
What’s next?
• A companion volume focused on
theoretical perspectives and conceptual
frameworks
• Future editions to include ongoing input
from researchers
• Expand to include discussion of other
research methods in open education
(e.g. textbook research; COUP
framework)
• Expand and refine presentation of open
research
• Build more detailed guidance for
research design

33. How would you explain your work in
terms of the Conceptual
Frameworks you use (or challenge)?
What kind of resources are useful?
What kind of approaches are
supportive?

34. tinyurl.com/CALRGGOGN

35. Acknowledgments
Thanks to contributors!

36. 36
THANKS FOR CONTRIBUTING!
RESEARCH METHODS HANDBOOK
Anne Algers (University of Gothenburg)
Samia Almousa (Leeds University, UK)
Marjon Baas (Leiden University, Netherlands, Saxion University of Applied Sciences,
Netherlands)
Penny Bentley (University of Southern Queensland, Australia)
Aras Bozkurt (Anadolu University, Turkey)
Walter Butler (Queensland University of Technology, Australia via the San Jose State
University (USA) Gateway Program)
Paula Cardoso (Universidade Aberta, Portugal)
Natascha Chtena (UCLA, USA)
Ada Czerwonogora (Universidad de la República, Uruguay)
Tanya Elias (Athabasca University, Canada)
Johanna Funk (Charles Darwin University, Australia)
Jenni Hayman (Arizona State University, USA)
Sarah C. Hutton (University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA)
Olawale Iyikolakan (University of Ibadan, Nigeria)
Katy Jordan (The Open University, UK)

37. 37
Caroline Kuhn (Bath Spa University, UK)
Sarah Lambert (Deakin University, Australia)
Tomohiro Nagashima (Carnegie Mellon University)
Chrissi Nerantzi (Edinburgh Napier University)
Jessica O'Reilly (Athabasca University, Canada)
Michael Paskevicius (The University of Victoria, Canada)
Judith Pete (The Open Universiteit of the Netherlands)
Virginia Power (The University of the West of England, UK)
Hélène Pulker (The Open University, UK)
Eyal Rabin (Open University of Israel)
Irina Rets (The Open University, UK)
Verena Roberts (The University of Calgary, Canada)
Virginia Rodés (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Universidad de la República,
Uruguay)
Elizabeth Spica (The University of Tennessee, Knoxville)
Viviane Vladimirschi (Athabasca University, Canada)
THANKS FOR CONTRIBUTING!
RESEARCH METHODS HANDBOOK

38. THANK YOU
rob.farrow@open.ac.uk
@philosopher1978
go-gn.net
oerhub.net