MedEd Research Planner - Medical Education Research Tool

Welcome to the Medical Education Research Planner

This interactive tool will guide you through the process of planning your medical education research project. By the end, you'll have a comprehensive research plan tailored to your specific interests and context.

How to use this tool

You will progress through a series of questions about your research interests, philosophical approach, methodology, and methods. Based on your responses, the tool will suggest appropriate research approaches and provide relevant examples from the literature.

At the end, you'll receive a downloadable research plan that you can use as a foundation for your project.

Research Question Development

Let's start by clarifying your research interests and goals.

Initial Interest

What is your primary interest in conducting this research?

Understanding experiences or perspectives

Exploring how individuals perceive or experience phenomena in medical education

Exploring social processes or relationships

Examining how people interact or how systems function in educational contexts

Testing effectiveness or comparing approaches

Evaluating whether educational interventions achieve their intended outcomes

Developing or validating assessment tools

Creating reliable measures to evaluate performance or understanding

Examining patterns or associations

Identifying relationships between variables or factors in educational contexts

Question Refinement

Which best describes your research aim?

Describing

What is happening in a particular educational context

Explaining

Why or how particular educational phenomena occur

Evaluating

How well an educational approach or intervention works

Predicting

What might happen if certain conditions or interventions are introduced

Changing

How to improve educational practices or outcomes

Research Context

In what context will your research take place?

Undergraduate medical education

Research involving medical students during their initial training

Postgraduate medical education/residency

Research involving doctors during specialty training

Continuing professional development

Research involving practicing clinicians' ongoing education

Interprofessional education

Research involving multiple healthcare disciplines learning together

Clinical teaching environments

Research set in patient care settings where teaching occurs

Other

A different educational context not listed above

Knowledge Gap

How would you characterise the existing knowledge in your area of interest?

Limited research exists on this topic

Few studies have addressed this specific area

Existing research lacks theoretical framework

Studies exist but without strong conceptual foundations

Contradictory findings exist

Different studies have yielded inconsistent results

Existing research lacks contextual relevance

Studies exist but may not apply to your specific setting

The phenomenon is recognised but poorly understood

The topic is acknowledged but mechanisms remain unclear

Research Question Builder

Based on your selections, here are some example question formats that might help you craft your specific research question:

Your Research Question:

Philosophical Foundations

Every research approach is based on philosophical assumptions about the nature of reality (ontology) and how knowledge can be gained (epistemology).

Why This Matters

Understanding your philosophical stance ensures alignment between your research question, methodology, and methods. It helps you make consistent decisions throughout your research process and articulate your approach to others.

Ontology: Views on Reality

Which statement best reflects your view about the nature of reality in your research context?

Realism

There is a single objective reality that can be measured and understood through careful study

Critical Realism

Reality exists but can only be imperfectly understood due to human limitations

Relativism

Reality is constructed through human interactions and varies across individuals and contexts

Historical Realism

Reality is shaped by social, political, and cultural forces that create power structures

Epistemology: How Knowledge is Gained

How do you believe knowledge can best be gained in your research area?

Objectivism

Through objective measurement and observation, minimising researcher influence

Post-positivism

Through systematic observation while acknowledging some researcher influence

Constructivism

Through interaction and co-construction of meaning between researcher and participants

Critical/Transformative

Through critical examination of power structures and advocating for change

Your Research Paradigm

Loading...

Ontology: Not yet selected

Epistemology: Not yet selected

Example Paper:

Methodology Selection

Based on your philosophical foundation (paradigm), let's identify an appropriate methodology for your research.

Methodologies Aligned with Post-positivism

What is your primary research objective?

Experimental

Testing effectiveness or comparing approaches through controlled conditions

Correlational

Identifying relationships between variables without manipulation

Psychometric

Developing or validating assessment tools

Epidemiological

Exploring patterns or risk factors in existing data

Methodologies Aligned with Constructivism

What aspect of human experience are you most interested in exploring?

Ethnography

Studying cultural and social contexts through immersion

Grounded Theory

Developing theory from data through iterative process

Case Study

In-depth exploration of a bounded system

Phenomenology

Understanding lived experiences of a phenomenon

Narrative Inquiry

Exploring individual experiences through storytelling

Discourse Analysis

Analysing language use and its effects

Methodologies Aligned with Critical Inquiry

What is your primary critical aim?

Action Research

Changing social practices through participant involvement

Critical Discourse Analysis

Examining power dynamics through language analysis

Institutional Ethnography

Understanding institutional practices and their effects

Participatory Research

Addressing inequities through collaborative research

Selected Methodology

Not yet selected

Example Paper:

Methods Selection

Now that you've selected your methodology, let's choose appropriate methods for data collection, sampling, and analysis.

Data Collection Methods

Based on your methodology, which data collection methods would be most appropriate? (Select all that apply)

Qualitative Data Collection Methods

Interviews

One-on-one conversations with participants

Focus Groups

Group discussions with multiple participants

Observations

Watching and documenting behaviors or practices

Documents/Texts

Analysis of existing written materials

Visual Methods

Using images or video to collect data

Quantitative Data Collection Methods

Surveys/Questionnaires

Standardised collection of self-reported data

Structured Observations

Systematic recording of behaviors using predefined categories

Secondary Data Analysis

Analysis of existing datasets

Experimental Measurements

Objective measurements in controlled conditions

Sampling Strategy

How will you select participants or data sources for your study?

Qualitative Sampling Approaches

Purposive Sampling

Selecting cases that will provide rich information related to your research question

Theoretical Sampling

Selecting cases based on emerging theory and concepts as analysis progresses

Maximum Variation Sampling

Deliberately selecting diverse cases to capture a wide range of perspectives

Snowball Sampling

Having participants refer other potential participants

Convenience Sampling

Selecting easily accessible cases

Quantitative Sampling Approaches

Random Sampling

Every member of population has equal chance of selection

Stratified Sampling

Random selection within defined groups or strata

Cluster Sampling

Randomly selecting groups or clusters rather than individuals

Consecutive Sampling

Including all accessible subjects over a specified time period

Total Population

Studying the entire available population

Data Analysis Approach

Based on your methodology, what analysis approach is most appropriate?

Qualitative Analysis Approaches

Thematic Analysis

Identifying patterns and themes across the dataset

Constant Comparative Analysis

Iterative coding and comparison for theory development

Phenomenological Analysis

Understanding lived experiences and their meanings

Discourse Analysis

Examining language use, context, and power relations

Narrative Analysis

Analysing stories and how they construct meaning

Quantitative Analysis Approaches

Descriptive Statistics

Summarising and describing data characteristics

Inferential Statistics

Testing hypotheses and making inferences about populations

Correlation and Regression

Examining relationships between variables

Factor Analysis

Identifying underlying dimensions in the data

Meta-analysis

Statistical combination of results from multiple studies

Methods Summary

Data Collection:

Sampling Strategy:

Not yet selected

Data Analysis:

Not yet selected

Practical Planning Considerations

Let's address the practical aspects of implementing your research.

Ethics and Rigour

How will you address ethics and rigour in your research?

Ethics Considerations

Informed Consent Procedures

Ensuring participants understand the research and agree to participate

Confidentiality and Anonymity Measures

Protecting participant identities and sensitive information

Power Dynamics and Relationships

Addressing potential influence of power relationships on participants

Potential Benefits and Harms

Assessing risks and benefits for participants and others

Institutional Review Requirements

Meeting IRB/REB or other ethical review requirements

Rigour Considerations for Qualitative Research

Reflexivity

Considering researcher positioning and influence

Triangulation

Using multiple data sources or methods

Member Checking

Verifying findings with participants

Audit Trail

Documenting research decisions and process

Thick Description

Providing detailed context and meaning

Rigour Considerations for Quantitative Research

Internal Validity

Ensuring accurate causal inferences

External Validity

Ensuring generalisability to other settings

Reliability

Ensuring consistency and reproducibility

Objectivity

Minimising bias in measurement and analysis

Statistical Power

Ensuring adequate sample size

Resource and Timeline Planning

What resources and timeline will your research require?

Resources Needed

Personnel

Equipment and Software

Participant Recruitment

Data Management

Timeline Planning

Ethics Approval

Estimated duration:

Participant Recruitment

Estimated duration:

Data Collection

Estimated duration:

Data Analysis

Estimated duration:

Writing and Dissemination

Estimated duration:

Estimated Total Project Duration: 13 months

Note: Phases may overlap. This is an initial estimate and should be refined as your research plan develops.

Your Research Plan

Based on your selections, here is your comprehensive research plan.

Next Steps

This plan provides a foundation for your research project. We recommend discussing it with your supervisor or colleagues for further refinement. You can download this plan as a PDF for your records and future reference.