Exercises

Below, you find several exercises aimed at improving your ability to define a research gap. The exercises cover different skills and competences needed for proper selection of a research gap. These include determining a research field (Exercise 1, 2), ethical approach (Exercise 3), selecting resources (Exercise 4), and choosing a research gap (Exercise 5, 6).

  1. Peter’s choice. Selection of a proper research field for the best use of your knowledge and experiences.
  2. What can be studied? Selection of a research field.
  3. What is ethical to study? A glimpse into how to include ethics while setting up a research gap.
  4. What can you learn from these sources? An exercise about choosing the right literature.
  5. Coffee as a field of social inquiry. An overview of possible research gaps and their relevance to different scientific disciplines.
  6. Mastering research gaps. An additional exercise to check students’ ability to search for a research gap in any field.

Exercise 1: Peter's Choice

Goal: In this exercise you will learn how to choose a research field according to your knowledge and experience.

Duration: 15 min.

Exercise 2: What can be studied?

Goal: In this exercise you will learn how to construct a good subject of research.

Duration: 10 min.

EXERCISE 3: WHAT IS ETHICAL TO STUDY?

Goal: In this exercise you will learn about ethical issues related to collecting data.

Duration: 10 min.

Look at a list of topics below. This whether you could prepare a study on these topics: (a) those that you can study on your own, (b) those that you should definitely consult with your teacher before starting research, (c) those that you cannot study, regardless of the circumstances.

Exercise 4: What can you learn from these sources?

Goal: After completing this exercise you will be able to recognise the different sources of knowledge in terms of their reliability and usability.

Duration: 20 min.

Instruction:

You are preparing a research project about the political engagement of Muslim females in Germany. You have access to four texts. Decide what kind of information can you get from them based on the information about their authors, type of publication and content.


TEXT 1

  • Author: Farhat Hoffmeier, lecturer of sociology at Humboldt University in Berlin
  • Type of publication: Article in a journal „Journal of Muslims in Europe”, published by Brill
  • Summary: Based on 20 interviews with Muslim political activists, the author analyses their motivations for political activity and barriers to entering the political scene.

TEXT 2

  • Author: Sayyid Abu Mahmood, Islamic Imam from a mosque in Hamburg
  • Type of publication: Interview in „Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”
  • Summary: Imam discusses whether the political activity of Muslim females is allowed in Islam

TEXT 3

  • Author: Bettina Strolov, journalist, reporter
  • Type of publication: Newspaper „Hot gossips” that is famous for uncovering scandals
  • Summary: Reportage about the career of Filiz Ozturk who is the first Muslim mayor in Munichburg

TEXT 4

  • Author: Maria Mischke, freedom activist
  • Type of publication: Think-thank „Free Germany. Citizen movement against Islam.”
  • Summary: Article about Islamisation of Germany by allowing Muslims to get access to political activity

Look at the way the information above is presented. Words indicating suspicion (“probably”) are used often. Knowing who the author is, what s/he has published, and where the text was published, does not fully indicate the quality of the article, but it should be considered when deciding whether your choice of resources is good or not.

Exercise 5: Coffee as a field of academic inquiry

Goal: Making students familiar with different approaches to the same subject of research.

Duration: 20 min.

Instruction:

Many people start their day with a cup of coffee. This drink is one of the most popular beverages in the world. Coffee is more than just a beverage. It facilitates interactions (people meet for a coffee and not for tomato juice), it has a long history as a luxury good traded in colonial era, there is also a huge global market for coffee. That is why coffee can be approached from the perspective of different scientific disciplines. Your task is to look at the topics below and choose the adequate scientific discipline. In some cases, more than one discipline fits. However, the subject is interdisciplinary and most probably includes concepts or methodologies from more than one discipline.

Next, try to come up with own topics on studying coffee. Check whether anyone has already researched such a topic (e.g. using Google Scholar). You can also use Worksheet 1 to develop your research ideas. If you have already found your research gap, move on to designing research questions.

PDF icon Worksheet 1

Exercise 6: Mastering research gaps

Instruction for the teacher:

Once students finish this module, provide them with an additional exercise. They should find a research gap in a topic of your choice.

Goal: Verification whether students can identify a research gap.

Duration: 30 min.

Instruction:

  1. The teacher chooses a research field that s/he knows well.
  2. The teacher divides students into groups of 2-3 and asks them to find a research gap within the selected research field. The research gap should:
    • Be related to the course / subject of the class,
    • Fulfill the conditions of a research gap.
  3. The students present the research gaps and discuss their conceptual and methodological framework using the Worksheet.
PDF icon Worksheet 2