Designing Practice Based Research for Novice Researchers

Course Description
This half day practical workshop is targeted at therapists who are interested in starting small scale practice based research projects and who are novice researchers. The workshop will focus on outlining the overall research process from inception of the research idea through to publication/dissemination of practice based research. The workshop will focus on the development of research questions and progressing the question to a viable research methodology. The work shop will be facilitated through interactive discussion and shared problem solving. Participants are encouraged to come with potential practice based research topics that can be used for exploration during the workshop.

Course objectives
At the end of this one-day workshop, participants will leave with understanding of:
• A working knowledge of the research process and how to apply it within the context of practice
• Experienced the process of refining practical research questions
• Awareness of selecting appropriate research methodologies and the factors that influence the choice of method
• Considered how to implement practice based research in their own practice

Programme
• Introduction – The process of practice based research
• From Idea to Question (presentation and whole group discussion)
• Developing an Individual Question ( small group and individual)
• Break
• Methodology Design (presentation and whole group discussion)
• Developing Methodology (small group and individual)
• The Next Steps (individual and whole group discussion)

Bios
Ms Michelle Spirtos is a lecturer in the Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Trinity College Dublin. She co-ordinates several practice related modules such as occupational therapy for children, assistive technology and evaluative practice. Prior to taking up her post in 2003 in Trinity, Michelle worked as a therapist and research fellow in a specialised upper limb service for children with neurological impairments. She completed a research Masters which examined the effectiveness of an intervention for children with cerebral palsy and is currently completing her PhD related to children with cerebral palsy, hemiplegia. Michelle has presented and published both nationally and internationally on several practice based research projects.

Mr. Tadhg Stapleton is currently a HRB Research Fellow in the Discipline of Occupational Therapy at Trinity College Dublin. He is completing his PhD on the clinical process of determining fitness to return to driving after stroke. His current research is embedded within clinical practice and was designed around exploring a practice issue. His previous research, including supervision of postgraduate/masters level research, has focussed on the examination of issues and questions emerging from clinical practice and producing findings that are immediately translatable back into practice. He has presented and published research in several clinical areas including Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury and his current research is the area of driving after stroke.