research project

- workflow -

how I worked on my research project

In the beginning I collected all my ideas for the research project in a mind map created with mindmeister. The map on the right was my first collection of ideas. At this point, I concentrated on different online transnational collaboration platforms. The only one I knew at this time was the platform "e-twinning", a programme by the PAD. This is why I decided to work further and more detailed on this platform. My questions to know were: How is it to work with this platform? Where are the (dis)advantages of online transnational collaboration in foreign language learning? Are there any limitations to improve?

TO DO

After having collected some first ideas about the project I actualised my constantly changing TO DO - List. My next steps should be :

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

In order to get an idea of my own work and to structure them, I wrote a research proposal. I presented my aims for the project work, the methods I previewed to use and my personal expectations for the results. HERE you can have a look at the document.

INTERVIEW

In order to get an idea how many connections my research question has with reality, I contacted an in-service teacher in Kiel who already worked on several eTwinning projects with different countries. The interview was inspiring and gave me for the first time the impression, that my topic has a certain importance. It confirmed my work.

LITERATURE RESEARCH

For more scientifically based information I read different texts about the eTwinning platform. The most important one was an article by Stamatios Papadakis from 2016, in which he analysed in detail aims of the platform as well as positive and negative aspects of it.

WRITING THE FINAL PAPER

While and after all research work I worked on the final paper of the research project. The paper should first of all present the initial idea and aim of the eTwinning platform. Furthermore it should finally be the presentation of the results I got to my research question via interviews and literature research: What are the benefits and limitations of the platform and how could it be improved in the future?

HERE you can read my entire research paper.