Month: April 2026

This week’s session continued our exploration of research design and focused on developing methods that could be used to answer a research question or support a hypothesis. We discussed how research design acts as the framework for a project, helping to connect the research question, methodology and final conclusions. The lecture reinforced the idea that a strong thesis is not just about having an interesting topic, but about creating a clear plan for investigating it.

A recurring theme throughout the session was the concept of the “Golden Thread”, which links the research question, objectives, methods and findings together into a coherent piece of research. We looked at resources and videos explaining how maintaining this alignment can help strengthen an academic argument. We also discussed research objectives and how they should be specific, achievable and directly connected to the overall aims of the study.

As I continued developing my topic around directing audience attention in 360 animated films, this session helped me think beyond the research question itself and consider how I might actually investigate it. Rather than only focusing on what I wanted to research, I began considering which methods would be most appropriate and how the different sections of the proposal could work together to support the overall argument. This felt like an important step towards turning a general area of interest into a structured research project.

This week introduced the Thesis Proposal assignment and the structure that will eventually be required for the final thesis. We looked at the different components of the proposal, including the research question, introduction, literature review, methodology and chapter outlines. The session helped clarify how the proposal acts as a roadmap for the larger thesis project and how each section contributes to developing a focused and achievable study.

However, much like the start of the previous term, many of us were focused on an approaching deadline. Our draft literature review was due within a few days, so Nigel spent much of the session answering questions and providing practical advice to help us prepare our submissions. He gave guidance on structure, formatting, word count and the overall expectations of the assignment, which was reassuring as I was still refining my work before submission.

Looking back, the session helped me see the connection between the literature review I was about to submit and the larger thesis proposal that would follow. Rather than viewing the assignment as a standalone task, I began to understand it as the foundation for future research. This also encouraged me to continue developing my newer research direction around attention and viewer guidance in 360 animated films, as it is likely to form the basis of both my proposal and Final Major Project moving forward.