Contextualizing Your Research Project

In research, contextualization is a way of approaching our research project, or linking it to the relevant research and to the setting of the study. Contextualization gives credibility and support to our research project as a whole. Research contextualizing takes various shapes and forms. The two main ways in which research is contextualized will be illustrated and discussed in this chapter. First, we contextualize our research in relation to the established literature and prior studies. Second, we contextualize our research by linking it to (a) the specific context in which it was conducted like institution and workplace (micro-level); and (b) the location or general setting of the study like geographic territory and location (macro-level). Based on these two main ways of contextualizing research, a further two-fold wider contextualization of our research project will be identified too, namely, linking our research to other disciplines (domains of study) and other contexts (locations). In all cases, our research must be contextualized and grounded in theory and/or practice. This chapter, consolidated by abundant illustrative examples, takes the reader along these paths of contextualizing research.