"Effects of Fatigue on Pilots Performance in Aviation" - Research Proposal - Environmental Studies

Internal Code : MAS5143

Research Proposal Assignment : 

Task :  To Qualify as Research, the Research Process must be : 1. Controlled - in exploring causality in relation to two variables, you design your study in a way that minimises the effects of other factors affecting the relationship 2. Rigorous – the procedures used to find answers to questions are relevant, appropriate and justified 3. Systematic – the procedures used to find answers to questions follow a certain logical sequence 4. Valid and verifiable – whatever you conclude from research is correct and can be verified by others 5. Empirical – conclusions drawn from the research are based on hard evidence gathered from information collected from reallife experiences and observations 6. Critical – the processes and procedures used should be able to withstand critical scrutiny Type of Research: 1. Application a. Pure or Basic research is motivated by the search for knowledge for its own sake; to increase our knowledge base. eg to discover new fuels for aeroplanes. b. Applied is motivated by the search for answers to practical problems. eg why do inexperienced pilots have crashes? 2. Objectives a. Descriptive aims to describe, systematically, a situation, problem, phenomenon, service or program eg., pilot attitudes towards random blood testing b. Exploratory aims to explore an area where little is known or to investigate the possibilities of undertaking a particular research study. Includes feasibility studies and pilot (or preliminary) studies. c. Correlational aims to discover or establish the existence of a relationship/association/independence between 2 or more aspects of a situation, eg., what is the relationship between trainee pilot IQ and the their test score for the basic aeronautical knowledge test? d. Explanatory aims to clarify why and how there is a relationship between two aspects of a situation or phenomenon, eg., why does reduced sleeping hours result in fatigue-related crashes? eg., is it because pilots fall asleep? 3. Type of Info a. Quantitative aims to quantify the variation in a phenomenon, situation, problem or issue. eg., what percentage of general aviation pilots have 7 hours or more sleep the night before a flight? b. Qualitative aims to describe the variation of a situation, phenomenon, problem or issue, without trying to quantify it. eg., focus groups with pilots to discuss their impressions of the level of automation in the A380 cockpit