approach for understanding meaning of a social issue/problem

collecting data through participant survey; understanidng how people interpret experiences and meaning of those experiences

Research Desgin

types on inquiry 

1.  Quantitative Design

2. Qualitative

3. Mixed

ex.  Holland-ethnogoraphy & phenmenology

Quantitative Design (p. 12) Creswell

-Experimental designs-assessment before and after treatment p. 19
-Nonexperimental designs such as surveys

Qualitative (p. 13)

1. ·        Narrative research -
2. ·        Phenomenology -
3. ·        Grounded theory - study seeks not just to understand, but also to build a substantive theory about phenomenon
4. ·        Ethnographies - strives to understand the interaction of individuals, but the culture of the society [based off the cultural (anthropology)]
5. ·        Case Study

Mixed Methods (p. 14)

·        Convergent

·        Explanatory sequential

·        Exploratory sequential

·        Transformative, embedded or multiphase

research design= inquiry type with blueprint & steps of what to do and when to do it

-how to accomplish the goals

-methodology with procedures and instruments

-sample collection and data analysis  

research method = techniques that the researcher uses to gather information. Interview method, surveys, observation

Research Methods

forms of data collection, analysis, and interpretation p 247

Research Topic

Research Topic =subject or subject matter of the proposed study p 249 Identify the topic to study and reflect on whether it is practical/useful to undertake.  literature review provides guidance to determine whether a topic is worth studying. (p. 25)

Sample vs Population[image]

 Population = Total #

Example: All EDD Students versus 10 EDD students (the latter would be sample size). A large collection of individuals or objects that is the main focus of a scientific query. It is for the benefit of the population that researches are done.

  Sample=PORTION OF THE POP. selection of participants or data set either random, or fixed; unit of analysis p 76: probability (simple random sampling) and nonprobability (more qualitative to solve quantitative problems)=purposive (purposeful) p 77; Single stage sample or multistage (cluster) p 158

Unit of Analysis

• basic element of a scientific research project
• the 'what' or 'who' that is being studied -organizations and social artifacts.

1.  individuals, households, groups, organizations,
2.  artifacts (books, photos, newspapers)
3. geographical units (town, census tract, state)
4. social interactions (dyadic relations, divorces, arrests)

Literature Review

vs.

Peer Review

Lit. Review-a critical and in depth evaluation of previous research-a summary and synopsis of a particular area of research, allowing anybody reading the paper to establish why you are pursuing this particular research program

Peer Review-articles that are written by experts and are reviewed by several other experts in the field before the article is published in order to insure the article's quality.

Original Resarch

vs.

Primary Research

An article is considered original research if...

• it is the report of a study written by the researchers who actually did the study.
• the researchers describe their hypothesis or research question and the purpose of the study.
• the researchers detail their research methods.
• the results of the research are reported.
• the researchers interpret their results and discuss possible implications. 

http://libguides.unf.edu/originalresearch

• Author(s) present a new set of findings from original research after conducting an original experiment
• A primary research article typically contains the following sections: Methods (and Materials), Results (with charts, graphs, etc), Discussion.

√Finding

vs.

Result

Result = a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

--From all the data you collected, being more specific to what that findings mean and how it applies

Finding =to learn by experience or trial, what is found--act of determining the properties of something

--All the information, one level of abstraction from result. 

    Validity =
the best available approximation to the truth of a given proposition, inference, or conclusion http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/introval.php

can one draw meaningful or useful inferences from coded instruments p 250; strategies:procedures used to demonstrate accuracy

Credibility-use triangulaion

[image]

  the confidence of the data

How congruent are the findings with reality? To increase credibility, a researcher can use triangulation (p.215), member checks/respondent validation (p.217) where you take your preliminary analysis back to some of the people you interviewed and ask whether your interpretation is correct, adequate engagement in data collection (p.219), reflexivity (p.219) where you reflect on self as research, and peer review (p.220). (Internal Validity)-Deals with the question on how research findings match reality. Internal validity in all research hinges on the meaning of reality. p 213

to engage in or make practical; apply principles or process

 chunking the material by organizing words/phrases p 241

Purpose of study

identified objectives of major ideas of the study p 246

 Response Bias

 of survey responses- the result differences based on if nonresponsive ones had been responded to (p 248).

Triangulation

 Using multiple methods, multiple sources of data, multiple investigators, or multiple theories to confirm emerging findings; increases internal validity p.215

 Citation

the act of quoting; citing something previous; Include:

• ·        information about the author
• ·        the title of the work
• ·        the name and location of the company that   published your copy of the source
• ·        the date your copy was published
• ·        the page numbers of the material you are borrowing

Interview Protocol

 a form/instrument used by qualitative research to record during an interview (p 244)

     Observation Protocol/Code Sheet

 a form/instrument used by qualitative research to record during observations (p 245)

 Document Analysis

 what is considered a “document”) =to speak or write a passage written by another; prove acknowledgement pp 140

1. Public records (official, on-going societal, records) Congressional records, birth/death certificates, census, court transcripts 140

2. Personal documents subjective-p 142 “first person narratives that describes individual’s actions”; diaries, letters, home videos, scrapbooks, photo albums, autobiographies, travel logs

3. Popular cultural documents p 143 societal products that produce material that entertains, informs, or persuades the public ec. Tv, newspapers,  

4. Visual documents (film, videos, photography)

What are good criteria for pursuing qualitative research?

ex. Holland-.

Good criteria = when a researcher aims to understand how people make sense of their experiences (p. 37).

Creswell's Evaluative Criteria http://www.qualres.org/HomeCres-3682.html

• goal is to achieve understanding -- a deep knowledge of some social setting or phenomenon--- requires spending extensive time in the field
• Verification=critical to evaluating the quality of qualitative research
• Procedures (8)

1.     prolonged engagement & persistent observation-

2.     triangulation

3.     peer review or debriefing

4.     negative case analysis

5.     clarification of researcher bias (reflexivity)

6.     member-checking

7.     rich, thick description

8.   external audits

What’s the difference between Action Research and other research designs? 

Action research is practitioner-based, never ending, and not sitting on a shelf/ it is useful and meaningful in the moment.  

Research is a form of applied research whose primary purpose is the improvement of an educational professional's own practice.

ex. Holland=

the theoretical or conceptual writing in an area (the “think” pieces) and the empirical data-based research studies in which someone has gone out and collected and analyzed data (p. 71).  What is already known.   

Lit Review appears in 3 places: 1. Introduction, 2. Lit.review, 3.  Findings of the study at the end

Ex. Holland's Lit review was in all 3

provides a foundation - a theoretical framework-

1. for the problem to be investigated and can demonstrate how the present study advances, refines, or revises what has already been done (p. 72).   It “ advances, refines, revises what is already known p 72.

2.  what has happened or gone before which helps one formulate a bigger picture

• Set the stage for the study
• Define the problem and answer specific design questions.
  
• Allows the research to define their contribution of their own research p 73  

What are good criteria for selecting the following data collection methods?

Interviews

Interviews=when we cannot observe behavior, feelings, or how people interpret the world around them, when we are interested in past events that are impossible to replicate, when conducting intensive case studies of a few selected individuals, and when you want to collect data from a large number of people representing a broad range of ideas (p. 88). We want self-reported data.

ex. Holland

What are good criteria for selecting the following data collection methods?

Surveys

to learn of someone’s position of something or the extent to which they understand something by using a logical, system of measure

ex. Holland

What are good criteria for selecting the following data collection methods:

Observations

_______ make it possible to record behavior as it is happening. They can be used in triangulation, for reference points for other data collection, and when participants are unable or unwilling to discuss the topic under study (p.119). What to observe:

1. physical setting,

2. participants,

3. activities and interactions,

4. conversation,

5. subtle factors, and

6. your own behavior (p.120-121)

It is something we want to see, at least part of it

ex. Holland

• Public records are helpful because if an event happened, some record of it probably exists. Locating public record is only limited by the researcher’s imagination (p.140-141).
• Personal documents are similar to observations because they let us know what the author thinks is important. They can tell the researcher about the meaning of everyday events or unusual behavior (p.142).
• Popular culture documents, such as TV, film, and photography, are good sources for dealing with questions about some aspect of society at a given time, for comparing groups on a certain dimension, or for tracking cultural change and trends (p.144).
• Visual documents capture activities and events as they happen, even non-verbal communication (p.145).
• Physical Material/Artifacts have physically endured over time and can be separated across space and time from its author. For example, the garbage study (p.146-147)

The specific purpose for researcher-generated documents is to learn more about the situation, person, or event being investigated (p.149).

What type of ducyments did Holland use?

Apply knowldge of terms and concepts for

Critique

1. Write/critique a problem statement

2. Develop/critique an interview protocol

3. Critique a research question: He will give a research question, we change to make better

4. Identify appropriate literature

5. Cite according to APA formatting/standards: Probably not on this one

6. Code qualitative data: Probably not on this one

7. Analyze qualitative data

8. Report qualitative data

9. Critique the reliability, credibility, and validity of findings/conclusions in a research study: Will Definitely be on the quiz

Apply knowldge of terms and concepts for

Critique

1. Write/critique a problem statement

2. Develop/critique an interview protocol

3. Critique a research question: He will give a research question, we change to make better

4. Identify appropriate literature

5. Cite according to APA formatting/standards: Probably not on this one

6. Code qualitative data: Probably not on this one

7. Analyze qualitative data

8. Report qualitative data

9. Critique the reliability, credibility, and validity of findings/conclusions in a research study: Will Definitely be on the quiz

Research Question=inquiry about the subject matter questions—what you specifically want to understand by doing your study—are at the heart of your research design.” (Maxwell, 2005, pp. 65). Link all aspects of the design  

• What is the researcher hoping to learn?
• What type of question is this?
• What are the units of analysis in this study?

Problem Statement

ex. Holland

Problem Statement=states the objectives, and intent of the study p 246.  The problem statement is a carefully crafted essay that lays out the logic of the research study (p. 60).

 1. state problem as is social intergration of minorites at an all white school

2.  state purpose and reason 1954 focused onoutcomes ofdesegration & effects of interatioanl relations,need to focus on how the school culture affects the student

3. How will I address the problem?

4.  What methodology will I use? use observational & interview data

Epistemology

(a pist a mol ogy)

construction of the knowledge p 66 M

belief vs. opinion