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Hints and Tips for Conducting Qualitative Research

Overview Stages of Qualitative Research 1998-2000 Research 2000-Ongoing Research Next Project; 2008-ongoing. Hints and Tips for Conducting Qualitative Research. Contact Info: Dr. Mary Jo Self, Associate Professor (405) 744-9191 maryjo.self@okstate.edu.

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Hints and Tips for Conducting Qualitative Research

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  1. Overview Stages of Qualitative Research 1998-2000 Research 2000-Ongoing Research Next Project; 2008-ongoing Hints and Tips for Conducting Qualitative Research Contact Info: Dr. Mary Jo Self, Associate Professor (405) 744-9191 maryjo.self@okstate.edu

  2. Overall epistemology of qualitative research • More than techniques; an approach to research • Phenomena should be viewed as a whole, • Complex phenomena can’t be divided into independent parts, • A natural setting is important • Maintain an openness about what will be observed and collected; • Flexible design; evolving design as the research proceeds.

  3. Overview cont. • Perceptions of the participants are captured to obtain an accurate measure of reality; • Meaning is not what it means to the researcher but what the participants perceive it to be; • Assumptions and conclusions are subject to change as the research proceeds; • Phenomena are perceived as a loosely constructed model, flexibility in prediction; not conducted in a rigid step by step process.

  4. Stage One:Working Design • Subjects (participants) to be studied • Site selection • Length of the study • Possible variables identified

  5. Stage Two:Working Hypotheses • Conceptual framework • Previous research • What is already known about a topic • Foreshadowed problems • Research questions

  6. Stage Three:Data Collection • Interview oral histories • Observation records – field notes • Document collection and review

  7. Stage Four:Data Analysis and Interpretation • Data reduction and coding • Data organization • Checking hypotheses and theories • Description

  8. 1998-2000 Research • Dissertation Study: • “On Retention of Oklahoma Secondary Trade and Industrial Education Teachers: Voices from the Field” • Recipient of NAITTE Graduate Student Research Award for Outstanding Dissertation in 2001

  9. 2000-Ongoing Research • CareerTech Teacher Induction Process • Fifth year of funded project • Renewable each year by consensus of career tech superintendents and Oklahoma Department of Career Tech • 2000- 2001 • Use of surveys for each group • 2001-2002 • Combined surveys and face-to-face interviews • Surveys; 70% of participants responded • 64 interviews • 2002-2003 • Surveys with all participants • 2003-ongoing • Surveys with all participants

  10. Hints • Use of color-coded files for each year • Organization of consent forms, etc. • Audit trail • Field notes – number lines • Schedule meetings as early as possible • References – use of End Notes Plus • Numbered, put in binders • Back up your back ups! • Use of transcriber; “Kay Porter” type individual • Use of colored markers; big sketch pads • Bind large documents; Kinko’s is your friend!

  11. Next Project: • Career Stages of Oklahoma’s career and technology education teachers • Timeline: • July – IRB, Proposal • August– Begin conducting research • August – December – conduct research • January and on – interviews, data coding, data interpretation • Purpose: • Predict retirement rates of different divisions with the Oklahoma career tech system, • Better understand the career stages of teachers, • Possible efforts to mitigate the results of teachers who are disillusioned and burned out.

  12. Next Project: Career Stages of Oklahoma’s career and technology education teachers • Mixed method • Surveys to all teachers currently teaching in Oklahoma • Use of Steffy’s career stages and Fessler and Christensen’s teacher career cycle • Use questionnaire based on their work as well as the following: • Teacher Efficacy in Classroom Management and Discipline Scale (Emmer and Hickman, 1991) • The Quality of Teacher Work Life (Pelsma, Richard, Harrington & Burry, 1989) • Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (Maslach, Jackson, & Schwab, 1996) • Hope Scale (Snyder, Harris, Anderson, Holleran, Irving, Sigmon, Yoshinobu, Gibb, Langelle, & Harney, 1991). • Interview a sample from each category

  13. Conclusion: • Simply put, know what you want to know • Be willing to look at all sides of the issue • Be aware that qualitative research is messy!

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