EQL 671 : QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHOD IN EDUCATION (Chapters 1 & 2) Facilitator: Prof Dr Chang Lee Hoon

1. EQL 671: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHOD IN EDUCATION (Chapters 1 & 2) Facilitator: Prof Dr Chang Lee Hoon Chapter 1: Introduction to Qualitative Research What is Qualitative research? • Interpretation of phenomena in natural setting • Understand in-depth meanings • Focuses on why? • Inductive research • Rich description of data

2. Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative R • Philosophy • Goal • Focus • Method • Data collection techniques • Research design • Sample • Generalisation • Analysis • Role of researcher

3. Qualitative research methods • Case study • Ethnography • Phenomenology • Historical • Action Research • Content analysis • Grounded theory • Generic

4. Checklist on Qualitative research • Theoretical approach - Phenomenology in educational research • Study design - Sampling • Data collection - methods • Validity - Researcher as the research instrument - Context biasness - Triangulation • Analysis - coding and analysis - reliability & creditability • Ethics - human subjects

5. Qualitative Data Collection Techniques • Document examination • Observation • Interviews

6. Kinds of Documents as Data: • Bogdan & Biklen (1998) categorized documents as (a) Personal documents – written by subjects on their actions, experiences and beliefs, private purposes and limited use • diaries – description and reflective commentary of events e.g. record on experience, thoughts, feelings, problems etc • logs – less intimate e.g. daily entry on lesson plans or daily activities • personal letters between friends and family members – reveal relationships, experiences • Autobiographies – available source of data on person’s own story –useful for understanding categories under study e.g. gender, ethnic minorities etc

7. Kinds of Documents as Data: (b) Official documents – produced by organizations for specific purpose - record keeping and dissemination - internal documents – memos, minutes of meetings and others that are circulated inside an organisation usually in hierarchical course – provide info on internal rules & regulations, leadership style, organisational values etc - external communication – produced by organisation for public consumption eg. Newsletters, yearbook, notes to parents, brochures etc – indicators of organisational strategies - Student records and personnel files – achievement records, discipline records, attendance, profiles of family etc – indicators of student’s school career, comments from teachers on the student’s records

8. Kinds of Documents as Data: (c) Popular culture documents – produced for commercial purposes to entertain, persuade & enlighten the public - videos, magazines, TV, films, advertisements – studied as texts (transcripts of shows, lyrics etc) and interpretations of viewers – to make visible “messages” or social constructions in the texts.

9. Personal Documents • Broadly refer to any first person narrative that describes an individual’s actions, experiences and beliefs (Plummer, 1983; Taylor & Bogdan, 1984) • Intimate diaries; for educational researchers, teachers’ diaries that record in detail first teaching experiences, problems with students. • Personal letters (emails?); could reveal the nature of relationships between people, insights of author’s experiences • Autobiographies, including novels

10. Official Documents • Internal documents • Memos or other communications that are circulated inside an organization • Could provide the hierarchical structure, leadership style, potential insight about what organizational members value • External communication • Materials produced for public consumption e.g. letters to parents, curriculum materials etc • Useful in understanding official perspectives on programs, administrative structure • Student Records and Personal Files • Records of all testing, attendance etc

11. Popular Culture Documents • Advertisements • Magazines • Eg. How advertisement of cigarette smoking was constructed as healthy in advertisements (Kellner, 1991); how romance novels for adolescence girls constructed femininity (Christian Smith, 1988)

12. Why documents? • As sole data source (e. g. text and discourse analysis) • As supplement or in support to other data source – interviews and observations

13. Guidelines on documents • Keep a record of documents required and received • Guideline on Document Summary - Ref no: • Site: • Date received: • Type and name of document: • How was the document obtained • Document’s summary of content • Importance of document to study

14. Observation (1) Non-participant/Passive observation • Keep your distance • Unobstrusive • Outsider observation/etic • Phases of non-participant observation (Adler & Adler, 1998; Denzin, 1989, Spradley (1980): • Selection of a setting (where and when) • Definition of what is to be documented in observation and in every case • Training of observers for standardisation in observation • Descriptive observations – initial, general presentation of the field • Focused observation – on aspects relevant to research Q • Selective observation – to purposively grasp central aspects • The end of observation – when theoretical saturation is reached

15. (2) Participant Observation • Participates in activities • Insider/emic perspective • Active to stimulate discussion • Phases of participant observation (Spradley, 1980) - descriptive observation – provides orientation to field under study, non-specific descriptions to grasp complexity of the field and develop more concrete research questions - focused observation – narrows perspectives on processes and problems most essential for research questions - selective observation – towards end of data collection and focused on finding further evidence and e.g. for the types of practices and processes found in step 2.

16. (3) Active Observation • Participation is allowed but limited • Can intrude in activities but researcher remains passive.

17. Process of Observing (Creswell, 2005) • Select a site to be observed that can help you best understand the central phenomenon – obtain required permission to gain access • Ease into the site slowly by looking around, getting a general sense of site, taking limited notes initially • At the site, identify who, what, when, how long to observe • Determine your role • Conduct multiple observation over time • Design some means of recording notes during observation – protocol/fieldnotes

18. Example of Observation Protocol • Event/Activity of observation: • Site/Address: • Observer • Role of observer • Date and time of observation • Length of observation • Place of observation

20. Interviews Three types • Structured interviews • Semi-structured interviews • Unstructured interviews Three types of probe questions • Detailed oriented “What happened after you found out that your friend cheated? • Elaboration e.g “Can you tell me more” • Clarification e.g “Did you talk to your teacher?

21. Conducting Interviews (Creswell, 2005) • Identify the interviewees • Determine type of interview you will use • During interview, audiotape the questions and responses • Take brief notes during interviews • Locate a quite and suitable place for conducting interview • Obtain informed consent from interviewee to participate in study • Have a plan, but be flexible • Use probes to obtain additional information • Be courteous and professional when interview is over

22. Example of interview protocol Name of project: Time of interview: Date: Place: Time: Interviewer: Interviewee: Duration of interview:

24. Triangulation of methods • 3 types • Methods triangulation • Investigator triangulation • Theory triangulation

25. Sampling • Gaining access • Selecting samples - convenience/availability, -representativeness/critical/typical case • Sampling techniques - purposive - quota - snowballing

26. Skills required of Qualitative Researcher • Impartiality • Tolerance for ambiguity • Sensitive • Detect personal biases • Good communicator, including writing skills

27. Length of time spent in collecting data • Span of time • Degree of contact • refer to other studies

28. Validity of Qualitative Research method 3 types • Descriptive validity • Interpretative validity • Theoretical validity External validity Internal validity