Designing Qualitative Research

Designing Qualitative Research 9310015A Allen 9310041A Chad

Ideas • Every research project must to start somewhere • This starting point is an idea. • An idea originates when you actually experience a certain problem or situation. • For example, an elementary school teacher may notice that the most disruptive children in the class eat large amounts of junk food. So the teacher may begin to consider the relationship between junk food and children’s behavior

An idea originates when you hear information but not actually experience. • For example, you hear a news about three youths from wealthy families who break into others houses. So you begin to consider that why did they do this even though they don’t need money?

From the two examples, we can realize two purposes. • First, ideas may promote potential research. • Second, research attitude is that the world is a research laboratory. So you just need to open your eyes and ears to observe the surrounding around you to get many research ideas.

Ideas and theory • Ideas and theory must come before research. • This is called the theory-before-research. • Idea>theory>design>data collection>analysis >findings

Research must occur before theory • This is called research-before-theory • idea>design>data collection>theory>analysis >findings

the author argue for a different model which include both research-before-theory and theory-before-research. • In other words, you begin with an idea, gather theoretical information, reconsider and refine the idea, begin to examine possible design and reexamine and refine theoretical assumptions. • Idea>literature>design>data collection review and organization > analysis > dissemination and findings

Literature review • After developing a research idea, you begin to examine how others thought about and researched the topic. • So the first step is to visit the library to start on a literature review. • And next step is to begin to creatively think about subject topics related to your research idea and to search for topics. • For example, “alcohol use”, “drinking”, “abuse in college”. • It is important to create many different subject areas to search.

After finding a list of references, the next step is to choose several of these literature and begin reading. • You also need to continue finding other literature materials by consulting the reference pages of the articles. • When you do this literature search, you should note about what each one says and keep records on which pieces of literature you obtain. So there is a tip for writing a systematic literature review.

The two card method • This strategy requires you to create two index cards. • The first is the author card.

[Author’s name] Berg, Bruce l. [Date] [Title of document and 1992 publication information] Law Enforcement: A introduction to police in society. Boston, Mass Allyn and Bacon [Library call number]

You should keep the author card in alphabetical order. • So you could get the document at a later time. • The second is the topic card.

[Topic Label] Police Detective [Author’s Name] Berg, Bruce (1992: p83) [Verbatim Quote] Detective makes its first appearance in 1840 to identify the police organizational position of an inverstigator.

There are several reasons why the author recommend the use of verbatim quotes on these topic cards instead of paraphrasing. • First, it reduces the amount of material you will use when you write the reports. • Second, you can quickly categorize the topic cards based on the same topic. e.g., placing all the cards about drinking together • Third, topic card allow you to judge whether many authors actually make similar statements

However, if you paraphrase material on the topic card, you might change the meaning, misinterpret or poorly paraphrase material. so you might find paraphrased statements which seem to represent similar meaning but that actually do not accurately represent the idea of original author. So using verbatim excerpt prevent this from happing.

The verbatim excerpt usually fit on a single card, but you may find it necessary to use a second or even third card. So you must number the cards to keep them in the correct order.

Framing Research Problems • Research questions becomes clearer while reading information from literature. • It gives researcher a direction on conducting the research. • It guides researcher to focus on the research. • Researchquestions are framed after beginning thinking about what issues are important and how they are measured.

Operationalization • Operational Definition: Using a concrete explanation, such as using precise measurements to interpret an abstract term in one study and including a precise definition of the characteristic and how data collectors are to measure the characteristic Ex: weight a result of measurement of an object on ascale

Conceptualization • Conceptual Definition: Using other words to define one word and other concepts to define one concept without any concrete explanation in a term of the study and indicating how the abstract concept will be measured Ex: weight a measurement of gravitational force acting on an object

Designing Projects • Research projects are designed for how the study will be conducted. • What types of information or data will be gathered • Using what forms of data-collection technology • Using one-data collection strategy or several data triangulation • Using single overarching theory or theoretical triangulation • Drafting the whole research project is good for finding possible errors that might arise

Triangulation • The application and combination of several research methodologies in the study of the same phenomenon • Using many different methods or individuals to do one research • Beingmore believable than one data-collection strategy • Theoretical triangulation: Using more than one theoretical scheme in the interpretation of the phenomenon

Data Collection & Organization • How qualitative data are organized depends on what they look like. • How data will be organized and analyzed before beginning the data-collection process. • Fields notesTextual form • Tape-recorded interview • Video material • Photographic material • Drawn material

Dissemination • The research project could be worthless if the researcher did not disseminate the research project. • Presenting research project to suitable public agencies or to funding sources • Doing formal presentations at professional association meetings • Doing informal presentations to coworkers in lunch time

~ THE END ~

Designing Qualitative Research