Discussion: Qualitative Research — Sources of Evidence and Methods of Data Collection
REPLY TO THESE TWO DISCUSSION POSTS: incorporate from text: Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches. SAGE.
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Brenda Webb
YesterdayApr 22 at 12:18pm
Data Collection Approaches For a Transcendental Phenomenological Study
Study Topic: EXPLORING THE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS FOR EARLY INTERVENTION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
Data Collection Source #1: The first source of data collection selected for this qualitative study is an email survey data collection approach. An open-ended survey that allows participants to share their lived experiences related to the process of their child being identified and evaluated for early childhood special education services will allow for meaningful qualitative data to be collected. James (2015) found that the use of email interviewing as a source of data collection created the time and space for participants to engage in a process of reflection and interaction where they are allowed to think deeply about what they wish to share. Participants are given the autonomy to construct, reflect, and learn from their own stories outside of the researcher’s personal agenda.
Data Collection Source #2: The second source of data collection is a photo-elicitation interview. Participatory photography is a fairly new source of data collection in qualitative approaches to inquiry but researchers from the fields of anthropology, special education, and other human sciences have made use of this method (Byrne, Daykin, & Coad, 2016). Van Auken, Frisvoll, and Stewart (2010) found four qualities unique to a photo-elicitation approach that make it a good fit for the present study: the photos act as a tangible stimulus to engage with the participant’s partially unconscious representations, it provides different and richer information, reduces differences in power between participants and the researcher, and it empowers the participant’s involvement in the research process. Within this approach, the family will bring photos of their child with developmental disabilities throughout early childhood to help elicit their experiences before, during, and after the process of evaluation or early childhood special education services.
Data Collection Source #3: The third source of data collection selected is an unstructured interview conducted after examining and coding the information from the open-ended email survey and the photo-elicitation interview. Unstructured interviews are one of the most popular sources of data collection within qualitative research due to its dialogic, conversational, and open nature (Vagle, 2014). This process allows for rich, deep conversations surrounding parental experiences and clarifies any misunderstandings between the researcher and the study participants. Participants are given shared control over the pacing, emotional intensity, and scope of the interview (Corbin & Morse, 2013). Semistructured interviews were considered but ultimately decided against because participants may withhold information because the correct question was not asked or participants may answer in only a perfunctory manner.
References
Byrne, E., Daykin, N., & Coad, J. (2016). Participatory photography in qualitative research: A methodological review. Visual Methodologies, 4(2), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.7331/vm.v4i2.66
Corbin, J., & Morse, J. M. (2003). The unstructured interactive interview: Issues of reciprocity and risks when dealing with sensitive topics. Qualitative Inquiry, 9(3), 335–354. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800403009003001
James, N. (2015). Using email interviews in qualitative educational research: Creating space to think and time to talk. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 29(2), 150–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2015.1017848
Vagle, M. D. (2014). Crafting phenomenological research. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.
Van Auken, P. M., Frisvoll, S. J., & Stewart, S. I. (2010). Visualising community: Using participant-driven photo-elicitation for research and Application. Local Environment, 15(4), 373–388. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549831003677670
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Sunja Fraser
Apr 10, 2023Apr 10 at 12:27am
A variety of methodologic approaches exist for individuals interested in conducting research. The selection of a research approach depends on several factors, including the purpose of the research, the type of research questions to be answered, and the availability of resources. There are a series of activities that a qualitative researcher engages in to collect data. One of the most important steps in this process is finding people in places to study to accomplish the following: to gain access to the participants and establish rapport with them so that they will provide quality data. Once the researcher selects the sites and the participants for the study, the researcher needs to decide the most appropriate way to collect data. There are a variety of data collections and recordings that researchers can undergo, such as interviews, observations, surveys, and documents. To guide how a researcher collects this data, the researcher has to develop protocols for recording this information and then pilot these forms of recording the data. Not only does the researcher need you to develop the protocols to guide data collection, but the researcher also needs to anticipate data collection or field issues (Creswell & Poth, 2018). Finally, the researcher must also decide how to store this data.
Interviews
In research studies, interviews are communication between the researcher and the interviewee or participants to collect data about a particular issue. In this case, there are multiple instances in which the participants would be interviewed for:
* their experiences reading the selected literature.
* their emotional connection to the characters in the literary texts
* the instructional strategies that were used to bridge the connections between the readers and the texts.
T
hree types of interviewing techniques are used in ase studies: structured, semi-structured, and unstructured (Kekeya, 2021). Ultimately, interviews are used to explore participants’ lived experiences and their interpretations and meanings of events and specific situations.
Observations
Observations involve collecting qualitative data about human actions and behaviors in real environments, such as classroom teaching and learning. There are two main observation strategies: participant observation (when the researcher becomes part of the group) and nonparticipant (when the researcher sits outside the social activity while it is taking place). Direct observation has been described as the gold standard among qualitative data collection techniques (Morgan et al., 2017).
Document Analysis
Documents are defined as “any written or recorded statements” to collect qualitative information from a primary source or source of written materials to answer research questions (Kekeya, 2021, p.31). Document analysis has been an underused approach to qualitative research. Document analysis is a qualitative research technique used by researchers. The process involves evaluating electronic and physical documents to interpret them, understand their meaning, and develop upon the information they provide.
Surveys
Researchers can leverage surveys to question a selected sample of individuals to obtain data about a lived experience or process. For example, data collection surveys collect information about a targeted group’s opinions, behavior, or knowledge. This type of research allows for various methods to recruit participants, collect data, and utilize various instrumentation methods. Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods).
The proposed case study approach uses typical qualitative data-gathering methods, including interviews, surveys, and observations. The interviews will allow middle school students or interviewees to verbally express their thoughts, emotions, and experiences with the characters in the literature text. Additionally, qualitative data will be gathered using a nonparticipant observation technique which will involve observing from the outside, looking at the teaching and learning in the middle school English language arts classroom. This data will be obtained via note-taking and digital recordings. Finally, survey data will also be collected to gauge the students’ emotional connection to the characters in the text.
References
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches. SAGE.
Kekeya, J. (2021). Qualitative case study research design: The commonalities and differences between collective, intrinsic, and instrumental case studies. Contemporary PNG Studies, pp. 36, 28–37.
Morgan, S. J., Pullon, S. R., Macdonald, L. M., McKinlay, E. M., & Gray, B. V. (2017). Case study observational research: A framework for conducting case study research where observation data are the focus. Qualitative Health Research, 27(7), 1060–1068. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732316649160