Practical Research 1

• Research design serves as a blueprint or a skeletal frameworkofyourresearch study. It includes many related aspects of your researchwork.It requires you to finalize your mind on the purpose, philosophical basis,and types of data of your research, including your methodof collecting,analyzing, interpreting, and presenting the data.(De Mey, 2013)
• Grounded Theory. A qualitative strategy in which the researcher derivesageneralabstract theory of a process, action, or interactiongroundedinthe views of participants in a study (Creswell 2009). Ø Collecting data: formal, informal, or semi-structuredinterview,analysis of written works, notes, phone calls, meetingproceedings, and training sessions. (Picardie 2014)
• Phenomenology. A qualitative strategy in which the researcher identifiestheessence of human experiences about a phenomenonasdescribed by participants in a study (Creswell 2009). Ø Collecting data: unstructured interview
• Case study. A qualitative strategy in which the researcher exploresindepthaprogram, event, activity, process, or one or moreindividuals.Thecase(s) are bounded by time and activity, and researcherscollectdetailed information using a variety of data collectionproceduresover a sustained period of time (Creswell 2009). Ø Collecting data: interview, observation, and questionnaire
• Ethnography. A qualitative strategy in which the researcher studiesasintactcultural group in a natural setting over a prolongedperiodoftime (Creswell 2009). Ø Collecting data: observational and interviewdata
• Historical Research. A qualitative strategy in which the researcher makesuseofpastrecords to understand the events, situations, andproblemswhichtranspired in the past. Ø Collecting data: biography or autobiography reading, documentary analysis and chronicling activities.
• Population – the complete group of people, animals or objects that have the same characteristics that the research methods.
• Sample – a group of individuals that represent the population. The process of choosing a sample is called sampling
• Sampling frame –is the term used to mean the list of the members of such population from where you will get the sample(Paris 2013).
• Steps in Sampling

  1. Identify the population of interest. WHO will be directly affected from this study and the potential respondents.
  2. Specify a sampling frame. WHO we want to include in our study.
  3. Specify the sampling method. Keep your sampling method simple to avoid any confusion and complications.
  4. Determine your sample size. Two approaches to determine: (1)Determine your sample size depending on whether your data will reach its saturation point. (2) Depends on the type of approach/design that you use for the research.
  5. Implement the plan
• Purposive/ Criterion Sample

  • Look for elements that meet specific criteria or possess therequiredcharacteristics
  • Select a sample that is mose useful to the purposes of theresearch
• Snowball Sample

  • Locate a few people who are relevant to your study and let them refer to you new participants.
  • If the population is hard to access, snowball sampling can be used to recruit participants via other participants.
• Quota/Representative Sample

  • Determine the specific qualities of the members of the population and classify them based on their specific qualities, then select people for each quota (specific quality).
• Convenience/Opportunity Sample

  • Locate people who are available for the study for your convenience.
  • Includes individuals who happen to be most accessible to the researcher
• Ethnographer’s Sample. Consider people, places, contexts, times and events.
• Interviewer’s Sample. Consider people, places and times.
• Content Analyst’s Sample. Consider media and dates.
• Depends on the type of approach/design that you use for the research.

  • Phenomenology - 1-10 subjects(Creswell 2013)
  • Grounded Theory – 20 – 30 individuals (Dukes 1984)
  • Case Study – 4 – 5 respondents (Charmaz 2006)
  • Ethnography – single culture-sharing group (Charmaz 2006)
• Data is all the information that you will gather throughout your research.
• Primary Data

  • refers to first-hand information based on actual experiences or observations.
  • is more reliable to use because it is gathered by the actual researchers.
• Secondary Data

  • are data that are gathered from secondary sources, meaning it is not you that have obtained the information but rather, it comes from previous research, audio recordings or books. Oneadvantageofsecondary data is that it is readily available touse, comparing it to primary data where you have to gather the information yourself.
• 2 classifications of data : secondary data and primary data
• DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS

  • Interview
  • Observation
  • Questionnaires
  • Focus Group Discussion
• Structured Interview

  this type of interview has a set of predetermined questions that are ready to use. You should not ask beyond what is written in your interview questions.
• Unstructured Interview

  • opposite of structured interview. You are not required to make a set of pre-made questions, but rather make an OUTLINE or what kind of questions you want to ask your respondents. life history interview (Dawson 2002) because you want to understand the point of view of your respondents. You want them to tell you a story
• Semi-structured interview

  • mix of structured and unstructured interview. One of the most common types of interviews. You have to prepare a set of questions; however, you are also free to ask to follow up questions to your respondents if you want to clarify something or add information that is not available to you.
• Interview

  • Is the most common type of instrument that is being use in qualitative research which is done by having a set of questions to your respondents and letting them answer as truthfully as possible
• Observation

  • ethnography
  • this happens when a researcher observes and takes notes of the behavior of people that they want to be a part of their research.
• Naturalistic Observation

  • this happens when a researcher observes the behavior of a group of people in their natural setting.

  Ex: behavior of students inside a classroom without putting any external disturbances
• Participative Observation

  • this observation happens when a researcher takes part on the activities of the group of people that they are observing. This is utilizing participative observation.

  Ex: daily routine of Lumad community
• Non-naturalistic Observation

  • observation happens when you take your respondents out of their natural environment and put them in an environment of your choice. You observe how people behave when they are not in their usual settings.

  Ex: taking a group of highschool students and letting them attend one or two college classes where you must observe their learning behaviors.
• WAYS IN CONDUCTING INTERVIEW

  • Find out what type of interview you will be using.
  • Secure a letter of communication to the people that you want to interview.
  • Make sure that you have your interview questions.
  • Have the right equipment.
  • Let the participants choose where they want the interview to be conducted.
  • Politely thank the participants afterward.
• WAYS IN GATHERING DATA

  1. Select where you want to conduct your observation.
  2. Find the means to gather your observed data
  3. Take your time to write down the important details.
  4. What kind of observation will you be using?
  5. Politely thank the participants.
• Questionnaires

  • one of the most common types of instruments that is being used by qualitative researchers.
  • this is somewhat similar to interviews based on the format of questions that is being used.
• Closed-ended questionnaires

  • similar to a structured interview.
  • mostly used when you want to conduct surveys on your respondents - statistical purposes and the questions are already prepared for your respondents to answer.
  • usually have boxes for the respondents to put a check mark.

  Ex: Yes or No
• Open-ended Questionnaires

  • leaves a blank space for the respondents to give their point of view about a specific question.
• Combination

  combines both the close-ended and open-ended questionnaires.
• Focus Group Discussion

  • focuses on groups of people being interviewed at the same time. This relies on the respondents to give a discussion amongst themselves on the questions that you, the researcher, give. You will serve as the moderator or facilitator. Put three or more people around a table and give them guide questions for them to discuss among themselves. Your role as the researcher and facilitator is to take note of their discussions.
• Reading – to determine the author’s writing style or by a sociologist to investigate the presence of historical or political underpinnings.
• Experimentation – show cause-and-effect relationship between items.