pr reviewer

• Unit 1: Inquisitive World of Research


  • Main Idea: Research manifests in everyday life
  • Essential Question: What is research all about?
• Research Paradigm


  A cluster of beliefs and dictates which influence what should be studied, how research should be done, and how results should be interpreted (Bryman 2008)
• Research Paradigms

  • Qualitative
  • Quantitative
• Qualitative Research


  An inquiry process of understanding a social or human problem based on building a complex holistic picture, formed with words, reporting detailed views of informants
• Quantitative Research


  An inquiry process into a social or human problem based on testing a theory composed of variables, measured with numbers, and analyzed with statistical procedures
• Qualitative Research


  • Researchers are primarily concerned with processes rather than outcomes
  • Researchers are interested in meaning or how people make sense of their experiences
  • The researcher is the primary instrument for data collection and analysis
  • Research involves fieldwork
  • The research is highly descriptive in that the researcher is interested in deriving meaning from words or pictures
  • The process is open-ended
• Approaches to Qualitative Research

  • Phenomenology
  • Ethnography
  • Case Study
  • Discourse/Conversation Analysis
  • Inductive Thematic Theory
• Phenomenology


  Both an approach to and a method of understanding the behavioral, emotive, and social meanings of lived experiences of individuals
• Ethnography


  Focuses on studying shared practices and belief systems (e.g. culture) of a group of people in their natural context over a prolonged period
• Case Study


  Allows in-depth investigation of complex issues within a specific context based on a small geographical area or a very limited number of individuals as the subjects of the study
• Discourse/Conversation Analysis


  Studies naturally occurring discourse and extract shared meanings from such discourse; the discourse is the object of analysis
• Inductive Thematic Theory


  Primarily concerned with presenting the stories and experiences voiced by study participants as accurately and comprehensively as possible
• Unit 2: Qualitative Research and Inquiry

  • Main Idea: Understanding and explaining an issue is as important as devising a solution
  • Essential Question: How would you know if your topic is suited for qualitative research?
  • Essential Question: What course of action would you take if your research was considered crucial to the development of your field but did not adhere to ethical standards?
• Qualitative Research


  • Occurs in the field or in a natural setting where the phenomenon is happening
  • The researcher engages with the people directly involved and often acclimate themselves to the views, beliefs, and culture of the community in focus
• Strengths of Qualitative Research Methods

  • Semi-structured interviews
  • Focused group discussion
• Weaknesses of Qualitative Research Methods

  • Tendency to ask leading questions
  • Interviews and analysis can be both time-consuming, subjective, and not generalizable
  • Participants' accounts always mean something, but they cannot always be taken at face value
  • Observations can prevent imposition of preconceived ideas and explore unforeseen effects
  • Observations and analysis can be time-consuming and are influenced by the observer's presence
  • Observer may misinterpret observations
  • Findings are not generalizable unless sampling techniques are used to constitute the groups
  • Depends on people's ability to work in groups, group dynamics may inhibit people
• Characteristics of a Good Qualitative Research Problem

  • Feasibility - an adequate number of subjects to be interviewed and adequate technical expertise on the scope of a topic that is interesting enough and can be managed by the researcher
  • Novelty - the newness of a topic, either to confirm or refute previous findings or to extend a new finding to previous studies
  • Ethics - the assurance of giving due respect to the participants of the research by making sure they only experience minimal harm and without intruding into their privacy
  • Relevance - the significant contributions of the investigation to scientific knowledge, and in the development of some policies and directions recommended for future research
• Three (3) Basic Components of a Good Qualitative Research Problem

  1. The ideal situation - this is where you provide the history of the issue and the ideal scenario that can be achieved

  2. The main problem - this is where you not only inform what the problem is, but also answer what the problem is, and when, why, and where it occurs.

  3. The scope of the problem - this is where you define the extent of your study and give a brief overview of the kind of methodology you would be using to work out the solution
• Criteria for Evaluating Qualitative Research Problems

  • The problem should not be too general or too specific

  The problem should be amenable to change as data are collected and analyzed

  The problem should not be biased with restrictive assumptions or desired findings

  The problem should be written in how and what forms to focus on describing the phenomena

  The problem should include central questions as well as the participants and the site
• Steps in Developing Research Problem

  Selection of the topic - can be classified as interesting, perplexing, or Choose the most beneficial one

  Contemplating the data phenomena by examining the problems, precipitating factors, how exactly viewed or perceived by the researcher, the responses of others who are involved, the personal involvement of the researcher in the situation, values and the contributions the researcher has to offer

  Narrowing the topic - once a research topic has been considered, the researcher must then specify and narrow down to develop a research problem

  Assisting by generating questions from the authentic literature - the literature might shed light on the problem by clarifying the topic and identification of what is known and what is not known about the research problem and theoretical allowing the exploration of the research problem and the status of a theoretical framework and scanning of each methodology