App 005

• Related Literature


  Discussions of facts and principles to which the present study is related. A detailed review of existing literature related to the topic of a thesis or dissertation.
• Writing a literature review

  1. Search for relevant literature

  2. Evaluate sources

  3. Identify themes, debates and gaps

  4. Outline the structure

  5. Write your literature review
• A good literature review does not just summarize sources – it analyzes, synthesizes, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.
• You will need 5 to 10 related literature and studies to support your review.
• Related study


  A similar study that has a direct relationship with your study.
• Materials used in looking for related studies are unpublished materials such as manuscripts, theses, dissertations, and research studies.
• Review of studies


  A review of as many research studies as possible around a particular research problem/ question. This includes only studies that have been conducted.
• Literature review


  A review of as much of the literature as possible around a particular research problem/ question. This can include theoretical articles, critical reviews of studies that have been conducted, outlines of methodologies, and so on.
• Conceptual framework (Research Paradigm)


  The researcher's idea of how the research problem will have to be explored. This is founded on the theoretical framework, which lies on a much broader scale of resolution.
• Theoretical framework


  The time-tested theories that embody the findings of numerous investigations on how phenomena occur.
• Producing a research paradigm

  1. The independent and dependent variables should be appropriately placed in their corresponding boxes.

  2. Use one-headed and two-headed arrows to identify variables that are to be correlated.

  3. Write the figure number under the whole paradigm and label it.
• Research methodology


  The practical "how" of any given piece of research. How a researcher systematically designs a study to ensure valid and reliable results that address the research aims and objectives.
• What research methodology covers

  • What data to collect (and what data to ignore)
  • Who to collect it from (sampling design)
  • How to collect it (data collection methods)
  • How to analyze it (data analysis methods)
• Qualitative research


  A method that collects and analyzes words and textual data, while quantitative research uses numerical data. It can also consider other "softer" data points like body language or visual elements.
• Qualitative research methodologies


  • Phenomenology
  • Case studies
  • Ethnography
  • Grounded theory
  • General qualitative inquiry
• The first objective when conducting qualitative research should be to ensure the right people are recruited for the study.
• A high-quality panel includes much more than just members who are pulled from a general population that falls within broad parameters.
• The goal of qualitative research should be the attainment of saturation. Saturation occurs when adding more participants to the study does not result in obtaining additional perspectives or information.
• Based on research, 30 seems to be a good number for the most comprehensive assessment in qualitative research. Some studies have noted having a sample size as little as 10 can be extremely faithful, and still yield applicable results.
• Sample


  The group on which information is obtained. The larger group to which one hopes to apply the results is called the population.
• Sampling techniques


  • Simple Random
  • Fishbowl Sampling
  • Lottery Sampling
  • Quota Sampling
  • Convenience Sampling
  • Purposive Sampling
• Saturation


  Occurs when adding more participants to the study does not result in additional perspectives or information
• Saturation


  • Recommended by Glasser and Strauss (1967) for achieving an appropriate sample size in qualitative studies
• Suggested sample sizes for qualitative studies

  • Ethnography: 30-50 participants (Morse, 1994)
  • Grounded theory: 30-50 interviews (Morse, 1994), 20-30 (Creswell, 1998)
  • Phenomenological studies: 5-25 (Creswell, 1998), at least 6 (Morse, 1994)
• Purposive sampling


  A sampling technique that qualitative researchers use to recruit participants who can provide in-depth and detailed information about the phenomenon under investigation
• Quota sampling


  A sampling technique where we decide while designing the study how many people with which characteristics to include as participants
• Purposive and quota sampling


  Similar in that they both seek to identify participants based on selected criteria, but quota sampling is more specific concerning sizes and proportions of subsamples
• Snowball sampling


  A type of purposive sampling where participants or informants use their social networks to refer the researcher to other people who could potentially participate in or contribute to the study
• Convenience sampling


  A sampling technique that qualitative researchers use to recruit participants who are easily accessible and convenient to the researchers
• Data are intended to represent facts and without proper preservation of the context of collection and interpretation, may become meaningless
• Data analysis is perhaps the most important component of research, as weak analysis produces inaccurate results
• Qualitative data analysis


  Involves the identification, examination, and interpretation of patterns and themes in textual data to determine how they help answer the research questions
• Qualitative analysis is not guided by universal rules, is highly dependent on the evaluator and context, and is likely to change and adapt as the study evolves and the data emerges
• Data preparation and basic data analysis

  1. Getting familiar with the data

  2. Revisiting research objectives

  3. Developing a framework (coding/indexing)

  4. Identifying patterns and connections
• Content analysis


  One of the most common methods to analyze qualitative data, used to analyze documented information in the form of text, media, or physical items
• Narrative analysis


  A method used to analyze content from various sources like interviews, observations, and surveys, focusing on using the stories and experiences shared by people to answer the research questions
• Discourse analysis


  Similar to narrative analysis but focuses on analyzing the social context in which the communication between the researcher and respondent occurred
• Grounded theory


  A method that uses qualitative data to explain why a certain phenomenon happened, by studying a variety of similar cases in different settings and deriving causal explanations
• Discourse analysis is about the language or grammar, studying the language structure itself in a deep manner
• Chapter 3 provides detailed instructions on how to adapt the research methodology used in the study, describing the methods and procedures in sufficient detail for future researchers to follow