Research Methods and Practice 5 FD 027 Session

Research Methods and Practice 5 FD 027 Session 2 22 nd Sept. N 112 N 802

Session 2 l Methodology l AR/CS l Quan. V Qual. l Literature Review

Methodology l This contains the justification for the research methods used within your research- you have to say you have chosen your methods? It is a study of methods. l It “refers to the principles and values, philosophies and ideologies that underpin the entire research process. Your methodology will inform the questions that you ask, the literature you read, your methods and the analysis. ” (Roberts-Holmes 2005: xiv)

Methodology l “Methodology is the study of method…. it is a discussion of the methods that you will be using and more importantly why you are using them”. (Thomas 2009: 70) l It must not be simply be a presentation of your methods but why you are using.

Blaxter et al (2002 p. 67 ) l ‘It is well suited to the needs of people conducting research in their workplaces, and who have a focus on improving aspects of their own and their colleagues’ practices. AR offers a systematic approach to the definition, solution and evaluation of problems and concerns. ’

Judith Bell l “it is applied research, carried out by practitioners who have themselves identified a need for change or improvement…” (2005 p. 8) l Tends to use questionnaires?

Action Research l “the aim of the research is to solve a problem or improve a situation” Taber (2007 p. 84) l “The fundamental aim of action research is to improve practice rather than to produce knowledge. ” (Elliott 1991 in Taber 2007). l It involves cycles of trying out ideas and testing them in practice

Cyclical approach

Case study l ‘Case studies are often used to illustrate problems or indicate good practices. ’ Blaxter et al (2002 p. 71) l ‘The case study researcher typically observes the characteristics of an individual unit – a child, a school or a community. The purpose of the observation is to probe deeply and to analyse intensively the multifarious phenomena that constitute the life cycle of the unit with a view to establishing generalisations about the wider population to which the unit belongs. ’ (Cohen and Manion 1995 in Blaxter et al p. 71)

Bell l “The case study approach …. can provide an opportunity for one aspect of a problem to be studied in some depth” (2005 p. 10) l Observations and interviews tend to be more used

Example 1 – Case Studies l ‘An evaluation of the introduction of an integrated curriculum in one primary school at KS 1. ’ Initial questions 1. Why was an integrated curriculum being introduced? 2. How was this implemented? 3. What have been the effects of its introduction on pupils learning? l Methods Interviews with sample teachers Questionnaire to a class of pupils 3 pupil focus groups Researcher diary Lesson observations Analysis of examples of pupil work Burton D and Bartlett S (2009 p. 65) l

Corollary of previous slide

Quantitative. V Qualitative l Pool your ideas and come to a decision about a definition of l Quantitative l Qualitative

Triangulation l. A minimum of three ways of collecting data is required to verify data and outcomes. paren l Questionnaires t l Interviews l Observations pupil l Tape recordings TV l Video recordings work l Documents

LITERATURE REVIEW l In your literature review you are asked to provide evidence of the breadth and depth of your reading to support your understanding of the focus of your study. l Your literature review contains a critical analysis of specific readings from books, journals and websites that influenced your understanding and thinking within the focus of your research.

Lit review You should read many books/ journals/websites. However the literature review requires you to be selective. l Review the literature that has been influential on your thinking and understanding of the area of your research. l You should use themes that identify key issues to organise your discussion more rigorously. This structure will help you to demonstrate your understanding of the wider context of the issues as presented in the literature. l

Have you…

The Stages of a Literature review?

Generally

A good literature review…

A good literature review…

Which comes first? Literature Review or Methodology? http: //www. nfer. ac. uk/index. cfm

Definitions…. Reminder! l What do we mean by Quantitative data l Information that can be counted or expressed numerically; focuses on numbers and frequencies rather than on meaning and experience.

Quantitative Data Presentation l Opposite is a table showing font style preferences by gender Women Men Total Sample 1 8 15 23 Sample 2 13 5 18 No Preference 9 10 19 Totals Tables Useful for setting out information in clear categories 30 30 60

Mean, Median and Mode Mean or Average ¡ Calculated by adding up all the numbers in the series and then dividing by however many numbers there are. Median or Mid-point ¡ Calculated by putting all the values in order, lowest to highest and finding the value in the middle (if there is an even number, the median is the average of the middle 2 numbers) Mode ¡ The most common number in any data set E. g. GCSE results – how would these be presented?

Quantitative Data Presentation l Percentages l Formula for calculating Useful for comparing percentage uneven data sets, e. g. local figures (4250 (amount ÷ total) x 100 people unemployed; 6. 2%) with national e. g. % of women with figures (2. 46 million no font style people unemployed; preference 7. 8%). (9 ÷ 30) x 100 = 30%

Quantitative Data Presentation Bar Charts Used to compare 2 sets of discrete data. Must have a title and labelled axes. Bar Chart to Show Font Preference 20 No. of People l 25 15 Series 1 10 5 0 sample 1 sample 2 no preference Font Sample Preference

Quantitative Data Presentation Line Graphs Used to compare continuous data. Must also have a title and labelled axes. Graph to show long it takes a tortoise to move certain 30 distances 25 Time (seconds) l 35 20 Time (seconds) 15 10 5 0 1 2 3 Distance (meters) 4 5

Quantitative Data Presentation l Pie Charts Useful for presenting information to show relative proportions Pie Chart showing Men's Font Style Preferences no preference 33% sample 1 50% sample 2 17%

Key Points l You should decide what data analysis you want to do before you design and carry out your research l Consider the type of data you are collecting and the most appropriate method of presentation l When analysing, avoid the word ‘significant’ – it has a statistically specific meaning in relation to data analysis and research

References Bryman, A. (2008) Social Research Methods, 3 rd Edition. Oxford, Oxford University Press l Cottrell, S. (2003) The Study Skills Handbook, 2 nd Edition. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan l Easton, V. J. & Mc. Coll, J. H. (1997) Statistics Glossary [online] accessed 19. 11. 09 available at http: //www. stats. gla. ac. uk/steps/glossary/presenting _data. html l Holah, M. (2008) Qualitative and Quantitative Data [online] accessed 17. 11. 09 available at http: //www. holah. co. uk/page/qualitativeandquantitat ivedata/ l

Juneja, H. (2008) Secondary Data [online] accessed 17. 11. 09 available at http: //www. managementstudyguide. com/seconda ry_data. htm l Office for National Statistics (2007) Neighbourhood Statistics for Chesterfield [online] accessed 17. 11. 09 available at http: //neighbourhood. statistics. gov. uk/disseminati on/Neighbourhood. Profile. do? a=3&c=S 41+7 NG& g=434044&i=1001 x 1012 x 1013&j=303947&m=1& p=2&q=1&r=0&s=1258558121484&enc=1&tab=5 &in. Wales=false l Van Wagner, K. (2009) What is Quantitative Data? [online] accessed 17. 11. 09 available at http: //psychology. about. com/od/qindex/g/quant_d l

References l Mohanty, S. (2003. , Wednesday, February 5, 2003). How Do I Conduct a Literature Review? Retrieved April 16, 2003, from http: //www. lib. unc. edu/house/how_do_i/co nduct_a_literature_review. html l Procter, D. M. (2002, February 28, 2002). The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It. Retrieved April 16, 2003, from http: //www. utoronto. ca/writing/litrev. html

l Bell, J. (2005) ‘Doing Your Research Project’ Bucks. : Open University Press l Mac Naughton, G. , Ralf, S. and Siraj. Blatchford, I. (2001) ‘Doing Early Childhood Research- International Perspectives in Theory and Practice’ Bucks. : Open University Press l Blaxter L, Hughes C, Tight M (2002) How to Research, l Buckingham: Open University Press (2 nd ed 2002)