Blog reflection 2

Qualitative and Quantitative Research and Research Worldview.

I’ve finally got Peter Newby’s book this week and kicked off with the reading.

A few thoughts before I answer the questions posed by our tutors.

Newby writes in a very approachable manner, trying to present a complex and not exactly entertaining field of study in an enjoyable way.

First thoughts that occurred to me when I started reading:

1. The guidelines that Newby gives us seem quite interesting:
   - don’t try to find the only one proper way to undertake research – you’re running the risk of selecting  a methodology that might work in one context but not necessarily in another 
2. We have to be ready to accept compromises, in other words we cannot expect to conduct a perfect research – but to what extent can I make compromises? How do I know how much and what I can compromise? Tricky...

Conclusion for me here is: I should constantly ask myself questions about the research approach and let the research guide me – as Newby suggests. Will I be able to manage this? Perhaps through discussions online with my fellow students I can verify things, questions things, look for answers....How will I know I’ve taken the right path?

Another challenge that I feel we’re facing is time - I feel we’ve got so little time. There’s only a couple of weeks to design the research plan and collect data – I guess it will be crucial to choose something achievable.... but will it not be too simple?

Philosophies, worldviews:

Positivism: investigates the ‚truth’ out there by collecting objective data

Humanism: investigated emotions, viewpoints, perceptions and understandings and they are all dependent on the surroundings, culture, context in which they’re being tested.

Within humanism, there are the following schools of thought:

1. phenomenology: description, observation, reporting and reflection
2. existentialism tries to understand the nature of human existence
3. modernism : search for order
4. postmodernism: all explanation involves assumptions, the world is multi-layered and full of contradictions;  action research and case study are postmodern in their character

Part a) What distinguishes a qualitative study from a quantitative study? - make notes of 3 key characteristics and add these to your Blog.

Aspect compared	Qualitative study	quantitative study
Truth	there is no single truth	there is the one truth and it can be determined by means of objective analysis including numbers and hard data
Approach	inductive: researcher gathers evidence and identifies patterns to find the causes for phenomena observed	deductive: researcher collects data and draws conclusions
Researcher	Is often committed to a cause and therefore not free from bias	is a  neutral technocrat, not influenced by external factors
Methods	insights as well as formal analyses	formal procedures
Data	anything can be evidence: numbers, relationships, character, emotions	only scientific numbers and evidence can be valuable date

Part b) Check your understanding of the issues underpinning the choice of research methodology and method by working through the consolidation activities found here.  Record key learning within your Blog.

My score was 70%.

The questions I answered  wrongly:

5. What is ‘action research’?

My Answer:

            Action research is any research that leads to improvements in professional action.   

Correct Answer:

            Action research is normally conducted by the professional practitioners as they systematically research their own actions in the hope of improving them. Feedback:

            There are those who might argue that the concept of action research applies to any investigation of professional action or that evaluates professional action in the hope of offering advice for improvement. If we are to use the term in this way it tends to lose its distinctive quality of practitioner engagement. The correct answer given above says that this kind of research is normally conducted by the practitioner. There may be instances in which a team of practitioners reports back to a lead researcher who is not himself or herself a practitioner. In this instance, the research is still a process centring on particular initiatives and evaluating the process of their implementation.

6. What is ‘evaluation research’?

My answer:

            Evaluation is the study of individual organisations, situations, events or processes with the purpose of feeding back its analysis to practitioners.            

Correct Answer:

            Evaluation research is concerned with value of outcomes and consequences of action.

Feedback:

              Evaluation may well be the study of individual organisations, situations, etc. but the evaluation researchers may be conducting their research for a variety of purposes, some of which may or may not be relevant to the activity of those being researched. It is difficult to imagine any educational research that was not focused on the short- or long-term improvement of the service. The essential quality of evaluation research is identified in the correct answer given, concerned with values in relation to educational activity.

7. How might educational theory influence the goals of educational research?

My Answer:

            Educational theory constitutes the sets of values and beliefs that underlie educational practice and therefore also underlie educational research.     

Correct Answer:

            Educational theory contains assumptions about how things should be organised or what goals should be achieved. Research must take cognisance of these.

Feedback:

            The conclusions of educational research are centred on the nature of our questions and the evidence that we gather in order to answer them. Certain educational theories may be assumed within the research and they may set the boundaries within which conclusions are delivered but they do not determine them. Research must take cognisance of theoretical considerations insofar as these will be a part of the understanding of those being researched.

I think I should review the difference between educational theory and educational reearch.
Also, I'm still not quite clear on the definition of Evaluation research -  what is the difference between feeding back analyses and the value of outcomes?