Introduction
Research methodologies, like salt and pepper, or peanut butter and jelly, come in two distinct, recognizable, metaphorical flavors: Qualitative and Quantitative. Each comes with its own ideas and philosophies, strengths and weaknesses, proponents, and detractors.
Quantitative research emerged during the Scientific Revolution as a way to examine, observe, and analyze natural phenomena. Quantitative research is:
- Numeric—Data is collected in numerical form and is analyzed using statistical means
- Deductive—It begins with a particular point of view (hypothesis) and sets out to prove/disprove it
- Classic—It mirrors the “Scientific Method.”
Qualitative research emerged in the last half of the 20th century as a counterpoint to quantitative methodologies. Qualitative research is:
- Non-Numeric—It is concerned with the written description, rather than numerical analysis
- Inductive—Research questions emerge from the collected data
- Social—It is concerned with people in social situations
- Field Research Oriented—The research is conducted on-site, in the field where the social situation is taking place
- Observational—Data is collected largely through observations of the actions of others
- Participatory—The researcher is often a participant in the events he/she is observing/recording/researching
- Coded— Coding is the chief analysis tool used by qualitative researchers
In this week’s Unit, you will determine, define, and write up the data collection methods for your applied research proposal. You will write in the future tense saying “the researcher will…” as you have not completed the research yet and you are not permitted to use the first person. You will also start your PLC work assignment.
Written Assignment
Methodology Part 2
Refer to the resources in the Reading Assignment and the instructions in the template and complete the following sections of your Applied Research Proposal:
- Research Procedure – Start this section by explaining the process for acquiring permission from your campus leader to complete the study. In the proposal, this will be in future tense using the language “The researcher will…” Once the study is complete, this section will be edited to the past tense.
- Soliciting Participants – Explain in detail the steps for acquiring the participants for your study. How did you recruit participants?
- Informed Consent – Explain in detail the steps for acquiring informed consent from your participants or the parents of your participants if under 18 years of age. How were the questions answered? How were consent forms distributed? How did you acquire consent? How did you record consent if a signature was not acquired?
- Data Collection Procedures – Explain in detail the steps for collecting the data using the sources and instruments discussed earlier. Be very detailed so that anyone reading this could replicate your study identically without question. Think of this section as though you were writing a recipe. You must include every step of the process in extreme detail so that it could be replicated.
This assignment will be assessed by your instructor. Your paper will be assessed on how well the above areas have been covered. In addition, the below aspects will also be assessed:
- Page Requirement: The assignment should be a minimum of two pages, not including title and reference pages.
- APA Formatting: Use APA formatting consistently throughout.
- Syntax and Mechanics: Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Your written work should contain no errors and be very easy to understand.
Once your methodology (part 2) has been assessed and you have received feedback, make the necessary revisions, then copy and paste your literary review into your Applied Research Template in the appropriate location.
Please review the Unit 4 Written Assignment rubric (https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1589476/mod_book/chapter/349625/5470WA4-rubric.pdf) to better understand how our paper will be assessed.
Reading Assignment
1. Data collection strategies II: Qualitative research. (n.d.). California State University. http://web.csulb.edu/~msaintg/ppa696/696quali.htm
- The above website from CSU-Long Beach describes the difference between Qualitative and Quantitative research and what data collection methods are applied to each method.
2. Trochim, W. M. K, (2006). Descriptive statistics. conjoint.ly. http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/statdesc.php
- The resource above is a review of descriptive statistics is provided. Along with examples of how to complete descriptive statistics in your own research study.
