the zen of writing (and a few other matters) edu 8603
TRANSCRIPT
The The ZENZEN of Writingof Writing(and a few other matters)(and a few other matters)
EDU 8603EDU 8603
• Designs combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting data
• Advantages– Incorporates the strengths of both qualitative and
quantitative approaches– Provides a more comprehensive view of the
phenomena being studied– Does not limit the data being collected
Mixed Methods DesignsMixed Methods Designs
• Disadvantages and limitations– Requires expertise in both methods– Requires extensive data collection and
resources– It is popular to claim the use of mixed method
design even though one method is used superficially
Mixed Methods DesignsMixed Methods Designs
• Three types of designs– Explanatory– Exploratory– Triangulation
Mixed Methods DesignsMixed Methods Designs
• Explanatory designs– Quantitative data is collected first with qualitative data
collection following– Example: Use of a questionnaire to provide an
overview of students’ attitudes toward drug testing programs followed by several in-depth interviews of specific students with positive and negative attitudes (i.e. maximum variation sampling) to understand how those attitudes were shaped
Mixed Methods DesignsMixed Methods Designs
• Exploratory designs– Qualitative data is collected first with quantitative data
collection following– Example: A few interviews with students and a
content analysis of several surveys allowed a researcher to determine the important factors, upon which an attitudinal scale on drug testing programs was developed. Administration of this survey gave an overall view of students’ attitudes to a specific program being used at a local school
Mixed Methods DesignsMixed Methods Designs
• Triangulation designs– Quantitative and qualitative data is collected at the
same time to provide a more comprehensive and complete set of data
– Example: The use of a scale addressing attitudes toward drug testing programs could be administered to the students in a school. Information from focus groups and interviews could be used to confirm the conclusions drawn from the survey.
Mixed Methods DesignsMixed Methods Designs
Entering a ConversationEntering a Conversation
• This topic is intriguing to you; convey this to your reader.
• Think of yourself as an expert!
Action Research ProjectsAction Research Projects
• General Issues– Different from empirical study though
employing similar concepts.– Context specific; convenience sample; no
generalizability even if study is quantitative.– Don’t take on too much, try to solve the
world. Remember the KISS principle. Pick a slice.
Substantive IssuesSubstantive Issues
• Introduction– Why is this study intriguing to you?– Explain context of your school
http://www.nces.ed.gov/globallocator/
– Research questions– Why will knowing more about this help you
and other teachers?– Multiple paragraphs – Should use 1st person
Substantive IssuesSubstantive Issues
• Language– Consistency of Terms– Define terms.
Although many generically use the term “self-efficacy” as synonymous with perceived sense of competence (Jones, 2000; Smith, 1999; Williams, 2000), Bandura (1982) defines self-efficacy as a self-judgment of one’s ability to perform a specific task in a specific domain. When I use the term self-efficacy, I mean….
Substantive IssuesSubstantive Issues
• Literature Review– SYNTHESIZE!!– Giving an overview of what’s been done in the
field on this project– Patterns in literature– Rationale for study– CRITIQUE the empirical studies!– Largest section of project
Literature ReviewLiterature Review
• CRITIQUE the studies!– Research questions– Samples/participants– Validity/reliability or trustworthiness– Methods
• Data collection• Data analysis
– Results/conclusions
Substantive IssuesSubstantive Issues
• To help reader, use– Topic Sentences– Transitions– Summarizing sentences or paragraphs
• Outline your paper!
Technical IssuesTechnical Issues
• APA formatting– Hendricks pp. 152-155– http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/56
0/01/
Technical IssuesTechnical Issues
• APA citationsAlthough many generically use the term “self-
efficacy” as synonymous with perceived sense of competence (Jones, 2000; Smith, 1999; Williams, 2000), Bandura (1982) defines self-efficacy as a self-judgment of one’s ability to perform a specific task in a specific domain. When I use the term self-efficacy, I mean….
Technical IssuesTechnical Issues
• Types of sources– Remember qualitative studies may include
numbers (descriptive data).– Quantitative studies assume generalizability if
they used a random sample.– You may use > 8 sources. If so, you may use
> 1 theoretical paper or literature review.
Technical IssuesTechnical Issues
• Abstract of ≤150 words – Study purpose– Participants/ context– Data collection methods– Maybe data analysis methods– Results (why results will be useful)
MethodsMethods
• With a partner, share your potential data collection and analysis. Look for:– Data being collected. Match with research
question? Is it adequate? Is it feasible?– How and when will the researcher analyze the
data?– Validity & reliability or trustworthiness?
Analyzing an Action Research Analyzing an Action Research ProjectProject
• Are the research questions appropriate?• Is the problem researchable? Important?• Is the review of literature adequate? Does the
author identify patterns, gaps, contradictions, strengths, weaknesses?
• Does the literature review provide a backdrop for the study?
Analyzing an Action Research Analyzing an Action Research ProjectProject
• Does the researcher describe the participants?• Does the researcher adequately describe the
proposed methods? • Does the researcher adequately describe the
proposed analysis?• Do the research question, sample, methods,
analysis, and importance of the results align?