chapter 3
Chapter 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
In this chapter the research methodology used in the study is described. The geographical area where the study was conducted the study design and the population and sample are described. The instrument used to collect the data, including methods implemented to maintain validity and reliability of the instrument, are described.
Research Approach and Design
Denzin and Lincoln (2000) suggest a different, more complex definition. Their definition, which includes observations, interpretations, and transformations, is as follows:
Qualitative research is a situated activity that locates the observer in the world. It consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible. These practices transform the world. They turn the world into a series of representations, including field notes, interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings, and memos to the self…qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. (p. 3)
There are generally two kinds of interviews: 1) Surveys, which are used mostly for quantitative research, and feature close-ended questions which can easily be turned into statistical data. 2) Qualitative interviews are replete with open-ended questions, whose answers should take the form of a narrative by the respondent about his/her experiences. Qualitative studies are generally much smaller in scope because of the sheer volume of data which much be analyzed by the researcher. Weiss (1994) favors the latter approach because he believes that the qualitative approach of interviewing will give researchers, and eventually readers, a more complete picture of the perspective of the subjects of the study (Weiss 1994).
The researcher must decide how to record the interview. There are basically three options available: 1) Tape record the session; 2) Take detailed notes; 3) Tape
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
In this chapter the research methodology used in the study is described. The geographical area where the study was conducted the study design and the population and sample are described. The instrument used to collect the data, including methods implemented to maintain validity and reliability of the instrument, are described.
Research Approach and Design
Denzin and Lincoln (2000) suggest a different, more complex definition. Their definition, which includes observations, interpretations, and transformations, is as follows:
Qualitative research is a situated activity that locates the observer in the world. It consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible. These practices transform the world. They turn the world into a series of representations, including field notes, interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings, and memos to the self…qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. (p. 3)
There are generally two kinds of interviews: 1) Surveys, which are used mostly for quantitative research, and feature close-ended questions which can easily be turned into statistical data. 2) Qualitative interviews are replete with open-ended questions, whose answers should take the form of a narrative by the respondent about his/her experiences. Qualitative studies are generally much smaller in scope because of the sheer volume of data which much be analyzed by the researcher. Weiss (1994) favors the latter approach because he believes that the qualitative approach of interviewing will give researchers, and eventually readers, a more complete picture of the perspective of the subjects of the study (Weiss 1994).
The researcher must decide how to record the interview. There are basically three options available: 1) Tape record the session; 2) Take detailed notes; 3) Tape